Mid August weekend birding

Least Sandpiper, old state school soccer fields, Belchertown, MA, August 11, 2012

Least Sandpiper, old state school soccer fields, Belchertown, MA, August 11, 2012

Least Sandpiper, old state school soccer fields, Belchertown, MA, August 11, 2012

Killdeer, old state school soccer fields, Belchertown, MA, August 11, 2012

Yet another couple days of humidity with on and off showers and thunderstorms.  The last few days have been similar and have given the area a very tropical feel with temperatures staying in the low 70’s at night and rising to the 80’s to near 90 during the day.  Some of the storms have had torrential downpours and we have added several inches of rain to the annual total in a matter of a few days.  Given the continuous threat of poor weather I stayed fairly close to home all weekend.

I started Saturday morning at Lake Wallace and the soccer fields near the old state school here in Belchertown.  The fields held 31 Killdeer as well as a Least Sandpiper.  The number of Mallards and Wood Ducks has dropped a bit but that may be due to arriving a little later at the lake and many of the birds had already moved in the reedy area where the birds slip from view.  Still a good number Green Herons with at least eight present.

Common Mergansers, Quabbin Park, August 11, 2012

Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Quabbin Park, August 11, 2012

I next went over to Quabbin Park to try to find the Red Crossbills again and get additional recordings but I was never able to find them.  I did have some good birds despite the low clouds and poor lighting.  There was a very vocal Yellow-billed Cuckoo near Goodnough Dike.  There were a few groups of Common Mergansers with groups of 11 and 5.  A total of 7 Red-breasted Nuthatch's point toward a good season for them and the potential of a decent flight year.  One of the more vocal birds still around were Eastern Wood Pewee's with at least a dozen still calling.  A final stop at the Route 9 marsh on the way home added three Solitary Sandpipers, a Spotted Sandpiper and two Least Sandpipers coming in and out of view as they all worked the far edge of the marsh.


On Sunday I started once again at Lake Wallace and the old state school fields.  The day started off warm and humid again with lows around 73.  A slightly increased number of Killdeer (34) around as well as a slight increase in the number of Wood Ducks from yesterday.  There was yet another vocal Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the area.  Today was the first day in weeks I did not find a Great Egret present.  I then headed over to Quabbin just as it started to rain.  I stopped at Winsor Dam, the marsh and one other spot but I got rained out.  After quite a bit of early rain I decided to head for home to wait it out. 

A few other birds of note from the weekend included a Louisiana Waterthrush still singing at 5:30am at home on Saturday and another found along the land trust trail on Sunday.

Updates to hurricane season and crossbills

Tropical Atlantic map, Aug 9, 2012, from NOAA

A quick update on a couple of topics I have talked about before.  The first is the ongoing hurricane season.  As of today the updated prediction for the season shows it at average or a bit above.  As the season has gone on the predictions for the total numbers of named storms has increased.  Here is a bit of the latest information courtesy of NOAA:

"Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the season – June 1 to November 30 – NOAA’s updated seasonal outlook projects a total (which includes the activity-to-date of tropical storms Alberto, Beryl, Debbie, Florence and hurricanes Chris and Ernesto) of:

·         12 to 17 named storms (top winds of 39 mph or higher), including:

·         5 to 8 hurricanes (top winds of 74 mph or higher), of which:

·         2 to 3 could be major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of at least 111 mph)

The numbers are higher from the initial outlook in May, which called for 9-15 named storms, 4-8 hurricanes and 1-3 major hurricanes. Based on a 30-year average, a normal Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes."

So far there has been six named storms with two of those being hurricanes.  As of August 9^th there is one named storm striking Mexico and a new tropical depression that has formed well out in the Atlantic that is predicted to become the next tropical storm.
The entire prediction and explanation can be found at the following link:

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2012/20120809_atlantic_hurricane_season_update.html

Red Crossbill, Prescott Peninsula, July 28, 2012

The other topic I will update are the Red Crossbills occurring in the Quabbin area this year.  A few experts from Cornell have contacted me to get additional video/audio for analysis to determine the specific type of crossbill located here.  I have uploaded additional photos and video from not only this season but previous seasons as well at Quabbin which can be found here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/sets/72157630961068938/

The initial analysis done with the assistance of Ian Davies is likely correct in identifying the specific birds as Type 2 but there was some question and a bit further in the way of analysis was completed by Matthew Young from Cornell and this is the message I just got back this afternoon:

"Hi Guys,

I did the analysis on all of the material.   I would have to say that all except maybe 6589 and RECR 1 are of Type 2. Even these two recordings, I suspect are Type 2 as well, but a cautious approach would be to leave these two as probable Type 2 or unable to identify to type 100%. What was the corresponding video to RECR_1?

* probable type 2
Mass_Red Crossbills_6536.wav: classic Type 2
Mass_Red Crossbills_6541.wav: Type 2
Mass_Red Crossbills_6546.wav:  Type 2
Mass_Red Crossbills_6547.wav: Type 2
Mass_Red Crossbills_6550.wav: Type 2
Mass_Red Crossbills_6589.wav: Type 2 *
Mass_Red Crossbills_6612.wav: Type 2
RECR_1: Type 2 *
RECR_2:  Type 2

Type 1 have a more attenuated chip and these two have a sound that is suggestive of that...and the specs are a bit intermediate. Anyway, I'm attaching short wav files of Type 1 and 2 I've recorded in NY. These are good examples of both."

No luck with crossbills on Monday

Route 9 marsh, Quabbin Park, MA, August 6, 2012

Yesterday I tried to catch back up with the Red Crossbills I found Sunday at Quabbin Park but I did not have any luck.  There is a lot of good habitat here and the birds certainly can wander a bit so I would guess they are still around.  I spent most of my time around the route 9 marsh and the road between route 9 and Goodnough Dike and then up to Hank's Meadow.  I did have a Yellow-billed Cuckoo near Hank's Meadow (only the second one I have seen all year in western Massachusetts). 

Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, August 6, 2012

Killdeer (1 of 38 present), old state school socceer fields, Belchertown, MA, August 6, 2012

Great Blue heron landing on foggy morning, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, August 6, 2012

Mallard with ducklings, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, August 6, 2012

Double crested Cormorant, Covey WMA, August 6, 2012

In addition to my trip to Quabbin Park I also visited Lake Wallace, Covey WMA and the Belchertown Land Trust trail.  The number of Wood Ducks, Mallards and various waders continue to be impressive at Lake Wallace.  The nearby soccer fields near the old state school had at least 38 Killdeer on them.  Covey WMA was fairly quiet later in the morning with the only unusual sighting being a Double-crested Cormorant fishing in a very small pond near the main road.  The best bird along the land trust trail was a Solitary Sandpiper in a small marsh.

Red Crossbills at Quabbin Park

Sunday dawned hot and humid again with low clouds and fog in the AM with temperatures starting out at 73 at dawn.  Today I decided to hit a variety of areas around Belchertown and Quabbin.  I began my morning at Lake Wallace and then moved on to Quabbin Park before finishing the morning walking Wilson on the Belchertown Land Trust trail.  The highlight of the day was found at Quabbin Park when I heard and then saw a Red Crossbill fly near the Route 9 marsh.  The bird disappeared from view but I heard it call a few more times.  I decided to try my luck near the large pine groves of Quabbin Park where I have had Red Crossbills in the past.  After quite a bit of looking I had a pair flyover a few times and then disappear.  I was not quick enough to get any photos or video.  I presume these three birds are dispersals from the groups I found on Prescott Peninsula the last couple of weekends.   The Red Crossbill makes species #191 for Hampshire County this year. 

Mallard with ducklings, Lake Wallace, August 5, 2012

Besides the Red Crossbills I did not have anything too noteworthy.  At Lake Wallace the numbers of Mallards (118) and Wood Ducks (59) is still impressive.  I added a Black Duck for the first time at this location this season.  I'm still waiting to come across something very unusual here, maybe next time.  Lake Wallace continues to be a productive spot for waders with a single Great Egret, three Great Blue Herons and six Green Herons.  After spending quite a bit of time tracking down crossbills I moved fairly quick through the rest of Quabbin Park as it was getting busy with the weekend crowd.  Little in the way of bird song this morning but the dozen plus Eastern Wood Pewee's continue to be vocal.  Another decent bird here was a Black-billed Cuckoo.  Along the land trust trail the highlight was a group of three very vocal Broad-winged Hawks.

Hummingbird banding

Bander about to release adult male Ruby throated Hummingbird, Whately, MA, August 4, 2012

Bander measuring bird Whately, MA, August 4, 2012

Bander measuring bird Whately, MA, August 4, 2012

Bander measuring bird Whately, MA, August 4, 2012

I made a trip up to Whately this morning to observe the hummingbird banding that has been conducted at this location for several years.  The banding is always done on a day in early August and the numbers of hummingbirds present is quite amazing.  Last year there was a total of 47 hummingbirds banded over the course of one morning.

Hanging feeder trap, Whately, MA, August 4, 2012

Feeder trap, Whately, MA, August 4, 2012

Yard where banding took place, Whately, MA, August 4, 2012

Yard where banding took place, Whately, MA, August 4, 2012

While I was there from early to mid morning a total of 18 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were captured with 4 being recaptures from previous years.  An additional two new birds were captured later in the morning plus another recapture.  The recaptures included two each from 2011 and 2010 as well as a single bird from 2009.  The recapture from 2009 has made the trip back and forth from Whately to Central America flying nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico six times.  Quite amazing for a bird that weighs just over a tenth of an ounce!   There is certainly site fidelity with this species.  The banding took place between 6am and noon with the largest numbers banded between 6-8:30am.  The majority of birds today were males with a small number of hatch year birds so perhaps the reduced captures from last year point toward a poor nesting season? 

Looking at the overall numbers of hummingbirds in this one yard is quite amazing and makes you wonder the true numbers present at any one location.  At home I have seen a maximum of five hummingbirds at once but the actual number present may be quite a bit greater.



Distant shot in haze of American Kestrel,

Turkey Vulture, Silvio Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, August 4, 2012

Following the hummingbird banding I headed back across the river into Hadley to see if I could catch up with some Black Vultures that have been seen in the fields south of the malls.  I have had some large gatherings of Turkey Vultures (20+) in the area of Moody Bridge Road the last few weeks but I have seen any Black Vultures.  I made numerous stops from late morning to midday in the area but could not find a Black Vulture.  There were 15+ Turkey Vultures in the area but no Black Vultures.  By this time of the day it was getting very warm with temperatures getting up toward 90 with high humidity and haze. 

Red-tailed Hawk, Arcadia meadows, August 4, 2012

Prior to heading up to Whately this morning I stopped briefly at Arcadia to make a quick check of the area to see if there was anything of interest around.  Nothing of note here beyond the expected species.

The tropics begin to come alive

Images courtesy of the National Hurricane Center, Aug 3, 2012

As we endure yet another heat wave (five so far this year) the tropics have also started to heat up a bit.  After a flurry of early season storms the tropics had been quiet.  This seems to be changing a bit as we start into the peak time for tropical systems.  As of today, August 3, there is a single named storm in the Atlantic as well as a couple areas of potential development.  Tropical Storm Ernesto is heading northwestward and is expected to slowly strengthen as it gets into areas more conductive for development.  As of now the forecast track takes the storm past Jamaica, past the Yucatan and then into the Gulf of Mexico.  As with most forecast tracks with tropical system, the future location of Ernesto is subject to change drastically.  The other two areas of concern include a low probability of development over the northern Bahamas and a tropical wave near the Cape Verde Islands with a moderate risk of development over the next 48 hours.  I will update from time to time as the hurricane season progresses, especially if there is potential for impact in the area.  As I have mentioned in several previous posts, tropical systems can bring some very unusual birds inland given the right conditions.  Species such as White-tailed Tropicbird, Parasitic Jaeger, Sooty Tern, an unidentified large swift species and numerous unusual shorebirds and other species arrived with Irene last August so there is no telling what species can show up during and after a tropical storm.  Here are a few links from the blog regarding the birds associated with Hurricane Irene last year.

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/03/hurricanes-and-swifts-with-look-at.html

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/09/more-on-large-swift-species.html

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/08/amazing-hurricane-birds.html

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/08/upcoming-hurricane.html

In addition to the tropical activity I had a Louisiana Waterthrush singing at home this morning.  I have had one singing first thing in the morning on and off for the last week or two.  I also made a trip over to Quabbin and Covey WMA this evening trying for Whip-poor-wills but only got a lot of mosquito's!  One bonus was seeing a very bright meteor streak across the sky...likely part of the Perseid meteor shower.

Red Crossbill type determined

Red Crossbill (type 2), Prescott Peninsula, MA, July 30, 2012

Red Crossbill (type 2) video, Prescott Peninsula, MA, July 30, 2012

As a follow up to my reports on Red Crossbills on the Prescott Peninsula at Quabbin the specific type has now been determined.   The specific type of Red Crossbill has been determined to be type 2.  This was determined with the assistance of Ian Davies who converted the video, with its associated audio, into a wave file and then used the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s free software (Raven Lite) which can be downloaded from this link:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/raven/ravenoverview.html

The recordings I obtained were compared to those of the different known types of Red Crossbills using a spectrogram.  The determination of type was obtained in this fashion.  Type 2 Red Crossbills occur across a large area of the country including the northeast.  Other types have/could occur in this area. There are at least nine (or ten) recognized types of Red Crossbill.  The overall size of the bird and the bill varies with each type but determining all types by sight alone is difficult to impossible.  The only way sure way to differentiate the types is through calls viewed as a spectrograph.

Additional information concerning these various types and their associated calls can be found at the following link:

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/introduction-to%20crossbill-vocalizations

http://research.amnh.org/vz/ornithology/crossbills/contents.html

As with previous sightings of Red Crossbills in this area breeding is suspected (and has been confirmed in the past).  The first Red Crossbills on Prescott Peninsula were noted on June 3, 2009 and small numbers were seen through the end of the year in 2009.   The largest number seen on any one day during that year was 14.   In 2010 they were first noted in April and seen through early July.  The largest number seen on a single day in that year was 26.  During the other years of the breeding bird atlas they were not noted.  Juvenile birds with adults feeding them were noted in both 2009 and 2010.  Also during 2010 they were noted in Quabbin Park in the same area from mid October through the end of November with the greatest number seen being 14.  A great overview of breeding in the state can be found on the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas page found at the following link:

http://massaudubonblogs.typepad.com/massbirdatlas/2010/11/218-red-crossbill.html

To sum up the above mentioned link the number of breeding Red Crossbills is quite small in the state with the only confirmed records during the entire five year long atlas study occurring at Quabbin, specifically on the Prescott Peninsula.  The other probable location for breeding in the state was also at Quabbin, located in Quabbin Park.  The only block with possible breeding was located in Plymouth County.  Certainly one of the rarer breeding species in the state with only a handful of confirmed records.  It does appear that the Prescott Peninsula is a breeding hotspot for this species in Massachusetts.   

SUMMARY (These results last updated 01 Aug 2012): Red Crossbill	Blocks
	All
Confirmed	3
Probable	1
Possible	1
Observed	1
Blocks with evidence ¹	5

Chart above courtesy of Mass Audubon and the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas.

For a little bit more information the range maps of various types can be found at the following link:

http://www.wos.org/issue27.pdf

With the permission of the staff at Quabbin I hope to continue additional research on this species on the Prescott Peninsula in the coming years.