First Common Nighthawks have arrived

Common Nighthawk at home, taken in August 2011

A quick observation note from yesterday regarding my first of the season Common Nighthawk.  The August 15th date is the about the date I expect to see the first ones show up on their long migration south.  As the next few weeks go on the numbers should pick up with a peak typically in late August.  The earliest date I have ever had them here at home is August 13th in 2010.

I will also be taking part in the ongoing study of Common Nighthawk migration again this year as part of the "SuAsCo/Nashua Rivers and Beyond Survey".  The website for this research can be found here:
http://www.borobirding.net/

I will update occasionally on this species as the season progresses.

Birding along the Connecticut River near Northampton/Hadley looking for shorebirds

Northern Harrier, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, August 13, 2012

Northern Harrier, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, August 13, 2012

Today dawned sunny and cooler with much lower humidity.  I decided to head over to check out some of the various fields along the Connecticut River to see if I could find any shorebirds.  I suspected (and was correct) that many of the fields still had crops in them as they have not yet been harvested.  However there were several different spots that looked great for shorebirds but there were few around this morning.  I started in the East Meadows from the airport west to the mid area of the meadows.  I scanned many fields but only came up with a small number of shorebirds including Semipalmated Sandpiper (9), Least Sandpiper (2), peep species (3), and Killdeer (3).  There certainly were some good potential hot spots down there but not much around.  Other birds of note there included a Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, scores of swallows coming out of roost and feeding over the fields with a total of a several hundred of various species including Tree, Bank and Barn Swallows.  There was also a handful of Bobolinks flying over.  The fog was slowly lifting from here as I headed north up into Hatfield. 

Barn Swallows, Pilgrim Airport, Hatfield, MA, August 13, 2012

Bobolink (one of 70+), Pilgrim Airport, Hatfield, MA, August 13, 2012

My first stop in Hatfield was going to be at Great Pond.  Sadly the best access for Great Pond in Hatfield is no longer accessible as yet another home is being built there.  There are other ways in but none are as easily accessible or provide as good a view as the one that is no longer available.  Too bad.  The fog was really quite thick at this point so I headed further north to the old Pilgrim Airport where the fog had lifted.  As far as shorebirds are concerned I had a flyover Greater Yellowlegs as well as 33 Killdeer in a plowed field.  Other birds of note included a good number of swallows as well as at least 72 Bobolinks (and likely many, many more) feeding in the overgrown fields on the north side.  My final stop in Hatfield were the fields south of the airport opposite Great Pond.  The only shorebird here was a flyover Least Sandpiper that came right over head.  I then headed across the river to Hadley.

Mute Swans (six of seven), Lake Warner, Hadley, MA, August 13, 2012

Bank Swallows feeding in freshly plowed road, Silvio Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, August 13, 2012

Red-tailed Hawk, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, August 13, 2012

Turkey Vulture, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, August 13, 2012

Turkey Vultures, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, August 13, 2012

Red-tailed Hawk, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, August 13, 2012

Red-shouldered Hawk, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, August 13, 2012

Red-shouldered Hawk, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, August 13, 2012

In Hadley most fields were still full of crops so there was not much in the way of shorebird habitat.  I made a brief stop at Lake Warner and had a single Killdeer and seven Mute Swans.  I then stopped at the UMASS Horse Farm but the area inside the track that can at times be productive was overgrown with grass and there were horses grazing in the area.  I then headed down to the area of Moody Bridge Road to see if I could find a Black Vulture.  Yet again no luck with that species but did have a dozen Turkey Vultures, three Red-tailed Hawks and a Red-shouldered Hawk.  Other birds of note here included a decent number of swallows including dozens feeding along the freshly plowed dirt section of the road.  Most were Bank and Tree Swallows with a handful of Barn's. 


Red-tailed Hawk, Moody Bridge Rd, Hadley, MA, August 13, 2012

Overall I ended up with four species of shorebirds for the day with Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers and Killdeer.  It was also good day overall for raptors without trying too hard with Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk and Turkey Vulture (an honorary raptor!)

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.