Back from Costa Rica

Green Honeycreeper, Los Cusingos, Costa Rica, Dec 19, 2012

I just returned from a 12 day trip to Costa Rica and will be posting more on it over the next several days.  I have just downloaded the photos but have just started to review them.  I don't have totals for the trip yet but suffice it to say it was a great trip.  More info and photos to follow.  Tough to leave the tropics and come back to all this snow and ice!

Hoary Redpoll, Cackling Goose and lots of Common Redpolls at Honeypot

Hoary Redpoll, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

Hoary Redpoll, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

Common Redpoll, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

Common Redpolls, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

Common Redpoll, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

American Goldfinch, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

Common Redpoll, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

I decided to try one more time to catch up with the Hoary Redpoll and/or the Northern Shrike that had been seen at the Honeypot area of Hadley several days ago.  I arrived just before the sun came up and was treated to a spectacular sunrise.  I started at 'thats a plenty farm' and immediately heard Common Redpolls overhead but never more than five at a time.  I walked the area of the farm and then headed back toward the area of the model airplane field as that is where some of the groups of redpolls had been heading and is the area Scott Surner had a Hoary Redpoll last week.  I ran across a large (180+ bird) flock of Common Redpolls and spent some time trying to get views of all the birds in the flock that was actively feeding.  The flock would get skittish at times and fly up and around when a Red tailed Hawk appeared or for no apparent reason at all.  I finally ran across a Hoary Redpoll and I got views of the bird for about 30 seconds before a Red tailed Hawk put all the birds up again.  I managed a few marginal photos that show some of the field marks but not as well as actually viewing the bird did.  The bird was paler overall (although not as pale as I might have expected), had a short, stubby bill, limited fine streaking on flanks and unstreaked undertail coverts.  Wish I could have gotten a longer look and better photos but oh well...no complaints!  This was a life bird for me as well as county bird #227 for the year!  After viewing the flock for quite some time a part of the group broke off and headed toward the dike (I caught up with that group on the way out). 

Cackling Goose with Canada Geese, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

Cackling Goose with Canada Geese, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

Cackling Goose with Canada Geese, Honeypot, Hadley, MA, Dec 14, 2012

Just before I left a group of Canada Geese flew by heading southwest and in among them was a Cackling Goose. (Perhaps the individual that has been at UMASS...the birds were coming from that direction).  Other birds of note included a number of Horned Larks, a Swamp Sparrow and a variety of other more common species.

Common Goldeneye, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Dec 14, 2012

I also made a quick trip to Quabbin Park before heading for home and had a couple of Common Goldeneye at Winsor Dam as well as seven Horned Grebes and 30+ Mallards and a few Black Ducks at Hank's Meadow as well as a couple Common Loons.

Wilson and I then went for a walk along the Jabish Canal and the best bird there was a flyover Red Crossbill that was seen and heard.  Tried to get a recording of it to determine type but failed.

 

 

Quabbin Park in the morning and the Honeypot in the afternoon

Downy Woodpecker, Honeypot, Hadley, MA

Savannah Sparrow, Honeypot, Hadley, MA

 

Common Redpoll, Honeypot, Hadley, MA

Unusual Dark eyed Junco, Honeypot, Hadley, MA

Unusual Dark eyed Junco, Honeypot, Hadley, MA

I started out my day with a trip to Quabbin Park and despite another morning of some early fog, the visibility was fairly good at most spots.  The waterfowl included at least 114 Mallards (most in cove opposite Enfield lookout), a couple Black Ducks, 7 Hooded Merganser, a few Canada Geese, a lucky 13 Horned Grebes and a couple Common Loons.  No unusual landbirds today

After a call in the early afternoon from Scott Surner telling me about a Hoary Redpoll in a large flock of redpolls at the Honeypot in Hadley. He also mentioned he had a Northern Shrike in the same area but a Merlin had moved the shrike along. As I had never seen a Hoary Redpoll and I still have not seen a Northern Shrike in the county this year, I decided to head over there.  When I arrived there were several birders just getting there as well.  We had several flyover groups of redpolls, a variety of raptors and other typical species.  I walked around several areas and turned up a few groups of Horned Larks but still no Hoary Redpoll.  Additional birders arrived and we looked in vain to find either bird.  Perhaps I will get another chance to find these before the end of the year.  I did run across a unique Dark eyed Junco that had a white strip on its wings.  I got a few marginal photos of the bird.  There were also large groups of junco in a few spots as well as a handful of Savannah and Song Sparrows.

On my way home I stopped briefly at Winsor Dam and had eight Common Mergansers (seven males) fly in and stop briefly before heading out.  No Pine Grosbeaks in the crab apples this afternoon either.

Rainy and foggy

Despite the rain and fog today I managed to get out for a bit checking the waters of Quabbin.  Nothing too unusual but you never know what you will find until you go out and look.  I started and finished at Winsor Dam with other stops at Goodnough Dike and Gate 52 plus Hanks Meadow.  I got fairly soaked as the weather was quite changeable with times of drizzle and then heavier rain.  Waterfowl was primarily concentrated at Hanks Meadow with only a few loons at other locations.  I had the following waterfowl this morning:  One Black Duck, ten Hooded Mergansers, nine Mallards, eight Horned Grebe and three Common Loons.  Given the weather conditions landbirds were few and far between but I did turn up five Pine Grosbeaks in the crabapple trees at Quabbin HQ.

Without too much activity at Quabbin I decided to try my luck at the UMASS campus pond to try and see what unusual waterfowl might be there.  There were only Mallards on the pond plus a handful of Ring billed Gulls.  The fields near the Mullin center had a 100+ gulls but nothing beyond Ring billed Gulls.  With the rain showing no sign of stopping I headed for home.

A warm day in December

Cedar Waxwing, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Dec 3, 2012

 

Yellow bellied Sapsucker, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Dec 3, 2012

Yellow bellied Sapsucker, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Dec 3, 2012

Ring necked Ducks, Quabbin Park, Dec 3, 2012

Common Loons, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Dec 3, 2012

Cedar Waxwing, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Dec 3, 2012

Pine Grosbeak, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Dec 3, 2012

Spent a good portion of this unseasonably warm day outside enjoying temperatures that made it up to 57 degrees.  The morning started out a bit foggy but not nearly as bad as yesterday.  I made a swing through Quabbin Park with a few stops at Winsor Dam too this morning and had the following waterfowl:  77 Ring necked Ducks in one group at Hanks Meadow, a lone male Long tailed Duck, 15 Horned Grebes (all at Hanks Meadow), five Common Loons, 18 Hooded Mergansers, three Common Mergansers, five Black Ducks, 21 Mallard and ten Canada Geese.  Other birds of note seen included a flyover Red Crossbill seen and heard (unable to get a good recording due to distance), a Yellow bellied Sapsucker (had all six species of somewhat expected woodpeckers today), half a dozen Pine Grosbeaks, a kingfisher and a handful of Bald Eagles (including one very vocal juvenile at Goodnough).

I also went for a couple of different walks along the Jabish canal with Wilson and had a couple Winter Wrens as well as a group of three White winged Crossbills feeding in the pines.

Northern Saw-whet Owl (species #226) plus others on a foggy day

Northern Saw-whet Owl, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, Dec 2, 2012

Dark eyed Junco, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA, Dec 2, 2012

Today started out foggy and stayed that way through midday with cool temperatures starting out just below freezing.  I tried my luck at Quabbin Park first thing in the morning but the fog made viewing quite difficult.  I did manage to find a few landbirds of note including a Hermit Thrush, a Winter Wren, and a Ruffed Grouse.  As I was trying to find additional birds there I got a message from Ian Davies that they had refound a Northern Saw whet Owl at Hampshire College that was first discovered by them over a week ago in the same spot.  I headed my way over there and after a bit of looking, found the bird roosting near the top of a pine.  I managed a few photos but the conditions did not allow for any great shots.  I was very happy to find this bird as it became #226 for Hampshire County this year.  This may be perhaps the last species I add for the year but who knows? 

I then headed back through the fog to Quabbin stopping at Winsor Dam to see if I could once again catch up with Pine Grosbeaks there.  I immediately found them feeding on the ground and in the crab apple trees.  As the fog made viewing the water nearly impossible I spent some time just admiring the grosbeaks.  As I stood there watching them several dropped in around me and walked right up to me.  One even came and and walked over my feet as I stood there...amazing to see!  Pine Grosbeaks can be so much fun to watch as they are usually so oblivious to people.  There were birds out on the water as I could hear Mallards, Ring billed Gulls and loons but only the loon was ever visible in the dense fog.

I also took a walk with Wilson along the Jabish Canal but the birds were very few and far between there.

A return trip to Winsor Dam in the early afternoon found the fog starting to lift but the grosbeaks gone.  There were a handful of birds out on the water including a couple Common Loons, four Hooded Mergansers, four Black Ducks and a Mallard.  A flyby adult Bald Eagle also made a short appearance.

Pileated Woodpecker, Belchertown, MA, Dec 2, 2012

Besides the usual feeder birds at home today I had a Pileated Woodpecker make an appearance.  Wilson noticed it first as he stared out the window at the bird.  I managed to get a few marginal photos through the window before the bird moved on.

First of December birding at Quabbin Park

Pine Grosbeak, Quabbin Park, Dec 1, 2012

 

Pine Grosbeak, Quabbin Park, Dec 1, 2012

Pine Grosbeaks, Quabbin Park, Dec 1, 2012

Pine Grosbeak, Quabbin Park, Dec 1, 2012

Common Redpoll, Quabbin Park, Dec 1, 2012

Common Redpoll, Quabbin Park, Dec 1, 2012

Pine Grosbeak, Quabbin Park, Dec 1, 2012

The first day of December started out with a winter like feel as the temperature hovered around 25 and snow was falling at daybreak.  I headed over to Winsor Dam and immediately found five Pine Grosbeaks still feeding in the crab apple tree there.  I scanned the water briefly before the snow picked up and reduced the visibility and found a single Common Loon and a trio of Black Ducks.  I then headed into Quabbin Park with a brief stop at the Route 9 marsh.  The marsh was mostly frozen over but a handful of Canada Geese occupied the little open water.  I also had a flyover Red Crossbill here that to me sounded like a Type 10 but I was unable to get a recording so I'm not certain.  In the park I stopped at Hank's Meadow and Goodnough and had half a dozen Horned Grebe, three Common Loons, a dozen Black Ducks, a Mallard and a pair of Hooded Mergansers as well as a single Common Merganser.  The landbirds here were few and far between.  I then had to head out to run an errand but after that I returned to Winsor Dam and found the count of Pine Grosbeaks had increased to nine, feeding both in the crab apple tree and on the ground.  They were joined briefly by a group of five Common Redpolls.  I was thinking of heading back through the park again but the roads through were being closed due to the snow so I headed for home instead.