Sightings from the last several days including the continued Pacific slope Flycatcher

Pacific slope Flycatcher, Hadley, MA, Nov 21, 2019

Pacific slope Flycatcher, Hadley, MA, Nov 21, 2019

Pacific slope Flycatcher, Hadley, MA, Nov 21, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 21, 2019

Northern Harrier, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 21, 2019

Rough legged Hawk, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Nov 21, 2019

Rough legged Hawk, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Nov 21, 2019

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Belchertown Land Trust trail, Belchertown, MA, Nov 21, 2019

I needed to get out a bit this morning before having to get back home to deal with some non birding issue and it was a great morning.  It was wall to wall sunshine with steadily warming temperatures after a low in the upper 20's.  I started off at Arcadia where I had seven species of waterfowl and at least five Yellow rumped Warblers...hopefully they will overwinter in the area once again (more on warbler through the third week of November here).  I then had to head back toward Hadley where I made a quick stop along the river and had the best looks I have had yet of the continued Pacific slope Flycatcher.  The flycatcher looked to be surviving quite well despite our record setting cold for the month so far.  It has now been present for almost a month and has been seen by hundreds (earlier posts about it here and here.).  A birder collected a fecal sample from the flycatcher a few days ago and hopefully a DNA test will be done on it to be 100% certain on the ID.  The only other notable sighting in the area was a light morph Rough legged Hawk I found at UMASS...hopefully just the first of many that will come down from the north this winter.  Later in the morning while taking Wilson for a walk I came across a few late species including two Ruby crowned Kinglets and a Gray Catbird in Belchertown.  It was a relaxing morning that was sorely needed.

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Belchertown, MA, Nov 20, 2019

Winter Wren, Belchertown, MA, Nov 20, 2019

I got out for a bit on a drizzly, cool morning on Wednesday and came across a couple of late Ruby crowned Kinglets, several Winter Wrens and a possible Marsh Wren at Lake Wallace. 

Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 18, 2019

Monday and Tuesday were busy with non birding activities so I only got out very briefly with the highlight being a couple Red throated Loons and several Bald Eagles at Winsor Dam.

American Robin with partial leucism, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 17, 2019

American Robin with partial leucism, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 17, 2019

American Robin with partial leucism, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 17, 2019

Field Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 17, 2019

Field Sparrow with partial leucism, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 17, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Nov 17, 2019

White tailed Deer, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Nov 17, 2019

On Sunday the 17th I made a couple stops in Northampton with the first down to the East Meadows  and then to Arcadia.  Sunday is the best day to explore the East Meadows with no hunters around.  I found a male Ring necked Pheasant that somehow has avoided getting shot so far...no idea how as I could have probably just reached out and grabbed it.  I had at least four Yellow rumped Warblers still hanging on plus a spike horn White tailed Deer that seemed very irritated with my presence.  Arcadia featured a couple leucistic birds including an American Robin and a Field Sparrow (which was among a group of five of the species traveling together).  I also found another four Yellow rumped Warblers.

Two Golden Eagles this morning plus lots of other stuff the last several days

Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 16, 2019

Golden Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 16, 2019

Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 16, 2019

After yet another cold front passed through last night the winds were howling out of the north when I arrived at Winsor Dam this morning in the hopes of finding birds moving on the strong winds.  Although it was very cold and windy at the dam there is no better spot to be in those conditions in the fall then at Winsor Dam.  Although there was not too much in the way of waterfowl moving I nevertheless had a stellar morning there with not one but two Golden Eagles and an unidentified swallow species.  I spotted the first Golden Eagle (a juvenile) as it steadily moved south and got some decent views through the scope and tried for a few digiscoped shots.  The couple other birders there also got to see before it disappeared.  Perhaps 10-15 minutes later I spotted another interesting eagle moving along the same line and this one turned out to be an adult Golden Eagle.  I have never had two Golden Eagles in the same day in Hampshire County and have only had two in the same day once before in Massachusetts...back in the late 1990's when I was out in the Berkshires.  The most frustrating sighting of the day was a swallow species that rocketed past.  I got just a brief look at the bird and couldn't get any details off of it before it disappeared beyond it not being a Barn Swallow.  Any swallow around here in November is very rare but I just didn't get a good enough look to ID...the one that got away.

Although I didn't attempt to stop by and see it lately the Pacific slope Flycatcher was seen and photographed again for the last couple days.  A truly tough bird as he has made it through the record setting cold with multiple days with lows around 10 and daytime highs at or below freezing and some strong winds.  It appears to be feeding on berries when it gets too cold for insects to be flying.  The bird has now been around for at least three and a half weeks.

Snow Goose, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Nov 15, 2019

Friday turned out to be the warmest day in the last several with highs that eventually reached into the mid 40's (where it should be this time of year) after another cold start in the low 20's.  I hit a number of spots in the morning including UMASS (nothing too noteworthy), then down to the Honey Pot and then across Route 9 to Aqua Vitae Road (best bird at either spot was a single Snow Goose in with a few hundred Canada Geese) and then finally over to the rail trail.  I intended to search some of the marshes along the rail trail but with a few fields yet to be cut down, access was nonexistent.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' on ice, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2019

Song Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2019

Eastern Bluebird, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2019

American Robins, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2019

After work on Thursday morning I headed over to Arcadia with my main focus being lingering warblers and waterfowl.  I had a couple of small groups of Yellow rumped Warblers but could not find any rare warblers among them.  I had seven species of waterfowl but nothing out of the ordinary.  Other highlights included an American Woodcock that exploded from right in front of me when I was exploring some areas along the Mill River and lots of American Robins in the old orchard area.

American Coots, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 13, 2019

On yet another bitter cold morning I stopped at Great Pond on my way to work on Wednesday to see if the American Coots reported there over the previous few mornings were still around.  All the shallow parts of the pond were frozen but there was still a decent amount of open water which held seven American Coots (an oddly tough species to find in the county for some reason).  The total of seven is the largest group of them I have ever had in the county beating my previous high of half a dozen at Quabbin Park back in 2007.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Nov 10, 2019

Downy Woodpecker, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Nov 10, 2019

I took advantage of a hunter free day on Sunday morning by checking a few spots in the East Meadows.  Nothing too unusual but five Yellow rumped Warblers were a good count for mid November.  They were in the same general area I had a Yellow rumped Warbler overwinter last winter so hopefully some stick around again.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 12, 2019

Black Bear, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 14, 2019

At home the cameras caught yet another previously banded Black capped Chickadee on Tuesday...a bird banded back in 2017!  Unfortunately I had a visit from a bear on Friday so I will have to hold off on putting out any suet or feed for a bit.

Cold and windy morning at Winsor Dam produces a Greater White fronted Goose and my highest count of Black Ducks in the county ever

Greater White fronted Goose with Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Greater White fronted Goose with Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Northern Pintails and Black Duck, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Northern Pintails and Black Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Black Ducks and a Mallard, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Northern Pintails, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Long tailed Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Quite a morning at Winsor Dam but damn cold!  The day dawned clear but cold with a steadily increasing wind out of the northwest that kept the high temperature to a record setting 34 degrees but that high only occurred much later in the day.  I arrived before dawn at the dam and started scanning for birds but didn't find anything on the water besides gulls (almost all ring billed gulls).  As the sun started coming up the waterfowl started arriving and continued for the next couple hours before slowing down quite a bit.  The highlights for waterfowl at the dam included a flyby Greater White fronted Goose moving southwest with a group of Canada Geese, my largest ever count of Black Ducks in Hampshire County (174 individuals beating my previous highest total by more than fifty birds) and a fairly high count of Northern Pintails.  There were a number of other species of waterfowl about but all were in fairly low numbers.  The biggest surprise was the total lack of any scoter species...very odd given the date and the conditions.  The Greater White fronted Goose was a new species for me both at Winsor Dam and Quabbin in general bringing my total at the dam to 205 and my Quabbin total to 247.  The goose was my 37th species of waterfowl I have recorded at the dam over the years (other oddities I have found here in November include King Eider and Pacific Loon...strangely both on November 11th).  In addition to the waterfowl other notables included a late Osprey, several Bald Eagles, a flyby American Pipit and a small group of Snow Buntings.

Canada Goose with odd markings, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Wood Ducks, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

Hooded Mergansers, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 8, 2019

After freezing at the dam I ran some errands but made a quick stop at the Route 9 marsh were I found a group of Canada Geese including an individual with extensive white on its neck (an entire album of unusually marked Canada Geese can be found here), 17 Wood Ducks, 21 Hooded Mergansers, a few more Black Ducks and Mallards plus a Greater Yellowlegs.  Overall for the morning I ended up with a dozen species of waterfowl.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 7, 2019

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 8, 2019

I put out a few suet feeders several days ago and the camera captured a number of birds so far including both Black capped Chickadees that got banded in the yard this summer as part of the neighborhood nestwatch program.

The end of the first week of November

Peregrine Falcon, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 7, 2019

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 7, 2019

Before the rain associated with our upcoming storm arrived in late morning I headed over to the Honey Pot area of Hadley where I explored a couple areas (along with Ted for part of the time).  It was very quiet at the now open That's a Plenty Farm which was probably due to a combination of less than perfect weather and a feral cat on the property.  The only notable species for the time there was a calling Gray Catbird.  I hit a couple other spots in Amherst but the rain started to arrive so I headed back toward home with a brief stop at Winsor Dam where I had a Red throated Loon, a raft of 11 Bufflehead and half a dozen Common Loons.  The forecast calls for continued rain overnight perhaps briefly changing to snow before ending with tomorrow looking to feature strong northwest winds and the coldest temperatures of the season so far.  Hopefully some waterfowl will be moved in on the winds.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 5, 2019

On my way to work on Tuesday I stopped off at Arcadia briefly and found a decent size flock of Yellow rumped Warblers as well as a flyover Snow Bunting and a flock of 14 Rusty Blackbirds.

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 4, 2019

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 4, 2019

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 4, 2019

Bufflehead,  Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 4, 2019

After work on Monday morning I hot a couple spots briefly as I worked my way home without anything too out of the ordinary.  I decided to make one last stop at Winsor Dam and during just a short stop turned up some good stuff including a flyover Brant that passed close, circled around and briefly landed on the grass near the parking lot plus my first Bufflehead and Red necked Grebe of the fall.

Pacific slope Flycatcher continues into November

Pacific slope Flycatcher, Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2019

Pacific slope Flycatcher, Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2019

Pacific slope Flycatcher, Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2019

Pacific slope Flycatcher, Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2019

Blue headed Vireo, Hadley, MA, Nov 2, 2019

Although I was not sure the Pacific slope Flycatcher would still be around following the strong winds, heavy rain from Thursday into Friday and cold morning temps today, it turned up again this morning.  I was just finishing up birding at Arcadia (more on that below) and noticed a post saying the flycatcher was back once again.  Given the beautiful sunny conditions I figured I would give it one more try in order to get some better looks and photos.  I arrived and there were a number of birders on site and a few had heard it call earlier and a few others got brief looks at it but it was not currently being seen or heard.  I spent the next 45 minutes or so looking for it without success and then it popped back into view again for a short time, changing its perch frequently.  At one point it stopped moving for a few minutes and preened (unfortunately it was largely obscured from view during that time)...it didn't call once the entire time I was there. This morning was the best overall for me in regards to good looks and photos of the bird during my numerous visits.  It was still being seen when I left and I ran into a number of new birders arriving on my way out and I believe they all also got to see the bird.  I heard from Dave after I left that he witnessed it eating privet berries so perhaps it will survive the upcoming cold snap.  Amazing that the bird has stayed put for at least the last week and a half.  List with more photos here.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 2, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 2, 2019

American Robin, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 2, 2019

Cedar Waxwings, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 2, 2019

Northern Harrier, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 2, 2019

Before catching up with the flycatcher I spent some time at Arcadia where I found a total of 53 species over the course of just under three hours.  Highlights included a couple Northern Harriers, a late Eastern Phoebe, loads of Cedar Waxwings, a flyby Pine Siskin with a group of goldfinches, a dozen Rusty Blackbirds, half a dozen species of sparrows (overall numbers of sparrows were way down), a late Common Yellowthroat and at least 24 Yellow rumped Warblers.

Bonaparte's Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 1, 2019

Following the storm yesterday I hoped to find some waterfowl moving on strong westerly winds but the best I could find were half a dozen Long tailed Ducks that zipped past Winsor Dam.  The only other notable bird around the dam on the blustery morning was a Bonaparte's Gull.