Birds the last few days including a new yard species and nesting Hooded Mergansers at home

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Pine Warbler, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Downy Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Chipping Sparrow, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

American Goldfinch, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Great Blue Heron at nest, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

I stopped by Lake Wallace on my way to work yesterday as well as on my way home this morning. Although I didn't have a lot of time during the morning yesterday I still turned up 30 species in about 15 minutes including four species of warbler.  Today I had a bit more time and spent over an hour exploring the area with the highlights among the 40 species including three species of swallows, nesting Great Blue Herons and 50+ Palm Warblers.

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 12, 2020

The camera at the water feature captured another new species (#48) with a Ruby crowned Kinglet showing up on Easter Sunday.  Another highlight for the yard was a breeding plumage Bonaparte's Gull that showed up over the marsh in a lull in the rain on Monday adding another species to the yard list which now stands at 167.

Hooded Merganser eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 13, 2020

Egg in duck box #3 , Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 13, 2020

Hooded Merganser on eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

In between the bouts of heavy rain on Monday I checked the duck boxes (except the first box which I know has a Hooded Merganser sitting on eggs and I didn't want to disturb her).  The second box which has had a single egg in it for well over a week now suddenly has several eggs in it.  The third box (which has never had birds nest in it before) now has at least one egg in it.  I relocated this box last year to a better location and the birds finally found it.  This is the first time I have had all three duck boxes used in a single year.  I decided to check the same two boxes on Wednesday and I was surprised to find a Hooded Merganser already sitting on eggs in box #2.

Upcoming storm and birds the last couple days

Yellow bellied Sapsucker, Hadley, MA, Apr 11, 2020

 Snow Goose, Connecticut River, South Hadley, MA, Apr 11, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Belchertown, MA, Apr 10, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Belchertown, MA, Apr 10, 2020

Common Merganser, Belchertown, MA, Apr 10, 2020

The last couple days have seen some migrants moving in with a slight increase in the numbers of Palm Warbler and Yellow rumped Warblers as well as Yellow bellied Sapsuckers plus some unusual migrants including a Marsh Wren at Quabbin Park yesterday.  Overall the weather has been less than perfect for migration with mainly north winds and cool temperatures.  This looks to change tomorrow with a fairly strong southerly wind throughout the day and into Monday with some potentially heavy rain overnight Sunday into a good portion of the day on Monday as a very strong storm moves up into the Great Lakes.  The setup is good for the potential for an early season overshoot situation where birds moving north trying to get to the southern United States get caught up in the strong southerly winds offshore and ride them north into New England flying downwind until they hit a piece of land to settle down on.  A situation like this usually brings in migrants that normally never come this far north and/or migrants that should not arrive until later in spring.  The possibilities of species is fairly broad and the coast usually fares much better in these types of weather conditions but it will be worth getting out and looking for birds for the next few days around here (Birdcast has some additional information on this set up at the following link).  Conditions such as these can result in fallout conditions on the coast further to the south (where birds fight against unfavorable winds until they reach the coast in droves and totally exhausted) or overshoot and end up well to the north.  A third unfortunate and all to frequent possibility is that birds migrating at this time suffer high levels of mortality due to these weather conditions and never make it to land.   During the rainy weather it is worth checking bodies of water and flooded fields for grounded birds and then checking a variety of habitats over the following days.  One spot I would love to be during the poor weather on Monday would be Winsor Dam but the state has now closed the entire area of Quabbin Park to cars indefinitely due to the Covid 19 pandemic (with no parking area open closing it to vehicles pretty much closes the park to everyone) .  My opinion on this is that it is a knee jerk reaction and a bad idea to close off large swaths of open spaces just when people need them the most.  It makes no sense really.  People will want to go outside (and should) especially as the weather gets warmer and nicer as spring moves along (obviously adhering to recommended social distancing).  It is good for both mental and physical health and shutting off areas to people at this time is short sighted in my book and without merit.  As each new open space area is closed off people will be concentrated on the remaining open spaces either causing additional areas to be closed or causing more close contact among people.

Northern Cardinal, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2020

Dark eyed Junco and White throated Sparrow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 8, 2020

Mouse species, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 8, 2020

Meanwhile at home the water feature continues to add new species of both avian and mammal types for the year.  Nothing too unusual yet but hopeful for some rarities this season.

Early Louisiana Waterthrushes plus Red Crossbills and Evening Grosbeaks

Lousiana Waterthrush, Nash Hill Road, Williamsburg, MA, Apr 7, 2020

Palm  Warbler 'yellow', Belchertown, MA, Apr 7, 2020

After another day at work I headed out this morning with my destination being Nash Hill Road in Williamsburg looking for a variety of species including the continued Red Crossbills, Evening Grosbeaks and perhaps an early Louisiana Waterthrush (more on the waterthrush at the following link).  I arrived in the area around 7:45 and spent the next hour plus exploring the area during which I had multiple flyovers of both Red Crossbills and Evening Grosbeaks.  The Red Crossbills were once again Type 1 (thanks to Tim Spahr for the confirmation). I also ran across an early Louisiana Waterthrush as I was walking back to the car (my earliest date ever for Hampshire County).  I also ran across Chuck and we birded together for a bit and I got him on a handful of unusual birds.  After I left Nash Hill Road I ran across another Louisiana Waterthrush along Depot Road (also in Williamsburg).  I spent the afternoon at home catching up on stuff around the house but still managed to find some good birds including the continued pair of Red shouldered Hawks plus some Palm Warblers and Rusty Blackbirds among some 37 species at the house over the course of the day.  Overall for the month I have already had 91 species which is a record setting pace for the month.

Gadwall (center and right) and Common Goldeneye, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 6, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 6, 2020

I made a brief stop at Winsor Dam on my way to work on Monday and had some somewhat unusual waterfowl including two Gadwall.

Wild Turkey, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 30, 2020

Raccoon , Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2020

American Robin, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2020

American Goldfinch, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2020

Eastern Phoebe, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 6, 2020

Opossum,  Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 7, 2020

The cameras at the house have captured a few new birds over the last few days plus some mammals.

New arrivals for the beginning of April

Hooded Merganser, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Ring necked Ducks, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2020

I spent a decent portion of the morning covering a variety of locations in search of newly arrived migrants and I had some good luck with five new species for the year.  It was nice to be out again now that I'm feeling a bit better and the weather was a bit warmer.  I started the morning at Arcadia but I had to limit myself to the areas of the sanctuary that could be birded from public roads as Arcadia itself is now closed to the public due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic.  Nonetheless I had some good stuff there including my first Double crested Cormorants and Palm Warbler of the season plus half a dozen Yellow rumped Warblers (almost certainly part of the group that overwintered in the area and not newly arrived migrants).  I then drove north to Great Pond where I had several species of waterfowl, my first Osprey and a calling Eastern Screech Owl.  I was going to hit some other spots nearby but the weather turned to crap with rain so I headed back east to Winsor Dam where I had some waterfowl way out on the reservoir including a female Ruddy Duck (new for the year and a tough species to get in Hampshire County) with a small group of Black Ducks.  I tried to get some digiscoped photos but the distant was just too much.  I then headed over to nearby Lake Wallace where I had a selection of expected waterfowl plus half a dozen Palm Warblers.  I then headed back home to do some stuff around the house but still added some good birds for the day including my first Barn Swallow (in among a group of Tree Swallows and a single Northern Rough winged Swallow).  More on the three species of warbler for the day at the following link.

Black capped Chickadees with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 2, 2020

Eastern Bluebird, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 2, 2020

Dark eyed Juncos, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 4, 2020

The cameras at the house have continued to catch my banded Black capped Chickadees (among other species) plus the water feature has started attracting species with five species of bird so far (plus Gray Squirrel and Black Bear).

The end of March and the beginning of April amid the pandemic

Red shouldered Hawk, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2020

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 31, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 28, 2020

The last week or so has been quite a roller coaster on so many levels.  The world as a whole has really been turned upside down by the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic and my little slice of it has been impacted.  Work has been crazier and crazier with each passing shift with more and more sick people and ever changing protocols.  The numbers of people infected (or likely infected) has grown exponentially and the official numbers are still way below what is actually occurring (mainly due to lack of available testing).  I got to experience the rather unpleasant test on Wednesday when I started developing symptoms (headache and sore throat to start).  The next few days the symptoms continued and I developed an occasional cough and chest tightness.  After getting the test done late on Wednesday afternoon I was told I should hear back with results in 2-5 days.  I finally got the results back after a week and lots and lots of phone calls to try to track down the results.  In the end I tested negative for the virus but that result is both good and bad.  It is nice to not have to isolate as much and be able to go back to work but it is pretty much inevitable I'll get it and it would have been nice if I had gotten and had mild symptoms.   During the last several days I have kept myself isolated at home most of the day with just some short morning trips to nearby Quabbin early in the morning to enjoy the solitude of a warm car while I checked out the area for waterfowl mainly.  I would have loved to stay out longer and walk a bit but I didn't feel up to it most of the time and I didn't want to be near anyone.

Being stuck around the house has allowed me to see some good stuff including multiple days with a pair of Red shouldered Hawks (which have a decent chance of nesting here) plus multiple days with up to half a dozen Rusty Blackbirds.  More on the duck boxes and what the game cameras have caught at the bottom of the post.

Red necked Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Wood Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Friday I stuck close to home again with just a few early morning stops including Quabbin Park and Winsor Dam.  It was certainly a nice morning with temperatures in the mid 40's and dead calm conditions early on.  The highlights included a Virginia Rail at Quabbin Park and a Red throated Loon and three Red necked Grebes at Winsor Dam.  The temperatures eventually made it up to the low 60's and I managed to get the water feature up and running at the house before I ran out of energy (some photos of the first captures at the end of the post).

Northern Shoveler, Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Mar 25, 2020

Green winged Teal, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 25, 2020

Common Mergansers, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 25, 2020

Wednesday I headed over to Williamsburg early to see if I could find the reported Red Crossbills in the area of Nash Hill Road.  I took a short walk and managed to get a brief view of at least four Red Crossbills as well as a recording before I headed back to the car (confirmed as Type 1 Red Crossbills).  I also made a brief run through Arcadia where I found some waterfowl including a Northern Shoveler.  It is likely the same bird that has been reported in Ned's Ditch but I saw it in a completely different area.  No luck finding any Yellow rumped Warblers but I was not able to hit all the areas they have been in recently.  There is a chance they have moved on as the weather has warmed up.  I was starting to feel bad as the morning moved along so I headed for home.

After getting out of work on Tuesday morning I hit a few spots before going home to sleep.  The best stop was to Beaver Lake in Ware where I had three Lesser Scaup in among a large group of Ring necked Ducks.  The entire group lifted off and headed north back toward Quabbin Park but the park was closed due to clean up from the snow storm the night before so I was never able to relocate the group.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 19, 2020

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 19, 2020

Black capped Chickadees with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 19, 2020

Eggs in duck box #1, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 26, 2020

Eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 26, 2020

Black Bear at empty feeders, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2020

Tufted Titmouse, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Black Bear, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2020

Eggs in duck box #1, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2020

Drak eyed Junco, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 1, 2020

Meanwhile at home the cameras have continued to capture two of my banded Black capped Chickadees.  In addition two of the three duck boxes now have eggs in them.  I have also had a Black Bear visit on multiple nights but he has only found empty suet feeders (thankfully he has not broken the feeders in anger)