WILSON'S PHALAROPES in the East Meadows

Wilson's Phalarope, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, May 20, 2021

Wilson's Phalarope, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, May 20, 2021

Wilson's Phalarope, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, May 20, 2021

Wilson's Phalarope, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, May 20, 2021

Wilson's Phalarope, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, May 20, 2021

After a long day of birding yesterday I was resting before doing the first of my Eastern Whip Poor Will surveys for the season after sunset (more on those surveys later).  While sitting around catching up on emails I got a text from Theresa telling me she located three Red necked Phalaropes in the same small pool one was found just a couple days before.  I had her send me a few photos and she sent some blurry back of camera photos that looked very interesting.  I quickly had her send a few more in focus shots and we both quickly determined the birds were all Wilson's Phalaropes and not Red necked Phalaropes.  I knew I would not be able to make it over with the quickly fading light and my previous obligation for a survey.  I quickly texted a few people and some living close were able to make it there before the sun set and got to see the birds.  I completed my survey late and finally got to bed and tried to get some sleep before I planned to make the trip over to Northampton at first light in the hopes they would still be there.  I got up and going before the sun was up and made it to the East Meadows just before five as it was getting light and found both Derek and Joe already there.  It was just getting light enough to see and although there were a number of shorebirds enjoying the small muddy puddle the phalaropes were not seen right away.  After a bit of scanning Derek relocated them and we all got great looks of them as they actively fed among the mud and old corn stalks.  With the great migration conditions last night I was pleasantly surprised to still have the birds present this morning.  As the sun came up the views got better but the lighting was less than ideal as you had to look into the sun while viewing the puddle in the morning.  The birds stayed through at least the morning and allowed many others to see the very rare visitors to the area.  The last sighting of the species was back in 2004 at Arcadia where it fed in a flooded field for a single day before moving on.  A true rarity in the valley and only the second time I have ever had the species in Hampshire County.  Amazing to get two species of phalarope in the same small puddle in the matter of just a few days...makes me wonder when a Red Phalarope will drop in there.

Red necked Phalarope in the East Meadows

Red necked Phalarope, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, May 17, 2021

Red necked Phalarope, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, May 17, 2021

After being out most of the morning birding I was finally home around noon and then noticed a post from Aaron that he had a very cooperative Red necked Phalarope in a small puddle in the East Meadows.  I quickly ate lunch and headed out the door to make the drive over to Northampton.  I have only seen this species once before in Hampshire County and that was at Quabbin Park back in late May of 2014.  I arrived to find that the bird had flushed from a small pool and had resettled somewhere in the nearby cornfields.  I was able to relocate it and had some decent scope views as it preened and came in and out of view among the vegetation.  The heat shimmer and distance made getting even marginal photos difficult at best.  I waited a bit for the bird to move a little closer but it seemed content to sit and preen.  It did eventually move back to the puddle near the road but I had already left at that point.  There are just a handful of reports for this species in the area so seeing it was nice.  Usually it is poor weather that puts down species like the phalarope but the weather has been clear for days with no real rain to speak of.  I suppose it saw what it liked in the small area of flooded farm field as it was flying north so it settled into feed (along with a few Least Sandpipers and Solitary Sandpipers plus one Spotted Sandpiper).   The three species of phalarope are very interesting in that the females are much more brightly plumaged and the parental roles are reversed with the males incubating the eggs and caring for the young.  The Red necked Phalarope nests in the high arctic and then spends the rest of its time primarily at sea.

The second week of May

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2021

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 14, 2021

A quick summary as the second week of May come to a close.  Our cooler than normal conditions with unfavorable migration conditions continued until almost the end of this time period and finally slackened off a bit the last couple days.  The next few days look to feature a really good influx of mid to late May migrants and I suspect some very good mornings are on tap.  Mass Audubon's Bird a Thon begins tonight and continues through tomorrow and I'll be out a bit assisting with this annual fundraising effort.

Cape May Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2021

Great Blue Heron, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2021

Brewster's Warbler, Amherst, MA, May 12, 2021

Blue winged Warbler, Ware, MA, May 11, 2021

Chestnut sided Warbler, Ware, MA, May 11, 2021

Despite the week not being great for migration the birds still trickled in as they move north to nest and fight the less than stellar migration conditions.  I have been out every morning and I have attached a sample of lists to sum up the mornings over the last week or so...most lists have photos, audio and some video of a selection of species.  

Quabbin Park on May 8th

Arcadia on May 9th

Quabbin Park May 11th

Rail Trail-Amherst May 12th

UMASS part 1 May 13

UMASS part 2 May 13th

Rail Trail Amherst May 13th

Mitch's Way May 14th

Skinner SP May 14th

Golden winged Warbler, Montague, MA, May 10, 2021

There have been a few notable species around including a Golden winged Warbler that showed up in Montague in Franklin County.  Normally I would not make a trip out of Hampshire County during early to mid May but with the less than great migration going on and having both Blue winged/Golden winged Warbler hybrids around I made the trip up there on Monday in a successful attempt to see both Golden winged Warbler and Blue winged Warbler as well as both of the their named hybrids in a single day in western Massachusetts.  Lots more details on this quest at the following link:  Golden winged and Blue winged Warblers and hybrids all in one day.

Hooded Mergansers chicks in nest box 1, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 12, 2021

Gray Catbird nest, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 14, 2021

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2021

Baltimore Oriole, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2021

Black and White Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 9, 2021

Gray Catbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 8, 2021

At home the Hooded Mergansers are completing their nesting and the first box fledged out yesterday.  Video from the birds leaving the nest at the following link.  I also have a pair of Gray Catbirds that started building a nest yesterday in a rhododendron bush within arms reach of our deck.  The cameras also continue to catch species at the water feature.

Another successful year for Hooded Mergansers nesting at the house

Hooded Merganser chicks in box 1, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 12, 2021

I have been waiting intently for the two boxes of Hooded Mergansers to fledge and I figured the first box would have fledged by Tuesday but when I went to check the box I was surprised to flush the female off the nest as I opened the box and find a large group of hatched out chicks just waiting to fledge.  I took a quick photo and then closed everything back up.  I suspect they were just hours away from leaving the nest and I will check the camera in a few days for video of them leaving the nest box.

Hooded Merganser chicks under down in box 2, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 12, 2021

I then checked box 2 and found very freshly hatched mergansers under a warm coating of down.  Going by when the eggs were laid in this box I suspected this nest would fledge a few days after box 1 and this looks to be the case.  I will check back on this box in a few days to see if they have moved out of the box.

Global Big Day

Prairie Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2021

Yellow bellied Sapsucker, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2021

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2021

Veery, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2021

Eastern Towhee, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2021

American Robin building nest, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2021

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2021

Today was the annual eBird Global Big Day which occurs every year in early May and encourages people around the world to get out and bird and then report their sightings into eBird (last year 50,000 people in 175 countries submitted 120,000+ checklists in a single day).  I took part in it and submitted 17 lists with a total of 102 species.  I didn't make any special effort beyond what I typically do on any day in May when I'm out and about.  I spent most of my morning at Quabbin Park and then briefly hit a few other spots before spending the afternoon at home catching up on yard work.  Quabbin Park was productive as always and I had 93 species within the park (just a little too early to get to a hundred in the park on a morning) with many highlights including continued Red Crossbills, several flyover Purple Finches and 21 species of warbler including a continued Cerulean Warbler.  Even my time at home was productive with 59 species including continued Fish Crows and 13 species of warbler.

Review of the first week of May

Blue winged Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2021

The first week of May has now come to an end and so far it has been quite productive despite multiple days of less than ideal migration conditions.  So far I have had 145 species in Hampshire County for the month (which is a bit ahead of a typical May at this point)...warblers are a big part of the spring migration and an update on them so far for the month can be found at the following link.  I will give a quick synopsis day by day for the first week below.  

Brown Thrasher, Slobody Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 1, 2021

Red tailed Hawk, Slobody Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 1, 2021

To kick off May I hit a number of areas in the valley and although it was a bit slow there were certainly still many birds to see with a total number of species for the day coming it at a respectable 89.  The weather was a bit chilly and this certainly kept the activity curtailed a bit....at least it was sunny!

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 2, 2021

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 2, 2021

Great Blue Heron, Quabbin Park, MA, May 2, 2021

On the morning of the second I spent four plus hours at Quabbin Park where I found loads of birds with highlights including continued Red Crossbills and a Cerulean Warbler among 91 species.

Wood Thrush, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2021

Glossy Ibis, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 3, 2021

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2021

I was feeling a bit under the weather on Monday but as the day wore on I started feeling better and managed to get out a little and during that time saw a couple of notable birds including Glossy Ibis and Lawrence's Warbler.

Orange crowned Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 4, 2021

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 4, 2021

Magnolia Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 4, 2021

Tuesday was another glooming day with cloudy conditions and occasional rain.  I spent my time in the morning in the local area in various spots of Belchertown and Ware and found some birds despite the conditions.  Around midday I saw a report that the Orange crowned Warbler Ted found at UMASS a few days before was still around so I headed over and eventually got some distant looks at it (a fairly tough species to find in spring around here).  

Bufflehead, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, May 5, 2021

The weather on Wednesday morning was rainy and foggy a first light following some heavy rain overnight which is usually a recipe for some unusual to be forced down.  I only had a short amount of time before work so I made it to Winsor Dam at first light.  The viewing conditions were poor but there was a group of Bonaparte's Gulls that were departing just as I arrived.  I gave it a few more minutes at the dam but without too much activity and my time running short I made the drive to Northampton and checked out the Oxbow which held a group of Bufflehead but not much of note.  Some odd stuff showed up there not long after I left and other areas also had a nice selection of terns and waterfowl.  

Solitary Sandpiper, Amherst, MA, May 6, 2021

Rusty Blackbird, Amherst, MA, May 6, 2021

Blue winged Teal, Meadow St, Amherst, MA, May 6, 2021

After work yesterday I headed over to the Oxbow in the faint hope of something unusual hanging around for another day but no luck.  The high water levels and boat activity did not help.  I then hit a few spots in Amherst mainly looking for shorebirds and waterfowl and ran across a few flooded areas that held some noteworthy species with seven species of shorebird including a nice showing of Solitary Sandpipers and Greater Yellowlegs.  I then headed east to Winsor Dam to scan the water.  When I arrived a quick rain shower started up but I stayed out in the rain looking and I was rewarded with a Caspian Tern, at least one Black Tern and eight Bonaparte's Gulls plus several hundred swallows of five different species.  I relocated to Gate 5 to try to get better views and photos but by the time I arrived there the terns were gone and not seen again.  The gulls were still around and the swallow show was just as impressive there.

Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 7, 2021

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 7, 2021

Canada Geese goslings, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2021

Lincoln's Sparrow, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 7, 2021

Today I started my morning at Mitch's Way where I found a variety of birds including a singing Lincoln's Sparrow.  I then hiked up to the top of the mountain at Skinner SP and had multiple Cerulean Warblers and Worm eating Warblers (among many other species).  I then hit a few spots in Amherst before heading home for the day.  This was the first day I exceeded 100 species for the day (even without much effort)...migration is rapidly nearing its peak. 

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2021

American Crow, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 5, 2021

Hooded Merganser in nest box 1, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 6, 2021

Meanwhile at home the camera on the water feature continues to capture birds and the two active Hooded Merganser nests continue to have the females sitting on eggs.  I suspect the first box should fledge within the next few days.