Hooded Merganser chicks and other stuff around the yard

 

Hooded Merganser chicks in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 11, 2022

Hooded Merganser chicks in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 11, 2022

Eggs in duck box #3, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 11, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 11, 2022

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 11, 2022

Palm Warbler 'western', Home, Belchertown, MA, May 11, 2022

A quick update on the duck boxes at the house.  I knew that box #2 was probably getting close to fledging young so I didn't want to bother them but as I was walking along Jabish Brook checking out warblers I noticed a female fly out of box #2 so I decided to quickly check the box and was pleasantly surprised to find the box full of recently hatched out Hooded Merganser chicks making lots of peeping noises.  I took a few photos and then quickly closed the box back up.  The chicks looked ready to fledge either by the end of the day today or tomorrow.  They are damn cute chicks for sure.  I was going to double check the camera mounted at the bottom of the box but didn't want to stick around the area.  I knew the Hooded Merganser would still be sitting on eggs in duck box #1 so I didn't check (this box is about a week or so behind box #2).  Duck box #3 still contains a large number of eggs but it looks like they are abandoned so I may remove the eggs soon.  Not sure what happened to the bird that laid all the eggs and then never settled in to incubate.  The eggs have been moved a few times so some waterfowl has entered the box but given the amount of time the eggs have been out they are almost certainly not viable.  Hopefully I will be able to add some video of the ducklings leaving the nest soon provided the camera works.

Besides the Hooded Mergansers the yard was quite productive today with a number of migrants and resident birds (including a number of banded Black capped Chickadees).  I also had an unusual for spring western subspecies of Palm Warbler in the evening.  

After the influx of birds at the end of the first week of May, weather conditions slowed migration down once again with cool weather and strong northerly winds continuing through today.  This pattern looks to finally change on Thursday and I suspect there will be another large influx to end out the week...time will tell.

Big influx of birds yesterday and some other good stuff to finish out the first week of May

Lincoln's Sparrow, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2022

Great Blue Heron, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2022

Blue gray Gnatcatcher, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2022

Chestnut sided Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2022

Brewster's Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2022

Brewster's Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2022

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, May 7, 2022

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown, MA, May 7, 2022

The end of the first week of May has now arrived and with it the first big push of migrants coming in yesterday thanks to great migration conditions (more on yesterday below).  Yesterday was a pleasant day to be outside with light winds, cloudy conditions and temps in the upper 60's.  Today was not a repeat unfortunately with strong northerly winds and cool temps in the low 50's.  Even without great weather I figured it would be worth being out this morning after the arrival of birds the previous day.  I decided to head over to the rail trail in Amherst where I spent about two and half hours.  The birds were not nearly as plentiful or as vocal as yesterday and I only managed a bit over fifty species with 11 species of warblers.  The highlight was probably my first Lincoln's Sparrows of the year.  The day was great for hybrid warblers with both Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers found (a more detailed recap of the warblers at the following link.  Unfortunately the windy and cool weather looks to last the remainder of the weekend into Monday but then it is suppose to warm up in a big way and I'm sure that will bring in another pulse of migrants as the peak of migration nears.

Black throated Blue Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 6, 2022

Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 6, 2022

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Quabbin Park, MA, May 6, 2022

Eastern Towhee, Quabbin Park, MA, May 6, 2022

Canada Geese, Quabbin Park, MA, May 6, 2022

Magnolia Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 6, 2022

Wilson's Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 6, 2022

Wood Duck, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 6, 2022

Yesterday was the first big influx of migrants with a noticeable increase in both diversity and overall numbers.  I decided to spend a good portion of the morning at Quabbin Park and was not disappointed with 86 species in just under five hours. Nothing too unusual but I had my first Hooded Merganser ducklings around and 18 species of warbler.  I then made a few brief stops in the nearby area and then headed home.  After walking Wilson I figured I would make a stop over to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River and I timed my arrival to hear news of Purple Martins back again for a second year.  I checked the martin houses but didn't see any but a nearby pond had at least one flying around (others had seen two).  The migrants were in evidence once again and I got a few more species for the day including a Wilson's Warbler.  I also heard about a Black crowned Night Heron showing well along the river but I failed to see it as it had dropped out of sight before I got to the location (I always thought the river would be a perfect spot for the species but had not heard of one being reported here prior to the current sighting).  I hung around a but but the heron never reappeared (I wonder if it is the same one I saw along the rail trail a few days ago...possible but just as likely a new individual). 

The house has also featured some good stuff with a Cape May Warbler yesterday and groups of Wood Ducks (up to a dozen plus) feeding on the abundant acorns still in the yard.  I managed to break the 100 species mark for the first time this spring without too much effort.

Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 5, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 5, 2022

White breasted Nuthatch at nest, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 5, 2022

Fog in the valley, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 5, 2022

Pileated Woodpecker, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 5, 2022

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2022

I made a brief stop at Winsor Dam at first light in the vain hope that something of interest would be on the water but no luck.  I then made my way through some valley fog to make a walk to the peak at Skinner SP.  There were certainly some birds around but no big influx.  I did have my first Worm eating Warbler as well as at least three Cerulean Warblers with one actually dropping out of the tree tops after being chased by a chickadee and landing on the ground to feed (more on the warblers at the following link.  My next stop was down to Mitch's Way and then onto a few other spots on the way home.  A very pleasant day even if the birds were a bit light given the date.  

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, May 4, 2022

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 4, 2022

The fourth was a showery day and I had hopes that the weather would ground some migrants but the rain moved in a little too late to ground stuff at Quabbin beyond a couple Bonaparte's Gulls.  The oxbow had better stuff including two Common Terns but I didn't bother making the drive over for them.  The passerines around were mostly fairly low and afforded some great looks.

The first three days of the month were covered in an earlier post.

The beginning of May and the migration is slowly picking up

 

Canada Goose goslings, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2022

Canada Goose goslings, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2022

Great Blue Heron and a concerned Canada Goose on its nest, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2022

River Otter, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2022

Tuesday was a cloudy and cool day and there was little obvious sign of new arrivals but there were still a bunch of birds around.  I started the morning with a continued American Bittern at the house pumping away continuously before dawn (eBird list with recording here).  I then made a quick stops at Winsor Dam and Lake Wallace before a longer walk at the rail trail where the best bird was a flyby Black crowned Night Heron.  I spent a lot of time trying to relocate it on the ground but had no luck.  Not sure it even stopped anywhere nearby.  Despite the cloudy and cool conditions I still managed nearly sixty species.  The mammals also put on a show with Beavers, Muskrats and River Otters among the highlights.  At one point a Great Blue Heron flew onto one of the beaver lodges as a River Otter was circling the area and scaring up fish.  The Canada Goose nesting on the lodge was not impressed with the heron being so close.  This morning also produced the first of what will soon be many Canada Goose goslings...they are still in their cute, fresh out of the nest faze.  The rest of the day I spent walking Wilson and doing stuff around the house.

Blue winged Warbler, KC Trail, Amherst, MA, May 2, 2022

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 2, 2022

Monday was another overcast day but with the promise of new arrivals as the migration conditions overnight were quite good (especially compared to the previous several days).  My main focus for the day were warblers with 16 species found with the largest noticeable increase being in Black and White Warblers and Yellow Warblers.  Many of the other species of warblers were represented by just a single individual.  I also picked up a number of other new species for the spring but overall the numbers were lower than I would have expected given the date and weather conditions lately.  Oh well...the big push will arrive soon I'm sure.

Cattle Egret, Hadley, MA, May 1, 2022

Black Vulture, Hadley, MA, May 1, 2022

Field Sparrow with nest material, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 1, 2022

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 1, 2022

House Wren with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 1, 2022

Hooded Merganser eggs in duck box #1, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 1, 2022

Eggs in duck box #3, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 1, 2022

After getting out of work Sunday morning I started the month off making several stops to kick off May.  I made my first stop at Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where I had nearly 50 species but nothing too unusual.  I then made a brief stop in Hadley to see if the Cattle Egret was still around and I quickly found it in a grassy field with some crows and was able to get photos of it (I failed to get photos when I saw it in late April).  Then it was onto the rail trail and then a brief stop at Winsor Dam.  

At home I noticed the arrival of House Wrens including a banded individual.  It never ceases to amaze me that migrant birds can fly thousands of miles and then return to the exact same spot.  I checked the duck boxes at the house and found a Hooded Merganser now sitting on eggs in Box #1 and still a large clutch of eggs in box #3.  At this point it looks like the eggs in that box have been abandoned but I'll wait a bit longer before removing them.  I didn't check box #2 this time as I didn't want to disturb the Hooded Merganser in that box.  I did mount a camera on the base of box #2 and hopefully I will capture the ducklings when they fledge in a few weeks.

Raccoon, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 29, 2022

Blue Jays, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 30, 2022

Eastern Towhee, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 30, 2022

Mourning Doves, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 1, 2022

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Home, Belchertown, MA, May 1, 2022

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2022

The camera on the water feature continues to catch birds plus a few mammals.  I have had 21 species of birds at the water feature so far this year plus four mammal species.