Rainy and cool day grounds a few migrants

Bonaparte's Gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 19, 2022

Bonaparte's Gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 19, 2022

Olive sided Flycatcher, Quabbin Park, MA, May 19, 2022

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 19, 2022

Bay breasted Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 19, 2022

Today dawned cool (temps in the 40's) and a light rain falling.  In conditions like this there is lots of potential with gulls, terns and shorebirds being at the top of the list.  I made a dawn stop at Winsor Dam and didn't see anything of note so I headed elsewhere to take a walk in the rain in Ware.  After that stop I returned to Winsor Dam and this time I had three Bonaparte's Gulls.  I also saw reports from others a bit further west reporting more species downed by the rain and I spent more time at the dam in hopes of more stuff showing up without any luck.   Passerines can also be found in this weather and with this in mind I made my way into Quabbin Park and found a few pockets of migrants but then the rain just got too heavy so I made my way back to the dam.  The gulls continued in the same location with most of their time spent on the water or perched on a large buoy.  As the rain let up a bit I heard a distinct three part call coming from the west and heard it several times and got brief looks at a shorebird moving off to the northeast.  I recognized it as a Short billed Dowitcher and without a camera handy due to the rain I fumbled with my phone to try to get a recording but by the time I started recording the bird was too far away.  I had hoped the bird had landed along the dam but repeated scanning turned up nothing and I think it just kept moving off.  I had a similar experience on May 17, 2009 at Winsor Dam during another rainy morning when I had a flock of 32 Short billed Dowitchers fly in and actually settle along the dam.

Mourning Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 19, 2022

Magnolia Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 19, 2022

Bay breasted Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 19, 2022

Once I got home late in the morning I immediately noted some warblers singing including Blackpoll and Bay breasted.  I grabbed the binoculars and camera and headed out.  The rain continued to fall but the birds were active and vocal.  As I was walking along the driveway I heard a Mourning Warbler singing and got a recording to determine the regionlect.  I then spent a lot of time trying to get looks and a photo of the bird and had some success.

Olive sided Flycatcher, Quabbin Park, MA, May 19, 2022

I made another brief trip to Quabbin Park and found the area much quieter than earlier in the morning but I did manage to get better looks at the Olive sided Flycatcher.  Winsor Dam was also quiet with no sign of anything unusual at all.

The next few days look to see a big warm up with temps on the weekend possibly breaking records with highs in the mid 90's.  It will be quite a change from temperatures today in the mid 50's!

Impromptu Hampshire County big day yields 142 species

 

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2022

Veery, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2022

Canada Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2022

Magnolia Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2022

Bay breasted Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2022

Yesterday was an epic day of birding and made up for what had been a rather lackluster migration season so far with several species a bit behind in their arrival and overall numbers down despite what appeared to be decent migration conditions over the previous few nights.  I did not start the day with intention of doing a big day but it morphed into one as the day wore on with my original focus on a big Hampshire County warbler day eventually becoming a big Hampshire County day. I was up before dawn and checked the radar and it appeared very busy and when I went outside I could hear some migrants calling overhead.  I decided to head to Quabbin Park where I would spend just over four hours of time during which I would find an incredible 103 species just there.  Predawn featured some singing Eastern Whip Poor Wills and calling American Woodcocks plus the beginning of the dawn chorus.  I could tell right away there was a noticeable arrival of migrants.  I anxiously waited for the gates to open to the park and once they did I started checking some areas I know to be productive and I was not disappointed.  I added a few new warblers for me for the year with multiple Blackpoll Warblers and Tennessee Warblers.  I also had multiple Bay breasted Warblers within mixed flocks feeding in the tall oaks.  Besides the 24 species of warblers within the park I had many other highlights including my first Common Nighthawk of the year (which vocalized a few times), an Olive sided Flycatcher that sang a few times and a decent showing of thrushes plus lots of other good stuff.  With all the warblers I had by just after eight in the morning I decided to turn the day into a big warbler day...more on the warblers for the day with lots more photos at the following link.

Brewster's Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 16, 2022

American Wigeon, Hadley Cove, Hadley, MA, May 16, 2022

Semipalmated Plover, Hadley Cove, Hadley, MA, May 16, 2022

After my time at Quabbin Park I headed over toward Hadley with my main destination being Skinner State Park but before I got there I took a quick stop off to see the continued Brewster's Warbler hybrid.  At this point I noticed there were still several species of shorebirds being seen along the Connecticut River and at this point I started thinking of the day possibly turning into an overall big day for Hampshire County.  I arrived at the cove and quickly seven species of shorebirds as well as a late American Wigeon.  I ended up with soaked feet from the mud but it was worth it for sure.  

Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 16, 2022

Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 16, 2022

With my mind still on maximizing the diversity of warblers for the day a trip up to Skinner SP was a must to add Cerulean Warbler and Worm eating Warbler.  I got both of these species rather easily at the top and watched a female Cerulean Warbler collecting nesting material (I was unable to spend time trying to track down the nest site).  The summit was alive with birds with lots of song and a fairly diverse assortment of species and I added the breeding Dark eyed Juncos to the list for the day.

Wood Thrush, Hadley, MA, May 16, 2022

Wood Thrush with nest material, Hadley, MA, May 16, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Hadley, MA, May 16, 2022

I then headed down the mountain to check a few spots in Hadley to add a few new species for the day including the continued Purple Martin plus a variety of grassland species.  I also got to watch some nesting activity of a variety of species.  It is always amazing how fast the various species get down to nesting once they arrive in the area.

Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 16, 2022

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 16, 2022

Rose breasted Grosbeak, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 16, 2022

While walking in Hadley I got a tip from Joe that he and Aaron had a Mourning Warbler along the rail trail in Amherst and that was then picked as my next stop.  I tried in vain to turn up the Mourning Warbler despite spending quite a bit of time listening and looking (I ended up returning to the spot today today and had it and got recordings which I will be sending off to a researcher who studies the different vocalizations of the species).  My consolation prize for checking out the rail trail was a Yellow bellied Flycatcher.   It was at this point I decided I would to try for a big day in the county so I knew I had to make a few stops to add a few more easily obtained species like Fish Crow, Peregrine Falcon, Mute Swans, gulls and others.  I then made a variety of stops in Amherst, Hadley and then finally down to the dam in South Hadley.  By this time in was mid afternoon and the weather featured a few isolated showers.  I headed home to get some food and recharge for a bit.  After a quick rest I made a final spin through Quabbin Park in the vain hope of finding a Mourning Warbler but no luck but I did get a Red shouldered Hawk for the day.  Once I returned home for dinner I added one more species for the day with a flyover Broad winged Hawk.  I think this is my highest ever one day total for me in the county but I have never done  a true big day before but I think I have had days in previous years were I reached into the 130's for species but I don't think I have ever achieved 142 species.

The timing for a big day was right with a big influx of migrants in mid May and weather that was overcast with no sun until later in the morning.  These conditions keep the birds singing and more obvious later into the day compared to if it was sunny from the start.  The late afternoon turned windy and eventually rainy so that part of the day was less than optimal but no complaints from me for the day overall.  As with any big day attempt I had a number of misses including Barred owl, Great Horned Owl, Cooper's Hawk and Purple Finch.  I could almost certainly have added a few more species (like Sandhill Crane, Evening Grosbeaks, Purple Finch, etc) if I had crossed over the river and spent some time in the hill towns or gotten out a little earlier to check for nocturnal species and marsh birds.  Amazing the diversity of species here in May even when one limits themselves to one county (really just five towns in the east part of the county for me on this day).

I have a link to the eBird trip report for the day at the following link that lists all the species for the day.

Mid May update

Blue winged Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 15, 2022

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2022

House Wren with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 14, 2022

Spotted Sandpipers, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 14, 2022

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2022

Prairie Warbler, Granby, MA, May 12, 2022

Orchard Oriole, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 13, 2022

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 12, 2022

White crowned Sparrow, Quabbin Park, MA, May 12, 2022

Pileated Woodpecker, Quabbin Park, MA, May 12, 2022

Nashville Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 12, 2022

Dawn, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, May 12, 2022

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

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

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

Blackburnian Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2022

Yellow Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2022

Great Egret, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2022

Red winged Blackbird, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 9, 2022

Wilson checking out the hummingbirds, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2022

Now that the big migration month of May has reached the half way mark I'll make a quick post on the status of migration so far.  In a couple words it can best be described as 'slow' and 'late' overall with some exceptions.  After several days of less than optimal migration conditions the weather patterns changed which brought us more southerly winds the last few days which normally would have resulted in multiple great mornings of birding but this has not been the case with this morning being the quietest (and most disappointing) in the last few.  I'm still hopeful we will get a few great mornings in the next few days but I'm far from certain of it.  There are still species that are expected that I have not caught up with as well as several species I have had just a single individual of.  My best day was yesterday with a 108 species in the county over the course of the morning.  Today I have not even made it to the mid 90's for species despite covering several areas.  Even without a really intense day there has still been good stuff around the last week or so with the most notable being the ongoing incursion of Arctic Terns plus the first group of Hooded Mergansers that fledged from one of the duck boxes at the house.  I also have a more detailed post on warblers for the middle of the month at the following link.

Black capped Chickadees with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 14, 2022

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 14, 2022

Black and White Warbler and Tufted Titmouse, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 12, 2022

Red breasted Nuthatch, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 11, 2022

The camera on the water feature has captured a number of species enjoying the water over the last week.  Nothing too unusual but lots of visits from typical stuff.

At least 18 Arctic Terns at Quabbin today!

Arctic Terns, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Arctic Terns, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Arctic Tern, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Arctic Tern, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Arctic Terns, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2022

Although I figured the migration conditions would be fantastic last night which would result in an epic morning of birding I was wrong and the morning was overall a bit lackluster but given that it is mid May it was still good.  I spent a few hours hunting down warblers in the Hadley and Amherst area and then headed home to take Wilson for a walk.  While I was almost done with the walk I got a text from Marshall regarding a couple likely Arctic Terns in Berkshire County and at least one inland in Connecticut so I quickly made my way to Winsor Dam (Marshall had mentioned a few days ago the possibility of Arctic Terns turning up inland following a large number of the species being displaced into the mid Atlantic due to several days of strong northeast winds).  Initially I didn't see anything at the dam but a final look before I left turned up some very distant terns.  They were too far out to identify but I figured a look from Gate 5 might produce better views.  I quickly made my way there and as I hurried down to the water I got more reports of Arctic Terns with up to 26 reported inland in  Connecticut!  Once I was down at the waters edge at Gate 5 I started scanning and quickly turned up first 8, then 13 and then 14 Arctic Terns!  Amazing when you remember there are only a few previous Hampshire County records ever with the most notable being a long staying individual at the Holyoke Dam in 1999.  I got the message out to as wide an audience as I could and updated as time allowed.  The birds were mainly feeding actively over the water and showing their very long tails and acrobatic flight.  A Common Tern was with them for a bit but overall the show was Arctic Terns.  Occasionally the group would land on the water before taking to the the air again to hunt.  I noticed a few new individuals join the initial group and I maxed my count at 18 Arctic Terns!  Really amazing to witness.  At this point most of the birds drifted off to the north, moving up the west arm of the reservoir.  Thankfully a couple birders arrived in time to see the few remaining birds before they also disappeared off to the north.  More and more birders arrived but the birds did not return while I was there.  Thankfully a few birds did return eventually and more birders got to see the terns.  There were numerous other reports of inland Arctic Terns the rest of the day and it will be interesting on the final tally from this very unusual occurrence of inland Arctic Terns (extra amazing as the weather was not rainy and windy as is usually the case with terns inland in the area).  The terns were extra special as they were a new Hampshire County species for me (#303)...not something that happens too often for me.   It is certainly worth keeping an eye out over the next few days to see if any more show up.  Friday the 13th was not unlucky for me today.

A great explanation of what produced the large incursion of Arctic Terns can be found within Marshall's eBird report from Gooseberry Neck.  

Link to a Flickr album with more distant photos as well as multiple videos: Arctic Terns -May 13