Poverty Mountain bird survey ends out May

Red tailed Hawk, Pelham, MA, May 31, 2026

Eastern Phoebe, Pelham, MA, May 31, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Shutesbury, MA, May 31, 2026

Pink Ladyslippers, Pelham, MA, May 31, 2026

Adams Brook, Shutesbury, MA, May 31, 2026

As is always the case May has gone by too fast and I ended the month assisting with the 21st year of the Poverty Mountain bird survey at Kevin and Cynthia's fantastic property in the corner of Amherst, Pelham and Shutesbury.  I stuck around the house longer than usual this morning to make sure Wilson was doing well enough after some surgery he had yesterday.  It was a tough afternoon and overnight for him (and us) but he had improved quite a bit so I headed out for a few hours to assist with the count.  It was not the highest count but not too bad given the cold weather to start the day.  I found a total of 50 species for the count and I'm sure a few other species got added by others elsewhere.  

Eastern Bluebird nestlings, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 31, 2026

Hooded Merganser eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 31, 2026

Eastern Bluebird fledglings, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 31, 2026

Once back home late in the morning I checked the nest boxes and found some very freshly hatched Eastern Bluebirds and the Hooded Merganser still sitting on eggs in duck box #2.  I also have a Gray Catbird on a nest in some of the low bushes near the house.  A check of the camera on the water feature turned up a number of captures including at least three Eastern Bluebird fledglings.

Overall the month was fairly productive with 168 species in Hampshire County, which is slightly below usual but it did produce my first new Hampshire County species for the year with a Loggerhead Shrike a couple days ago. 

 

More shorebirds on a cool, windy and rainy day

Black bellied Plovers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Black bellied Plovers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Black bellied Plovers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Black bellied Plovers, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Song Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Eastern Coyote, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Groundhog, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 30, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 30, 2026

The forecast for today was not great with near record cold for highs, wind and rain.  Today was suppose to be the date for the annual Poverty Mountain bird survey but with the forecast the survey got pushed to tomorrow.  When I woke up this morning I expected rain and instead found mainly clear conditions with a breeze.  The radar didn't show any rain nearby so I first headed over to Winsor Dam and the wind was certainly up there and viewing was not easy due to the wind.  With nothing of note there and strong winds I decided to make the drive back over to the Honey Pot in Hadley to try my luck in relocating the Loggerhead Shrike seen there yesterday.  The wind was much less there to start with a mix of sun and clouds.  I decided to walk out on the dike and use the scope to scan as many spots as I could for the shrike.  Although I had no luck finding the shrike for the day the stop was well worth the effort with a number of unusual species including a silent flyby group of Black bellied Plovers that cut across the fields and continued north in the ever increasing winds.  When I made it out to the shore of the river and started my walk back I heard a shorebird calling as it flew overhead headed north.  I could not place it right away and got a recording as it quickly moved off.  I only got brief looks at it as it was going away in bad light and could not pin down an ID.  I had thoughts of trying some other spots but the clouds rapidly closed in and the light rain started as the temperatures continued to drop.  The flyover shorebird that I got a recording of had me thinking of a few different species and all would be rare.  I sent the recording off to a few people including Ted, Mary and Aaron and the overall consensus was that the bird was a Ruddy Turnstone.  Amazing to get another Ruddy Turnstone after having one at Winsor Dam less than a week ago.  I made my way home to help get Wilson ready for a surgery he had to undergo and once he was on his way I eventually made my way over to Winsor Dam.  If I thought it was windy earlier that was nothing compared to my second stop at the dam for the day.  The water had white caps and there was a sustained wind of 30MPH with higher gusts...it was not comfortable to be outside in.  Initially there was just some sprinkles and as I scanned the water I came up with some gulls including one Bonaparte's Gulls as well as multiple Double crested Cormorants.  I then caught sight of the first of several groups of shorebirds fighting the wind as they tried to move north.  I was able to ID some but others remained unidentified.  A another slug of rain then arrived and as it did so the wind increased even more and I would estimate there were some 50MPH gusts.  The flags sounded like they were about to break free and the recently installed scaffolding on the headquarters building was creaking a bit.  As heavier rain continued to move in I called it quits and headed home.

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE today gets me a new Hampshire County species!

 

Somewhere out there is a Loggerhead Shrike, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, May 29, 2026

There are few times I'm able to add a new species to my Hampshire County list after many years of intense birding here but today was one of those days.  The day started out less than stellar when I headed out before dawn and immediately got an alert that one of my tires was low (probably picked up something in the tire during my trip east to successfully look for two target warblers yesterday out east...more on that here).  I got some air in the tire and the leak appeared to be slow so I headed over toward Amherst to get some birding in before the various tire places opened.  I tried multiple spots to get the tire fixed without any luck with most not having any openings until the following week.  Eventually I found a spot in Northampton that could get me in at noon.  I birded a bit more in the morning before heading home to get Wilson and we took a tick filled walk in Belchertown.  I headed over to Northampton for midday and dropped off the car to get the tire repaired and then walked down to my former workplace at the fire department and caught up with some old friends.  While I was there I got a text that my car was done and not long after got a text from Joe saying he had a shrike at the Honey Pot in Hadley.  Given the date the chances of it being a very rare Loggerhead Shrike was almost more likely than a Northern Shrike (which occurs here in winter).  I visited a bit more before walking back to pick up my car and then heading out.  I almost immediately got stuck in traffic in Northampton (almost like I was back in eastern mass again!).  Eventually I got out of it and made my way across the river and headed to the area Joe described in his text.  I arrived in the area of the transfer station and scanned a bit with seeing nothing.  I was quickly joined by Joe and Theresa who said the bird had just flown into the area I was in just before I arrived (damn the traffic getting here!).  We scanned for a bit and eventually both Theresa and I had brief looks at the shrike as it flew.  Despite much effort from various vantage points we were never able to relocate the bird.  The ever increasing winds made it tough to see movement and the nearly innumerable potential perching points made relocating the bird tough to say the least.  After about an hour of scanning I finally gave up and headed for home.  With my brief look I could not have identified the bird without Joe's photos.  With the continued north winds and ever increasing chances of rain I don't think the bird will be too inclined to leave.  The tough part is that there are so many great spots for the species in the area and viewing different areas requires a decent amount of walking as the farm fields are all private and posted and the publicly accessible areas consist of the dike and the roads going through the area.   Loggerhead Shrike is a super rare species in the county with the last report being in the late 1980's.  There were some seen at more recently in Franklin County including one in June 2019 at the Turners Falls Airport and one in July 2022 at the Orange Airport.  Here is a link to Joe's checklist with some photos of this rarity: Loggerhead Shrike.  Much thanks to Joe in finding the bird and letting me know.  In the end the nail in my tire put me closer to the area at the right time proving that even bad things can lead to good things.

Two nights of Eastern Whip Poor Will surveys

 

Sunset, Goodnough Dike, Quabbin Park, MA, May 26, 2026

Although a bit sleep deprived with early mornings out birding and two back to back nights of Eastern Whip Poor Wills it has still been a great couple days as migration rapidly slows down.  On Monday I tried to get the first of my two surveys done but I was stymied by some downed trees on the restricted access Prescott Peninsula at Quabbin.  I usually try to check the route prior to attempting it but ran out of time so I made the attempt.  I ran across a few downed trees and finally got stopped short of my first stop by a couple miles.  I hope to be able to run the full route again in the near future but seeing I was already there I figured I would run the stops I could get to just in case I can't make another attempt.  The conditions were perfect with clear skies, moonlight and calm winds.  I had multiple Eastern Whip Poor Wills calling at the first few stops and then nothing on the northern parts of the peninsula (this is usually the case as the birds always seem to be on the southern and middle part of the peninsula).  Yesterday I completed the second route with a biologist from DCR.  Most of the route is in Quabbin Park and then continues south through Belchertown.  We had great conditions for the most part and had multiple Eastern Whip Poor Wills at most stops in the park.  I then added multiple more individuals as I continued the route through Covey WMA and beyond.  Conditions were very good with only one stop featuring any wind at all.  No photos of any of the whips but the sunset yesterday was spectacular.  I even managed to add another whip this morning at home when I headed out the door a little after four and had a whip singing...only my third record ever at the house.

Rainy weather brings down some unusual birds including Ruddy Turnstone and Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret, East Hadley Road, Hadley, MA, May 25, 2026

Western Cattle Egret, East Hadley Road, Hadley, MA, May 25, 2026

Western Cattle Egret, East Hadley Road, Hadley, MA, May 25, 2026

American Woodcock, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 25, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 25, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 24, 2026

The last two days has largely featured rainy weather with short bouts of drier weather and near record cold high yesterday (after having 95 degree weather a few days before).  I was able to get a short walk in yesterday before the rain started up.  I then tried my luck in finding any unusual species downed by the weather and came up empty.  I didn't hear of any other unusual species found by anyone else yesterday.  Today would be a different story.  After a brief stop at Winsor Dam I once again was able to get a short walk in, this time along the rail trail in Amherst before getting forced back to the car due to more rain...highlight of that stop would be a couple cooperative American Woodcocks that actually first appeared in the middle of the paved path.  I checked a number of fields in Hadley and found nothing of note.  At that point I decided to run a few errands in the area and then got a text from Joe letting me know that a Western Cattle Egret was present in a farm field in Hadley (not one of the ones I checked earlier of course).  I was nearby so took a quick drive over to see the very dapper looking breeding plumage Western Cattle Egret....always a nice species to get in the area.  I then headed over to Winsor Dam to see if my luck would continue in finding something unusual.  I arrived and started scanning the water and then the shoreline and dam.  I then got a text from Ted letting me know he had a number of unusual species of shorebirds at the Holyoke Dam (including Dunlin and multiple Ruddy Turnstones).  Without too much to see on the water and the visibility changing as some light rain moved in and out I started scanning the rocks on the dam closer at least found a Killdeer.  After watching the water for a bit I heard Killdeer start carrying on after they got flushed by a Red tailed Hawk.  As I followed the Killdeer flying I noticed a different species with them even with binoculars I was thinking it looked good for Ruddy Turnstone.  I got the scope on it quickly and indeed it was a Ruddy Turnstone.  I watched as the birds all headed off to the north.  Eventually at least one Kildeer returned but I never saw the turnstone again.  I assume he was on the rocks of dam and was never out in the open when I was scanning the rocks.  This was actually the second time I have had the species at Winsor Dam with the first time being during Hurricane Irene in 2011 (List from that epic day here: Hurricane Irene at Winsor Dam).  This is only the second time I have seen a Ruddy Turnstone in spring (first time was June of last year in the meadows) with all my other records occurring between late July and late August (a total of four other records for me).  There were some incredible reports of rare shorebirds being forced down by the weather in Franklin and Berkshire County with multiple record high counts for species.  As an example here are a couple lists.  The first one is from Northfield in Franklin County and the second from the Pittsfield Airport in Berkshire County.  Well worth taking a look at these crazy lists for inland Massachusetts.

Update on duck boxes at home

Hooded Merganser nestlings in duck box #3, Belchertown, MA, May 21, 2026

Hooded Merganser eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 21, 2026

A quick update on the duck boxes at the house.  I went down along the brook today to check for Olive sided Flycatcher (and found one) and during my walk down the Hooded Merganser in duck box #2 flushed off the nest so I took the opportunity to check the box and found it still full of unhatched eggs.  I then walked over to duck box #1 and yet again found no eggs (it has been a struggle to keep wasps out of the box this year and at this point it is certainly too late for a duck to use for breeding this year). I then went over to duck box #3 which I have not checked in weeks after finding a Hooded Merganser sitting on eggs a few weeks ago.  When I opened the box I found it full of freshly hatched nestlings.  They will likely leave the nest box tomorrow and with any luck the camera mounted at the base of the nest will capture the little ones leaving the nest.  Oddly duck box #2 was the first one with an egg this year but the single egg seemed to be unviable with a crack in the shell and at some point the egg was removed from the box and a new set of eggs laid.  No idea how the egg was removed as it is not something I have ever had happen before and certainly was not easy to accomplish.  

A big warm up and multiple nights of good migration conditions

Purple Martin and Tree Swallows, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Purple Martin, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Northern Cardinal with nest material, Bachelor Brook Conservation Area, South Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Mourning Warbler, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Gray cheeked Thrush, Belchertown, MA, May 19, 2026

Raccoon swimming, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, May 19, 2026

Ruby throated Hummingbird, Quabbin Park, MA, May 18, 2026

Lawrence's Warbler, Hardwick, MA, May 18, 2026

Gray Catbird, Ware, MA, May 18, 2026

Butterfly species, Quabbin Park, MA, May 18, 2026

Blue gray Gnatcatcher constructing nest, Quabbin Park, MA, May 17, 2026

Rainbow Scarab, Quabbin Park, MA, May 17, 2026

Solitary Sandpiper, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 17, 2026

Magnolia Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 17, 2026

Tree Swallow with nest material, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 17, 2026

Bay breasted Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 17, 2026

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 17, 2026

Blackpoll Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 17, 2026

Hooded Merganser eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 17, 2026

We have had multiple nights of great migration conditions thanks to southerly winds that also ushered in record setting temps in the 90's.  As expected I have been out as much as I can each morning before returning to take the Wilson for his required walk.  Even with some species still moving through to points to the north breeding activity around here is in full swing with the first waterfowl young out and about and many species collecting nesting material and building nests.  I have added several new species for the year in the county as well as some rarities.  The highlights included Purple Martin, Gray cheeked Thrush, Yellow breasted Chat, two new species of warbler for the year as part of my warbler big year in the US and a Lawrence's Warbler.  Migration has now peaked at this point and now we begin the downhill slide of another spring migration.