A new member of the family

 His first night at home, July 9, 2011

I have not been out birding too much lately as the heat has been so high and I have been spending time with our new dog, Wilson.  He came to us from down in West Virginia via a rescue group.  He is about 18 weeks now and is rapidly becoming a part of the family.  It has been sixteen months since we lost Kody and I think we have found the right dog to take over where Kody left off.  I certainly hope he becomes as much of a sidekick for me as Kody was.

Heat wave and some unique clouds

Today continues the latest heat wave.  Temperatures today should top out around 95, which is an improvement from yesterday when the mercury topped out around 102.  The head index the last few days has been around 110 so it has been tough to take.  Still preferred over the cold of winter but it makes birding a little difficult.  A thundershower moved in first thing this morning preceded by the unique cloud formation pictured above.

Breeding Bird Survey and eBird

I ran my Breeding Bird Survey route from Belchertown down through Ware, Palmer and Monson starting at 4:42am. The overall number of species was down from last year with 64 compared to 71 last year. The overall number of individual birds varied very little with 859 this year and 855 last year. Some nice birds including Bobolinks in a couple spots, Yellow-throated Vireo, Barred Owl and a host of other species. I was glad to finally be able to get the route down for this year. The route goes through the area of Monson that was devastated by an EF3 tornado at the beginning of the month. The damage is complete and total and absolutely amazing to see. The power of nature when it is unleashed is beyond what you think possible.

In addition I have reached a milestone with my reporting to eBird. I recently tallied my 1000th list for the year and my 7000th list overall. It is a great tool to keep track of records with and adds to the knowledge of bird distribution throughout the seasons. I encourage anyone to try it and submit some records.

Cape Cod June 19-21

Least Tern with Sand lance, Ridgevale Beach, Chatham, MA, June 19, 2011
Piping Plover,Ridgevale Beach, Chatham, MA, June 20, 2011

Piping Plover, Ridgevale Beach, Chatham, MA June 20, 2011

I returned a few days ago from a three day trip down to Cape Cod. Some beautiful weather and some nice breeding birds present. Arrived on Sunday the 19th and left on Tuesday the 21st. We stayed in Chatham and managed visits to a few beaches at the Cape Cod National Seashore, Wellfleet Bay refuge, Ridgevale Beach, South Beach, Monomoy NWR and Fort Hill. No real migrants present but some great looks at Piping Plovers, Least Terns and Willets breeding along the beaches. A few plovers had recently hatched chicks.

More from Ohio

Philadelphia Vireo, Magee Marsh, OH, May 2011
Lincoln's Sparrow, Magee Marsh, OH, May 2011

White-crowned Sparrow, Magee Marsh, OH, May 2011

Blackpoll Warbler, Magee Marsh, OH, May 2011
American Redstart, Magee Marsh, OH, May 2011

Ovenbird, Magee Marsh, OH, May 2011

Prothonotary Warbler, Magee Marsh, OH, May 2011

A few more pictures from my May trip to Ohio. Enjoy.

Hooded Warbler at Quabbin

Hooded Warbler, Quabbin, June 4, 2011
Hooded Warbler, Quabbin, June 4, 2011

Raccoon, Quabbin, June 3, 2011

I was told of a Hooded Warbler male that is located at Quabbin that has been there for several days if not weeks . I was told this info only on the agreement that I not disclose the location as the finder of the bird was very concerned that undue pressure would be put on the bird. I will honor this request but wanted to share photos of this unusual bird. This is my first Hooded Warbler at Quabbin and adds yet another species to my Quabbin list (I have also added Blue Grosbeak, Sandhill Crane and Red Phalarope this year). Here are a few record shots of the bird as well as a few other photos from recent trips to various spots at Quabbin.

Mourning Warbler and others...Quabbin

Mourning Warbler, Quabbin, MA May 29, 2011

Mourning Warbler, Quabbin,MA, May 29, 2011

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Quabbin, MA, May 29, 2011
Mourning Dove, Quabbin, MA, May 29, 2011

Another productive day yesterday as I spent the entire morning and part of the afternoon exploring the central area of Quabbin for the breeding bird atlas. Many areas have finally dried out enough to explore so I was able to make it to areas that I had not yet visited this season. The highlight of the day was a Mourning Warbler that popped out into view and stayed in view for an extended time period. Some of the best views I have ever had of a Mourning Warbler. Many other good birds around. I have attached a list for the day below. Some of the numbers of birds were amazing and likely undercounts as I had them in earshot most of the day.


Canada Goose 2
Wood Duck 1
Hooded Merganser 7 two males
Ruffed Grouse 3 all drumming
Wild Turkey 15
Turkey Vulture 1
Mourning Dove 7
Black-billed Cuckoo 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 20
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 4
Pileated Woodpecker 4
Eastern Wood-Pewee 6
Alder Flycatcher 3
Least Flycatcher 35
Eastern Phoebe 4
Great Crested Flycatcher 5
Eastern Kingbird 9 carrying nest material
Yellow-throated Vireo 2
Blue-headed Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 119 minimum count...most heard not seen
Blue Jay 22
Tree Swallow 17
Black-capped Chickadee 19
Brown Creeper 1
Winter Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Veery 59 seemed to be everywhere today
Hermit Thrush 3
Wood Thrush 14
American Robin 38
Gray Catbird 41 building nests
Cedar Waxwing 62
Blue-winged Warbler 4 bird with golden winged like song still present in same area
Yellow Warbler 32 carrying nest material
Chestnut-sided Warbler 51 carryingn nest material
Magnolia Warbler 13
Black-throated Blue Warbler 23
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 12
Black-throated Green Warbler 10
Blackburnian Warbler 20
Pine Warbler 26
Prairie Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 10
American Redstart 68
Ovenbird 78
Northern Waterthrush 1
Mourning Warbler 1 seen, heard and photographed
Common Yellowthroat 92
Canada Warbler 1
Eastern Towhee 68
Chipping Sparrow 37 carrying nest material
Song Sparrow 16
White-throated Sparrow 1
Scarlet Tanager 16
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 19 building nests
Indigo Bunting 3
Red-winged Blackbird 13
Common Grackle 7
Brown-headed Cowbird 18
Baltimore Oriole 23 building nests
Purple Finch 3
American Goldfinch 9


Beaver-1
Little Brown Bats-7