Another great morning of migrants

Cape May Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Cape May Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Cape May Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Cape May Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Black throated Green Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Blackburnian Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Blackburnian Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

 

American Redstart, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Nashville Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

 

Tennessee Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Black throated Blue Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Bay breasted Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Eastern Wood Pewee, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Eastern Phoebes, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Red tailed Hawk, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Lincoln's Sparrow, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Blue headed Vireo, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Warbling Vireo, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Red eyed Vireo, UMASS Amherst, Sep 23, 2013

Another spectacular morning of watching the ongoing migration with highlights so numerous that I will once again include the whole list for the morning.  Ian, Keenan and I certainly had a good time sorting through all the warblers, vireos and others.  I'm sure this will be one of the last days of such diversity as we go past the third full week of September and the next several days feature great migration conditions.

Canada Goose  14
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Red-tailed Hawk  2  
Mourning Dove  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Downy Woodpecker  5
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  4
Pileated Woodpecker  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  3     one still calling
Least Flycatcher  1     Late
Empidonax sp.  1
Eastern Phoebe  18     Minimum
Blue-headed Vireo  14     Some singing
Warbling Vireo  1     Seen well
Philadelphia Vireo  2   
Red-eyed Vireo  5  
Blue Jay  18
American Crow  2
Common Raven  1
Black-capped Chickadee  13
Tufted Titmouse  3
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
Brown Creeper  1     Singing
House Wren  3
Carolina Wren  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  5
Veery  1     Heard well at 6:25
Swainson's Thrush  3     Calls
Wood Thrush  4     Heard in am
American Robin  14
Gray Catbird  19
European Starling  2
Cedar Waxwing  8
Black-and-white Warbler  1
Tennessee Warbler  8     Minimum, high count
Nashville Warbler  5    
Common Yellowthroat  8
American Redstart  6 
Cape May Warbler  3     Two dull, one bright
Northern Parula  15     Minimum
Magnolia Warbler  8    
Bay-breasted Warbler  3     Two with rufous, one without
Blackburnian Warbler  5    
Chestnut-sided Warbler  1
Blackpoll Warbler  9
Black-throated Blue Warbler  2  
Pine Warbler  2   one singing
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  8
Black-throated Green Warbler  32     Minimum
Wilson's Warbler  1
warbler sp.  7
Eastern Towhee  1
Chipping Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  7
Lincoln's Sparrow  2     One singing
White-throated Sparrow  17
Scarlet Tanager  3     Minimum
Northern Cardinal  4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  2
House Finch  7
American Goldfinch  5


Later in the morning I took a walk with Wilson along Jabish Canal where we ran across a migrant groups with several species but nothing too unusual but we did add another warbler species that was missed on Orchard Hill, a Palm Warbler, bringing the day total for warblers to eighteen.  We also had a Ruby throated Hummingbird come roaring past heading south.

First day of fall birding

Yellow Warbler, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2013

Tennessee Warbler, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2013

Philadelphia Vireo, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2013

Cedar Waxwing, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2013

American Kestrel with Northern Flickers, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2013

Least Flycatcher, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2013

Least Flycatcher, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2013

Cedar Waxwings, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2013

Although the forecast called for rain through the morning when I woke up I checked the radar and saw the back edge of the rain was right along route 91 and heading east at so I decided to try my luck in finding a downed shorebird in the fields along the Connecticut River. Although the chances were quite slim of finding a downed migrant due to all the strong south winds preceding the rain I decided to try my luck anyway. I arrived in the East Meadows just before dawn and the rain had indeed stopped with some clearing to the west. Despite covering several fields I was only able to come up with a single flyby American Golden Plover plus nine Killdeer for shorebirds. The muddy roads here made access difficult or impossible to many areas that could have been productive. I decided to not push my luck on the muddy roads here so instead headed over to the honeypot in Hadley. No shorebirds in the honeypot fields or along the various sandbars in the river. The corner in the honeypot did produce at least 16 Indigo Buntings, three Lincoln's Sparrows together, a Vesper Sparrow, and other sparrows plus Bobolinks overhead.

With little luck finding shorebirds I decided to head over to the Silvio O. Conte NWR to find some land birds. I covered a large portion of the roads and trails there and was joined in the later part of the morning with the Griffiths. Yet again a great morning for migrants with decent numbers and some unusual birds. The cloudy and breezy weather made for some tough viewing (and photo) opportunities but I managed a few marginal shots. The list for the morning is included below:

Turkey Vulture  4
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  1
Broad-winged Hawk  1
Red-tailed Hawk  2
Killdeer  1
American Woodcock  1     Flushed in same area twice
Rock Pigeon  22
Mourning Dove  4
Eastern Screech-Owl  1         calling
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  4
Hairy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  10
American Kestrel  1
Peregrine Falcon  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Least Flycatcher  1     Late, photos
Empidonax sp.  1     Different area from LEFL, seen briefly
Eastern Phoebe  12
Blue-headed Vireo  2
Philadelphia Vireo  1     Photos
Red-eyed Vireo  4
Blue Jay  16
American Crow  7
Common Raven  2
Black-capped Chickadee  10
Tufted Titmouse  3
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
House Wren  3
Carolina Wren  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Eastern Bluebird  2
American Robin  4
Gray Catbird  23
Brown Thrasher  1
European Starling  17
Cedar Waxwing  22
Black-and-white Warbler  2
Tennessee Warbler  3     Yellowish 1st year bird, adult
Nashville Warbler  2
Common Yellowthroat  13
American Redstart  1
Northern Parula  4
Magnolia Warbler  8
Blackburnian Warbler  1
Yellow Warbler  4     Late, photos...variety of plumage
Blackpoll Warbler  7
Black-throated Blue Warbler  1
Palm Warbler (Yellow)  2
Pine Warbler  4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  2
Black-throated Green Warbler  15
warbler sp.  5
Eastern Towhee  2
Field Sparrow  4
Song Sparrow  10
Swamp Sparrow  2
White-throated Sparrow  7
Scarlet Tanager  2
Northern Cardinal  3
Bobolink  4
Red-winged Blackbird  24
Brown-headed Cowbird  3
House Finch  6
American Goldfinch  2
 

The next several nights should bring in more migrants and move out some of the birds currently here as the winds should be northerly through the period. 

The annual finch forecast is now out and it looks like the chances for a big irruption of most species is not expected as the feed to the north should be sufficient to not force the birds to move south. Luckily I ran across lots of irruptive species last winter.  The full report is at the link below:

http://www.jeaniron.ca/2013/forecast.htm

Quabbin Park....lots of migrants

Philadelphia Vireo, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Red eyed Vireo, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Red eyed Vireo, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Bay breasted Warbler, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Northern Parula, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Eastern Phoebe feeding, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Lincoln's Sparrow, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Gray Catbird, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Spotted Sandpiper, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Yellow rumped Warbler, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Turkey Vulture, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Bay breasted Warbler, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

House Wren, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Cape May Warbler, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Cape May Warbler, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Tennessee Warbler, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Enfield Lookout, Quabbin Park, Sep 21, 2013

Another spectacular day of fall migration.  Once again the fog was thick at times in the morning but it eventually burned off by late morning when it got breezy.  I spent three hours at Quabbin Park and had some really good birds and I'm sure if I had more time I could have found even more.  The highlights are many and I have included the full list below.  The variety of normally tough to find warblers continues to amaze me this fall.  The most impressive among them was an Orange crowned Warbler found among a mixed species flock in a scrub area near the tower.  The Orange crowned Warbler became species #226 for Hampshire County this year.  Full list for the morning is below (look at those warblers!).

Quabbin Park
7:11 AM - 10:10 AM

Canada Goose  12
Wood Duck  6
American Black Duck  2
Wild Turkey  4
Common Loon  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  5
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  3
Downy Woodpecker  3
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  3
Pileated Woodpecker  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Eastern Phoebe  12
Blue-headed Vireo  4
Philadelphia Vireo  1     Bright individual photos
Red-eyed Vireo  10
Blue Jay  29
American Crow  9
Common Raven  2
Black-capped Chickadee  31
Tufted Titmouse  5
White-breasted Nuthatch  9
House Wren  2
Carolina Wren  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  13
Eastern Bluebird  6
Swainson's Thrush  2
Wood Thrush  1
American Robin  3
Gray Catbird  16
Cedar Waxwing  11
Black-and-white Warbler  7
Tennessee Warbler  3  
Orange-crowned Warbler  1     Unusual migrant, Seen well in scrub below tower, yellow undertails, in mixed flock that included tennessee, nashville and yellowthroat for nice comparison.
Nashville Warbler  5     Including a very dull individual
Common Yellowthroat  14
American Redstart  19
Cape May Warbler  2     One bright and one dull individual
Northern Parula  18     Singing
Magnolia Warbler  12
Bay-breasted Warbler  3     Amazing number of this species, two together and a single,all with rufous, photos
Chestnut-sided Warbler  3     Minimum
Blackpoll Warbler  16
Palm Warbler (Yellow)  1
Pine Warbler  22     Some singing
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  12
Black-throated Green Warbler  27
warbler sp.  30     Minimum, most blackpoll like flight calls
Eastern Towhee  12
Chipping Sparrow  16
Song Sparrow  4
Lincoln's Sparrow  1
Scarlet Tanager  2
Northern Cardinal  7
American Goldfinch  8

Blackbirds in the fog, Covey WMA, Sep 21, 2013

Dawn at Covey WMA, Sep 21, 2013

Dawn at Covey WMA, Sep 21, 2013

Before heading to Quabbin Park I made a predawn stop at Covey WMA with the highlights including a large roost of blackbirds numbering several hundred birds.  I really wanted to see if I could find something unusual in among the more typical birds but the fog moved in and cut the visibility just as the birds were leaving...maybe next time.  The Wood Ducks leaving roost before dawn numbered at least 58 birds with a few breeding plumage males in among them.  The best bird was another one that escaped certain identification.  I had a wren dark through my view as I was scanning through the marsh which looked a lot like a Marsh Wren but could have been something else.  It seems like a perfect spot for them and I have had them here before but I can't be sure of this mornings sighting to confirm it.

A walk later in the morning at the Belchertown land trust trail produced another warbler species when I found a Prairie Warbler among the other species present.

The warblers continue...

 

Scarlet Tanager, UMASS Amherst, Sep 20, 2013

Cape May Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 20, 2013

Cape May Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 20, 2013

 

'Traills' Flycatcher, UMASS Amherst, Sep 20, 2013

Another cool, foggy start to the day with a sunny and warm end. The fog stayed in place through most of the morning and only burned off late morning. Once again the fog made viewing a bit difficult and photography a bit of a challenge. I started off the morning at UMASS where several other birders and I had another spectacular day of watching the migrants move through. I have included the eBird list below. Some of the numbers were quite impressive in my humble opinion.

UMass Amherst
6:14 AM - 9:44 AM

Mourning Dove  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
Downy Woodpecker  3
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  3
Pileated Woodpecker  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Alder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher)  1     Late, photos.
Eastern Phoebe  5
Blue-headed Vireo  3
Warbling Vireo  1
Philadelphia Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  12
Blue Jay  9
American Crow  2
Black-capped Chickadee  12
Tufted Titmouse  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  2
House Wren  4
Carolina Wren  3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Wood Thrush  6     Calling in morning
American Robin  12
Gray Catbird  22
Cedar Waxwing  5
Black-and-white Warbler  5
Tennessee Warbler  7     Amazing numbers with variety of plumages
Nashville Warbler  2
Common Yellowthroat  11
American Redstart  11     One adult male
Cape May Warbler  1    bright adult male
Northern Parula  26     Minimum
Magnolia Warbler  8
Blackburnian Warbler  1
Chestnut-sided Warbler  7     Minimum
Blackpoll Warbler  12
Pine Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  17
Black-throated Green Warbler  24     Minimum
Wilson's Warbler  1
Chipping Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  9
Lincoln's Sparrow  3
White-throated Sparrow  6
Scarlet Tanager  5     Minimum
Northern Cardinal  7
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  3
Indigo Bunting  1
Bobolink  1     Heard
House Finch  12
American Goldfinch  2
 

 

Tennessee Warbler, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2013

Tennessee Warbler, UMASS Amherst, Sep 20, 2013

Tennessee Warbler (1st year), UMASS Amherst, Sep 20, 2013

Tennessee Warbler (1st year), UMASS Amherst, Sep 20, 2013

Tennessee Warbler (1st year), UMASS Amherst, Sep 20, 2013

 It certainly has been a great year for warbler species that feed on spruce bud worm outbreaks. The numbers of Bay breasted, Cape May and Tennessee Warblers have been very impressive and are some of the best counts I have ever had of them. Sometimes these species are difficult or impossible to find during fall but not this year. The most numerous of the three has been Tennessee Warbler and I think the large number of them around has led to many (but not all) reports of early Orange crowned Warblers. The 1st year Tennessee Warblers can look ALOT like an Orange crowned and I don't think many appreciate just how close they can appear to each other. Hopefully everyone gets out and enjoys this spectacle of unusual warblers as they move through on their way to the tropics.

Great Blue Heron, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2013

Great Blue Heron, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2013

Eastern Phoebe, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2013

Field near entrance, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2013

 

Yellow Warbler, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2013

Nashville Warbler, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2013

 

Brown Thrasher, Silvio O. Conte NWR, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2013

Once I finished up at UMASS I headed over to the Silvio O. Conte NWR in Hadley to check out the area. Even though it was late morning the area still had a lot of birds with highlights being another Tennessee Warbler, a couple Yellow Warblers, a couple Brown Thrashers and lots of phoebes. The area looks great to attract an odd flycatcher or sparrow this fall. I bet a return trip here in spring could produce some amazing warblers.