Some late warblers, odd geese and other notables the last couple days

Rusty Blackbirds, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 5, 2018

Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 5, 2018

Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 5, 2018

American Tree Sparrow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 5, 2018

Cedar Waxwing, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 5, 2018

Pectoral Sandpipers, Hadley, MA, Nov 5, 2018

Dawn, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 5, 2018

I was up before dawn as both Wilson and I try to adjust to the end of daylight savings time.  Since I was up well before the sun I decided to try my luck in tracking down some saw whet owls before dawn.  I arrived at Gate 5 at Quabbin to find it a bit breezier than forecast but I nonetheless had at least one Northern Saw Whet Owl calling.  The waves were kicked up quite a bit on the water so no waterfowl were in evidence on the reservoir, just some flyovers.  Dawn produced the only bit of sun for the day as another bout of rain moved in by late morning.  I decided I would get away from Quabbin and try to find some more sheltered areas where the wind would not be as big of a factor and I decided on Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River.  Not long after I arrived I had an Eastern Phoebe and the first of at least two (possibly three) Common Yellowthroats.  Despite the cloudy and cool conditions I continued to turn up a number of noteworthy species including an extremely late Black and White Warbler, a Palm Warbler, a Lincoln's Sparrow, at least 28 Rusty Blackbirds, large numbers of Red winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and Brown headed Cowbirds (tried to find a Yellow headed Blackbird in among the hordes but no luck today). The two hours at Silvo Conte produced a total of 51 species (a respectable total for early November).  I then hit a few other spots in the Hadley and Amherst area where I had five Pectoral Sandpipers in North Hadley and several hundred Brown headed Cowbirds at Cooke's Farm in Hadley.  Once I got home I picked up Wilson and we went for a walk in the rain along the land trust trail in Belcherown where we found a late Blackpoll Warbler in a mixed flock, bringing the total number of warbler species for the day to five...probably my highest one day total in November around here...more on the warblers at the following link.

Canada Goose with white above both eyes, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Nov 4, 2018

Canada Goose with white above both eyes, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Nov 4, 2018

Cackling/Canada Goose?, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Nov 4, 2018

Cackling/Canada Geese?, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Nov 4, 2018

Rusty Blackbirds, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Nov 4, 2018

Eastern Comma, Belchertown, MA, Nov 4, 2018

I hit a number of spots yesterday, enjoying one of the sunnier days we have had lately although it stayed cool through most of the morning.  I started off at the Rail trail in Amherst where I had an Eastern Phoebe, several Rusty Blackbirds and a Palm Warbler.  I then headed over to the UMASS campus pond in search of a Cape May Warbler that has been reported there on and off.  No luck with the warbler but there were some interesting geese on the pond including two smaller individuals that certainly showed some traits of Cackling Geese as well as a Canada Goose with white above each eye.  A notable non bird sighting was a very fresh Eastern Comma seen along the Jabish Canal in Belchertown...a location that also produced dozens of deer ticks unfortunately. 

At least five Cattle Egrets following southerly winds

Cattle Egrets, North Hadley, MA, Nov 3, 2018

Cattle Egrets, Hadley, MA, Nov 3, 2018

Cattle Egrets, Hadley, MA, Nov 3, 2018

Cattle Egrets, Hadley, MA, Nov 3, 2018

Brown headed Cowbirds and European Starlings, Hadley, MA, Nov 3, 2018

After having southerly winds and warmer than normal temperatures the last couple days a number of Cattle Egrets appeared to have been pushed north with at least five present in Hadley alone today.  After a morning of rain where I hit a few spots around Quabbin early on where the best bird of the morning was a somewhat late Bonaparte's Gull at Winsor Dam, I spent the rest of the morning catching up on stuff around the house.  Early in the afternoon I saw a post about a couple Cattle Egrets in North Hadley and I decided to make a run over to see them.  I had a couple Cattle Egrets back in May but it is a species that is missed most years in the county so thought I would try to catch up with them again today.  Before today I have had a total of three Cattle Egrets ever (a single in 2017 and the two earlier this year in May).  I managed to catch up with at least five individuals today at two different locations in Hadley...two birds in North Hadley and three in southern Hadley.  These birds appear to be part of an incursion of the species into the northeast compliments of the southerly winds.  Besides the egrets the best birds during my afternoon trip out included a continued Pectoral Sandpiper in North Hadley and at least 700 Brown headed Cowbirds at Cook's Farm.  I tried to find something else unusual among the cowbirds but no luck today.

Record setting October comes to an end

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 21, 2018

Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 21, 2018

Surf Scoter, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Evening Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Purple Finch, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

October has rapidly come to an end and what a month it was for birding in Hampshire County.  I managed to find a total of 152 species for the month, which beat my previous best October in the county by 21 species!  Despite the month being cooler than normal overall there were a number of lingering species as well as lots of migrants moving through including a few irruptive from the north that don't always show up in numbers (Purple Finches, Pine Siskins and Evening Grosbeaks).  Waterfowl figured prominently into the total species for the month with a total of 23 species including four new species for the year for me: Brant, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter and Ruddy Duck.  These four additions bring me up to a total of 236 species for the year which is just two short of my best year ever with two months of the year left.  Hopefully some rarities will show up and push me past my old record...time will tell.

White crowned Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 22, 2018

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Song Sparrow, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 22, 2018

Swamp Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 14, 2018

White crowned Sparrow, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 11, 2018

White throated Sparrow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

As normal for October sparrows were evident in numbers and variety with a total of
14 species of sparrows and juncos seen throughout the month with a noticeably large number of White crowned Sparrows compared to a typical October.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 26, 2018

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 22, 2018

Black and White Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

I found a total of 16 species of warblers for the month with a number of them lingering later into the fall then I have ever had before (more on that in another post sometime)...more details on warblers for the month can be found at the following link.

White rumped Sandpiper, Hadley, MA, Oct 11, 2018

Solitary Sandpiper, Hadley, MA, Oct 10, 2018

Pectoral Sandpiper, Hadley, MA, Oct 8, 2018

A dozen species of shorebirds was also way above the typical number I find during October around here and many allowed close viewing and furnished some of my highest totals for several species (Loads of Pectorals and several White rumped Sandpipers including my first ever at Quabbin..my 247th species at Quabbin).

Evening Grosbeaks and waterfowl following nor'easter

Evening Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Evening Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Evening Grosbeak, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

White throated Sparrow, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Surf Scoter, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Horned Grebes, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Canada Goose with extensive white on neck, Hadley, MA, Oct 28, 2018

Ring necked Ducks and Red breasted Merganser, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 28, 2018

The after effects of the nor'easter continued into this morning with drizzle, fog and overcast conditions but thankfully less wind than yesterday.  Yesterday was pretty much a washout but I did manage to make it over to Winsor Dam at dawn at the onset of the storm and got a few species of waterfowl before the heavy rain and wind cut down visibility too much.  Highlights included a Red breasted Merganser and a Pied billed Grebe (full list here).  Today I started out at first light at Beaver Lake (which was fairly empty) and then headed over to a foggy Winsor Dam which held just a few Hooded Mergansers and a Common Loon.  As it looked like the low clouds, fog and drizzle would not be lifting right away I headed over to Hadley and Amherst to see if I could find any storm related birds and better viewing conditions.  I started at the campus pond at UMASS and then over to various fields off Meadow Street.  The pond was quiet but the fields produced several hundred geese enjoying a hunter free morning (with one individual with extensive white on its neck) plus a number of Mallards, a Black Duck, a Northern Pintail and two Green winged Teal.  My next stop was down to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where I picked up three Evening Grosbeaks not long after arriving right at the entrance to the main trails.  They stayed around for a few minutes for photos before heading off to part unknown.  The Evening Grosbeaks have started arriving in the area in the last several days but these were the first ones I have had and will hopefully be just the beginning of what appears to be a big influx of the species.  The predictions of an irruptive year for a number of northern species appears to be correct with Purple Finch numbers continuing to be way above normal as well as a notable influx of Pine Siskins at various locations the last several days.  I had also hoped to find some late warblers but the best I could do was a calling flyover warbler that was not a Yellow rumped Warbler.  Once I was finished over in Hadley I headed back to Quabbin Park where the fog lifted slightly allowing me to find a few more species of waterfowl including a Ruddy Duck (county species #236 for the year), a Surf Scoter, five Horned Grebes and a Red necked Grebe and a few others.  I also added a couple more flyover Evening Grosbeaks while in the park.  Overall a productive morning with a number of notable birds around.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands and Red bellied Woodpecker, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 27, 2018

Hairy Woodpecker and Black capped Chickadee, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 26, 2018

Northern Cardinal and White breasted Nuthatch, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 27, 2018

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands and Red bellied Woodpecker, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 25, 2018

Hermit Thrush, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 25, 2018

I have nearly completed the new feeder set up at home complete with motion cameras to capture the activity.  I have just a few suet cakes up so far while I hold off on adding the remaining seed feeders until I'm fairly certain the bears will not be a problem.  I have captured a number of species on the cameras so far including one of my banded Black capped Chickadees.  The water feature also continues to attract a few species including a Hermit Thrush that has stayed around for a few days so far.

Loads of sparrows and late warblers at Arcadia this morning

Eastern Phoebe with grasshopper, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Lincoln's Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Black and White Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Red tailed Hawk, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

White throated Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Tennessee Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Purple Finch, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

Dark eyed Junco with white cap, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018

What a difference a week makes!  Last week we were in the 70's and 80's and now we have transitioned to late fall like weather with lows in 20's and frost on multiple mornings.  At least it warmed to near 60 today but it was damn cold in the morning.  I spent a good part of the morning at Arcadia and had lots of good stuff including loads of sparrows and a few late warblers (more details on the warblers) among some 61 species.  Highlights included nine species of sparrows/juncos with the most prevalent species being White throated and Song Sparrows plus an interesting Dark eyed Junco with a white cap (several hundred total sparrows present), several species of raptors keeping all the other birds on alert, continued numbers of Purple Finches, a nice influx of Ruby crowned Kinglets as well as the warblers.  Could only find a lone Gray Catbird as the hordes seemed to have moved on to warmer locations.