Hadley migrants - Sept 28th.

Blue-headed Vireo - Moody Bridge Road, Hadley.


Black-and-White Warbler - Moody Bridge Road, Hadley.


Black-throated Green Warbler - Moody Bridge Road, Hadley.


Departed late this morning and without any real plan. What a muggy morning it was too with complete cloud cover, high humidity and an abundance of mosquitoes - it really felt more like late July than late September. Eventually found a few migrants down on Moody Bridge road in Hadley, but I had to work for them. Perhaps the best would have been a single Swainson's Thrush, but also of note were 3 Blue-headed Vireo, 2 Red-eyed Vireo, 2 Northern Parula, 3 American Redstart, 5 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 2 'Eastern' Palm Warbler, 2 Black-throated Green Warbler and a single Magnolia Warbler.

A little closer to the Connecticut River, the corn fields along the Aqua Vitae road were much better and actually quite busy with sparrows, mostly Savannah and Song Sparrows, but several Swamp and a single Lincoln's. At least 15 Indigo Buntings and 5 'Eastern' Palm Warblers were present as well. A most impressive flock of 6,000 Red-winged Blackbirds lurked in the tall trees lining the river. Raptors attracted to all this activity featured a juvenile Peregrine (probably tundrius), a Merlin, a Cooper's Hawk, and two migrant Ospreys drifted south together around noon.

Closer to home, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was on N. Whitney Street in late afternoon.

Best birding,


James