Sunday, October 22, 2017

MA - Gill Cattle Egrets....10/22-28

Cattle Egret (one of five) - Boyle Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2017.


Update October 28th: a single Cattle Egret present all day on Boyle Road with just two cows.

October 27th: three Cattle Egrets still in Gill, this time off Main Road at Upinngil Farm.

October 26th: three Cattle Egrets remain in the meadow on Boyle Road but have also been seen with the cows behind Upinngil Farm on Main Road, Gill. This evening they departed NW at 17:50 hours, presumably heading off to roost.


Cattle Egrets - Boyle Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2017.


Update Oct 23rd; It was good to see that all five Cattle Egrets had returned to the favored meadow on Boyle Road, Gill this morning and a quick drive-by found them still present at 11:30 am. The birds certainly look settled and I imagine will stick around for the remainder of this gloomy, drizzly day. A quick stop at Turner's Falls airfield was also productive with two male Northern Harriers, 10 Horned Larks and a Purple Finch

Cattle Egrets (three of five) - Boyle Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2017.



Cattle Egret - Boyle Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2017.




Northern Harrier - adult male, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2017.



Cattle Egrets - Boyle Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 22nd, 2017.

October 22nd: For the third time within the last three years, Upinngil Farm's dairy cows have attracted Cattle Egrets. This afternoon Thom Bullock reported a flock of five in a meadow off Boyle Road. The birds remained in the same field foraging around a handful cows until dusk when Eric Huston noted them departing to the north at 17:53 hours.


Back in 2014, I saw a Cattle Egret departing south from Upinngil Farm on November 12th and asked the farmers to keep an eye open for any small white 'herons' feeding around the cows.  In late May 2017 I got a third hand report of a small egret with the Upinngil cows, apparently seen for just one day. And now we have five together on a beautiful, balmy October afternoon. Thanks to Thom's prompt reporting quite a few local birders managed to see them before they departed north at dusk.


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