Marsh Wren - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
September 16th and yet another morning shrouded in fog. I considered having an hour's birding before heading out for a mid-morning bike ride. Since it was a peaceful Sunday morning I decided to take my chances at Gill Elementary School and work the field edges adjacent to the school property. Despite the damp foggy start things looked promising and within minutes I was looking at Indigo Buntings and my first White-throated Sparrow of the fall. That was rapidly followed by a smart adult Cape May Warbler which put on a nice show feeding openly in the fields surrounded by Song Sparrows and Indigo Buntings! The morning was starting to 'feel' special when I came across a nice spot overlooking a scrub filled dell that was loaded with bird activity. A wren giving a quiet sub-song caught my attention and turned out to be a Marsh Wren which went on to sing and call for the next two hours - not only my first in Gill but a surprise Franklin County tick.
Marsh Wren - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
White-throated Sparrow - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
Cape May Warbler - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
Cape May Warbler - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
Pine Warbler - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
Lincoln's Sparrow (above) with Song Sparrow - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
After the Marsh Wren came Black-throated Green, Palm (yellow) and Pine Warblers, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and many other nice species including my first Lincoln's Sparrows (3) of the fall.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female/juv) - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
Eastern Wood-Pewee - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Gill Elementary School, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2018.
The 14th and 15th saw good migrations of Broad-winged Hawks at Putney Mountain, Vermont and on the afternoon of the 14th I tried a short migration watch from Apex Orchards in Shelburne Falls which produced 78 Broad-winged Hawks, 3 Ospreys, a Merlin and my first American Pipit of the fall. Two Black Vultures also appeared over Apex Orchards but headed east, probably to roost in Greenfield with the local Turkey Vultures.
Black Vulture (one of two) - Apex Orchards, Shelburne Falls, Franklin Co., MA. September 14th, 2018.
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