MA - mid-summer Bonaparte's

 

Bonaparte's Gull (first-summer) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. July 2nd, 2021.

July is off to a pretty good start. A very welcome break from late June's heatwave brought heavy, sustained rains all day on the 2nd resulting in a really good soaking and significantly cooler temperatures (62 F versus 95 F!). Although I wasn't expecting many birds to be on the move this early in July, a quick spin around Turner's Falls in torrential rain yielded at 4 Ring-billed Gulls, 2 Double-crested Cormorants and a Bonaparte's Gull. The latter was a first-summer sporting a nice 'patchy' hood and provided my first July record in Franklin County. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I don't have any previous records of Bonaparte's Gull between late May and early September. While it might be a stretch to call it an early fall migrant, there's little doubt that the day's horrendous weather conditions had an influence on it's appearance at the cove. The four Least Sandpipers that appeared at Turner's Falls Airfield later in the day were much more obvious southbound migrants and my earliest fall record by almost three weeks! Like the Bonaparte's Gull, the sandpipers were doubtless grounded by the heavy rain-soaked conditions and provided a clear signal that fall migration is under way. 

 Ring-billed Gulls - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. July 2nd, 2021.

Least Sandpipers - Turner's Falls Airfield, Franklin Co., MA. July 2nd, 2021.

Least Sandpipers - Turner's Falls Airfield, Franklin Co., MA. July 2nd, 2021.

MA - March migration and yet more crossbills!

 

Bonaparte's Gulls - three of eight present, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 26th, 2021.

March 26th was one of those bigger migration days when warm conditions coupled with an occluded front brought rain, thunderstorms and a lot of avian action! Widespread arrivals of Eastern Phoebes and, to lesser degree, Tree Swallows occurred that day as well as 30 newly arrived Green-winged Teals at Barton Cove. Just upriver, Ted Gilliland was busy sorting through a smaller flock of 13 Green-winged Teal and ultimately found a nice example of the Eurasian sub-species, certainly the first that I've seen or even heard about in Franklin County! Later that day, eight Bonaparte's Gull graced Barton Cove, along with five (early) Double-crested Cormorants and a Common Loon in full breeding plumage. And....I would have loved to have seen the flock of five migrant Sandhill Cranes reported by Eric Huston migrating high over the cove a little earlier in the afternoon. Overall, that was a pretty decent haul of migrants for the 26th!

Bonaparte's Gulls - five of eight present, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 26th, 2021.

Eurasian (Green-winged) Teal (left) - distant crop, taken from Barton Cove campground, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 26th, 2021.

Nice find by Ted Gilliland. First Franklin County record.

Barton Cove continued to host a fairly large flock of Ring-necked Ducks with over 100 present, often loafing around Barton Island and subsequently difficult to see at times. Up to two Lesser and seven Greater Scaup (on the 28th) were often present with or near the Ring-necked Ducks. 

White-winged Crossbills - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 29th & 30th, 2021.

Red Crossbills - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 29th & 30th, 2021.

Fox Sparrows - three of five in the Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 19th, 2021.

Field Sparrow - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 29th, 2021.

Waterbirds aside, the incursion of winter finch species continued to be a major attraction for me and over the last month or so I've been very drawn to the Montague Plains which continues to host large numbers of Red Crossbills, the numbers of which appear to fluctuate on a day-to-day basis as the birds roam, presumably in search of the most productive feeding spots. Red Crossbills peaked at a whopping 360 birds on March 25th, a day which also saw 55 Pine Siskins and over 200 Dark-eyed Juncos and the first local Pine Grosbeak that I've seen for weeks. The day before saw 22 White-winged Crossbills in the plains with smaller numbers continuing through to the end of the month including 17 on the 31st. The Montague Plains have also proven to be a good spot for migrant Fox Sparrows with up to five present on the 19th, and the first territorial Field Sparrows started to appear for another breeding season from March 28th. 

Red-shouldered Hawk - one of two first-summer birds over the Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 30th, 2021.

These birds flew off to the NW together and behaved like migrants.

Ring-necked Ducks and Double-crested Cormorants - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 31st, 2021.

A fairly typical early spring spring scene. 

The last two days of the month saw increasingly warm temperatures with first Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Pine Warblers in the Montague Plains as well as some odd migrants such as two immature Red-shouldered Hawks and 5 Rusty Blackbirds on the 30th, and a Belted Kingfisher heading north on the 31st. The latter date also saw a late afternoon arrival of 17 Double-crested Cormorants at Barton Cove. 

MA - waterfowl and other odds n' ends in the first half of November

 

(Pale-bellied) Brant - three of six at Pine Meadow Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 1st, 2020. Initially found by Sasha Auer and Kevin Barnes. 

Irruptive passerines from the boreal certainly stole the show in early November but compared to previous years, it seemed (to me at least) that waterfowl migration was a little below par for the first twenty days of the month. Small numbers of Black, Surf and White-winged Scoters showed up at Turner's Falls and at the north end of the Quabbin Reservoir along with a tiny handful of Long-tailed Ducks but generally, those species were not found in the numbers that we've seen in the past. That much said, there were certainly some notables around with Red-breasted Mergansers turning up in flocks of up to nine birds and a continued presence with Common Mergansers at the Turner's Falls power canal through to the middle of the month. It was also excellent to have some lingering Brant (6 at Pine Meadow Road, Northfield through to Nov 2nd) and a Cackling Goose in Turners Falls  (Nov 7th - 20th) after both species had been curiously missing in October. Still, while early to mid November might have light on the scarcer waterfowl, it certainly wasn't light on volume. On several dates between the 12th and the 20th, the Turner's Falls power canal 'groaned' under the weight of 1900-2000 Canada Geese and up to 260 Common Mergansers and 32 Common Goldeneyes. Other notable gatherings included the continued presence of Pied-billed Grebes and American Coots on the CT River all month to the 20th at least, with up to 11 of the former and up to five of the latter between Barton Cove and the Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club. 

Cackling Goose (center) - heading north for evening feeding. Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 7th, 2020. 

This bird was courteous enough stick around at the power canal for well over week after this initial sighting. 

Cackling Goose -Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 14th, 2020. 

Cackling Goose (right) -Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 15th, 2020. 

Bonaparte's Gull (adult/near adult) -Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 12th, 2020. 

Late migrant shorebirds included a Dunlin on Nov 8th and a Semipalmated Plover on Nov 10th, both coming from the rather under watched Gate 22 at the Quabbin Reservoir. The Connecticut River at Turner's Falls hosted unusually good numbers of Greater Yellowlegs until all of them appeared to form one tight flock of eleven birds and depart south at speed on the evening of the 12th. While the odd Greater Yellowlegs can be expected in November, a single flock of 11 is unprecedented in my experience in the county, especially so late into the month.  

A Bonaparte's Gull at Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club on Nov 12th was the only larid of note in the first 20 days of the month in what had to be quietest opening to 'gull season' that I've ever seen in the greater Turner's Falls area. Iceland Gulls are long overdue but should hopefully put in an appearance soon, and perhaps one or two Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 

Bonaparte's Gulls in Gill

Bonaparte's Gulls (11) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 27th, 2020. 

 A cold wet night continued into a cold wet day! An initial check of Barton Cove in the morning hours proved to be fairly quiet though 21 Double-crested Cormorants remained from the previous day and three Horned Grebes were present, perhaps left over from the 26th as well. But the morning was highlighted by an adult Bonaparte's Gull in full summer plumage though admittedly it was a little distant. By the evening a fine flock of 11 Bonaparte's Gulls were present, all in pristine breeding plumage. They were flighty and showed interest in departing several times whilst I was there but always settled back down on the water and were still present when I left at about 17:45 hours. Also of interest, hundreds of swallows hawking over the water including 40 - 50 Barn Swallows, the largest concentration that I've seen so far this spring.

Bonaparte's Gulls - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 27th, 2020. 

The local Merlins appeared to take a special interest in hirundines today and I watched a female chasing swallows (unsuccessfully) around lunchtime, and then saw a male take a Barn Swallow over the water right in front of me this evening! Around the edge of Barton Cove, several migrant flocks of grounded, mostly male Yellow-rumped Warblers could be found foraging with a few Pine and Palm Warblers, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Further south, Josh Layfield came across a large flock of warblers at Tri-town Beach in Whately including a careful count of 39 Yellow-rumped Warblers, almost all of which were males.

 Merlin (male) - carrying Barn Swallow, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 27th, 2020. 

Merlin (female) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 27th, 2020. 

MA - waterbirds of the move part four; Red-necked Grebes!

Red-necked Grebes - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

The impressive run of waterbird fall-outs at Barton Cove, Gill continued unabated this morning when a southerly airflow combined with torrential rain, mist and poor visibility brought no less than 20 grounded Red-necked Grebes. The birds were initially quite mobile rarely settling for long but as the weather improved they found refuge just off Barton Island and started to rest and feed. With them came a Horned Grebe in full summer plumage, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, as many as 9 Bonaparte's Gulls and a particularly brutish Caspian Tern. Some 15 Northern Rough-winged Swallows were present at the Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club but aside from 7 Lesser Scaup waterbirds were few, and the fall-out appeared to be more or less restricted to Barton Cove this morning though a couple of Red-necked Grebes did drop into the power canal and stayed throughout the afternoon. Today's total of 22 Red-necked Grebes was the single largest arrival that I've recorded in the Gill/Turner's Falls area to date.

Red-necked Grebes - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

With a female Red-breasted Merganser leading the flock.

Red-necked Grebes - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

Caspian Tern - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

Bonaparte's Gulls and Caspian Tern - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

Horned Grebe (left)  with Red-necked Grebes - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

Bonaparte's Gull - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

Bonaparte's Gulls - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

Bonaparte's Gulls - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

Bonaparte's Gull - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 15th, 2019.

MA - waterbirds on the move part three; more Bonaparte's Gulls and Caspian Terns!

Caspian Tern - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 14th, 2019.

Flying in from the east with Barton Island in the background.

The morning of April 10th found me back at Barton Cove hoping to catch up with even just a tiny fraction of the fall-out seen the on the previous evening. Despite squally rain showers and 100% cloud cover, it was fairly obvious a major clearance had taken place overnight....not a single Bonaparte's Gull was present at first light. As if to emphasize the general departure of waterbirds, 3 Red-breasted Mergansers (male and 2 females) lifted off the water, circled the cove and headed off high to the NW. But 6 Ruddy Ducks, 5 Greater Scaup, 2 Horned Grebes and a Pied-billed Grebe ended up staying through the day with a fine pair of Northern Pintail appearing with the Canada Goose flocks in the evening. A Snow Goose and 2 American Wigeon remained, both species being long stayers.

Ruddy Duck - male, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 10th, 2019.

Northern Harriers (2) - Turner's Falls Airfield, Franklin Co., MA. April 10th, 2019.
Two of a minimum of four seen within an hour at the airfield in mid-morning.

Clearing skies and a change to quite cold air coming from the north triggered a shift in focus and by mid-morning I was enjoying great views of a male Northern Harrier at Turner's Falls Airfield. Although I soon lost that particular male to view, a further two Northern Harriers dropped into the airfield together just as suddenly as the male had appeared. Both were 'female-like' in plumage but careful scrutiny showed them both to be young males, one of which lingered while with the other one departed fairly quickly to the NE. After 20 minutes or so, a fourth harrier dropped in, this one being a young female which spent a good 15 minutes quartering the rank grasses along the taxi-way. Spring harrier migration isn't a particularly easy event to see in Franklin County so to have four individuals within an hour at the same site was pretty remarkable. Moreover, David Sibley recorded three Northern Harriers (two adult male, one immature male) migrating through Hilltop Farm, Deerfield during the morning hours. In the evening Josh Layfield visited Turner's Falls Airfield finding two Northern Harriers (male, female-type) hunting, possibly lingerers from the morning, but it's equally possible that they were new migrants. Either way, April 10th was something of a stellar day for harrier migration in Franklin County.

Bonaparte's Gulls - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 12th, 2019.

The 11th was fairly quiet for new waterbird arrivals but the 12th was yet another fine day for Bonaparte's Gulls with the initial discovery of a tight flock of 17 at the Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club quickly followed by a further 5 at Barton Cove. By mid-morning both flocks had converged on Barton Cove while a brief check in the evening found seven birds present but included 3 first-cycle individuals not seen on the morning visit! So, an absolute minimum of 25 Bonaparte's Gulls passing through Barton Cove on April 12th. .

Overnight rain and warm southerlies brought yet more new arrivals on the 13th with some 55 Double-crested Cormorants between the Turner's Fall power canal and the Rod and Gun Club. New for the year was a Red-necked Grebe and a Spotted Sandpiper at Barton Cove (Josh Layfield), along with 4 Barn Swallows and a Bank Swallow at the Turner's Falls power canal. Scaup arrivals included 7 Lesser at the power canal, 7 Lesser at the Rod and Gun club and a further 7 Lesser joining the previously seen 5 Greater Scaup at Barton Cove. In the evening, 2 Black Vultures again appeared high over Barton Cove as they had done on the evening of the 11th.

Caspian Tern - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 14th, 2019.

April 14th dawned mild and calm and I wasn't expecting too much in the way of grounded birds but I decided to check Barton Cove in any case. Initially, things seemed a little quiet and I couldn't find the previous day's Red-necked Grebe. In the distance a group of small group of 'gulls' resting on an exposed mud bar caught my attention. Instead of scoping them at range I drove around to Riverview Drive for a closer look and there sat with a few Herring and Ring-billed Gulls were 2 Caspian Terns. As I settled down to enjoy them, I could clearly hear the distinctive grating bark of one or more Caspian Terns in the air.......in fact there were 5 of them present together in the cove!! I last them heading towards Barton Campground at about 07:20 hours.

Caspian Tern - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 14th, 2019.

Caspian Terns (5) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 14th, 2019.

MA - waterfowl on the move part two; a day for Horned Grebes

Horned Grebes (5) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. April 9th, 2019.

With yesterday's low cloud, drizzle and mist continuing through the night and into the morning, and coupled with a nice temperature drop, prospects looked good for more waterbird arrivals at Barton Cove. A brief but productive early morning spin around the cove didn't disappoint. The light was so poor around 06:45 hours that I held off from taking any photos until mid-morning but the initial haul included 2 Surf Scoter (pair), 8 Lesser Scaup, 6 Greater Scaup (5 male, 1 female), 3 Ruddy Duck (2 male, one quite bright), 4 Red-breasted Mergansers (1 male, 3 female), 3 Horned Grebe (2 in breeding plumage, 1 transitional), Snow Goose (white morph continuing since Apr 2nd), and a Double-crested Cormorant arriving mid-morning. I was most impressed with the breeding plumage Horned Grebes, a species which I tend to think of as being quite a scarce migrant through northern Franklin County. With that in mind I couldn't have been more thrilled to come across a further 5 Horned Grebes in a tight flock at the Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club. The latter site also yielded my first local Ospreys (2) of the year, plus there was a notable increase Tree Swallow, Pine Warbler and Chipping Sparrow numbers along the river this morning.

Surf Scoter (pair) with Greater Scaup (6) at rear - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 9th, 2019.

Further indications of migration included 5 (3, 2) Great Blue Herons heading north high over Turner's Falls Airfield, a species I only occasionally detect on active migration in Franklin County.

Great Blue Herons - Turner's Falls Airfield, Franklin Co., MA. April 9th, 2019.

Three of five migrating high over the airfield this morning. 

By late afternoon, the weather had worsened bringing pulses of extremely heavy rain and cooler temperatures. A very quick check of Barton Cove found almost 200 newly arrived gulls including good numbers of adult/near adult Herring and Ring-billed Gulls. With them came a pristine adult/near adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. A tight flock of around 15 Double-crested Cormorants had clearly dropped in on the showers as well. 

Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult/near adult) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 9th, 2019.
Just left of center with Herring and Ring-billed Gulls.

Bonaparte's Gulls - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 9th, 2019.
Image appears courtesy of Josh Layfield. Part of the flock of 29 initially found by David Sibley. 

Bonaparte's Gulls - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 9th, 2019.
Image appears courtesy of Josh Layfield. 

And the day turned out to be far from over when David Sibley found 29 Bonaparte's Gulls and 10 Red-breasted Mergansers at Barton Cove off Riverview Drive just 70 minutes after I had to leave the area. As if that wasn't enough, David (along with Josh Layfield and Eric Huston) finished off the evening with a calling Caspian Tern flying upriver at dusk! Although April is the best month in the year to see Caspian Tern in Franklin County, it's usually the second half of the month when they show up and today's observation is the earliest that I'm aware of. 

MA - Lapland Longspur incursion, plus Iceland and Bonaparte's Gulls and more

Lapland Longspurs (3) - with a single Horned Lark, Caldwell Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 18th, 2018. 

The first winter storm of the season came early and deposited a good six inches of wet snow around much of northern Franklin County. The weather event happened overnight and continued into Friday (11/16), canceling local schools and leaving me with limited time to explore as we rolled into the weekend. Unsure of what to expect, I poked around Northfield, Gill and Turner's Falls making the most of the incidental birding opportunities that came my way. Almost every stop was productive. 

Cackling Goose (top left) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2018. Group arriving at dusk.

Cackling Goose (center) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th, 2018.

Friday (11/16) afternoon saw a newly arrived Cackling Goose and 20 Snow Buntings at the Turner's Falls power canal, while the Iceland Gull first seen on the previous evening was roosting at Unity Park. Saturday (11/17) was full of interest with three Lapland Longspurs in a flock of less than a dozen Horned Larks at Turner's Falls Airfield, a juvenile Common Loon at Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, and a very handsome Bonaparte's Gull at Unity Park. Later in the day, a chance visit to Caldwell Road fields produced a Vesper Sparrow along with further two Lapland Longspurs with some 55 Horned Larks. In addition, the Cackling Goose from the previous day was still to be seen at the Turner's Falls power canal.

Iceland Gull (second-cycle) - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2018.

This bird has been present daily around Turner's Falls through to the 18th. 

Bonaparte's Gull  - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th, 2018.

Lapland Longpsurs (3) -  landing at Turner's Falls Airfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th, 2018.

Lapland Longpsurs (3) -  Turner's Falls Airfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th, 2018.
Same three as shown above with two upper left of shot and one at extreme right.

Horned Larks - Turner's Falls Airfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th, 2018.

Common Loon (juvenile) - Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th, 2018.

Five Lapland Longspurs in Franklin County in a single day was quite unlike anything I'd seen before. Typically, I'm lucky to get one or two flyovers in late fall and early winter and that's usually it for the whole year. Moreover, these birds were on the ground foraging and I couldn't help but wonder if the unusually early snow cover had pushed them out of the fields where they'd normally be overlooked? Curiosity got the better of me and I returned to Caldwell Road fields for another look finding fewer Horned Larks but a whopping six Lapland Longspurs! The same flock attracted three Snow Buntings, an American Pipit and at least nine Savannah Sparrows.

Lapland Longspurs (3) - with a single Horned Lark, Caldwell Road field, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 18th, 2018. 

Surf Scoter (female) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 18th, 2018.

Long staying individual present since Nov 6th. 

Other passerines of note over the weekend included flyover Evening Grosbeaks at Turner's Falls Airfield, North Cross Road and Caldwell Road fields, Ruby-crowned Kinglets at Unity Park on the 17th and North Cross Road on the 18th, and reasonable numbers of Fox Sparrows still in Northfield Meadows and Caldwell Road fields.