MA - a Rufous Hummingbird in Millers Falls

 

Rufous Hummingbird - Millers Falls, Franklin Co. MA. November 11th, 2022. 

Found by Bruce Kanash at his home, ID ultimately verified by Master bander Anthony Hill. 

November 10th was warm and breezy with winds in the southern quarter. Since I hadn't been out to the Quabbin for a few weeks I thought I'd give it a try feeling open minded but not overly optimistic. On arrival at Gate 35 a chance encounter with Jeff Johnstone ultimately led to an encounter with a Rufous Hummingbird in Millers Falls later the same morning! A Selaphorus hummingbird had been coming to a feeder at a residence close to Millers Falls center. As it turned out, Jeff and the home owner, Bruce Kanash, had been friends for years. Bruce had first noted the hummingbird at his feeders on October 8th and kudos to Jeff, together with Ernie LeBlanc and Bruce, who identified it as a Rufous/Allen's on November 8th. 

Rufous Hummingbird - Millers Falls, Franklin Co. MA. November 11th, 2022. 

Found by Bruce Kanash at his home, ID ultimately verified by Master bander Anthony Hill. 

Quite naturally I was interested in taking a look at such a rarity, especially since I pass through Millers Falls almost every day and Bruce's house happened to be on one of my regular biking riding routes! Bruce was extremely generous with his time which was fortunate because the bird itself proved to be rather skittish. In the event, I visited on Nov 10th and 11th but never saw the hummingbird whilst standing outside. At the time, it could only be viewed from inside Bruce's home but thanks to Bruce I managed nice views on both days and secured some shots of the spread tail on Nov 11th. Certainly the images of the spread tail showed a moderate notch in R2 pointing towards a Rufous Hummingbird and I messaged Bruce with my suspicions. A few days later, on the 14th, Bruce was courteous enough to call and let me know that Anthony Hill had just successfully caught and banded the bird and identified it as hatching-year Rufous. Moreover, the bird was in good condition weighing in at 4 grams and returned to the feeders straight after banding! As the weather worsens and night time temperatures drop to well below freezing, it should certainly be interesting to see how long the hummer sticks around at Bruce's home. On a personal level, I'm extremely grateful to Bruce for sharing his hummingbird, and his hospitality.  

Around 45 confirmed records of Rufous Hummingbird currently exist for Massachusetts with others pending. However, reports from Franklin County appear to be exceedingly rare with only one other verified record to date, a single bird that came to a feeder in Ashfield in Nov/Dec 2004. 

Red-throated Loons (3) - Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2022.

Red-necked Grebe (juvenile) - Lake Mattawa, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2022.

November in the Pioneer Valley often has a treat or two in store aside from rarities. After a fairly low key migration of waterfowl through our area it was good to finally see some Red-throated Loons in Turner's Falls on the 16th, part of a mini fall-out and a result of inclement weather, with a wider spread arrival of Red-throated Loons in southern Vermont and the Berkshires. Many of these, much like the Turner's loons, moved on quickly as the weather conditions eased somewhat during mid-morning. The same day also saw 13 Buffleheads and a Surf Scoter (immature male) at Turner's Falls and a Red-necked Grebe at Lake Mattawa. 

In terms of passerines, well this does seem to have been a very good month locally for Winter Wrens with multiple sightings at Northfield (Caldwell Road), Gill (North Cross Road), Barton Cove, Turner's Falls and Montague at the very least. It's not a rare species but numbers of fall migrants do appear to fluctuate from year to year, and this seems to be a good late fall period for them.

Winter Wren - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th. 2022.

Snow Buntings - Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2022.

Six in total and nice to see a few on the ground instead of the usual flyovers!

Barred Owl - with prey, possibly Eastern Chipmunk. Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 13th, 2022. 

Good numbers of Barred Owls in Gill/Northfield/Bernardston this fall including, sadly, several road killed on I-91 and Rt 10. 

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 - waterfowl on the move

Long-tailed Ducks - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 8th, 2019.

Breeding plumage male leading the way. 

There was a small but notable fall-out of northbound migrating waterfowl today with several species of diving ducks dropping into the Barton Cove/Turner's Falls area. Rain and mist throughout the day brought a Pied-billed Grebe, 4 Long-tailed Ducks, 6 Lesser Scaup, and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers to join the hordes of Common Mergansers (c.170) and Ring-necked Ducks (c.120) already present for some time. In addition,  Bufflehead numbers (14) appeared to increase compared to recent visits and Common Goldeneyes (8) and American Wigeons (2) continue to linger around the rafts of Ring-necked Ducks.

Surf Scoter - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. April 8th, 2019.

A fine adult male.

Red-breasted Mergansers (2) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 8th, 2019.

Female resting (left) and male (right) with Common Mergansers behind.

Lesser Scaup (6) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. April 8th, 2019.

Pied-billed Grebe - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. April 8th, 2019.

It wasn't a bad day for passerines either, with Field, Fox and American Tree Sparrows all heard singing along North Cross Road, Gill in the morning plus a Chipping Sparrow foraging by the roadside. The most rewarding songbird of the day, however, was a migrant Ruby-crowned Kinglet foraging silently in riverside thickets at Turner's Falls - that one made my day!

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. April 8th, 2019.

MA - Red-throated Loons (4) in Turner's Falls.

Red-throated Loons - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018. 

Distant records shots in a snowstorm. 

Another winter weather event brought a small but significant arrival of waterbirds to Barton Cove and Turner's Falls this morning, the most thrilling of which was the appearance of four Red-throated Loons. The completely overcast conditions combined with a persistent wintery mix of rain, sleet and snow seemed like just the ticket to force them down and strongly recalled the arrival of four Red-throated Loons on November 14th last year; https://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2017/11/ma-more-red-throated-loons.html

Red-throated Loons - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018. 

Distant records shots in a snowstorm. 

This morning, two of the loons were inside Barton Cove best viewed from the public boat ramp whilst the other two were at the Turner's Falls Rod and Gun where new birds included a Surf Scoter (first-winter male) and Lesser Scaup (first-winter male) and a juvenile Common Loon. A female Surf Scoter, 10 Ring-necked Ducks, 6 Common Goldeneye and around 65 Hooded Mergansers continued inside Barton Cove.

Red-throated Loons - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018. Distant digi-scoped shot.

Red-throated Loons - Turner's Falls Rod and Club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018. 

Distant records shots in heavy snow. 

Earlier I checked the Caldwell Road fields in Northfield but found just four Horned Larks and Savannah Sparrow by the roadside and it looks like the flock containing the longspurs has moved on. Noteworthy passerines elsewhere included an American Pipit at Barton Cove boat ramp, plus a Ruby-crowned Kinglet on Riverview Drive, Gill.

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.

MA - Scoters come to Gill - 11/03

Sunday (11/03) brought the first real taste of late fall with a blast of northern winds, some overnight rain and a cold, almost frigid start to the day. The result was a small but significant 'fall-out' of diving ducks at Barton Cove including a number of seasonal firsts. These included my first scoters of the fall, oddly enough, each and every one was a female - 6 Surf Scoters, and 14 Black Scoters. Six Lesser Scaup showed up with a drake Common Goldeneye in tow, and there was another drake Common Goldeneye on the Turner's Falls power canal. The fall-out was reflected state wide with many interior water bodies reporting scoters, Long-tailed Ducks and other diving ducks, sometimes in large concentrations. Other nice totals for Barton Cove on Sunday included 18 Buffleheads, 17 Hooded Mergansers and 3 Common Mergansers.

 

Surf and Black Scoters - females, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA

November 3rd, 2013. All my digiscopes were poor  today due mostly to glare and distance.

Lesser Scaups and Common Goldeneye (right) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA

November 3rd, 2013.

Hooded Mergansers - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA

November 3rd, 2013.

At home we had a (getting-late) Gray Catbird in the yard all day, and a Fox Sparrow appeared at the feeders in late afternoon, possibly a different bird to that present on Oct 30th and 31st.