MA - Buffleheads and a latish Black-throated Green Warbler

Mild south-westerlies had produced a bit of lull in migration until today's cold front stirred things up a bit. Nothing over dramatic but the first 'mini-arrival' of Buffleheads including a female with 3 Hooded Mergansers at Barton Cove and a pair with a further 7 Hooded Mergansers at Turner's Falls power canal. A Hermit Thrush was also a nice find at the power canal. The long staying American Coots (3) remained at Barton Cove along with a Pied-billed Grebe. For me though, the highlight was a Black-throated Green Warbler that brought a nice splash of color to feeding a flock of titmice and chickadees on Riverview Drive overlooking Barton Cove.

 Bufflehead (center) - female with Hooded Mergansers, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2015. 

Buffleheads -  male and female Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2015. 

 Black-throated Green Warbler - Riverview Drive, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2015. 

Hermit Thrush - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2015. 

Later in the morning I headed down to Montague to follow-up on a Vesper Sparrow that I pushed up from the roadside whilst riding my bike on South Ferry road. Eventually I re-found it but it wasn't easy in the blustery north-westerly winds and a number of Savannah Sparrows complicated things a little more, so no pics of that one unfortunately. The raptor watching however, was impressive and after an hour I'd notched up Northern Harrier (juvenile), North Goshawk (adult/sub-adult), Bald Eagle (adult), and a Peregrine (juvenile). The latter succeeded in pushing up a flock of over 100 American Pipits, birds which I would have never seen without the Peregrines help! 

South Ferry Road also proved to be a fine spot for tallying the spiraling Ravens over the Deerfield Ridge to the west - at times as many as 50 Common Ravens were playfully sparring above the ridge, a phenomenon which I see every year in late fall. 

 Northern Goshawk - South Ferry Road, Montague, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2015.

Distant bird, compounded by chronic auto-focus issues with the camera resulting in this fuzzy shot.

Behaved like a migrant, gaining height and drifting off south a speed. 

 Northern Harrier -  juvenile, South Ferry Road, Montague, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2015.

First noted by Josh Rose a few minutes before this sighting.

Peregrine - juvenile, South Ferry Road, Montague, Franklin Co., MA. October 23rd, 2015.

Rather thick-set, uniformly colored bird with weak moustacial and eye-stripe. 

White-crowned Sparrows - adult (right), first-winter (left), Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 20th, 2015. Regular but not especially common migrant sparrow in late fall. 

MA - unusual geese continue plus a few Winter Wrens and Field Sparrows

This morning I made a quick check of Turner Falls airfield finding it relatively empty until I checked the eastern fence where a small concentration of birds included no less than 3 Winter Wrens, about 10 Field Sparrows and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

 Winter Wren - Turner's Falls airfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 19th, 2015. 

Field Sparrow - Turner's Falls airfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 19th, 2015.  

At least 10 concentrated along the airport fence. 

 Cackling Goose - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 19th, 2015.  

Apparently continuing bird from September 29th. 

Greater White-fronted Goose (sub-species uncertain) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 19th, 2015.  Probably continuing bird, first seen on October 5th. 

In the afternoon, the Turner's Falls power canal held about 450 Canada Geese which were not particularly easy to check due to wind and strongly contrasting light. However, a little effort revealed that the Cackling and the  Greater White-fronted Geese were still present and giving good views. Hooded Mergansers numbered five, including a nice male.

MA - more Brants and some really nice pipits

Classic late fall weekend with cold blustery conditions, snow flurries and the first genuine frost of the fall. Didn't get to any dedicated birding this weekend but had some nice incidental observations, namely a flock 7 Brant heading WNW over North Cross Road, Gill moving ahead of some 350 Canada Geese, presumably flying out to the local fields to feed.

An early morning visit to Upinngil Farm, Gill produced a nice flock of about 35 American Pipits feeding close to the road in a corn stubble field. Although pipits are fairly regular on passage through the fields of Northfield, Gill and Montague they're often difficult to observe closely so this was a real treat!

American (Buff-bellied) Pipit- Anthus rubescens rubescens. About 35 present in the fields across from Upinngil Farm, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 18th, 2015. 

MA - four goose afternoon

Brant - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2015. A surprise find in late afternoon.

Brants are scarce late fall migrants through our area, usually lone birds just like this one.

After running a few errands, I had a quick drive north through Turner's Falls in late afternoon. After a few minutes of scanning the power canal I soon located a Cackling Goose among 400 or so Canada Geese. Next stop was Unity Park where a Brant was a major but welcome surprise loosely associating with a handful of Canada Geese. On the north side of the river, a Greater White-fronted Goose was again present with a wide scatter of Canada Geese off Riverview Drive in Gill, along with three American Coots. That seemed like a nice haul of birds after an eerily quiet morning in which very little could be found, though I did see two different high-flying Northern Harriers over the power canal where a Cackling Goose (same as above) dropped in around 11am and apparently remained for most of the day. 

 Cackling Goose (rear) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2015. 

Cackling Goose (lowest bird) - arriving at Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2015.

Greater White-fronted Goose - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2015.

Looks like the long staying, continuing bird.

Northern Harrier - in migration, high over Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2015.

The second of two individuals this morning, about 35 minutes between birds. 

MA - migrating Bonaparte's

Another superb fall day, crisp, clear and a joy to be out admiring the New England foliage. Birding today was limited to a very quick 'sojourn' through Turner Falls around noon. Good numbers of Canada Geese were present at both the power canal and Unity Park but alas, I couldn't pick out anything unusual among them. But, staring at the Canada Geese at Unity Park gave me my first Bonaparte's Gull of the fall as all the geese suddenly started looking skyward, eyes locked on the high-flying gull. The Bonaparte's circled several times, apparently showing some interest in landing but then continued south leaving me to wonder how many really good birds must pass over the cove without being detected at all. Had it not been for the Canada Geese, I might not have bothered to look skyward in that moment.

 Bonaparte's Gull - first-cycle, Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 15th, 2015.

Quite scarce spring and autumn migrant through the Pioneer Valley. 

American Coots - Riverview Drive, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 15th, 2015.

Only two remaining with three seen as recently as yesterday (10/14).

Other than that, the American Coots were still on the Gill side of the cove but now numbered only two with the other presumably having been predated.

The local foliage display has been glorious this week with lots more to come!

Main Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 15th, 2015.

MA - monster snapper

Didn't have a lot of time for birding today but checked a couple of spots in the Gill/Turner's Falls area. The Upinngil fields once again had a nice flock of Canada Geese but I couldn't find any Cacklers or White-fronts with them today. The 'Giant' Canada Goose located yesterday was relatively close to the road impressively towering above the surrounding canadensis. 

Elsewhere, three American Coots continued at Barton Cove but otherwise it was relatively quiet with a huge Snapping Turtle providing the highlight of the morning.

'Giant' Canada Goose (B.c. maxima) - middle bird with mostly Atlantic (canadensis) Canada Geese, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 14th, 2015. 

Cooper's Hawk mobbing immature Bald Eagle - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 14th, 2015. 

This young eagle had a nice white tail with a blackish terminal band providing a potential pitfall for immature 

Golden Eagle. The same bird appears in the image below. 

 Snapping Turtle - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 14th, 2015.

Massive individual with the guard rail provided some sense of scale. 

MA - Cackling and White-fronted Geese again...plus a few new birds.

Yet another fantastic day to be out. Calm, foggy and autumnal in the morning then warming up rapidly in the afternoon with a nice SW breeze. Hopes of getting down to Barton Cove early were dashed with the appearance of Canada Geese in the fields near Upingil Farm. It didn't take long to find the continuing Cackling Goose along with (as many as) three different forms of Canada Goose (maxima, canadensis and interior). 

 Cackling Goose - continuing bird, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 13th, 2015.

Seen at various locations including Turner's Falls and Barton Cove since September 29th. 

 Cackling Goose (center) - continuing bird behind Canada Goose (possibly B.c. interior), Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 13th, 2015. 

possible 'Giant' Canada Goose (B.c. maxima) center - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 13th, 2015. 

The bird to left could also be B.c. maxima, both of them among canadensis and interior.

possible 'Interior' Canada Goose (B.c. interior) lower left -  Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 13th, 2015. 

With B.c. maxima towering over group of canadensis.

In the mean time, Josh Rose had detected the first American Coots (3) of the fall at Barton Cove and they were still present when I arrived in mid-morning, along with a Pied-billed Grebe. The power canal had been re-flooded over the weekend and was in full flow once more. Initially things were quiet with just 5 Common and 2 Hooded Mergansers of note, but around noon several hundred Canada Geese flew in, apparently carrying little of note with them. Passerines included several Gray Catbirds, Blue-headed Vireos, Blackpoll Warblers and a Common Yellowthroat among the more numerous Yellow-rumped Warblers.

 Gray Catbird - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 13th, 2015. 

Common Yellowthroat - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 13th, 2015. 

Later in the day, Barton Cove once again played host to the continuing Greater White-fronted Goose among several hundred Canada Geese rounding off yet another interesting day of incidental birding!

Greater White-fronted Goose - adult continuing, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 13th, 2015. 

First noted by Eric Huston on October 5th.  Very distant (and grainy) this evening.

MA - spring in autumn

North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. Mid-October, 2015. 

Columbus Day weekend (as with any holiday weekend) was absorbed by family time leaving very few time-windows for birding. Even so, it was a joy to be outside and Columbus Day itself was just about as glorious as any New England day could be. Despite a chilly, foggy start, the day filled up with warm sunshine which seemed to be a cue for many birds to start singing. Around the fields and woods of Gill, the air was full of birdsong as my morning bike ride encountered Northern Mockingbirds, Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, White-throated, White-crowned and Song Sparrows some singing rather vigorously as though spring was just around the corner. The highlight was a singing Orange-crowned Warbler on North Cross Road very close to the Bernardston townline, the second time that I've heard an Orange-crowned Warbler singing locally this week. Although it's not rare to hear some species break into song on autumnal days, the volume of song this morning was struck me as unusual. Other birds of note included a Blue-headed Vireo calling across the road from Gill Elementary School and about half-a-dozen American Pipits in the fields at Upinngil Farm.

North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. Mid-October, 2015. 

MA - October: Rusties, scoters and a super tame Horned Lark

After the best part of a week of lovely but rather uneventful weather, this morning's low cloud base combined with showers and drizzle brought some fresh birds locally and left me wishing I could have stayed out for longer. After bumping into Josh Rose at Riverview Drive in Gill where we shared a juv Ring-necked Duck and a Green-winged Teal, I headed down to the power canal finding it still drained and attracting a few interesting birds. The Depot Road (bike path side) was particularly birdy and after an hour or so I'd found a dozen Rusty Blackbirds, 150 Common Grackles (not mixing with the Rusties), a couple of Semi-palmated Plover, a juvenile Herring Gull, about a dozen yellow (Eastern) Palm Warblers, and a (getting late) House Wren. On the way home, I called in at Unity Park finding a freshly arrived immature Surf Scoter and an exceedingly approachable Horned Lark at the bike path access parking area. In years of birding here, it was the first time that I'd ever seen a grounded Horned Lark anywhere around Barton Cove.

 Rusty Blackbirds - Turner's Falls bike path, Franklin Co., MA. October 9th, 2015.

About a dozen hanging around the maple/alder swamp to the east of the bike path but not especially easy to get close to!

 Horned Lark - age/sex uncertain, Turner's Falls bike path at Unity Park Franklin Co., MA. October 9th, 2015.

Exceedingly unusual location for this species.

Herring Gull - first-cycle, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 9th, 2015.

 Surf Scoter -   juv/fem from Turner's Falls bike path at Unity Park Franklin Co., MA. October 9th, 2015.

 Snow Geese - flock of five with Canada Geese, Main Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 9th, 2015.

Attempts to get back home were again interrupted, this time by five adult Snow Geese in with some Canada Geese off Main Road in Gill - they too, were my first of the season. Later in the afternoon, goose numbers had swollen to about c.350 in the same field off Main Road. As it happens, there were actually seven Snow Geese, two of which were juveniles and apparently hidden in the furrows on my first visit this morning. Even better, an adult Greater White-fronted Goose which called a few times when I got out of the car to scope the Snow Geese. Again, my first of the season and possibly the same bird first seen by Eric Huston at Barton Cove on Oct 5th. Things are picking up!

 Snow Geese - flock of seven with Canada Geese, Main Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 9th, 2015.

The two juveniles are crouched low on the ridge just right of center. 

 Snow Geese (left) and Greater White-fronted Goose (right) - with Canada Geese, Main Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 9th, 2015.

Greater White-fronted Goose (center) - adult with Canada Geese, Main Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 9th, 2015.

MA - October: Cackling Goose still around

October has always been a special month for me. Whether it be searching for rare migrants on some remote windswept headland in the UK, or scouring 'oases' for Siberian/Asian waifs in the extreme deserts of southern Israel, and now watching for just about anything amid the beautiful fall foliage of New England, the month always brings a welcome sense of anticipation. In the last few years, the New England states have produced a succession of mid-October 'mega-rarities' ranging from shorebirds such as Gray-tailed Tattler, Wood Sandpiper and European Golden Plover through toultra-rare migrants such as Brown-chested Martin. Of course, the coast catches most of these vagrants but even for interior birders (such as myself), it's always worth keeping an open mind, amply demonstrated by the Pink-footed Goose that showed up at Turner's Falls in October 2011. At the time, it was just the fourth state record. 'Lesser' rarities such as Northern Wheatear, Say's Phoebe and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher have all appeared in or near the Pioneer Valley in the last few years and could show up again and it's the potential promise of birds like these that inspire many a good field outing in October.

After a chilly start to the month with winds in the northern quarter, we seem to have settled into a High Pressure system bringing cool, foggy starts and beautiful, sunny, autumnal days - wonderful to be outside but hardly the weather for producing a more interesting range of species.

Surprisingly, last month's Cackling Goose continues to stick around with a small group of Canada Geese now frequenting Barton Cove in Gill after the recent draining (temporary) of the Turner's Falls power canal. It was re-located on October 5th by when Eric Houston found it along with a Greater White-fronted Goose off Riverview Drive.

 Cackling Goose - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 8th, 2015.

 Cackling Goose - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 7th, 2015.

Cackling Goose - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 7th, 2015.