MA - Pied-billed Grebe hanging on - 12/19

 

 

 Pied-billed Grebe - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. December 19th, 2012. Checking back on my records I found that I first logged this particular bird on October 25th. All images taken using a Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

 

 Although I couldn't find the long staying Pied-billed Grebe at the Turner's Falls power canal a couple of days ago, it was back this morning. Like the Double-crested Cormorant (present at the power canal yesterday), this is another species that I wouldn't expect  to see lingering towards to the Christmas period in our local area. Similarly, huge numbers of Canada Geese remain in the area with c.1100 on the power canal today and a further c.350 at Barton Cove. As usual with the larger flocks, I had trouble finding anything out of sorts amongst them.



 



Yesterday, a nice drake Northern Pintail (above) also showed up at the power canal, whilst the Red-necked Grebe had moved up to Barton Cove. At the latter site, the scaup flock (6 Lesser, 1 Greater) continues, along with up to 50 Hooded Mergansers (below) which were joined by two Ring-necked Ducks yesterday.

Marauding Bald Eagles were present and active at both locations.



MA - Northampton CBC 12/16

In the spirit of tradition, I joined Scott Surner for his sector of Sunday's Northampton CBC. This particular CBC is a mighty effort usually fielding over 100 observers, and Scott's sector focuses on the Hadley flood plain and the eastern banks of the Connecticut River. As always, I was so impressed by the bird diversity found in this area in mid-December. This year yielded yet more surprises such as; female Northern Pintail, 4 drake Gadwall, a corvid sweep (Common Raven, American Crow, Fish Crow), Northern Shrike (brown immature), a heaving mass of 400 Horned Larks (and 1 Lapland Longpsur), and a smattering of redpolls including 3 individual Hoaries, and a near-certain rostrata. The latter, unfortunately, was brief and seen only by me so didn't go down day on the day's list. 

Despite being in the area for the entire day, we didn't have so much as a sniff of the juvenile Gyrfalcon reported on December 13th, the only falcon of the day being a Merlin.

The day was overcast, cold and damp with frequent snow showers but as always, hugely enjoyable with Scott. A personal highlight was a calling Eastern Screech-owl just before we closed for the day at 4pm. 

Northern Shrike - first-winter, Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 16th, 2012.

 Gadwall (4) - males with American Black Duck, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 16th, 2012.

Northern Pintail - female (rear) with male Mallard, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 16th, 2012.

White-crowned Sparrow - adult, Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 16th, 2012.

American Tree Sparrow and Hoary Redpoll - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 16th, 2012.

Common Redpolls - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 16th, 2012.

American Tree Sparrow and Hoary Redpoll - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 16th, 2012.

Hoary Redpoll - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 16th, 2012.

Hoary Redpoll - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 16th, 2012. This bird was feeding low to the ground in weeds which led to difficulties in reading the undertail coverts pattern, a situation which wasn't helped by the subject bird having some displaced feathers in the ventral/undertail coverts region. However, when if finally settled down it showed very lightly marked undertail coverts (no more than three fine streaks).   In combination with other features (whitish-gray ground color, tiny bill, light face pattern) this bird seems to fall well within 'Hoary range'. Two other birds were seen during the day including a lone bird with no other redpolls around it, also in the Honey Pot, and one with c.45 redpolls on Middle Road, Hadley. The latter bird really gave us the run around but eventually, and rather magically, responded to a sound recording of a Hoary Redpoll giving exquisite but brief views. It was the only bird from the entire flock to respond in that recording!

JPS

MA - late DC Corm 12/17

With the weather being both weird and foul (layers of freezing drizzle covering just about everything with a glace of ice), I decided to have a quick spin down to Barton Cove. To my surprise there was a single, late Double-crested Cormorant, a species which I don't recall finding there in December before. The small, long staying raft of scaup continue, being composed of 1 Greater and 6 Lesser, along with 30 or so Hooded Mergansers. The cove remains largely ice-free for the time being.

The power canal also yielded a couple of good birds, namely three Snow Geese (actually first seen here on Saturday) and a Red-necked Grebe. There was also a single female Lesser Scaup at the power canal, though no sign today of the long staying Pied-billed Grebe, last seen on Saturday. 

 Double-crested Cormorant - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. December 17th, 2012.

Snow Geese (3) - imm (left) and ads (right), Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. December 17th, 2012.

Red-necked Grebe - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. December 17th, 2012.

ISR - LGBE - Nov 2012

Surely one of the most charming elements to any birding trip to Southern Israel - Little Green Bee-eaters, and plenty of them!

MA - another Red Crossbill 12/14

Some nasty flu bug is keeping me down and indoors at the moment but having another Red Crossbill over our house in Gill was enough to bring a smile to my face this morning. Common Redpolls, usually single birds, have been consistently flying over the house at first light on most mornings too. Despite having the nyjer seed feeders topped up, they just don't seem interested in visiting leaving the bounty to our regular flock of American Goldfinches. 

JPS

ISR - owl mania

 Long-eared Owls - selection of images featuring three of at least five individuals seen on Kibbutz Gevulot, Western Negev, Israel. November 16th, 2012. 

Pallid Scops Owls - three images featuring two individuals from the recent Birdfinders autumn tour of Southern Israel. Upper two images feature a bird from Lower Nahal Ketura, whilst the image below features a bird found in Upper Nahal Grofit, both sites in Eilot region, Israel. Late November 2012.

ISR - Lesser Short-toed Larks 11/26

Our Birdfinders group had a decent showing of larks in the Ovda Valley on November 26th. The most numerous were Crested Larks and Eurasian Skylarks but there was also a smattering of more unusual species including Bimaculated, Greater Short-toed and 5 fly-over Temmincks' Larks.  The highlight, however, was a party of five Lesser Short-toed Larks which provided a rare opportunity to see them up close and attempt to get to grips with some of the salient features. Immediately I was struck by the apparent differences between birds within the group which seemed to involve much more than just individual variation. Two of them appeared larger, sandier and heavier billed than I'd expect in a typical LST Lark.  Two others always looked smaller, colder gray but still heavier billed than I'd expect to see in typical LST Lark, whilst the fifth looked sandy-gray with a smaller, stubbier bill and was more in keeping with how I'd expect LST Lark in Israel to appear. My assumption was that birds of the latter type refer to the local sub-species in Israel (Caladrella rufescens minor). 

In the Birds of Israel (1996) Hadoram Shirihai lists five different forms of Lesser Short-toed Lark as potentially occurring in Israel, though only one of these (C.r. minor) is regular. The others (heini, aharonii, pseudobaetica, and persica) are described as rare to very rare, or have not been documented in the country with any type of certainty, or as Hadoram writes - "further proof needed". 

I don't mind holding up my hands and reaching out for help on this one?! 

Lesser Short-toed Larks - sub-species uncertain, Ovda Valley, Eilot region, November 26th, 2012. The large bird at the rear was especially eye-catching with a large, bulbous bill (recalling Dunn's Lark), a distinct dark lore and warmer, sandier tones to the upperparts. The breast streaking was also distinct in the sense that it was 'spotted' rather than streaked on the breast sides. Two birds of this type were present within the group of five and could easily be picked out on the features described above.  The same bird is featured in the next three shots below. Could this bird refer to C.r. persica and is it feeding alongside a couple of heini/aharonii types?

Lesser Short-toed Lark (ref: four images below) - sub-species uncertain, but possibly the regular form occurring in Israel (C.r. minor) . Ovda Valley, Eilot region, November 26th, 2012. Smallish bird with sandy-gray tones, and compared to the birds above, a relatively smaller, stubbier bill. The lore also looks plain creating a more 'open-faced' impression, all of these features being in keeping with what I usually expect to see in LST Lark, and thus contrasting with the larger, heavy-billed, dark-lored birds within the same flock.

MA - another lively run - 12/09

This morning's run in Gill (beginning predawn with a Barred Owl calling close to our yard) was full of signs of irruptive finches with Common Redpolls in small flocks on Boyle Street, North Cross Road, Munns Ferry Road, and over our place on Main Road. There was also at least one White-winged Crossbill calling on North Cross Road. and Pine Grosbeaks at Munns Ferry Road with a small flock of them in the tall spruces across the street from Giving Tree School. I've been having Pine Grosbeaks almost daily at the latter location and I'm pretty sure they roost in the stand of tall spruce there. Curiously, after a good showing in the fall, Pine Siskins seem to have tapered altogether.

At home in the yard, both Winter and Carolina Wrens and an ever growing flock of American Tree Sparrows, several of which were singing yesterday afternoon.

JPS

ISR - Dunn's Lark

Recent Israel tours with Birdfinders, both spring and autumn, have been blessed with a fine display of larks in the Southern desert. I must confess that this November most species appeared to be in short supply including the nomadic types such as Temminck's and Thick-billed Larks. Even so, our combined tally for the two weeks totaled an impressive 13 species!! Pride of place would have to go the Dunn's Lark seen on the second tour, courtesy of a timely phone call from the finder and a patient vigil from our group. It loosely associated with a Bar-tailed Lark, the only two birds present for miles around, or so it seemed. This species pair just about summed up our Southern Israel experience this year - high on quality but rather low on quantity.

Bar-tailed Lark - Eliphaz, Eilot region, Israel. November 27th, 2012. Images taken using Panasonic Lumix FZ7.

Dunn's Lark - Eliphaz, Eilot region, Israel. November 27th, 2012. Images taken using Panasonic Lumix FZ7. 

 Lots of luck required to see one of these, this being the first on any Birdfinders trip since March 2007. 

MA - Cackling Goose - 12/05

Back on familiar turf today, slowly shaking the jet-lag from the recent Israel trip out of my system. Great views of a Cackling Goose at the power canal, this bird flying in at about 10:15am to join the 600 or so Canada Geese already present. This looks like a new individual to me, continuing the incredible sequence of Cackling Goose sightings from the Turner's Falls power canal site since mid-October.

(Richardson's) Cackling Goose - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. December 5th, 2012. A lovely, pallid-gray individual looking remarkably cold toned compared to the surrounding Canada Geese. Images taken using Panasonic Lumix FZ7 through Swarovski HD scope.