MA - Glaucous Gulls at Turner's Falls

Glaucous Gull (center-left) - adult, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA , December 19th, 2016. 
This behemoth was first noted by Eric Huston on Dec 16th. 

 Glaucous Gull (center) - 1st-cycle, with two Kumlien's Iceland Gulls (3rd-cycle and 1st-cycle) to the left of center. Birds seen towards dusk, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA , December 21st, 2016. 

 The appearance of pale-winged gulls at Turner's Falls is one of the more anticipated events of the winter and, after a smattering of single Kumlien's Iceland Gulls through early December, there was a distinct upswing in gull activity through the weekend and into the current week. A beautiful adult Glaucous Gull, found by Eric Huston on Dec 16th, was the precursor to the appearance of multiple new gulls peaking at three Kumlien's Iceland Gulls (one 3rd-cycle and two 1st-cycles) and two Glaucous Gulls (one adult and one 1st-cycle) on Dec 19th, as well as the continuing adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. So, Turner's Falls has hosted six species of gull on most evenings this week. 

Glaucous Gull (just left of center) - 1st-cycle, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA , December 21st, 2016. 

With most of Barton Cove being frozen, the Turner's Falls power canal has played host to most of the waterfowl in the area including up to 165 Common Mergansers, 90+ Common Goldeneye, a Greater Scaup (from Dec 19th) and a Ring-necked Duck (Dec 22nd). Also of interest, an apparent wintering Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at the power canal on Dec 22nd.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - juv/first-winter, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA , December 22nd, 2016. 

VT - CBC surprise, a Townsend's Solitaire!

 Townsend's Solitaire - Westminster West, Windham Co., VT. December 19th, 2016.

Evening Grosbeaks provided the primary motivation for a short roadside stop in the quiet rural surroundings of Westminster West. The birds were right on the main road through the village and most easily viewed on foot, a smart move indeed because the same stop produced a Townsend's Solitaire which would have almost certainly been missed had we stayed the vehicle.

Townsend's Solitaire - Westminster West, Windham Co., VT. December 19th, 2016.

Townsend's Solitaire is a state rarity in Vermont with about five or so records to date, and certainly a super surprise for today's CBC team of Laura Gaudette, Suzanne Heller, JoAnne Russo and myself. Ironically, the bird occurred in a brand new sector of the Saxton's River CBC, a sector that looks set to be an established route in the future. 

MA - Canvasback continues plus hordes of geese

Canvasback - male, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 14th, 2016. 

Impressive concentrations of waterfowl continue at Turner's Falls. This morning (12/14) I noted c.2,500 Canada Geese in the area the bulk of which were resting at the power canal. It was no easy task to pick out a Cackling Goose but eventually I found the usual long stayer amid the throng. After Monday's snowstorm (and perhaps a little hunting pressure), the drake Canvasback moved from the Rod and Gun club and to the power canal on the 13th and 14th. Two Gadwall were also present at the power canal on the 13th. Hooded Mergansers appear to be concentrated at the Rod and Gun club this month with 45 there on the 14th. 

Common Goldeneye - male, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 13th, 2016. 

Iceland Gulls were also present at the power canal on the 13th & 14th, both of them first-cycle birds.

Kumlien's Iceland Gull - first-cycle, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 14th, 2016. 

Other local observations included a close encounter with a Peregrine in Montague City on the 13th and yet another stellar evening for North Saw-whet Owls with 4-5 birds heard and seen in just one location on the 13th keeping me and my field companions more than happy with the results!

Peregrine - age/sex uncertain, Montague City, Franklin Co., MA. December 13th, 2016. 

Trinidad - Audouin's Gull, new to South America!

Audouin's Gull - first-cycle, Brickfields, Trinidad. December 10th, 2016. (C) Nigel Anthony Lallsingh

Martyn Kenefick, a good friend and former co-leader sent me a remarkable set of four images of a medium-to-large gull from his home in Trinidad photographed on December 10th. Unfortunately for Martyn, he did not see the bird in the field himself but received the images from his friend Nigel Lallsingh. The bird was seen in direct comparison to a Lesser Black-backed Gull and considered to be marginally smaller. The images appear here with permission.

It's been quite a few years since I've seen Audouin's Gull in the field (The Gambia in December 2007 to be exact), but the gull in the images appeared to have a striking resemblance to that species, so much so, that I wouldn't want to repeat my immediate reaction to Martyn's query, at least in public. As it happened, Martyn had independently arrived at the same conclusion, though had been understandably reserved given the potential scale of the record - a new bird to South America no less.

Unbeknown to Martyn and I, the same image set was already circulating on the Gull forums on Facebook with the identification confirmed relatively quickly as a first-cycle Audouin's Gull. Congratulations to Nigel Lallsingh for an extra-ordinary find!! And special thanks to Nigel and Martyn for allowing me to post the images here.

Update: Martyn Kenfick tells me that the bird was searched for on Dec 11th & 12th but has not been relocated to date.

Audouin's Gull - first-cycle, Brickfields, Trinidad. December 10th, 2016. (C) Nigel Anthony Lallsingh
* Audouin's Gull breeds in the Mediterranean dispersing as far as the West African coast in winter. 

Audouin's Gull - first-cycle, Brickfields, Trinidad. December 10th, 2016. (C) Nigel Anthony Lallsingh

Audouin's Gull - first-cycle, Brickfields, Trinidad. December 10th, 2016. (C) Nigel Anthony Lallsingh

MA - Canvasback and other good waterfowl

Canvasback (right) - with Ring-necked Duck and Hooded Merganser (left) all males, Turner Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 11th, 2016. 

With the grip of winter taking hold this weekend we awoke to a chilly 8 deg F on Sunday morning, enough to start the freezing of Barton Cove and some sheltered sections of the Connecticut River. The freeze may have concentrated the flocks of waterfowl at Turner's Falls Rod and Gun Club which produced a fine drake Canvasback, four Gadwall, a Ring-necked Duck, 45+ American Black Ducks and 25+ Hooded Mergansers.

Canvasback (left)  - Turner Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 11th, 2016. 

Indeed waterfowl were very much the theme of the weekend at Turner's Falls with a fine female-type Northern Pintail with Mallards at Unity Park on the 10th, the continued presence of a Cackling Goose at the power canal, and a surprise Snow Goose migrating south with Canada Geese on the 9th.

Northern Pintail - female, Turner Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 10th, 2016. 

Cackling Goose - (front left) Turner Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 10th, 2016. 

Long staying bird first noted on Nov 5th. 

Snow Goose (upper-left) - Turner Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 9th, 2016. 

The winter gull show continues to build rather slowly but one or two first-cycle Iceland Gulls were present at Unity Park on the 9th, and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull remained throughout, most easily found in late afternoon.

Kumlien's Iceland Gull - first-cycle,  Turner Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 9th, 2016. 

Lesser Black-backed Gull - adult with Great Black-backed Gull,  Turner Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 12th, 2016. 

Passerines have been a little slow recently but a Northern Shrike (brown immature) showed up briefly in the fog on River Road, Gill on the 8th. No pics of that one, unfortunately.

Golden-crowned Kinglet - Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. December 11th, 2016. 

MA - early Dec

The first week of December was generally mild, calm and often foggy. Owls continue to feature with Barred Owls being relatively easy to find. Unfortunately, several have succumbed to vehicles and I've seen no less than seven road-killed Barred Owls over the last two weeks including five in the Greenfield area alone. 

With fall migration pretty much behind us, it’s perhaps surprising that Northern Saw-whet Owls continue to feature in the local woods in relatively large numbers with many birds seemingly settling down to winter territories. For example, owling with friends in Putney, Vermont, we found a minimum of six individuals at four sites on Dec 6th, and a minimum of five birds in three sites in Franklin County on Dec 7th. Contact calls included a full range of vocals, the familiar 'tooting' song being among the least frequent of the vocalizations heard. 

At Turner's Falls, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull continues to be seen most afternoons. A second-year Iceland Gull on Dec 2nd was my first of the current winter season, hopefully the forerunner of more to come later in the month. Waterfowl numbers continue to impress at the power canal with a show of up 165 Common Mergansers and up to 35 Common Goldeneye at dusk. A Cackling Goose continued in the area to Dec 1st at least and a pair of Gadwall showed up at Barton Cove, Gill on Dec 7th. Also in Gill, another Northern Shrike, again a brown-immature on Dec 7th.  

 Barred Owl - Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. December 5th, 2016.

Barred Owl - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. December 8th, 2016.

Northern Saw-whet Owl - Putney, Windham Co., VT. December 6th, 2016. 

Gadwall - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. December 7th, 2016. 

  Lesser Black-backed Gull - adult, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 3rd, 2016.

Kumlien's Iceland Gull - second-cycle, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 2nd, 2016.

Cedar Waxwings - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 4th, 2016.

Common Goldeneyes -  Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 3rd, 2016.

MA/VT - Cackling Geese, more owls and a longspur (or two)

November has gone out on an extremely mild note with lots of rain in the last two days of the month. The autumnal feel is tapering as many bird species settle down for the early part of the winter. In particular, large numbers of Canada Geese remain in the Turner's Falls/Greenfield area with perhaps as many as 1500 geese at large. One or two Cackling Geese have been with them  throughout the last days of the month.

Cackling Goose - Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 29th, 2016. 

Cackling Goose - Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 30th, 2016. 

The excellent season for Northern Saw-whet Owls continues unabated with six birds being found at new site in Northfield on the 28th. These birds gave an exciting range of about half a dozen different vocalizations, with good visuals of at least four of the six recorded. A Barred Owl was seen at the same site, and Barred Owls continue to be seen in the daytime in the Gill area, especially on damp, foggy days. 

Barred Owl - on a very wet afternoon, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 30th, 2016. 

On Monday (Nov 28th), I joined Laura Gaudette for a tour of the Putney Great Meadow in southern Vermont and had a very enjoyable morning getting familiar with the place and sharing some of the birds on Laura's patch. Highlights included a late Turkey Vulture, Merlin, several Bald Eagles and a couple of swirling flocks of Horned Larks. The latter were typically difficult to observe but eventually gave themselves up providing excellent views. After a while we also detected one, possibly two Lapland Longspurs among them. 

 Horned Lark - Putney Great Meadow, Windham Co., VT. November 28th, 2016.

 Lapland Longspur (with Horned Lark) - Putney Great Meadow, Windham Co., VT. November 28th, 2016.

  American Tree Sparrows (with American Goldfinches) - Putney Great Meadow, Windham Co., VT. November 28th, 2016.

MA - Gill screech-owls

Eastern Screech-owl (rufous-morph) - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 25th, 2016. 

Yesterday evening (11/25) was dull, foggy and even a little balmy - it might even have been compared to an evening in early spring. With this in mind, I decided to try a couple of spots in Gill for screech-owls as I made my way home from Turner's Falls. Eastern Screech-owls are reasonably common in Turner's Falls but I have found them to be inexplicably difficult north of Turner's Falls despite repeated attempts in many suitable areas. Yesterday evening I was very fortunate to find a pair of screech-owls in a spot that I felt looked good for years but had never produced them. Moreover, the birds appeared early while there was still plenty of ambient light, at around 16:30,hrs. The male of the pair was an obvious rufous-morph and showed well at close range for several minutes giving the classic "whinny" calls and sometimes the monotone trill. A second spot about three quarters of a mile away also supported a calling bird and again, the "whinny" call could be heard clearly through the fog. In the distance, a Barred Owl gave the classic "who-cooks-for-you" call but just the once. All in all, a very nice little owl session and, remarkably, the first actual views of a screech-owl that I've had in Gill.

MA - Thanksgiving birds

American Robin - Benardston, Franklin Co., MA. November 23rd, 2016.

The days around the Thanksgiving holiday might best be described as 'steady'......at least in the Gill/Turner's Falls area. The morning of the 23rd had a few new birds in Gill especially along North Cross Road with a surprise Peregrine, several Pine Siskins and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. On the other hand, I only saw one Evening Grosbeak and their numbers seem to be tapering in Gill after peaking at over 30 on Nov 18th. American Robins have been abundant in the greater Gill/Bernardston area over the last week with easily 3000 birds foraging in loose flocks in the fields and hedgerows. 

At Turner's Falls new arrivals included four Gadwall at dusk on the 23rd when an impressive 165 Common Mergansers came into roost. The adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was again present at Unity Park and a late or wintering Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was present at the power canal. Thanksgiving morning saw the return of the long staying Cackling Goose first noted on Nov 5th. It's appearances have certainly been erratic and very much in keeping with the daily fluctuations of enormous numbers of Canada Geese currently present in our area (c.1450 coming into roost on the 23rd for example). 

Cackling Goose  - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 24th, 2016. 

Gadwall  - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 23rd, 2016. Three of the four present at dusk. 

Great Blue Heron  - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 23rd, 2016. 

Lesser Black-backed Gull  - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 23rd, 2016.