MA - Kentucky Warbler and much more in late May.

Kentucky Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. May 31st, 2019. 

After traveling and leading trips for much of the first three weeks of the month I've finally been in a position to relax a little and get down to some local birding. I must say that the last ten days of the month have been fantastic from a Franklin County perspective bringing several waves of late 'boreal' migrants. Impressive numbers of Northern Parula, Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Cape May and Tennessee Warblers and to a lesser extent Canada Warblers livened up the yards, woods and field edges throughout northern Franklin County.

Kentucky Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. May 31st, 2019. 

Mourning Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. May 29th-30th, 2019. 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - New Salem, Franklin Co., MA. May 24th, 2019. 

Scarcer migrants have included an excellent showing of Mourning Warblers with multiple birds turning up from the 27th-30th in Deerfield (2), Gill (2) and Montague (1), and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers appeared in Gill on the 23rd, New Salem on the 24th and Montague on the 30th. But the pick of the warblers would have to be the Kentucky Warbler found singing in Montague on the 31st - only my second ever in the county (and the Pioneer Valley) and strongly recalling this singing male in Gill in 2015; https://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2015/05/ma-kentucky-warblerin-gill.html
The bird in Gill stayed for over a week and it will certainly be interesting to keep an eye on the Montague individual. The latter bird sand vigorously for over an hour and appeared to be holding a territory.

Eastern Meadowlark - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. May 31st, 2019. 

Other unusual passerines included a singing Eastern Meadowlark at Tuner's Falls Airfield on the 27th and a Red-headed Woodpecker in Montague on the 29th, the latter being quite territorial, drumming and excavating cavities.

Red-headed Woodpecker - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. May 29th, 2019. 

Black-billed Cuckoo - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. May 29th, 2019. 

The 29th also produced a small shorebird 'event' at Turner's Falls after overnight rain and a significant drop in temperature with 54 Semi-palmated Sandpipers, 5 Semi-palmated Plovers, and single Least Sandpiper and Greater Yellowlegs.

Semi-palmated Sandpipers - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. May 29th, 2019. 

OH - BBCuckoo

Black-billed Cuckoo - West Beach, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, NW Ohio. May 12th, 2014. 

One of three seen on the first full day of our Birdfinders tour getting the trip off to a cracking start!

MA - Quabbin fieldwork surprises in mid-June

 

 Black-billed Cuckoo - on nest, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, Franklin Co., MA. June 13th, 2013. One of several unexpected highlights during a week of field work inside the restricted area of the Quabbin Watershed. Mammalian notables included several sightings of Moose and American Porcupine. Much closer to home I had a chance encounter with a Bobcat on South Cross Road, Gill last Sunday morning which seemed to set the theme for a great week of mammals in Western Mass! 

 

Wood Thrush - singing male.

Veery - singing male.



MA - Black-billed Cuckoos in the Quabbin

This seems to be a great spring and summer for Black-billed Cuckoos in Western MA. Not only have I noted them on our neighbor's 'Blake Farm' property but more recently I've had the privilege of being allowed into parts of the restricted area of the Quabbin Watershed, the Prescott Peninsula. Two recent field mornings here have produced 3 - 6 singing males on each visit, much more than I can recall during any other birding experience in Western MA, including many previous visits to the Prescott. Indeed it seems ironic that last year, when I tallied 635 species in North America during the course of the year, I didn't see a single Black-billed Cuckoo!! Admittedly, 2012 was a big travel year for me but even so, I would have expected the odd Black-billed Cuckoo to be heard locally in Gill. This year seems to be very different, and I hadn't really appreciated just how erratic the appearance of this species can be from year to year in Massachusetts.

All images taken at the Prescott Peninsula. New Salem, Franklin Co., MA on June 5th, 2013.



And a Ruffed Grouse sneaking through the shadows as it crosses the track......