MA - opening up September with a Baird's Sandpiper!

 

Baird's Sandpiper - Hell's Kitchen, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 1st, 2020.

The opening ten days of September brought a flurry of good birds to northern Franklin County including a locally rare Baird's Sandpiper at Hell's Kitchen, Northfield on the 1st. It was a fine, crisp juvenile and courteous enough to stick around until the 3rd furnishing only my second county Baird's Sandpiper within the last ten years. My first Baird's was also a juvenile, found by Eric Huston on the Connecticut River on September 1st, 2017 and viewed from Barton Cove campground. Good shorebird conditions are not easy to find in Franklin County and we often have to be content with brief or distant views as was the case with 4 Semi-palmated Plovers at Caldwell Road sod fields, Northfield on the 2nd. The latter site also saw a Pectoral Sandpiper on August 29th with another, or perhaps the same bird at Hell's Kitchen on the 30th. Least Sandpipers have featured constantly at Hell's Kitchen (up to 23) and less frequently at Caldwell Road sod fields (up to 17) and Turner's Falls Airfield (2 - 5). An early Wilson's Snipe was noted on at Hell's Kitchen on three dates between the 3rd and 9th and on Sep 10th a calling American Golden Plover flew down the Connecticut River at Turner's Falls, the latter being a scarce, perhaps less than annual migrant in northern Franklin County.

Noteworthy waterfowl in the first ten days of the month included a lingering drake Gadwall at Turner's Falls with 2 -3 Green-winged Teal at Barton Cove and Hell's Kitchen, and a super group of six Blue-winged Teal at Hell's Kitchen on the 9th and 10th. Throughout the period 4 - 6 Pied-billed Grebes could be found lurking around a weed-choked Barton Cove. 

Red Crossbill - Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. September 4th, 2020.

Red Crossbills and Red-breasted Nuthatches continue to feature in numbers with Hell's Kitchen, Northfield and the Montague Sand Plains being among the easier places to find them. Most of the crossbills have been identified as Type 10, but Tim Spahr managed to winkle out Types 2, 3, 10 and possibly 1 from single concentration of 21 birds in the Montague Plains on Sep 4th! The presence of streaked juveniles in the flocks also raises the possibility of local breeding. Still at the Montague Sand Plains, impressive numbers of Pine Warblers (35+) have been present with the flocks containing up to five Prairie Warblers during Sep 6th - 8th. Other passerines of interest included a Palm Warbler at River Road Cemetery, Northfield on Sep 10th and a decent showing of Yellow-bellied Flycatchers after the first at Hell's Kitchen on August 30th with several more there and along North Cross Road, Gill through to Sept 9th. 

Prairie Warblers - Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. September 5th, 2020.

Pine Warbler (juv/first-winter) - Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. September 8th, 2020.

Finally, August 29th brought a fantastic migration of Common Nighthawks and I was lucky enough to be around Turner's Falls that evening to experience it. Between Turner's Falls Airfield and Unity Park I estimated around 620 Common Nighthawks appearing in tight, dense swarms over the town, Barton Cove and the Airfield - very impressive to say the least! 

MA - late nighthawk migration around the autumn equinox

Common Nighthawk - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. September 22nd, 2019.

After a busy summer/early autumn of tours and family commitments, I've finally managed to do at least a little local birding around the autumn equinox and pleased to have found a few species of local interest. The warm, muggy air (89 deg F in Turner's Falls on the afternoon of the 23rd) produced a late migration of Common Nighthawks with eight over Turner's Falls, and six over downtown Greenfield on the 22nd and a remarkable 15 over Main Road, Gill on 23rd when Josh Layfield had five over Montague WMA, and a further 11 over the Green River at Deerfield Street in Greenfield.  Clearly a strong, late push of nighthawks and quite unusual to see actual flocks gathering this late into the fall.

Common Nighthawks - over Main Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. September 23rd, 2019.

The 23rd also produced an eclipse American Wigeon with the Mallards at Turner's Falls, and a Mourning Warbler (first-winter), an American Golden Plover and several Purple Finches migrating over North Cross Road earlier during the morning. 

American Wigeon - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. September 23rd, 2019.

MA - late August Nighthawks and more 08/30

Gill - There was still a Yellow-throated Vireo singing this morning (08/30) in a spot where I've periodically heard one singing throughout the summer. Before this morning, I last heard it on August 25th and was impressed to hear him singing again on the rather late date of August 30th. Blue-headed and Red-eyed Vireos can also be heard singing in the same spot centered around the intersection Main and South Cross Roads in Gill.

This week also saw several 'waves' of Common Nighthawks moving through our area including about 50 hawking low over Montague on August 26th, and about 30 over Gill Riverside on August 28th. Although Matan and I didn't witness the hundreds being reported from various migration watch points in Western Mass, we had our birds close enough and low enough to provide a real spectacle.

Common Nighthawks - foraging over Montague, Franklin Co., August 26th, 2013.



Our yard in Gill has also been quite busy throughout the week, though no obvious major arrivals of migrants have been detected. Good numbers of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Gray Catbirds remain and species such as Veery, Ovenbird, Baltimore Oriole, American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat have made appearances. It's been a decent week for flycatchers though, with single Least, Alder (calling), Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood Pewee and Great Crested Flycatcher all being found, plus tantalizing but unconfirmed views of a possible Yellow-bellied Flycatcher on August
29th.

Veery - Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. August 28th, 2013.

 

 



Gray Catbird - Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. August 28th, 2013.

About a dozen present in the yard at the moment.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird - female/imm, Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. August 28th, 2013.

Probably about six present in the yard at the moment feeding as much on Jewelweed as they are on our feeders.



We haven't seen our breeding Louisiana Waterthrushes for a few weeks but a migrant Northern Waterthrush has spent at least four days on the stream amongst the Alders. It's been elusive and difficult to photograph. Also saw my first Merlin of the fall this week at the sod fields on Pine Meadow Road in Northfield. This bird cropped up during a very unproductive search for shorebirds - I couldn't even dig up a Killdeer!



Merlin - juvenile, Four Star Farms. Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. August 29th, 2013.

Looking rather lost in the middle of the sod fields, perhaps hoping to find a few Least Sandpipers!

A change in weather would be welcome, hopefully bringing some warbler flocks through the yard.

JPS

MA - Gill notes

A few notable observations from the Gill area over the last few days. Tuesday August 28th produced a Red-breasted Nuthatch in the yard plus a Barred Owl calling close to the yard at dusk on the same day. Also on the 28th, some 45 Common Nighthawks hawking over a corn field NE of Upinngil Farm in early evening. August 29th produced a Purple Finch moving south over Main Road, plus several Pine Warblers singing in the area, and another Pine Warbler in song near Gill Fire Station on the 30th.

JPS