MA - March migration and yet more crossbills!

 

Bonaparte's Gulls - three of eight present, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 26th, 2021.

March 26th was one of those bigger migration days when warm conditions coupled with an occluded front brought rain, thunderstorms and a lot of avian action! Widespread arrivals of Eastern Phoebes and, to lesser degree, Tree Swallows occurred that day as well as 30 newly arrived Green-winged Teals at Barton Cove. Just upriver, Ted Gilliland was busy sorting through a smaller flock of 13 Green-winged Teal and ultimately found a nice example of the Eurasian sub-species, certainly the first that I've seen or even heard about in Franklin County! Later that day, eight Bonaparte's Gull graced Barton Cove, along with five (early) Double-crested Cormorants and a Common Loon in full breeding plumage. And....I would have loved to have seen the flock of five migrant Sandhill Cranes reported by Eric Huston migrating high over the cove a little earlier in the afternoon. Overall, that was a pretty decent haul of migrants for the 26th!

Bonaparte's Gulls - five of eight present, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 26th, 2021.

Eurasian (Green-winged) Teal (left) - distant crop, taken from Barton Cove campground, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 26th, 2021.

Nice find by Ted Gilliland. First Franklin County record.

Barton Cove continued to host a fairly large flock of Ring-necked Ducks with over 100 present, often loafing around Barton Island and subsequently difficult to see at times. Up to two Lesser and seven Greater Scaup (on the 28th) were often present with or near the Ring-necked Ducks. 

White-winged Crossbills - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 29th & 30th, 2021.

Red Crossbills - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 29th & 30th, 2021.

Fox Sparrows - three of five in the Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 19th, 2021.

Field Sparrow - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 29th, 2021.

Waterbirds aside, the incursion of winter finch species continued to be a major attraction for me and over the last month or so I've been very drawn to the Montague Plains which continues to host large numbers of Red Crossbills, the numbers of which appear to fluctuate on a day-to-day basis as the birds roam, presumably in search of the most productive feeding spots. Red Crossbills peaked at a whopping 360 birds on March 25th, a day which also saw 55 Pine Siskins and over 200 Dark-eyed Juncos and the first local Pine Grosbeak that I've seen for weeks. The day before saw 22 White-winged Crossbills in the plains with smaller numbers continuing through to the end of the month including 17 on the 31st. The Montague Plains have also proven to be a good spot for migrant Fox Sparrows with up to five present on the 19th, and the first territorial Field Sparrows started to appear for another breeding season from March 28th. 

Red-shouldered Hawk - one of two first-summer birds over the Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 30th, 2021.

These birds flew off to the NW together and behaved like migrants.

Ring-necked Ducks and Double-crested Cormorants - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 31st, 2021.

A fairly typical early spring spring scene. 

The last two days of the month saw increasingly warm temperatures with first Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Pine Warblers in the Montague Plains as well as some odd migrants such as two immature Red-shouldered Hawks and 5 Rusty Blackbirds on the 30th, and a Belted Kingfisher heading north on the 31st. The latter date also saw a late afternoon arrival of 17 Double-crested Cormorants at Barton Cove. 

MA - Pacific-slope Flycatcher still in Hadley after a frigid week!

Pacific-slope Flycatcher - off Huntington Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. November 15th, 2019.

This week seemingly brought an abrupt end to fall with frigid temperatures overnight and most days barely reaching above freezing. Today, Friday the 15th, was the first day since Monday with some genuine warmth in the sunshine. Coupled with relatively light winds, the conditions seemed ideal to check on the Pacific-slope Flycatcher in Hadley. The bird was already in view when I arrived at about 10:30 am and was kindly pointed out to me by Mary Ess-Why and Nancy Demers, and together we enjoyed super views at close range in bright autumnal sunshine. Quite how this tiny 'western' flycatcher is surviving the freezing temperatures in Hadley I'm not quite sure but at least today it was warm enough for the bird to be actively foraging as well as perched up absorbing the sun's warmth for sustained periods. 

Pacific-slope Flycatcher - off Huntington Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. November 15th, 2019.

And it was even foraging from the ground along the main track in front of us!

The Pacific-slope Flycatcher has definitely been the 'banner' species this week but I did manage to connect with the Clay-colored Sparrow on the 12th found by Josh Layfield in Deerfield's North Meadows. On the same day there was also a Red-throated Loon at Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club. It's actually been a good week for sparrows with increased numbers of White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, as well as American Tree Sparrows.  Scarcer species have included White-crowned Sparrow (3) and Field Sparrow (1) at Deerfield North Meadows. Less usual, and the first that I've noted this fall, was a Red Crossbill moving south over Pine Meadow Road in Northfield on the 15th.

Clay-colored Sparrow - Deerfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. November 12th, 2019.

Originally found by Josh Layfield on November 11th. 

Red-throated Loon - non-breeding plumage, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 12th, 2019.

White-crowned Sparrow - first-winter, Deerfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. November 14th, 2019.

American Tree Sparrow - Deerfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. November 14th, 2019.

NJ - Cape May - Day 4 October 13th

Red-eyed Vireo - Cape May Point State Park, NJ. October 13th, 2018. 
Image appears courtesy of John Watts.

The day began cool with strong North-westerly winds. The pre-dawn air above the motel was filled with the sounds of passing migrants including the identifiable flight calls of Swainson's Thrush, Blackpoll and Cape May Warblers. At 06:45 hours we headed for Higbee Beach once more finding Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped and Blackpoll Warblers as we parked the vehicle. From then on we enjoyed a strong flight of migrants over the Higbee Bech dike before showers forced us back down the banking at 08:00 hours. Even so, it was clear that many birds were on the move and with the help of the resident CMBO Morning Flight counter Andrew Dreelin, we enjoyed some great views of fast moving migrants passing north over and along Higbee dike; Northern Flicker (mobs!), Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Brown Creeper (4), American Redstart, Northern Parula, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow-rumped, Cape May, Blackpoll, Magnolia, Black-throated Blue and Black-and-white Warblers, an impressive flight of Purple Finches and a few Pine Siskins. As if the that wasn't enough, the walk back to the vehicle was neatly interrupted by a nice show of sparrows in the phragmites  with Lincoln's, Swamp, Song and White-throated Sparrows all giving fine views along with a Blue-headed Vireo and a Cape May Warbler.

Northern Flicker - Cape May Point State Park, NJ. October 13th, 2018. 

Cape May Warbler  -  Higbee Beach dike, Cape May Island, NJ. October 13th, 2018. 

We headed north for brunch in Avalon and then settled in for a seawatch at the CMBO Avalon Seawatch hut. We'd only just arrived when a Yellow-billed Cuckoo came flopping over the dunes, flew between us and headed into town. Apparently the same bird had come in off the sea and tried to settle inside the seawatching hut! Amazingly, we went on to witness a further four Yellow-billed Cuckoos coming in off the sea flying west and north-west trying to make landfall. I say "trying" because a couple certainly didn't make it. The local Great Black-backed Gulls made easy work of picking them off over the ocean - I can only imagine how many actually perished. Beyond the cuckoos we had a fairly steady seawatch but had some nice flights of scoters, a few Greater Scaup and even a few flocks of Wood Ducks moving south over the ocean. The big migrant of the afternoon was Double-crested Cormorant with about 1500 passing south during the three or so hours that we spent there.

Double-crested Cormorants - Avalon Seawatch, Cape May Co., NJ. October 13th, 2018.

Great Blue Herons - Avalon Seawatch, Cape May Co., NJ. October 13th, 2018.

Wood Ducks - Avalon Seawatch, Cape May Co., NJ. October 13th, 2018.

Common Loon - Avalon Seawatch, Cape May Co., NJ. October 13th, 2018.

Caspian Tern - Avalon Seawatch, Cape May Co., NJ. October 13th, 2018.

Returning to Cape May Island, we headed for the hawkwatch once more and weren't disappointed with a good showing of Broad-winged Hawk including several small kettles, and nice looks at 'tundra' Peregrine. Small falcons were notably fewer, perhaps not surprising, after the previous day's huge passage. Passerines showing well close to the hawkwatch in the late afternoon sunshine included Yellow-billed Cuckoo,  Red-eyed Vireo, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, White-crowned and Field Sparrows. We spent the remainder of our time watching swallows over the dunes and bunker pond, and although it took a little while, we eventually got all of our party onto a late Purple Martin and a couple of Barn Swallows to round off another terrific day.

Bald Eagle - Cape May Point State Park, NJ. October 13th, 2018. 

Purple Martin (with Tree Swallow) - Cape May Point State Park, NJ. October 13th, 2018. 

Red-eyed Vireo - Cape May Point State Park, NJ. October 13th, 2018. 

Nashville Warbler - Cape May Point State Park, NJ. October 13th, 2018. 

Field Sparrow - Cape May Point State Park, NJ. October 13th, 2018. 

MA - Cackling Goose, sparrow surge and continuing Cape May Warblers

Cackling Goose (right) - Turner's Falls power canal. Franklin Co., MA. October 2nd, 2018.

Early October was characterized by hordes of migrant sparrows showing up along most of the field and woodland edges in northern Franklin County. Most abundant have been White-throated, Swamp Sparrow and Song Sparrows in that order with the numbers of Swamp Sparrows being especially impressive. For example, I estimated about 200 of the latter in the Caldwell Road fields in Northfield on the 2nd, although I shaved that down to a more conservative 160 for my ebird entry. I haven't come across any of the scarcer sparrows yet, but Lincoln's Sparrows have been consistently present throughout with 3 - 6 at many of the locations that I've visited. Plus, it was especially sweet to catch up with about 5 Field Sparrows in Turner's Falls on the 2nd, a species that I don't stumble across all that frequently in the fall. Also of note, a seasonally high concentration of 5 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks on Pine Meadow Road, Northfield on the 1st.

Field Sparrow - Turner's Falls power canal. Franklin Co., MA. October 2nd, 2018.

Swamp Sparrow - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 2nd, 2018.

 Swamp Sparrow - Pine Meadow Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 3rd, 2018.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male) - Pine Meadow Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 1st, 2018.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (fem/imm) - Pine Meadow Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 1st, 2018.

Warblers and vireos have noticeably tapered in the first few days of October which is only to be expected but I continue to be blown away by the Cape May Warbler show, many of which I've found around unharvested cornfields. For example, there were still 9 on Pine Meadow Road, Northfield on the 3rd loosely associating with 12 Blackpoll and around 25 Yellow-rumped Warblers along with singles of Tennessee, Nashville and Black-and-white Warblers and a notable increase in Ruby-crowned Kinglets.

Nashville Warbler - Pine Meadow Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 3rd, 2018.

Cape May Warbler - Pine Meadow Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 3rd, 2018.

In terms of non-passerines, well October 2nd produced a fly-over Black-bellied Plover and a Red-shouldered Hawk at Caldwell Road fields, and a Cackling Goose at the Turner's Falls power canal. The latter was my personal earliest for a returning fall migrant and was present at the power canal the following day. Shorebirds included 2 Least Sandpipers (with 17 Killdeer) at Deerfield Meadows on the 1st and 2 Solitary Sandpipers at Hell's Kitchen on the 2nd where an eclipse Blue-winged Teal continued from late September.

Cackling Goose (left) - Turner's Falls power canal. Franklin Co., MA. October 2nd, 2018.

MA - Northampton CBC Sector 8 - Hadley

Hadley Cove area at dawn, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

A beautiful hoar-frosted morning with our day starting at a chilly 9 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Last Sunday, December 17th, I was fortunate (once again) to join Scott Surner for the Hadley sector of the annual Northampton Christmas bird count. Brian Kane and JoAnne Russo joined the crew and after a fairly slow start we rallied to record 55 confirmed species for the day. For the most part it was a chilly day, though this year the weather remained favorable throughout. Of course, we had our share of niggling near-misses with Vesper Sparrow and Common Redpoll on the Aqua Vitae Road, and Barred Owl and Great Blue Heron off River Drive all of which fell just short being confirmed, and somehow Common Raven managed to elude us all day though I had one pursuing Feral Pigeons in the Hadley Honey Pot just two days later!

The day was really about the excellent bird finding from all of our team really beginning with a Lapland Longspur picked up by Brian in the Hadley Honey Pot. After that, we had a nice run of scarcer species with Merlin, Gray Catbird, Winter Wren and American Pipit all in the Honey Pot, a calling Red-shouldered Hawk off River Drive, and Snow Goose and Field Sparrow at the end of Meadow Street (restricted access). Locally high tallies for the day included five each of Belted Kingfisher and Pileated Woodpecker, and no less than three Eastern Screech-Owls!

Bird of the day would have to be American Tree Sparrow which greeted us in numbers at just about every stop we made. It was a fabulous day, and gracious thanks go to Scott, Brian and JoAnne for making it so enjoyable.

Red Fox - Hadley Cove, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

The first good spot of the day, JoAnne found this one in a backyard at dawn. 

Scott Surner and JoAnne Russo - Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

Trying hard to pin down a Common Redpoll heard by me and seen briefly by JoAnne. 

Lapland Longpsur with Horned Larks - Hadley Honey pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

This bird marked a turning point in our the day. Remarkably, it was the only Lapland Longspur seen during the entire Northampton Count.

Gray Catbird - Hadley Honey pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

Showed well to all of our team, and one of only four to be recorded on the overall Northampton count.

Winter Wren - Hadley Honey pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

First picked up on call by Scott Surner, this turned out to be one of just two recorded for the whole count.

Pileated Woodpecker - Hadley Cove, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

First one of five seen/heard during the day. An excellent showing of this species for our sector along the Connecticut River.

Northern Harrier (juvenile) - Hadley Honey pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

The only harrier of the day for us.

Brian Kane - Hadley Honey pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

Working the fields for sparrows - fully committed! 

Black-capped Chickadee - Hadley Honey pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

I noticed this one taking Sumac fruit when I had a quiet moment away from my field companions.

Snow Buntings - Hadley Honey pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

A good day for this species with over 80 seen.

Merlin (male) - Hadley Honey pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

Red-shouldered Hawk (juvenile) - River Drive, Hadley , Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 

We had good views of this calling bird only realizing afterwards that it was mobbing something below it - Scott and JoAnne noticed 'something' slipping away underneath the hawk that was probably a Barred Owl! One of seven Red-shouldered Hawks recorded on the Northampton count, a surprisingly good tally and a new count high. 

Field Sparrow - Meadow Street, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017. 
A great spot by Scott and the last good bird of the day. 
Like the longspur, it turned out to be the only one recorded on the entire Northampton count. 

American Tree Sparrow - Hadley Honey pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2017.