MA - Sage Thrasher and more on the first day of March

 

Sage Thrasher - Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Still with us after 11 weeks, and first found by Theresa Gessing on December 13th, 2020.

March. The first day of three months of spring migration dawned appropriately mild, calm and showery. By late afternoon, and in a way equally appropriate for March, it was cold and blustery! The first morning of the month was certainly very spring-like with lots of song coming from the local residents and nicely mixed with a number of species that will certainly not stay for the breeding season, namely American Tree Sparrow (multiples singing in Gill, Whately and Hatfield), Common Redpoll (75 in Whatley, many in song) and Rusty Blackbird (18 in Hatfield at Cow Bridge Road and singing/calling throughout my time there). 

Sage Thrasher - Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Sage Thrasher - Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Spurred on by the mild conditions, a visit with the Hatfield Sage Thrasher had the most appeal for the morning. After about 20 minutes of waiting (alone) the bird duly appeared and put on a fantastic show. It was bold and totally unfazed by my presence and I especially enjoyed watching it forage on the ground, marveling at its ability to simply disappear only to see it reappear in a completely different spot some 15-20 minutes later. 

The rugged farmland along Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield. A seemingly unlikely setting for a wintering Sage Thrasher. March 1st, 2021. 

White-crowned Sparrow (first-winter) - one from a nice concentration of five immatures in Whately this morning. Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2020.

Common Redpolls - Whately, Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Not the best day for studying redpolls. They simply sat up in the trees and sang!

Barrow's Goldeneye (center) - first-winter male with Common Goldeneyes, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Sometimes tricky to find but generally present in the area since December 25th, 2020.

Late afternoon saw a return to more wintery conditions. For the most part it was raw and windy but I was delighted to find the Barrow's Goldeneye back at the power canal, and it was courteous enough to drop into the roost nice and early with just a tiny handful of Common Goldeneyes. The local gull roost continues to be a little on the 'light' side but did produce a nice Iceland Gull this evening. 

Iceland Gull (kumlieni) - first-winter, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

MA - Sage Thrasher, Harlequin and more good birds in 'the valley'

 

Sage Thrasher - Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. January 20th, 2021.

This bird was first found on Dec 13th, 2020 by Theresa Gessing.

January 20th, 2021. Today was a good day. Another mild, calm and not especially wintery morning was temptation enough for me to try for the Hatfield Sage Thrasher, the same long staying individual that I last saw on December 14th and now well into its sixth week of winter residence. Originally found by Theresa Gessing on December 13th, 2020 this bird, much like the individual upriver at Hinsdale, New Hampshire seems to becoming increasingly bold perhaps accustomed to the daily birder attention? Either way, the thrasher gave remarkable views today sitting up and feeding on bittersweet berries in the relatively warm January sunshine. 'Chapeau' to the generous fellow who beckoned me over and walked me to the spot where he'd left the thrasher feeding just a few minutes earlier. Considering the degree of difficulty in viewing the bird during my last visit on December 14th, today's views were simply out of this world. I was the only birder at the scene and left it feeding, unmolested, in its favored hedgerow.

Sage Thrasher - Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. January 20th, 2021.

Approximate location for the Sage Thrasher along Cow Bridge Road, near great Pond, Hatfield. 

Later in the day I was fortunate (again) to connect with the Barrow's Goldeneye at the Turner's Falls power canal which continues to join the pre-roost flocks of Common Goldeneye flying in from the Connecticut River at dusk. Further up the Connecticut, the first-winter male Harlequin Duck continues to forage in the white water rapids along the Millers River above Cabot Camp. Even so, it can be aloof and seems to be spending more time roosting than in past visits making it difficult to find at times. 

Barrow's Goldeneye (left) - first-winter male with Common Goldeneyes, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. January 20th, 2021.

This bird was first noted on Dec 25th, 2020. 

Harlequin Duck  (first-winter male) - Millers River, Erving, Franklin Co., MA. January 20th, 2021.

First found on Jan 1st, 2021 by Anne Jemas. 

Of the passerines, well Red Crossbills continue to roam and show up in a wide scatter locations but have generally been incredibly consistent at several spots in northern Franklin County with 25 - 35 regularly in the Montague Plains, 5 - 11 in Gill and up to 13 in Erving. While the large numbers of Pine Grosbeaks that we saw around Christmas and New year appear to have moved out, smaller numbers (1 - 5 birds) continue to be found in Gill, Northfield, Millers Falls and Greenfield. The relatively mild days have also favored Winter Wrens which continue to crop up regularly at spots like the Millers River at Cabot Camp, Turner's Falls power canal and North Cross Road, Gill. 

The Williamstown Boreal Chickadee also continues at the suburban location just off North Housac Road though I would have to admit that my recent visits have not been anywhere near as successful as the first on January 14th. In fact, I've only been able to note the bird as a 'heard-only' and managed to get just the one additional audio clip since January 14th. That's a tough bird to see!

MA - Sage Thrasher in Hampshire County!

 

Sage Thrasher -  Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2020. Something of a 'mega' for interior Massachusetts, about the 5th state record. 

Originally found on December 13th. 

Yesterday as I walked the alder/birch scrub patches by the Turner's Falls power canal I couldn't help but think about lingering rarities. Considering the time of year, it was a remarkably balmy afternoon fueling random thoughts of finding a MacGillivray's Warbler or something similar from the west. Naturally, such fantasies only rarely become real but I was more than happy to find a late Common Yellowthroat, a record that compared favorably with a steady series of Common Yellowthroat reports from Northfield Meadows in Dec/Jan 2018/19. Moreover, this yellowthroat was a sharp male and watching it was a staunch reminder that fall migration '2020' wasn't quite over. 

Common Yellowthroat - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 13th, 2020.

Late on Sunday evening, a good birding friend sent me a couple of really nice images of an obvious Sage Thrasher, a species I know well from many trips to the Western US but I nearly fell off my chair when I read and processed the content of her message. The thrasher had been photographed by her friend that afternoon (Dec 13th) no more than 30 minutes down the road in Hampshire County! Not only an exceptionally rare bird in Massachusetts, but also the first ever to be found deep in the interior - all four other records had been coastal. 

Sage Thrasher - Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2020. About the 5th state record. 

Though narrowly outside Franklin County, the site was still well within my 'self-imposed' drive time limit and I made a plan to arrive at the site just after first light. The morning was not the best. It was dull and gloomy with periodic bouts of heavy snow. The half-a-dozen or so birders present had to work very, very hard to eek out just a few glimpses but after three hours of effort I left the site feeling satisfied with the views that I'd had. On the other hand, I couldn't help feeling a few twinges of angst since I felt sure that simple birder presence was enough to interfere with the bird's ability to feed undisturbed. Apparently I wasn't alone in these thoughts and I believe, at least for the time being, a decision has been made not to release the exact location in the best interests of the bird. 

In recent years late autumn/early winter has proven to be an exceptionally productive time for Western vagrants in the Connecticut River Valley . The Sage Thrasher falls neatly within a pattern that has so far produced Mountain Bluebird in Turner's Falls, MacGillivray's Warbler and Pacific-slope Flycatcher in Hadley, Say's Phoebe in Westminster, VT, and Varied Thrush in Westport Village, NH to mention just a few, and all of them since fall 2016.  

As always, the final word and gracious thanks go to the finders and friends who passed on the information, and to the birders at the scene who worked together to relocate the bird on the morning that I visited  - thank you all!

NB. As if that wasn't enough for one day, the Barnacle Goose and the Cackling Goose once again graced the Turner's Falls power canal in the evening!

Barnacle Goose (adult) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. December 14th, 2020.

Long staying individual present in the Greenfield/Turner's Falls area since November 23rd.