MA - 120th Northampton CBC - Hadley

 

Northern Harrier (juv/first-winter) - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

A good day for harriers with multiple sightings involving at least three individuals. 

Sunday December 20th saw Brian Kane and I join our friend Scott Surner for his traditional sector of the Northampton Christmas Bird Count. Though we haven't always been able to join Scott for the count every December, Brian and I have always made the effort, as long as time and weather permitted. Indeed, I first did this particular count with Scott way back in December 2005! This year Annie Nugent joined the team for the first time and as always it turned out to be a massively enjoyable day enriched by fine birding, decent weather and great company. It was around 19 deg F at dawn, calm and overcast throughout the day until around 14:00 hours when the forecast snow showers started in earnest and effectively closed play for the day. Annie and Brian quite sensibly departed at that point while Scott and I trudged on through the snow until 16:00 hours but couldn't muster a single addition for the day's tally!

Annie Nugent, Brian Kane and Scott Surner - Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

Careful, socially distant CBC in action. 

The day delivered 49 species, slightly lower than the 53 - 55 species that we typically record in Scott's sector. We began at Hadley Cove steadily working our way north through the Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley Honey Pot, and finishing at the end of Meadow Street, North Hadley. Portions of the Connecticut River were frozen over and the river wasn't quite as lively as we'd seen on previous counts. Moreover, late afternoon snow flurries interfered with observations upriver in North Hadley, a section of the river that often produced surprises in the past. 

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Hadley DPW, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

Eastern Phoebe - Hadley DPW, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

Black-capped Chickadee - Hadley DPW, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

The Hadley sector is always good for this perky, crisply marked species. 

In the event, the day was as much about chasing long standing 'lesser' rarities as much as it was about actual 'bird finding' and I'm really not sure if we came up with any species that hadn't been identified and established in the weeks prior to the count. Our tally included a couple of late/wintering migrants at Hadley DPW - Eastern Phoebe and Yellow-rumped Warbler, and two rare sparrows, or rather locally rare sub-species of sparrows in the form of an 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow and the gambelli form of White-crowned Sparrow. We eventually ended up having excellent views of both sub-species on the Aqua Vitae Road which proved to be one of the more enjoyable parts of the day. Being an incursion year, we also found several large flocks of Common Redpolls but never came close to finding a Hoary Redpoll, failing to repeat our success with Hoaries in the 2012 count. Flocks of Horned Larks were scattered fairly frequent throughout the day but few settled and we had to work especially hard to find just a handful of Snow Buntings and a single Lapland Longspur, though the latter just happened to be a nice male. 

White-crowned Sparrow - Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020

First-winter showing characteristics of the gambelli subspecies. 

'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow (center) - with Savannah Sparrows, Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow (in flight) - with Savannah Sparrows, Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

Northern Mockingbird - Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

Raptors were few but we did well for Northern Harriers with at least three seen, as well as Bald Eagle, Peregrine and Merlin. As so often happens on Christmas Counts and Big Days, we had our share of agonizing misses but one that really stood out for me was Feral Rock Pigeon. In the early part of the day we joked that at least one bird we could guarantee was Feral Pigeon. Scott was a lot more cautious and indicated pretty heavily that we might have our work cut out to find one. How right he was! Even our best bet at the Coolidge Bridge was bereft of Feral Pigeons, certainly a big change in status from the years that I've done the count and Scott tells me that the Coolidge Bridge used to support hundreds of pigeons in decades past. Even so, to spend an entire day birding in the Connecticut River Valley missing Feral Pigeon struck me as bizarre!

Brian Kane, Scott Surner and Annie Nugent - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

Common Mergansers - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

Common Redpoll - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

One of a flock of about 25 just as the snow showers set in for the rest of the day. 

Hadley Honey Pot at dawn - December 20th, 2020. 16 Horned Larks were feeding along the dike at first light. 

Starting count day at 19 deg F really didn't feel that bad compared to the previous morning when I ran three miles in Gill at - 2 deg F/ - 19 C!

As always, it was tremendous fun being out in the field with Scott and friends, and taking part in this long standing, traditional event. This year, quite naturally, we approached the count safely and carefully using four separate vehicles and keeping our distance in the field. It worked surprisingly well and proved to be no real detriment to the count. As to the bigger picture, well the overall participation fielded no less than 186 observers who identified 86 bird species and counted some 36374 individual birds! Thanks very much to Janice F. Jorgensen and Amanda Kallenbach, co-compilers for this year's count. And of course, special thanks to Scott Surner for putting up with us for yet another year!

MA - 'Winter Finches' - they just keep coming!

 

Common Redpolls - two from a large flock of 85, North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 13th, 2020. 

Hopes, perhaps even anticipation, that an influx of Boreal Chickadees might take place in Franklin County fizzled a little after my initial sighting on Nov 3rd, though not for the lack of trying. I actually went back to New Salem Vista three times after the event but didn't have so much as a sniff of any further sightings or calls. But the subsequent days were not completely devoid of hope when Tom Raymo and his wife discovered two Boreal Chickadees very close to entrance of High Ledges Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary on Nov 8th. The following day I was fortunate enough to meet Tom at the site and spoke to him in person about his observation. It turns out that his birds were right along the entrance road to High Ledges close to the main parking lot and feeding low down in Golden Rod offering exceptional views. By Tom's description it sounds like his birds were no more that six feet from him - wow! Much like my Boreal Chickadee sighting from New Salem, they didn't stick around and when Tom returned with his camera they'd already moved on never to be seen again. To date, Tom's report remains the only other record of Boreal Chickadee in Franklin County this fall but I remain optimistic that there might be one or two others out there waiting to be discovered. 

(Appalachian) Red Crossbills - Montague Sand Plains, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2020. 

These birds were carefully sound recorded and identified as Type 1 (Appalachian).

(Western Hemlock) Red Crossbill - Montague Sand Plains, Franklin Co., MA. November 14th, 2020. 

This photo would best be regarded as putative but Tim Spahr confirmed that Type 3 (Western Hemlock) was present from my sound clips, 

and I think was coming from this bird. I was right underneath it at the time and got some nice, clear audio. 

(Sitka Spruce) Red Crossbills - North Cross Road, Gill,  Franklin Co., MA. November 5th, 2020. 

The vast majority of Red Crossbills since the incursion began in late July, have been of this type. Type 10 (Sitka Spruce).

They've been regularly present along North Cross Road, Gill since early August. 

And to the winter finches.....well each and every day brings a new development with fresh birds showing up all the time. The Red Crossbill show has been particularly outstanding, perhaps of historical proportions, with flocks turning up in stands of White Pine all over Franklin County and the largest numbers coming from the Montague Sand Plains where the birds have been feeding and gathering (mostly) in Pitch Pines. Crossbills have been guaranteed in the sand plains this month with most visits producing 25 - 45 birds but on Nov 13th the place (Old Northfield Road to be specific) was  simply 'heaving' with them. That morning I tallied no less than 120 Red Crossbills on a mere 1/4 mile section of Old Northfield Road and got the distinct impression that a further, fuller exploration of the plains might have turned up 200 birds! It was really something to behold. Tim Spahr has been very generous in offering to analyze and allocate many of my crossbill audio clips to type, the vast majority being Type 10. But clips from the Montague Plains over the last few weeks have also produced firm evidence that Types 1 (Appalachian), 2 (Ponderosa Pine), 3 (Western Hemlock) and possibly 5 (Lodgepole Pine) are present within the Montague flocks too. 

White-winged Crossbills took a little longer to filter into Franklin County I had my first (6 birds) at Gate 22 in the Quabbin watershed on Nov 10th and an impressive, busy flock of 20 in Buckland on Charlemont Road on Nov 17th. So far they've eluded the camera but I feel confident that I'll find a photogenic flock soon. And the same goes for Pine Grosbeaks with calling singles on North Cross Road, Gill on Nov 13th, Lake Pleasant, Montague on the 16th and Shepard Road, Buckland on Nov 17th. Roaming Evening Grosbeaks have literally turned up just about everywhere on my travels in the county with their shrill calls becoming common place in most of the spots that I've raised my binoculars. Like the White-winged Crossbills and Pine Grosbeaks, the Evening Grosbeaks have been extremely mobile only rarely cooperating for photos. Firmly caught up in these irruptive movements have been dozens of Pine Siskins (110 in the Montague Plains on Nov 13th) and some Common Redpolls (85 on North Cross Road, Gill on Nov 13th), though numbers of both species seem to be tapering suggesting that they've already moved through to some extent. Purple Finches, having been so common in October are now only appearing in singles and small groups. Naturally it remains to be seen how the rest of the month will pan out but I do think we can look forward to more White-winged Crossbills, Pine Grosbeaks and perhaps a second 'wave' of redpolls - fingers firmly crossed!

Not quite 'winter finches' but certainly winter buntings, single Snow Buntings appeared at a wide scatter of sites in northern Franklin County early in the month though the first notable flocks turned up at the Quabbin Reservoir (New Salem) with 24 on Nov 10th and 27 at Turner's Falls Airfield on Nov 14th. Both of the larger flocks contained single Lapland Longspurs. 

Lapland Longspur with Snow Buntings - Turner's Falls Airfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 14th, 2020.

The most sobering sight early in the month was a Swainson's Thrush found freshly killed by road traffic on North Cross Road, Gill on Nov 1st. Though not especially rare on migration this was by far the latest I've come across in Franklin County and a sad end for a long distance migrant that should have been on its way to South America for the winter. 

Swainson's Thrush - North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 1st, 2020.

VT - Golden Eagle and Lapland Longspur close to home

Golden Eagle (immature) - Vernon, Windham Co., VT. February 1st, 2019.

Being mobbed by Common Raven. 

Another cold, crisp morning (- 4 deg F at dawn) bringing a stark beauty to the local fields and hedgerows in northern Franklin County. The day started well with another Barred Owl along Main Road in Gill. After dealing with errands and a quick visit to the Northfield Transfer Station I cruised along Caldwell Road, Northfield finding a couple of hardy Savannah Sparrows and then decided to take my chances just up the road in Vernon, Vermont. Despite being less than 10 minutes from my house in Northfield, I rarely bird the Vernon area so decided to have a quick look at Pond Road, just a mile or so north of the Massachusetts/Vermont state line. Initially things seemed quiet as is often the case in mid-winter but I soon came across a flock of around 75 Horned Larks. After some careful scanning, I found a couple of Lapland Longspurs and even a Redpoll dropped in to join the party! I was thrilled with the longspurs, only serving to reinforce my belief that this is an absolutely stellar winter for the species in the Connecticut River Valley. Feeling like I might have had my luck for the morning, I was already heading for home when I noticed two Common Ravens mobbing an eagle-sized raptor with rich brown upperparts, and a strikingly white tail with a thick black terminal band - Golden Eagle!! I did what I could for record shots and then pulled over to a safe spot on the road fully expecting to see a Golden Eagle soaring behind me but the sky was empty. In the few seconds that it had taken me to pull over and park the eagle had evidently stayed low and perched out of view, or at least out of view from the roadside.

Lapland Longspur (with Horned Larks) -Vernon, Windham Co., VT. February 1st, 2019.

Lapland Longspur -Vernon, Windham Co., VT. February 1st, 2019.

Lapland Longspur -Vernon, Windham Co., VT. February 1st, 2019.

Common Redpoll -Vernon, Windham Co., VT. February 1st, 2019.

Dropped in to try and join the feeding Horned Larks. 

Golden Eagle (immature) - Vernon, Windham Co., VT. February 1st, 2019.

Being mobbed by Common Raven. 

Looking toward Pond Road, Vernon, Windham Co., VT. February 1st, 2019.

That was one helluva fifteen minutes along Pond Road in Vernon, a mere 10 minutes north of home in Northfield - not too shabby!

MA - Thanksgiving buntings, longspurs and a smart Barred Owl

Barred Owl - Main Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 24th, 2018. 

Finally a chance to catch up on some blog notes after a busy, but very lovely Thanksgiving Break. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull showed up at Unity Park on the 21st and was present area in the Turner's Falls everyday after that. It looked very much like the returning winter adult that I've documented in Turner's Falls for at least the previous five winters.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 21st, 2018.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (right) -  with Herring Gulls, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 21st, 2018.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (center) -  with Herring Gulls, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 24th, 2018.

Iceland Gull (second-cycle) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 21st, 2018.

Great Black-backed Gulls (adults) - with a couple of Herring Gulls, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 21st, 2018.

Waterbirds of note included a Common Loon at Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club throughout the period after initially arriving during the big waterbird fall-out on the 20th. The long staying female Surf Scoter was still present at Barton Cove on the 21st, a female American Wigeon was with Mallards at the Turner's Falls power canal on the 22nd and two Ruddy Ducks (first-winters) were at Barton Cove, Gill on the 26th. Perhaps more surprising was a late Double-crested Cormorant at Unity Park on 23rd, certainly one of the latest that that I've come across in Franklin County. The annual late autumn gathering of Hooded Mergansers at Barton Cove continued to be a feature but never really built up to the impressive show that we saw last year in late November with numbers remaining steady at around 65 birds for the area. 

Hooded Mergansers - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 19th, 2018. 

Hooded Mergansers - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 24th, 2018. 

Ruddy Ducks (first-winter) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2018. 

Ruddy Ducks (first-winter) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2018. 

Bufflehead - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 24th, 2018. Long staying, slightly injured female.

Double-crested Cormorant - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 23rd, 2018. 

Some 1200 Canada Geese gathered at the Turner's Falls power canal on the 26th, the largest single concentration that I've seen this fall. The flock contained at least two Cackling Geese but unfortunately time constraints prevented me from finding a few more birds of interest though I would have loved to have stayed a bit longer!

Cackling Goose (center) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2018. 

Cackling Goose (right) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2018. 

Cackling Goose (left) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2018. 

The wave of irruptive finches passing through northern Franklin County most certainly tapered during the Thanksgiving period with very few Purple Finches and Pine Siskins, though I did have a very vocal Evening Grosbeak on North Cross Road, Gill on 23rd. On the plus side, Snow Bunting numbers increased with up to 50 at Northfield Meadows (on the 26th), 7 at Turner's Falls Airfield (on the 26th) and 4 at Caldwell Road fields, Northfield on several dates where a Lapland Longspur joined a small flock of Horned Larks on the 22nd.

Snow Buntings, Caldwell Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 23rd, 2018. 

Lapland Longspur - Caldwell Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 22nd, 2018. 

Lapland Longspur - Caldwell Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 22nd, 2018. 

 Snow Buntings - Northfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2018.

 Snow Buntings - Northfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2018.

The passerine highlight of the period was arguably a very late Common Yellowthroat unearthed by Josh Layfield in Northfield Meadows on the 24th - I know of only one report later than that for Franklin County. Josh also had around 35 Snow Buntings in Northfield Meadows on the same day.

Common Yellowthroat - Northfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. November 24th, 2018.

Image appears courtesy of Josh Layfield.

And, in keeping with other roadside reports from around northern Franklin County, I had a nice daytime encounter with a Barred Owl in Gill on the 24th.