MA - a little more on Long-eared Owls

 

Long-eared Owl - Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Essex Co., MA. February 4th, 2021.

Yawning away and looking pretty relaxed!

My recent interest in Long-eared Owls has admittedly been bordering on obsession, primarily spurred on by the degree of difficultly that I've had in finding the species in Franklin County. It's been a real slog finding them but as I hinted in my recent blog post on Franklin County Owls, I did meet with success in a remote spot in Whately on January 22nd but even then I had to be content with scope views and no photos. 

Long-eared Owls - two birds at roost, Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Essex Co., MA. February 4th, 2021.

On February 4th, having already had a brilliant morning with the Redwing at Capisic Pond Park in Maine, my interest in Long-eared Owls then steered me towards Salisbury Beach State Reservation where I knew a couple of roosting owls had been found in the pines sometime around January 25th followed by many subsequent reports to ebird. Other than being aware of a coned off area to protect the birds from over enthusiastic photographers, I wasn't quite sure what to expect and set up my scope anticipating distant views. I needn't have bothered! I was very surprised to see one bird roosting fairly openly in the Pitch Pines drinking in the most of the late afternoon sun. Further searching revealed two more with another in the same stand of Pitch Pines and one buried deep in the Eastern Red Cedars. After a very enjoyable hour I headed for home feeling quite satisfied with the views (and experience) capping off an absolutely brilliant day of coastal birding.

Long-eared Owl - Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Essex Co., MA. February 4th, 2021.

This was the most difficult of three to observe buried deep within this cedar, breast facing left. 

Habitat for roosting Long-eared Owls - Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Essex Co., MA. February 4th, 2021.

Inspired by the views the previous day, I returned to the Whately 'owl site' on Feb 5th with my good friend Brian Kane who's something of a birding ace and a guy with a real penchant for Long-eared Owls. As the darkness closed in we'd almost given up when Brian spotted an owl flying behind a hedgerow in the fading light - it was a Long-eared Owl! Though views were somewhat distant, the snow covered ground gave some illumination and provided enough ambient light to watch it foraging, moth-like, along the woodland fringe for the next ten minutes or so - quite the privilege! There's every chance that this was the same Long-eared Owl that I first noted on January 22nd but with a two week pause in sightings and the fact the Long-eared Owls often roost communally, I'll treat this as a separate record for the time being, only the sixth Franklin County record that I'm aware of. 

Long-eared Owl - Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Essex Co., MA. February 4th, 2021.

While I'm not big on keeping lists, I clearly remember Long-eared Owl becoming my 600th ABA area bird when Eyal Shochat and I watched a single bird hunting in the middle of a bright afternoon at the Riparian Reserve at Gilbert Water Ranch,  deep in the greater suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona. That was way back in December 2000.

MA - Franklin County owls

 

Eastern Screech-Owl (red phase) - at daytime roost, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. January 23rd, 2021.

Much like the raptors mentioned in my last post, I've been stumbling across more owls than usual in the county during January. A territorial male Great Horned Owl has been especially vocal on calm, mild evenings at the Turner's Falls power canal. And, on January 26th, I had good daytime views of another Great Horned carrying a vole at a much less visited site in Whately. 

Barred Owl sightings have certainly increased in January with singles seen at Millers Falls, Gill and Whately over the last two weeks or so. Unfortunately, this has also meant the finding of more road casualties with at least two on Interstate 91 around Greenfield/Route 2 intersection and a further three at scattered sites along the Mohawk Trail. Of all the local owls, Barred seem most vulnerable to colliding with vehicles as they often hunt close to roadsides in deep winter. 

Eastern Screech-Owl (red phase) - at daytime roost, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. January 23rd, 2021.

On a more upbeat note, I did have fabulous close range views of a red-phase Eastern Screech-Owl roosting next to a busy footpath in Turner's Falls on the 23rd, a bird courteously pointed out to me by mobs of screaming Blue Jays! Turner's Falls is a good spot for screech-owls but I haven't tried particularly hard for them in the last few months so to have these superb, close-up views in daylight was especially sweet. 

Eastern Screech-Owl (red phase) - at daytime roost with mobbing Blue Jay (lower right) Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. January 23rd, 2021.

But, the last word on owls must go to the Long-eared Owl that I saw well but distantly along apparently ideal habitat in Whately on January 22nd. This was a tough observation partly due to distance but also because the bird was accidentally flushed by a local farmer before I had the chance to try for photos. The farmer was the only person for miles around and I simply couldn't believe what I was seeing when he walked straight towards the Long-eared Owl that had just appeared in front of him! It was one of the more bizarre local birding experiences that I've had in recent years.   

Field edge where the Long-eared Owl appeared on Jan 22nd though I was some distance away watching with a scope when I first noticed the bird. 

This pic was taken four days later. Whately, Franklin Co., MA. January 26th, 2021. 

It's difficult to describe just how aloof this species really is in Franklin County, and especially frustrating because there appears to be, at least superficially, acres and acres of suitable habitat and yet I only know of five county records. Of those, only one was documented with photos. 

All have been single day reports as follows;

01/22/21 - Whately: single hunting at dusk.  J.P. Smith.

11/26/20 - Montague: single at daytime roost. B. Kane. 

03/25/18 - Montague: single at daytime roost (photos). B. Finney et al.

03/14/01 - New Salem: single at daytime roost (restricted area). B. Kane et al.

12/08/85 - New Salem: two during 'owling' at Gate 35, Quabbin. M. Lynch/BBC trip members.

There may be others undocumented of course but these are the only records that I'm aware of to date. A rare bird indeed in Franklin County. 

 

MA - Golden Eagle and other raptors in Buckland

Golden Eagle - juvenile, Buckland, Franklin Co., MA. January 27th, 2021.

At rest, quite a few things stood out on this bird, most strikingly the stark white tail with black tip, the uniform dark brown upperparts lacking any pale on the wing coverts or scapulars, and the light colored, golden-brown nape and crown. Perched fairly low with aesthetic proportions, and without other species close-by for comparison, it did not give the impression of being an especially large raptor at rest .  

As winter begins to tighten its grip on Western Massachusetts, fresh snow falls and this weekend's forecast for an Arctic blast have brought an abrupt end to the relatively calm, mild  days experienced in mid-January. While it may be pure coincidence, raptors and owls have become increasingly evident in Franklin County over the last week or so and yesterday afternoon, after dropping Matan for snowboarding at Berkshire East near Charlemont, I came across this stunning juvenile Golden Eagle! 

Golden Eagle - juvenile, Buckland, Franklin Co., MA. January 27th, 2021.

Bald Eagle (immature) and Golden Eagle  (juvenile) - Buckland, Franklin Co., MA. January 27th, 2021.

Initially found resting on a low beam, thanks mainly due to a couple of mobbing Common Ravens, it somehow managed to slip away unnoticed and I actually lost touch with it for a little while. Twenty minutes later I was back in business as it soared majestically above the tree tops drifting over the Buckland side of the Deerfield River. At one point it sparred with an immature Bald Eagle, a bird that I'd seen perched by the river a little while earlier. The Golden Eagle appeared several more times over the course of the next 90 minutes and remained active quite late into the evening until I last saw it drifting south towards Ashfield at 16:45 hours. 

Bald Eagle - immature, Deerfield River,  Charlemont, Franklin Co., MA. January 27th, 2021.

Bald Eagle - Deerfield River,  Charlemont, Franklin Co., MA. January 27th, 2021.

The last raptor of the day and still in the air at 16:50 hours.

Golden Eagle is not a common bird in Franklin County. Looking back on my records, I've had very little luck with the species and I believe this is only the third that I've seen in the county since 2005! Fortunately, I've managed to photograph all three but yesterday's bird was especially sweet since it was a pristine juvenile, and in the air for some time. The same overlook by the Deerfield River seems to be becoming something of a sweet spot for raptors with Red-shouldered Hawk, Merlin, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks, as well the ubiquitous local Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles, all being seen over the last two weeks including this close encounter with a Rough-legged Hawk on January 8th. 

Rural farmland - Buckland, Franklin Co., MA. January 26th, 2021.

Looking towards Buckland from the Deerfield River, Franklin Co., MA. January 26th, 2021.

Approximate location for the Deerfield River overlook along the Mohawk Trail (Rt 2).

It should be interesting to see if this young Golden Eagle sticks around or whether it was simply moving ahead of the extremely cold weather front forecast for the next  2 - 3 days. Still with the raptor theme I had good views of a Northern Harrier in Whately on the 26th, a species not especially easy to find in Franklin County in mid-winter . 

Northern Harrier - fem/imm, Whately, Franklin Co., MA. January 26th, 2021.

Harlequin Duck - Millers River, Erving, Franklin Co., MA. January 28th, 2021.

Though getting far less attention nowadays, the Harlequin continues to show well on the Millers River 

as does the Barrow's Goldeneye at the Turner's Falls power canal. 

 

MA - Northampton CBC 12/14

On Sunday morning I joined Scott Surner for our annual 'bash' around Hadley for Scott's sector of the Northampton Christmas Bird Count. We were fortunate to have perfect weather throughout the day. We were even more fortunate to be joined by Brian Kane and the three of us met at 7am for a dawn to dusk effort along the eastern side of the Connecticut River. Key sites included Hadley Cove, Food Bank Farm, Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley Honey Pot and the end of Meadow Street in North Hadley. We finished with about 53 species for the day, more than respectable for a field day in mid-December in the Pioneer Valley.

Highlights included the finding of a roosting Long-eared Owl, and close up observations of adult Peregrine and adult Cooper's Hawk. Good finds for our particular count area included a Hermit Thrush, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and whopping count of 24 Northern Pintail for the day.

Gracious thanks go Scott and Brian for sharing their field skills and good humor throughout the day. Scott did especially well since he started his day well before first light with a moderately successful owl-prowl in Amherst that included two Northern Saw-whets - not too shabby. How nice for him to have exquisite views of a Long-eared Owl to go with his spotlighted saw-whets!

Long-eared Owl - Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2014. 

Found in a dense tangle of shrubs alongside the Connecticut River and left undisturbed at its roost.

Certainly the highlight of the day from our sector of the Northampton CBC that consistently produces good birds.

Hermit Thrush - Food Bank Farm, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2014.

 Cooper's Hawk - male, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2014. 

 Northern Pintails (and Black Duck) - North Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2014. 
Part of an unprecedented flock of 20 on the Connecticut River at North Hadley.

Peregrine - adult, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2014. 

Israel - Long-eared Owls

We had a relatively low key trip to Israel this November. Both common migrants and rarities seemed to be in very short supply but even so, we found a number of gems (as always) during our hard-working week. Highlights included a really good showing of Long-eared Owls and I continue to be impressed with the ease at which this fabulous species can be found in southern Israel. After stumbling across two roosting together in a remote wadi in the southern Arava, we enjoyed another roost of at least 17 birds at Kibbutz Gevulot in the western Negev. Nowadays, we only rarely miss this species on our Israel trips whether it be spring or late autumn.

Long-eared Owls - three individuals from a communal roost of at least 17, 

Kibbutz Gevulot, Western Negev, Israel. November 28th, 2013.

Long-eared Owl - one of two roosting together in a remote Acacia wadi in the Hiyyon Plains, southern Arava. November 23rd, 2013.

MA - Long-eared Owl, Snow Geese - 12/17

Long-eared Owl. Smith College campus, Northampton, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2009. Not only a rare bird in Western MA but a rare opportunity to observe one in a completely exposed day-time roost. Clearly my approach to checking for them in extensive stands of pine and spruce in wilderness areas isn't the right one! My sixth species of owl in the Pioneer Valley since late October.

A brutally cold day with temps only in the low 20s, plus a brisk cold NW wind that never eased up all day. As fortune would have it, I was working at my computer when Seth Kellogg circulated an email concerning a Long-eared Owl at a roost in a deciduous (!) tree on the Smith College campus in Northampton. I couldn't leave straight away but an afternoon visit found it still roosting out in the open in an 'Armstrong Maple' (apparent hybrid) just south of the Nelson Library,Sm or 25-30 yards north of the small Smith College parking lot off Green Street, Northampton. The bird seemed unfazed by its admirers, birders and passers by alike, barely moving during thirty minutes of observation.

Snow Geese (6) - with Canada Geese, CT River, Hadley/Northampton, Hampshire Co., MA. December 17th, 2009.

On the way home I checked the Connecticut River from the East Meadows in Northampton and found six Snow Goose amongst a pre-roost gathering of c.1300 Canada Geese. Also present, some 25 Common Mergansers. This particular corner of the East Meadows and the adjacent Northampton airfield was the last spot where I observed Long-eared Owls in Western MA, back in February 2007. JPS

Long-eared Owls, NM - 01/24

Just back from a recent and rather excellent winter tour of Texas and New Mexico with Birdfinders. One of the highlights included these Long-eared Owls roosting in evergreens inside a state park very close to the Mexican border, south of Deming in New Mexico.