MA - fringillid morning

 

Red Crossbills - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 16th, 2021.

Last Tuesday (March 16th) I ran into an embarrassment of avian riches in the Montague Plains WMA. It was was bitterly cold at the start of the day, well below freezing in fact but by mid-morning the warmth of the spring sunshine began to make a real difference and the Montague Pitch Pines became a frenzy of finch activity once again. What made this morning particularly special wasn't so much the simple presence of lots of fringillids but more to do with having them gather together in one especially sweet spot. The place was full of them with Red Crossbills (85) White-winged Crossbills (7), Pine Siskins (12), Common Redpolls (7) and other commoner species such as American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow and a handful of White-throated Sparrows.

White-winged Crossbill (female) - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 16th, 2021.

Finally a chance to catch up with proper views female White-winged Crossbills!

Red and White-winged Crossbills (males) - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 16th, 2021.

White-winged Crossbill (pair) - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 16th, 2021.

Two birds from a party of five feeding in the same Pitch Pine.

Common Redpoll with Red Crossbills - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 16th, 2021.

Red Crossbill - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 16th, 2021.

Red-breasted Nuthatch - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 16th, 2021.

Still good numbers around though far fewer than in the autumn and early winter. 

A few will breed in the plains even in non-incursion years. 

MA - White-winged Crossbills and other 'winter finches' this week

White-winged Crossbill (male) - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 4th, 2021.

The White-winged Crossbills first noted on Feb 25th continued into the first week of March at the Montague Plains WMA . While it's possible there may have been some turnover, after spending a couple of hours each morning following crossbill flocks, I came away with the distinct impression that the numbers of both crossbill species were about the same as they were last week, roughly 70 Red Crossbills and 3 - 5 White-winged Crossbills. The latter included two males consorting together, a duo that I first noted back on Feb 25th, plus several single males with random flocks of Red Crossbills occasionally dropping down to the road for 'gritting'. Almost all the activity has been concentrated along Old Northfield Road in the southern portion of the WMA with crossbills occurring on both sides of Old Northfield Road and sometimes actually on the road itself. New (for me) in the plains this week were a single Common Redpoll and 3 Pine Siskins, the latter in song and particularly noteworthy since they haven't occurred on the same sort of scale locally as other wither finch species. 

White-winged Crossbill (males) - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 3rd - 4th, 2021. 

Looking at White-winged Crossbills, I don't mind admitting that I'm still smitten and wanted to make the most of them while they're here. In a couple of weeks they'll almost certainly be heading back to the boreal forests and long gone from the Montague Plains.  I'm hoping/expecting that at least some pairs of Red Crossbills will remain in the plains to breed but after hours of carefully watching them this week I've yet to see any actual breeding activity such as nest building.

 Red Crossbills - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 3rd - 4th, 2021. 

Another fantastic week for this species with up to 70 exceptionally vocal birds present mid-week.

 Common Redpoll - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 3rd, 2021. 

Pine Siskin - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 4th, 2021. 

 Common Redpoll (male) - Whately, Franklin Co., MA. March 5th, 2021. 

The 'Whately Redpolls' surprised me this week both in terms of numbers (85) and the volume of song/calls coming from the thickets alongside the fields.

Hoary Redpoll - Whately, Franklin Co., MA. March 5th, 2021. 

Red-breasted Nuthatch - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 4th, 2021. 

Migration Notes; small numbers of American Crows heading north through much of the day on the 3rd occurring in flocks of 5 - 8 birds over Montague Plains, Turner's Falls and Greenfield. Also the first 'hints' of Canada Geese moving north with 6 over Turner's Falls on the 3rd and 5 over Montague Plains on the 4th, both flocks of highflyers heading purposefully north. Two first-winter Iceland Gulls joined the small gull roost at Unity Park on March 3rd-6th with an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull (new) present on the 6th. Over 100 American Robins together along Meadow Road, Montague on March 5th, and Turkey Vultures over Sunderland on the 5th (Brian Kane) and Main Road, Gill and Turner's Falls (4) on the 6th. 

Lesser Black-backed Gull (center) - adult with Herring, Great Black-backed and Iceland Gulls, Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 6th, 2021.

Lesser Black-backed Gull  - adult, Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 6th, 2021.

 

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.

MA - March in Franklin County - passerines

Red Crossbills - Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2019.

As expected, March was characterized by the steady transition from winter to spring. The opening ten days of of the month remained cold with yet another winter storm depositing small amounts of accumulation on the 9th and 10th. Signs of spring were few but it was heart warming to find Red Crossbills nest building in the Montague Sand Plains on the 7th and the 8th. Red Crossbills tend to breed early and these were the first passerines of any kind that I had found nesting this year. They remained a personal highlight in the plains and I found them with remarkable consistency every time I visited with an estimate of about four pairs settling down for the breeding season, but not more than that.

Red Crossbills - Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2019.

Red Crossbill (female) - nest building, Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. March 7th, 2019.

Red Crossbill  - female on nest, Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2019.

Here it's possible to just make out some of the white feathers that she used to line the cup of the nest.

Red Crossbill (male) - Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2019.

Still in the Montague Plains, and almost equally impressive was the continued presence of 40 - 50 Common Redpolls throughout the month along with smaller numbers of American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins. Towards the end of the month they were joined by several 'waves' of returning Dark-eyed Juncos. For the most part, the Redpolls stayed high and busy in the Pitch Pines frustrating any serious attempts to search for Hoary Redpolls. While pale redpolls certainly existed within the flock, I couldn't find any decent candidates for Hoary Redpoll. 

Common Redpoll (male) - Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2019.

Common Redpoll (male) - Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2019.

Common Redpoll - Montague Plains, Franklin Co., MA. March 8th, 2019.

A little further afield, I finally caught up with a Northern Shrike in what appeared to be a fairly lean winter for the species, at least from a local perspective. But the traditional spot at Eugene Moran WMA produced one on the 3rd with an adult posing nicely for a short time before bolting all the way across to the opposite side of the WMA!

Northern Shrike - Moran WMA, Windsor, Berkshire Co., MA. March 3rd, 2019.

MA - Siskin time

After a couple of Pine Siskins on the feeders at home yesterday, this morning saw a much bigger arrival with at least 150 moving SW over North Cross Road in Gill just before sunrise. These birds moved across the landscape in a broad, deep wave rather than a bunched flock or a line. I returned home in Northfield to find 15-20 Pine Siskins wrestling with goldfinches and titmice on our feeders. They looked settled and stayed until mid-morning but I didn't see them at all in the afternoon.

After a great fall for this species in Franklin County, my impression was that many/most Pine Siskins had moved through our area but I think the next few days could provide some nice action in local yards with flocks visiting feeders. Hopefully, one or two redpolls will be found with them.

Pine Siskin - flanked by American Goldfinches, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. December 12th, 2014.

Pine Siskins and catching up - 02/07

We put up a thistle seed feeder on the deck about a week ago and the results have been tremendous. After a quite hour on the first morning, it's been pretty much non-stop action everyday with American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins dominating the scene. The Pine Siskin situation is fantastic with 20 - 30 at our feeder daily though we have way more than that in our neighborhood. Almost every household with appropriate feeders has similar sized flocks and I'm comfortable in estimating 300-400 birds in the area centered around North Whitney Street. We haven't had any Redpolls yet but I dare say that we'll see one or two appearing before the middle of the month. Other neat birds in our Amherst neighborhood have included Barred Owl (seen at dusk on Jan 29th), Northern Flicker (Feb 5th) and White-winged Crossbills with 2 on Jan 28th, 5 on Jan 30th, 9 on Feb 6th and 2 on Feb 7th. There's also been an increase in bird song lately with Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker and Northern Cardinal being the most vocal and numerous Downy Woodpeckers drumming.

Of interest, we've had a 'pale' Pine Siskin coming to the feeder on Feb 5th & 6th. It's rather distinctive with subtle streaking, especially above and a rather 'pallid' cast to the plumage. Closer inspection shows the bird to have a yellowish wash on the breast, belly and undertail coverts somewhat resembling a weak version of the 'Yellow' adult male illustrated in Sibley (p. 534).

Pine Siskin - fairly pale bird with variable yellowish wash on breast and belly.

Pine Siskin - same bird, fairly pale with variable yellowish wash on breast, belly and (shown here) undertail coverts.

Pine Siskin - same bird, rather subtle treaking above and below. I'll post some shots of more typcially streaked birds in a day or so in addition to the bird shown below.

Pine Siskin - fairly typical bird.