December - not too shabby at all!

Smith's Longspur - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2022.

A fabulous find for hard working local birder Scott Surner. Fifth state record and the first documented in the Pioneer Valley.

Discovered on Dec 12th delighting hundreds throughout its stay and still present on the last day of the year!

December, traditionally a month of minimal daylight, falling temperatures and usually lots of snow. Compared to October and November, my expectations for birding in December are generally pretty low, yet over the years the month has produced exciting birding in the Connecticut River Valley. Look no further that the near simultaneous appearance of two Sage Thrashers in 2020, one in Hampshire Co., MA and one in Cheshire Co., NH!

Rufous Hummingbird (fem/juv)- Millers Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 16th, 2022.

As hardy as they come - Rufous Hummingbird in a blizzard!! First noted on Oct 7th by home homeowner

Bruce Kanash. Banded and identified on Nov 14th by Anthony Hill. Present and thriving at Bruce's home through to about Dec 21st. 

In addition to the long staying Rufous Hummingbird in Millers Falls, the month brought another major rarity in the form of a Smith's Longspur to the Hadley floodplain. Kudos must go to Scott Surner who found this bird lingering at the side of a busy thoroughfare in the Hadley Honey Pot on December 12th. To the joy of many, myself included, the longspur was courteous enough to stick around for weeks allowing hundreds of birders to share in Scott's discovery and to find itself added to the local Christmas Bird Count! At the time of writing (Dec 31st) it was still present favoring the same general area along Cemetery Road in the Honey Pot. Scott's find furnishes the fifth state record for Massachusetts and the first ever in the Pioneer Valley though there is an historical report by Harvey Allen from the nearby East Meadows April 1st, 1993. Though this record wasn't accepted by the MARC, it's always intrigued me largely because of the compelling elements of the description with comments such as "tame", "observed as close as ten feet" and "un-streaked buffy underparts indicating a female". But, birding in the modern era demands a high standard of documentation and in this respect the Hadley bird was a gift being absurdly tame, calling frequently and usually returning to the same feeding spot day after day, even when it was flushed. 

Smith's Longspur - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2022.

An amazing find by Scott Surner and extra-ordinarily approachable. 

I've had quite a lot of luck with Smith's Longspurs over the years having seen them in the breeding areas on the Denali Highway, Alaska multiple times. But, the Hadley bird was only my third away from Alaska after chasing singles at Jones State Beach, Long Island, NYS in Feb 2007 (2nd state record) and Tuthill Road, Maricopa Co., AZ in Jan 2012 (2nd state record). To have one so close to home and showing so well was an absolute dream. Thank you Scott!

Other passerines of note this month but closer to home included a lingering Hermit Thrush and a late Eastern Towhee on North Cross Road, Gill on Dec 23rd and a small handful of Red Crossbills (Type 12) over Gill and along Green River Road, Colrain towards the end of the month. 

Redheads - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 25th, 2022.

Loafing with the Mallards at Unity Park on Christmas morning, a lovely surprise though they didn't stick around for long.

View of Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 25th, 2022.

Frigid temperatures and major ice flows over the Christmas period brought some unexpected waterfowl to Turner's Falls with a female Northern Pintail at the power canal on Christmas Eve and three Redheads including a fine drake at Unity Park on Christmas morning. The Redheads didn't linger but the pintail stayed until Dec 31st and was briefly joined by a second fem/juv on the 28th. A lone juvenile Snow Goose at Barton Cove on Dec 26th was the most unusual goose of the period but also fairly typical in its random appearance. 

Northern Pintail (fem/juv) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 24th, 2022.

Another unusual duck showing up with Mallards, this time at the power canal. This bird lingered to the 

year's end and was joined by a second fem/juv on Dec 28th. 

Snow Goose (imm) - Barton Cove/Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 26th, 2022.

Barred Owl - Northfield, MA. December 22nd, 2022. 

Plenty of Barred Owls around often out 'sunning' on the coldest days. 

Iceland (Kumlieni) Gulls (first-cycles) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 29th, 2022.

Two; one darkish, one night in center of image. 

After a steady start, the numbers of large gulls began to build quite nicely towards the end of the month. With them came Iceland (Kumlien's) Gulls, initially two but then building up to five together at Barton Cove on Dec 28th with a new individual seen on the 29th so perhaps as many as six in the area by month's end. One or two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present among the Herring Gulls too, though being immatures they were easily lost among the masses but I think at least two individuals were involved between Dec 22nd and 29th. 

Iceland (Kumlieni) Gulls (second-cycle) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 29th, 2022. 

In the center of the image. 

Iceland (Kumlieni) Gulls - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 29th, 2022.

Four; two darkish first-cycle, one light first-cycle, one light second-cycle. 

Lesser Black-backed Gull (first/second cycle) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 22nd, 2022.

 

Lesser Black-backed Gull (first-cycle) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 29th, 2022.

Upper left bird in this image, and probably different to the LBBG I noted on Dec 22nd. 

Happy New Year and a bird-rich 2023 to all!

 

MA - catching up on a fine spring

Golden-winged Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. June 1st, 2021.

For one reason or another my blog features have been a little on the light side during the spring but that's not to say that it's especially been quiet, or that I haven't been active in the field. With so much uncertainty regarding travel and Covid-19 I made the decision to keep most of my birding relatively close to home and rarely ventured more than 20 minutes drive time from our house in Northfield. By the time the summer solstice had come around I couldn't help but notice that most of my spring birding had taken place almost exclusively within Franklin County. While that might sound limiting in some respects it did open up windows of discovery in others. In the event I carved out many hours of field time that I doubt can be repeated anytime in the future.  

Red Crossbill - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. April 30th, 2021.

In many respects the major avian event of the spring continued to be the remarkable concentrations of hundreds of Red Crossbills in the Montague Plains WMA, an influx that raged on well into late May. White-winged Crossbills lingered through to mid-April and a few could be heard singing towards the end of their stay. Crossbills ended up being a big attraction and I spent many hours recording them and attempting to learn, thanks to expert guidance from Tim Spahr, as many different call types as possible. More on those in a separate post sometime in the future. 

Upland Sandpiper - Orange Municipal Airport, Franklin Co., MA. April 19th, 2021.

Crossbills aside, a number of other species caught my attention during the spring, primarily because I'm often away tour during the key periods and regularly miss out on the occurrence of locally rare species. The first of the these was an Upland Sandpiper found by Scott Lachance by the public viewing area at Orange Municipal Airport on April 19th. This particular spot has become somewhat 'hallowed' turf having produced late fall records of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Northern Wheatear in years past. Matan was on April break that week but in recognizing that the Upland Sandpiper was probably going to be a one day event I dragged him along and bribed him with the promise of a mountain bike ride afterwards! We both had superb views and, although he'd never admit it, I think he secretly enjoyed the experience....and he still rode his bike that morning! Upland Sandpiper is a rare breeding bird in the Pioneer Valley with a small population inside the perimeters of Westover Air Base near Ludlow in Hampden County. However, it appears to be extremely rare in Franklin County and I couldn't find any local ebird reports more recent than September 2004! Certainly, I'd never heard of an Upland Sandpiper occurring in Franklin County since we moved here in 2010, least of all one that could be chased. So thank you Scott Lachance for the wonderful find! 

Wilson's Phalarope - two of three present, East Meadows, Northampton, Hampshire Co., MA. May 20th, 2021. 

Prolonged spells of warm dry weather coupled with clear blue skies in the last two weeks of May were not at all conducive to fall-outs at a time of year that traditionally produces quality shorebirds, often in full breeding plumage. With that in mind, and combined with the near-drought conditions, Theresa Gessing's discovery of three Wilson's Phalaropes Northampton's East Meadows on May 19th was a real shocker! The phalarope party delighted many, myself included, in a very dusty East Meadows, the birds seemingly finding the only damp patch in the meadows for miles around. Wilson's Phalarope has yet to be found in Franklin County (or at least logged in ebird) and is rare in the Pioneer Valley, and I had little trouble justifying the 30 minute drive south into Hampshire County to see these wonderful birds....and they put on quite the show!

American Woodcock - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. May 21st, 2021.

Golden-winged Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. June 19th, 2021.

Male carrying food to nestlings.

Golden-winged Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. June 19th, 2021.

Male approaching the nest which was on the ground about 10 inches below this perching spot. 

May also brought a fantastic male Golden-winged Warbler to the bird-rich environs of Montague and was first found by Amasa and Genlyne Fiske-White during Global Big Day on May 8th. Surprisingly, this bold male lingered in the same area throughout May and entertained many throughout its stay. It could be decidedly tricky to detect at times and was most frequently heard (and recorded) singing a Blue-winged Warbler song. By early June the male Golden-winged Warbler had paired with a female Blue-winged Warbler and the pair nested successfully raising about five young to the fledgling stage. While not at all easy to track, the female Blue-winged Warbler was still feeding at least four hybrid fledglings on June 26th. 

Golden-winged Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. June 19th, 2021.

Male carrying food item to nest. 

Blue-winged Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. June 19th, 2021.

Female (paired with male Golden-winged Warbler) carrying food item to feed nestlings.

Recently fledged Golden-winged x Blue-winged Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. June 25th, 2021.

One of about five nestlings successfully fledged from the nest below. 

Golden-winged x Blue-winged Warbler nest - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. June 20th, 2021.

Ground nest containing about five nestlings being attended by male Golden-winged and female Blue-winged Warbler. 

While early June will see most species settling down for the breeding season, it can also produce (and often does!) one last 'toot' from the horn of spring and this year was no exception. Montague turned up a fine singing male Hooded Warbler on the 3rd only a few meters away from the Golden-winged Warbler's territory. The Hooded Warbler sang vigorously for about twenty minutes and then promptly disappeared just as suddenly as it first appeared. While pretty rare in Franklin County, Hooded Warbler records are increasing in the neighboring counties and I'm sure we can expect more of them in future springs. 

Hooded Warbler - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. June 3rd, 2021. 

June also turned up what must surely be one of the most overlooked and discrete migrant breeders in Franklin County?! I was fortunate enough to be standing in the exactly right place at one of the Deerfield Marshes when a female Least Bittern flew across the cattails, 'crash landed' and promptly disappeared. Long story short, I traded an attempt at photos for prolonged flight views and never relocated it. However, the experience provided a good excuse to get out the colored pencils and make a sketch from raw field impressions. 

Least Bittern (female) - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. June 15th, 2021.

Marsh Wren - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. June 15th, 2021. 

Virginia Rail - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. June 28th, 2021. 

Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. June 29th, 2021.

Franklin County is full of small, majestic wetlands like this begging the question;

just how many pairs of Least Bitterns are out there?!

Least Bittern (male) - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. June 29th, 2021.

Least Bittern (male) - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. June 29th, 2021.

Green Heron - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. June 28th, 2021. 

Least Bitterns appear to have been rarely reported in Franklin County over the years and I could only find half-a-dozen records in ebird, the most recent coming from May 2013....and none of those appear to have been photographed or sound recorded. All that changed towards the end of June as at least two or three pairs of Least Bitterns settled down in the Deerfield marshes for the breeding season and several birders made sound recordings of the resonant, rhythmic 'cooing' of Least Bitterns alongside the Marsh Wrens, Green Herons and Virginia Rails present in the same area. 

There were, of course, many other highlights from the spring but these observations stand out as being some of the more memorable and satisfying. In terms of other fauna, well I had a fantastically close encounter with a Black Bear in May, a month that also produced my first ever Eastern Box Turtle in the Montague Plains. 

Black Bear - Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. May 7th, 2021.

Eastern Box Turtle (male) - Montague. Franklin Co., MA. May 14th, 2021.

July is almost upon us and it's just about time to look forward to some autumn migration! 

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-fronts, waterfowl and more crossbills

 

Greater White-fronted Geese (2) - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Over the last couple of days immaculate weather, warm air and southern winds have produced a distinct uptick in waterfowl migrants passing through Franklin County. Small flocks of Canada Geese passed over the Montague Plains all morning on the 9th and by the evening some 800-900 had gathered in a well hidden cornfield in Bernardston. While visible migration was less evident on the 10th, a Greater White-fronted Goose was discovered at Barton Cove/Unity Park by David Sibley and by the time that I got to Unity Park at noon there were two, both of them adults! Having carefully scrutinized the geese at Unity Park the evening before I feel confident that these were brand new arrivals. Ring-necked Ducks too have increased over the last two days with 4 at Unity Park and 17 at the Turner's Falls power canal. The latter site also produced a whopping 26 Hooded Mergansers on the evening of the 10th!

Greater White-fronted Geese (2) - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Greater White-fronted Goose - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Ring-necked Ducks - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 9th, 2021.

Gull migration can be a more discrete event but the evening of the 10th saw an impressive surge in Ring-billed Gull numbers to almost 200 birds. A Lesser Black-backed (adult) and two Iceland Gulls (first-winters) continue amid the Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls roosting at Unity Park. 

Black Vultures - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Turkey Vultures were already widespread by the 8th but on the 10th, a northward movement of some 12 Black Vultures over the Montague Plains was rather more impressive. 

White-winged Crossbill (male) - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 9th, 2021.

White-winged Crossbill (male) - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Finally, the Montague Plains have been 'heaving' under the weight of some 75 - 100 Red Crossbills with these birds being well north of the more heavily watched site of Old Northfield Road. Small scattered groups of singing/calling birds have been found throughout the plains over the last two days with an especially impressive concentration of about 60 in one spot. As expected, most identified to Type have been Type 10 but, thanks to Tim Spahr's help and guidance, I've also managed to identify and record Type 2 and Type 3. Of course, the prize for scanning through all those crossbills has been the continued presence of White-winged Crossbills, all of them have been males and around 7 or 8 individuals in all, maybe more. They're not especially vocal either and finding them usually involves careful checking of each individual crossbill that just happens to show itself. 

With several more days of warmth in the forecast I think it would be reasonable to expect a few more migrants of interest before the forecast colder snap in the early part of next week. 

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.