MA - early June, and still plenty to see in Franklin County!

American Bittern - New Salem, Franklin Co., MA. June 5th, 2019.

Migration started to wind down rather abruptly in early June and many local summer residents already settled well into their respective breeding cycles. Even so,  a few migrant passerines were still fairly evident on the 1st with a Canada Warbler on North Cross  Road, Gill and a Nashville Warbler in our yard in Northfield neither of which would be expected breeding locations for those species. Additional migrants on the 1st included Olive-side Flycatcher (Deerfield), Blackpoll Warbler (Warwick), Tennessee Warbler (Turner's Falls) and Northern Parula (Gill).

Green Heron - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. June 3rd, 2019.

Loggerhead Shrike - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. June 3rd, 2019.

Pride of place would have to be the Loggerhead Shrike at Turner's Falls Airport found by Peter Garagin on June 3rd, a local 'mega' and a state documentation species. Considering it was a major rarity, the bird couldn't have been more obliging and entertained tens of birders but disappointed those who could only make it the following day. Despite looking settled and comfortable on the 3rd, the shrike would ultimately prove to be a one-day-wonder. The Loggerhead Shrike could well have been the last 'trump from the horn' of spring but four Semi-palmated Plovers at the Caldwell Road sod fields on the 6th showed that northbound migrants were still passing through.

Semi-palmated Plovers (4) - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. June 6th, 2019.

Red-headed Woodpecker - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. June 6th, 2019.

Red-headed Woodpecker - Montague, Franklin Co., MA. May 29th, 2019.

Grasshopper Sparrow - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. June 2nd, 2019.

With so many species settling down for breeding in Franklin County it's a little difficult to pick out some of the highlights but last month's Red-headed Woodpecker continued trying attract a mate in the Montague Plains until the 6th at least. The sandplains also hosted 11 singing Eastern Whip-poor-wills on June 1st with the nearby Turner's Falls Airfield hosting 3 - 5 Grasshopper Sparrows throughout the period, and an Eastern Meadowlark on the 2nd.  And a 'singing' American Bittern in New Salem on the 5th gave me as much pleasure as any of the above primarily because I've found it an exceptionally difficult bird to see well in Franklin County over the years.

Worm-eating Warblers - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. June 3rd, 2019.

MA - Red-headed Woodpecker - 05/15

Red-headed Woodpecker - inside cavity, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. May15th, 2010.

Saturday (05/15/10) would see us take a family visit up to the Lewis Track and Field training facility in by Eagle Brook School in Deerfield. Two evenings before that I'd heard a Red-headed Woodpecker calling from a small tract of woodland near the track and decided to go back in an attempt to get a sighting, and perhaps even an image.

On arrival we didn't hear any woodpeckers calling or drumming but patient waiting along a nearby powerline cut eventually produced one, then two Red-bellied Woodpeckers being hotly pursued by a Red-headed Woodpecker! A crazy 'back and forth' then ensued for some minutes to the point where sightings of Red-headed Woodpecker were so frequent that I felt sure two birds must be involved, but at no point did I have two Red-headed Woodpeckers in view at the same time.

This close association between the Red-bellied and Red-headed Woodpeckers was intriguing and by following them I was eventually led to a cavity high in a Sugar Maple. I saw a Red-headed Woodpecker enter the cavity, seemingly suggesting breeding - "brilliant", or so I thought! A minute or so later the Red-headed left the cavity, but the hole was still occupied, this time by a Red-bellied Woodpecker! Over the next ten minutes I watched amazed as both Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers entered and left the same cavity.

It was the first time I'd seen two different species of woodpecker attempting to occupy the same cavity but, after a little background reading, it would appear that the Red-headed may have been the aggressor. Apparently Red-headed can be aggressive towards Red-bellied (especially) and other species of woodpecker sometimes usurping them from nestholes and will also eat the eggs and nestlings of other bird species! Certainly, the size and positioning of the cavity would, in my experience, be more typical of Red-bellied Woodpecker so my assumption was (though I'm far from sure) that the Red-headed was indeed attempt to usurp this pair of Red-bellied from their cavity - not quite what I was expecting to find on a sunny Saturday morning in Western Massachusetts!

Red-headed Woodpecker - at cavity, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. May15th, 2010.

Red-bellied Woodpecker - at the same cavity as above, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. May15th, 2010.

Red-bellied and Red-headed Woodpeckers - at same cavity, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. May15th, 2010. In this image, the Red-headed is just leaving the cavity, possibly having been pushed out by the Red-bellied (just in shot inside the cavity).


Red-bellied and Red-headed Woodpeckers - at same cavity, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. May15th, 2010. Another image, the Red-headed is just leaving the cavity once again, possibly having been repelled by the Red-bellied visible inside the cavity.



Red-headed Woodpecker - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. May15th, 2010. Bird in more relaxed mode, these shots taken from the powerline cut.