MA - a Rufous Hummingbird in Millers Falls

 

Rufous Hummingbird - Millers Falls, Franklin Co. MA. November 11th, 2022. 

Found by Bruce Kanash at his home, ID ultimately verified by Master bander Anthony Hill. 

November 10th was warm and breezy with winds in the southern quarter. Since I hadn't been out to the Quabbin for a few weeks I thought I'd give it a try feeling open minded but not overly optimistic. On arrival at Gate 35 a chance encounter with Jeff Johnstone ultimately led to an encounter with a Rufous Hummingbird in Millers Falls later the same morning! A Selaphorus hummingbird had been coming to a feeder at a residence close to Millers Falls center. As it turned out, Jeff and the home owner, Bruce Kanash, had been friends for years. Bruce had first noted the hummingbird at his feeders on October 8th and kudos to Jeff, together with Ernie LeBlanc and Bruce, who identified it as a Rufous/Allen's on November 8th. 

Rufous Hummingbird - Millers Falls, Franklin Co. MA. November 11th, 2022. 

Found by Bruce Kanash at his home, ID ultimately verified by Master bander Anthony Hill. 

Quite naturally I was interested in taking a look at such a rarity, especially since I pass through Millers Falls almost every day and Bruce's house happened to be on one of my regular biking riding routes! Bruce was extremely generous with his time which was fortunate because the bird itself proved to be rather skittish. In the event, I visited on Nov 10th and 11th but never saw the hummingbird whilst standing outside. At the time, it could only be viewed from inside Bruce's home but thanks to Bruce I managed nice views on both days and secured some shots of the spread tail on Nov 11th. Certainly the images of the spread tail showed a moderate notch in R2 pointing towards a Rufous Hummingbird and I messaged Bruce with my suspicions. A few days later, on the 14th, Bruce was courteous enough to call and let me know that Anthony Hill had just successfully caught and banded the bird and identified it as hatching-year Rufous. Moreover, the bird was in good condition weighing in at 4 grams and returned to the feeders straight after banding! As the weather worsens and night time temperatures drop to well below freezing, it should certainly be interesting to see how long the hummer sticks around at Bruce's home. On a personal level, I'm extremely grateful to Bruce for sharing his hummingbird, and his hospitality.  

Around 45 confirmed records of Rufous Hummingbird currently exist for Massachusetts with others pending. However, reports from Franklin County appear to be exceedingly rare with only one other verified record to date, a single bird that came to a feeder in Ashfield in Nov/Dec 2004. 

Red-throated Loons (3) - Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2022.

Red-necked Grebe (juvenile) - Lake Mattawa, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2022.

November in the Pioneer Valley often has a treat or two in store aside from rarities. After a fairly low key migration of waterfowl through our area it was good to finally see some Red-throated Loons in Turner's Falls on the 16th, part of a mini fall-out and a result of inclement weather, with a wider spread arrival of Red-throated Loons in southern Vermont and the Berkshires. Many of these, much like the Turner's loons, moved on quickly as the weather conditions eased somewhat during mid-morning. The same day also saw 13 Buffleheads and a Surf Scoter (immature male) at Turner's Falls and a Red-necked Grebe at Lake Mattawa. 

In terms of passerines, well this does seem to have been a very good month locally for Winter Wrens with multiple sightings at Northfield (Caldwell Road), Gill (North Cross Road), Barton Cove, Turner's Falls and Montague at the very least. It's not a rare species but numbers of fall migrants do appear to fluctuate from year to year, and this seems to be a good late fall period for them.

Winter Wren - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th. 2022.

Snow Buntings - Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2022.

Six in total and nice to see a few on the ground instead of the usual flyovers!

Barred Owl - with prey, possibly Eastern Chipmunk. Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 13th, 2022. 

Good numbers of Barred Owls in Gill/Northfield/Bernardston this fall including, sadly, several road killed on I-91 and Rt 10. 

MA - pictorial highlights during Thanksgiving week

Barnacle Goose (adult) - Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 28th, 2020. No doubt the same bird that's been using the Turner's Fall power canal for roosting and bathing since November 23rd. 

As if the prospect of one or more lingering Barnacle Geese wasn't enough to grace Thanksgiving week, winter finches continued to show in numbers almost unabated. In particular, Pine Grosbeaks settled into a couple of reliable feeding spots at Wendall and Northfield after several weeks of frustrating flyovers. Red Crossbills remained in their reliable haunts at Montague Sand Plains (85+) and North Cross Road, Gill (5+) and flocks of Common Redpolls, mercurial if nothing else, showed up in flocks of 25 - 30 in several birch stands before disappearing just as suddenly as they'd appeared. Of the irruptive finches, White-winged Crossbills have been the most difficult to catch up with and continue to elude my camera though I got pretty close this morning (Nov 28th) with two passing low over North Cross Road, Gill. The latter site is also currently hosting a fairly late Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a couple of Winter Wrens. However, numbers of Evening Grosbeaks do appear to be tapering and in fact I only saw a single over North Cross Road during the whole of Thanksgiving week where formerly I was seeing them almost daily. A Yellow-rumped Warbler on Pine Meadow Road, Northfield on Nov 26th could well be my last warbler species of the year though I wouldn't rule out finding another in December. 

Barnacle Goose (adult) - Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 28th, 2020.

Pine Grosbeaks -  on a soggy Thanksgiving morning, Wendall State Forest, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2020. First noted by Bruce Kanash on November 25th. 

Aside from rare geese, the Turner's Falls area managed to pull in a Red-throated Loon on Nov 25th, 5 Greater Scaup on Nov 26th and the first Iceland Gull of the fall on Nov 27th/28th. 

Red-throated Loon (adult) and Red Fox - Turner's Falls,  Franklin Co., November 25th, 2020. 

Red-throated Loon (adult) - Turner's Falls,  Franklin Co., November 25th, 2020. 

Greater Scaup (5) -  Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., November 26th, 2020. 

Iceland Gull (kumlieni)  -  first-winter, Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., November 28th, 2020. 

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Pine Meadow Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2020. 

Horrible shot I know. Taken through the car windscreen during a downpour and included purely for the records. 

Common Redpoll  -  Montague, Franklin Co., November 18th, 2020. 

Red Crossbill (fem/imm) -  Montague, Franklin Co., November 25th, 2020. 

Pileated Woodpecker  -  Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., November 26th, 2020. 

MA - Pacific-slope Flycatcher still in Hadley after a frigid week!

Pacific-slope Flycatcher - off Huntington Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. November 15th, 2019.

This week seemingly brought an abrupt end to fall with frigid temperatures overnight and most days barely reaching above freezing. Today, Friday the 15th, was the first day since Monday with some genuine warmth in the sunshine. Coupled with relatively light winds, the conditions seemed ideal to check on the Pacific-slope Flycatcher in Hadley. The bird was already in view when I arrived at about 10:30 am and was kindly pointed out to me by Mary Ess-Why and Nancy Demers, and together we enjoyed super views at close range in bright autumnal sunshine. Quite how this tiny 'western' flycatcher is surviving the freezing temperatures in Hadley I'm not quite sure but at least today it was warm enough for the bird to be actively foraging as well as perched up absorbing the sun's warmth for sustained periods. 

Pacific-slope Flycatcher - off Huntington Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. November 15th, 2019.

And it was even foraging from the ground along the main track in front of us!

The Pacific-slope Flycatcher has definitely been the 'banner' species this week but I did manage to connect with the Clay-colored Sparrow on the 12th found by Josh Layfield in Deerfield's North Meadows. On the same day there was also a Red-throated Loon at Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club. It's actually been a good week for sparrows with increased numbers of White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, as well as American Tree Sparrows.  Scarcer species have included White-crowned Sparrow (3) and Field Sparrow (1) at Deerfield North Meadows. Less usual, and the first that I've noted this fall, was a Red Crossbill moving south over Pine Meadow Road in Northfield on the 15th.

Clay-colored Sparrow - Deerfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. November 12th, 2019.

Originally found by Josh Layfield on November 11th. 

Red-throated Loon - non-breeding plumage, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 12th, 2019.

White-crowned Sparrow - first-winter, Deerfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. November 14th, 2019.

American Tree Sparrow - Deerfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. November 14th, 2019.

MA - Black-legged Kittiwake and even more Red-throated Loons (9) in Turner's Falls

Black-legged Kittikwake (center) - first-cycle with Ring-billed Gulls, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Red-throated Loons - eight of nine present,  Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Having had a pleasing morning in Turner's Falls, I decided to return for an hour in late afternoon to check and see if the morning's Red-throated Loons had moved on. The snow showers had turned into fairly persistent rain and my first stop at Barton Cove boat ramp yielded little and certainly nothing in the way of Red-throated Loons. With about 45 minutes of reasonable daylight to play with I then opted to check the Turner's Rod and Gun club instead of the power canal and I'm glad I did! On arrival, the first flock that I noticed was a tight raft of nine Red-throated Loons! As I wrestled with my scope in the rain, a small flock of Ring-billed Gulls resting on the water looked worthy of a quick scan. With them was a slightly smaller gull with a dove like head, all black bill and a black half-collar - a first-cycle Black-legged Kittiwake! Getting decent images proved to be a real challenge in the gloom and as neither the loons or the kittiwake were particularly close and the resulting record shots are pretty awful but at least there's something there. Further scanning produced the Common Loon, Surf Scoter and Lesser Scaup still present from the morning with new arrivals in the form a Ruddy Duck and three Red-necked Grebes! A quick pit stop at Unity Park on the way home found the Iceland Gull (second-cycle) roosting once again with a tiny handful of larger gulls

Red-throated Loons - all nine birds visible in this shot, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Red-throated Loons - all nine birds, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Red-throated Loons - eight of nine present, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

 Black-legged Kittikwake - first-cycle with Ring-billed Gulls, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Black-legged Kittikwake (second from right) - first-cycle with Ring-billed Gulls, Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Iceland Gull - second-cycle with Herring Gull, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018.

Black-legged Kittiwakes are extremely rare in interior Massachusetts but this was my third in Franklin County with the other two records being an adult at Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club on October 11th, 2005, and an adult in the wake of Hurricane Sandy at Barton Cove, Gill on November 5th, 2012;
https://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2012/11/ma-black-legged-kittiwake-gill.html


And here's an excerpt from an article on Western Massachusetts Rarities (Kellogg and Smith) published in Bird Observer Volume 35, Number 1 summarizing all the records of Black-legged Kittiwake up to February 2007;

MA - Red-throated Loons (4) in Turner's Falls.

Red-throated Loons - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018. 

Distant records shots in a snowstorm. 

Another winter weather event brought a small but significant arrival of waterbirds to Barton Cove and Turner's Falls this morning, the most thrilling of which was the appearance of four Red-throated Loons. The completely overcast conditions combined with a persistent wintery mix of rain, sleet and snow seemed like just the ticket to force them down and strongly recalled the arrival of four Red-throated Loons on November 14th last year; https://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2017/11/ma-more-red-throated-loons.html

Red-throated Loons - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018. 

Distant records shots in a snowstorm. 

This morning, two of the loons were inside Barton Cove best viewed from the public boat ramp whilst the other two were at the Turner's Falls Rod and Gun where new birds included a Surf Scoter (first-winter male) and Lesser Scaup (first-winter male) and a juvenile Common Loon. A female Surf Scoter, 10 Ring-necked Ducks, 6 Common Goldeneye and around 65 Hooded Mergansers continued inside Barton Cove.

Red-throated Loons - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018. Distant digi-scoped shot.

Red-throated Loons - Turner's Falls Rod and Club, Franklin Co., MA. November 20th, 2018. 

Distant records shots in heavy snow. 

Earlier I checked the Caldwell Road fields in Northfield but found just four Horned Larks and Savannah Sparrow by the roadside and it looks like the flock containing the longspurs has moved on. Noteworthy passerines elsewhere included an American Pipit at Barton Cove boat ramp, plus a Ruby-crowned Kinglet on Riverview Drive, Gill.

MA - more Red-throated Loons

Red-throated Loons - Turner's Falls Rod & Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 14th, 2017.

After an all-too-brief Red-throated Loon at Barton Cove/Unity Park on Nov 6th, it was more than rewarding to see a mini arrival of the species at the Rod & Gun club this morning. The day had a pretty dreary start with sleet showers and apparently no new waterbirds at Barton Cove but as I arrived at the Rod & Gun club just before 8am, a party of three Red-throated Loons touched down on the water. My impression was that they'd just arrived but I couldn't say for sure. Some 35 minutes later, all three loons began giving wailing calls from the water and a fourth Red-throated Loon dropped out of the sky to join the group. The quartet then settled in for the day and quite a few birders got up to see them. Somewhat surprisingly, no other waterfowl appeared to be associated with the loon movement, at least at Turner's Falls, and I didn't detect anything new although it was nice to see the Common Loon at Barton Cove lingering for its fourth day.

Red-throated Loons - Turner's Falls Rod & Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 14th, 2017.

Camera data info placed the fourth bird arriving at 08:38 hours, slightly later than I initially thought.

Other birds of note included single Snow Buntings at Barton Cove boat ramp in Gill, and at South Ferry Road in Montague, plus a 'getting late' Yellow-rumped Warbler, also at the boat ramp.

The evening saw the first significant arrival of Great Black-backed Gulls with around a dozen dropping into the cove at Unity Park. With them came a crisp, smart looking juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull before a pair of Bald Eagles flushed the lot and began chasing down one of the Great Black-backed Gulls.

After sunset, I tried my luck at a traditional spot for Northern Saw-whet Owls in the north of Franklin County and had some excellent success with three individuals heard giving a broad range of vocalizations  including soft 'tooting', squealing or wailing calls, 'kew' calls often delivered in twos or threes and sometimes strung together in a  short series, and a scolding 'chitter' which I tend to hear less frequently than the other call types. In the distance, a pair Barred Owls called back and forth as if to supplement the pair of Great Horned Owls that I heard and saw in courtship in Gill this morning - three owl species for the day! The best actual 'sighting' in the woods this evening was a Flying Squirrel that glided some distance before landing flush on the side of a deciduous trunk. I haven't seen too many Flying Squirrels in Western Mass and to see one actually 'flying' was completely cool! 

MA - Redheads and a Red-throated Loon in Gill

 Redheads - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2017.

 Yet another fascinating day for migration in northern Franklin County, a day which really began the previous evening as warm, moist air brought fog and heavy rain showers all night resulting quite a few birds. The previous evening brought the first major arrival of gulls to Turner's Falls as a single flock of 15+ Ring-billed and 45+ Herring Gulls suddenly appeared out of the gloom and settled at the power canal. 

This morning (11/06) I did my run in the darkness and finished with enough time to get down to Barton Cove for first light. It looked quite barren at first but an American Coot suddenly appeared next to the boat ramp and 3 Redheads looked nervous as they hung around with the Canada Geese. At the Rod & Gun club good numbers of Canada Geese were already departing by the time I arrived and there was no sign of the previous day's Pink-footed Goose seen by just two lucky observers mid-morning. But I did find 16 Green-winged Teal, 2 American Wigeon, a Bufflehead, a Common Goldeneye, 2 Ring-necked Ducks and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers among other things whilst I was there. 

Red-throated Loon - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2017.

By 8am I was back home and back into our daily routine but sneaked out just before noon amid yet more heavy showers. The Redheads remained on Barton Cove but as attractive as they were, the bird that really captured my imagination was a Red-throated Loon way out on the cove. Since I was some distance away, I decided to move over to the boat ramp for better views, proceeded to lose it and never saw the bird again! It disappeared just as mysteriously as it had appeared. Despite watching the Gill/Turner's Falls area regularly during spring and fall migration I couldn't recall ever seeing a Red-throated Loon in the area before and for some reason it looked unexpectedly out of place on Barton Cove!

American Coot - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2017.

The balmy, wet southerlies continued for much of the day, grounding the Redheads for the whole day and bringing a nice male Long-tailed Duck to the Rod & Club in late afternoon. On the other hand, 8 Common Goldeneye at the power canal looked more like returning winterers than actual migrants. As if the day wasn't complete enough, the White-eyed Vireo once again showed up in its sheltered nook by the Connecticut River in Turner's Falls.

White-eyed Vireo - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2017.