MA - November third week

Lesser Black-backed Gull (juvenile, third from right) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2017. 

The last week has seen a mixed bag of falling temperatures, light snowfalls and occasionally blustery conditions. The high turnover birds experienced through the greater Turner's Falls area seems to have slowed right down with relatively few new birds arriving this week. However, the numbers and presence of large gulls has improved with up 65 Herring, 25 Great Black-backed, 2 - 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a single Iceland (adult) Gull showing up from the 15th, and up to 120 Ring-billed Gulls from the 19th.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (juvenile preening, third from right) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 16th, 2017. 

Ring-billed Gulls - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 19th, 2017. 

With the exception of Common Mergansers (up to 65 on the power canal) and Hooded Mergansers (up to 65 on Barton Cove) waterfowl numbers have remained consistently low with 14 Ring-necked Ducks on the 19th being the only stand-out moment. Otherwise a Common Loon, 3 Lesser Scaup, 2 Common Goldeneye remained at Barton Cove to the 21st, and a Pied-billed Grebe was present there on the 20th.

Ring-necked Ducks - over Barton Cove from Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA . November 19th, 2017.

Bald Eagles have been present throughout and relatively active with five seen together at the Turner's Falls Rod and Gun club on the 19th, and a pair actively chasing the large gulls at Barton Cove also on the 19th. Similarly, Peregrines have been present in Gill, Northfield and Turner's Falls with two together sparring over the power canal on the 21st, and a juvenile hunting Hooded Mergansers also on the 21st. Eastern Screech-Owls surprised me twice with a nice red phase appearing at dusk at Turner's Falls on the 19th, and another calling from a new site (for me) at dawn on North Cross Road, Gill on the 20th. Also on the 20th, whilst on the way to the airport, I made a slight detour to look for a Snowy Owl being reported in Hadley and met with success though the bird looked totally out of place sat atop a heavily manicured evergreen hedgerow.

Eastern Screech-Owl - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 19th, 2017. 

Snowy Owl - Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. November 20th, 2017.

Bald Eagle - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA . November 19th, 2017.

Merlin - Gill Riverside, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th, 2017.

The most interesting passerines of the week concern a smattering of flyover Snow Buntings and Purple Finches at several locations in Gill and Northfield, and gradually increasing numbers of American Tree Sparrows with eight on North Cross Road, Gill on the 21st, just by way of an example. We also had two Fox Sparrows in our yard in Northfield on the 18th and Winter Wrens have been frequent and easy to hear calling at dawn along North Cross Road, Gill with three or four individuals present.

Dark-eyed Junco - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 21st, 2017. 

American Tree Sparrow - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 21st, 2017. 

MA - Great Cormorants, White-eyed Vireo, Snowy Owl and more

Great Cormorant (left) with Double-crested Cormorant - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 8th, 2017.

November, the month that just keeps on giving! The 8th dawned cold, gray and full of snow flurries, a remarkable contrast from just two days prior when it dawned a muggy 62 deg F in Gill. With winds in the north I made an effort to get down to Turner's Falls before taking Matan to school and was rewarded with two Great Cormorants that arrived singly at the Rod & Gun club with one heading downstream to Unity Park, and the other departing south after spending just a few minutes on the water. Once again, the broad expanse of river above the Turner's Falls dam proved that its an attractive draw to scarce and unusual species but in the same respect has little to hold such birds which usually move on quickly. On a personal level, this was only my second observation of Great Cormorant in Franklin County, my first being in North Quabbin in mid-November 2005. I'm aware of others, specifically in Turner's Falls with one from Brian Kane at the power canal on February 13th, 2005 and another (with photos) from Peter Garigan on December 7th & 8th, 2016, the latter being at the Rod & Gun club. 

Great Cormorant (left) with Double-crested Cormorant - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 8th, 2017.

Great Cormorant - Turner's Falls Rod & Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 8th, 2017.

The first bird arriving from the NE at 07:22 hours before continuing down river. 

Great Cormorant  - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 8th, 2017.

Presumed same as the bird featured in flight above......this shot was taken at 07:52 hours.

Remarkably, despite the snow showers and a marked drop in temperature, the long staying White-eyed Vireo surprised me once again in its favored nook by the Connecticut River though it was a no show on the 9th.....but the same patch of scrub attracted no less than three Hermit Thrushes that  particular morning.

Great Cormorant - arriving in snow showers, Turner's Falls Rod & Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 8th, 2017. 

Great Cormorant - Turner's Falls Rod & Gun club, Franklin Co., MA. November 8th, 2017. 
This was the second bird and it departed at 07:38 hours heading south towards Montague Plains. 

Late on the 9th, an ebird report concerning a relatively local Snowy Owl surfaced from Bill Lafley in New Salem. The morning of the 10th dawned frigid with a blustery north-westerly wind and I had concerns that the Snowy Owl would have moved on overnight but fortunately for us, Bill Lafley relocated his bird and posted the news in a timely manner. By mid-morning Matan and I were enjoying reasonable views of the owl from the road as it warmed itself on a dry-stone wall off Wendell Road in New Salem.

Snowy Owl - New Salem, Franklin Co., MA. November 10th, 2017. 

Early morning on the 10th had also seen a nice arrival of waterfowl at Turner's Falls including 31 Bufflehead, 3 Ring-necked Ducks, and a Gadwall among some lingering Lesser Scaup, American Wigeon and Green-winged Teal. The conditions were so frigid that most of these were hunkered together in one sheltered cove. 

MA - back from Kirtland's country

Back from a recent and very successful Birdfinders trip to Ohio and Michigan. As usual, it was absolutely superb for warblers with 31 species recorded matching our warbler tally from the 2013 and 2014 tours. In addition to breathtaking views of Kirtland's Warbler some of this year's highlights involved lingering winterers including an unprecedented Snowy Owl and a rather unexpected Rough-legged Hawk!

Kirtland's Warbler - male, near Grayling, Huron NF, MI. May 17th, 2015.

 Henslow's Sparrow - Ottawa NWR, OH. May 14th, 2015.

Mourning Warbler - Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, OH. May 16th, 2015.

Tennessee Warbler - male, Tawas Point SP, MI. May 18th, 2015.

 Blackburnian Warbler - male, Tawas Point SP, MI. May 19th, 2015.

Chestnut-sided Warbler - male, Tawas Point SP, MI. May 18th, 2015.

 Snowy Owl - male, Wurtsmith AFB, MI. May 17th, 2015.

Gracious thanks to Scott Surner and Val Miller for the tips on how to find this one!

Rough-legged Hawk - light morph, Tuttle Marsh National Wildlife Area, MI. May 18th, 2015.

MA - local Snowy - 12/31

Inspired by ebird reports of a male Snowy Owl in Deerfield, we took a family visit down to Deerfield Meadows, just 20 minutes south of our home in Gill. We didn't see any other birders in the area so assumed we might be in the wrong place, but we hadn't been there long before Susannah casually mentioned "got one". There sitting on a piece of rusty old farm machinery was my first Pioneer Valley Snowy Owl.  Since it was quite heavily barred on the upper and underparts, I wasn't entirely sure if we were looking at the same bird referenced on ebird. No matter, it sat seemingly content as we admired it for thirty minutes from a comfortable distance with a scope. What a stunner to see in "the valley".

Snowy Owl - Old Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. December 31st, 2013,

MA - Christmas Snowies on Plum Island

On Christmas Eve we hooked up with some friends and met at Lot 1, Parker River NWR. Snowy Owls were very much the theme for the day and with reports of 16-17 from the previous day our the chances seemed very favorable indeed. In the event, it was a raw day with temps below freezing and a biting wind that chilled the atmosphere even further. Even so, seeing Snowy Owls wasn't too much of a problem and Susannah's sharp eyes soon picked out one from the boat ramp across from Lot 1. But getting close to them was a different can-of-worms altogether and most of the nine or so that we saw during the day were distant white 'lumps' way out in the saltmarsh. Fortunately, Susannah (again) spotted a closer one in the dunes, a bird which (luckily) was free of an audience and roosted peacefully in the dunes as we admired it with scopes from a comfortable distance.

Snowy Owl - Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.

All images of the same individual taken using a Canon Powershot G10 through a Swarovski HD Scope. 

Other birds of interest during the day included a dark-morph Rough-legged Hawk (distant), a Merlin, a juvenile Bald Eagle, a Sharp-shinned Hawk and at least six Northern Harriers.

Northern Harrier - Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.

Long-tailed Duck -male from the beach, Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.

 

Sanderling - from the beach, Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.

Snow Buntings - part of a flock of about 45, Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.

MA - Northern Harrier & Snowy Owls - 12/08

A few weeks ago we had a short family visit to Plum Island hoping, perhaps, to enjoy a sample of the large numbers of Snowy Owls being reported there and elsewhere along the Atlantic Coast. In the event, we had no trouble at all in finding Snowies with two birds visible from the first parking lot almost as soon as we arrived. We went on to see a further three or four, though none were especially close. We had no such problem with this beautiful juvenile Northern Harrier which seemed oblivious to our presence as it hunted at close quarters near the parking lot at Sandy Point. 

All images from Plum Island, Essex Co., MA. December 8th, 2013.