MA - Mourning Warbler.....Northfield

 

Mourning Warbler - Caldwell Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 14th, 2021.

The last two days have seen a distinct swing towards slightly later season migrants in Northfield with Swainson's Thrush, Northern Waterthrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler and White-throated Sparrow (8) all making their first appearances at Caldwell Road fields. In addition, up to 25 Common Yellowthroats and 5 Lincoln's Sparrows both showed obvious increases over the 13th and 14th. A couple of late migrants also turned up with two Yellow Warblers (together) and a Willow Flycatcher on the 13th. 

Lincoln's Sparrow - Caldwell Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 13th, 2021.

Mourning Warbler - Caldwell Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 14th, 2021.

But in general, warbler numbers and diversity remain quite low for this time of year. All the more rewarding then to have good views of a calling Mourning Warbler on the 14th, in my view something of a county rarity on fall migration. In fact, I've actually had more luck with Connecticut Warbler over the years though the tiny handful of Mourning Warblers I've encountered tended to be bolder and more cooperative. 

Mourning Warbler - Northfield Meadows, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 18th, 2020.

Historical image, also from Northfield in mid-September. 

The 14th also produced a 'heard-only' Connecticut Warbler that called just once from a dense patch of Jewelweed, totally catching me off guard as I walked a mere five paces from my car at the start of the day. Despite much effort and patience, it couldn't be coaxed into view. While I'm pretty hesitant to call Connecticut Warbler by sound only the loud, distinct 'pwik' call was close enough to be sure and I'm not at all surprised that the bird didn't show given the mercurial nature of the species. 

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.

May - fourth week; Canada Warblers, Black Bears and a Sandhill Crane!

Canada Warbler (male) - Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA. May 25th, 2020. 

The last week of May began with an especially notable arrival of Canada Warblers on the 25th, most of which appeared to be pure migrants with singles singing on Boyle Road, Gill, Smiarowski Road, Montague (Brian Kane and Noel Watkins) and Hilltop Farm, Deerfield (David Sibley). I say "especially notable' because Canada Warblers have been especially scarce this spring. As luck would have it, I found a further three Canada Warblers during a mid-morning visit to Orchard Hill at Umass-Amherst where I came across an unexpectedly good fall-out of northern passerines including; Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (1), Swainson's Thrush (3), Tennessee Warbler (11), Northern Parula (3), Magnolia Warbler (9), Bay-breasted Warbler (3), Blackpoll Warbler (6), Black-throated Green Warbler (12). In the evening a Common Nighthawk flew NNE over the Sunderland/Montague townline, one of the very few local nighthawks seen in migration this spring.

Magnolia Warbler (male) - Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA. May 25th, 2020. 

Black-throated Blue Warbler (female) - Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA. May 25th, 2020. 

Swainson's Thrush - Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA. May 25th, 2020. 

Ovenbird - Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA. May 25th, 2020. 

Bay-breasted Warbler - Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA. May 25th, 2020. 

The following day (May 26th), saw two Blackpoll Warblers, an Alder Flycatcher and a new Canada Warbler all singing on North Cross Road, Gill and single Olive-sided Flycatchers at Hell's Kitchen, Northfield (Josh Layfield) and Hilltop Farm, Deerfield (David Sibley).


The 27th saw a further three Blackpoll Warblers along North Cross Road, Gill where there was also had a singing Black-billed Cuckoo but I think the highlight would have to be the discovery of one, possibly two, Grasshopper Sparrows at a new site in Deerfield.

Grasshopper Sparrow - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. May 27th, 2020. 

Two Blackpoll Warblers were singing in our Northfield yard on the 28th and a singing Mourning Warbler was in Deerfield (David Sibley), the latter species seems to have been decidedly scarce this month, especially compared to last year.

The week also produced a number of daytime Black Bear sightings including singles in Gill on the 28th and Charlemont on the 31st, and this one neatly photographed by Brian Kane in his backyard in Sunderland on the 27th!

Black Bear - Sunderland, Franklin Co., MA. May 27th, 2020. 

Image appears courtesy of Brian Kane. 

As the month drew to a close, the air was full of the sounds of breeding species settling down for the season in Franklin County with especially an especially vocal Virginia Rail in Gill, and a distinct increase in singing Alder Flycatchers and Black-billed Cuckoos. The last day of the month was neatly rounded off by a stunning Sandhill Crane preening in a roadside marsh, quite oblivious to the Sunday traffic and attention that it was receiving from the passing public! 

Sandhill Crane - Ashfield, Franklin Co., MA. May 31st, 2020.

May - third week

Veery - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

Plentiful during the Mass Audubon bird-a-thon. This was off River Road, Gill. 

It hardly seems like a week has already passed since the Mass Audubon Bird-a-thon event last weekend! In terms of migration, gradually dwindling numbers of northbound migrants tapered towards the end of the week.

Upinngil Farm, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 15th, 2020. The storm clouds that brought an abrupt end to Friday evening viewing during the bird-a-thon. 

The Mass Audubon Bird-a-thon was just fabulous. Given the climate of the time, it was a human-powered, socially distant event, restricted to families birding from home and nearby surroundings. Being a 'carbon-free' effort, bicycles were allowed and between 6pm on Friday the 15th and 6pm on Saturday the 16th I managed to log 54 miles of Garmin measured riding and notched up 114 different bird species. I was impressed with that tally considering no vehicles were involved and the fact that a major thunderstorm brought an abrupt and early end to plans for night birding on the Friday. My 'remote' field companions, all independently covering other corners of Franklin County, had successful days too with plenty of migrants around though usually reliable summer breeders such as Black-billed Cuckoo and Alder Flycatcher were notably absent. However, between my family and three other teams working Franklin County, we managed a combined haul of 126 species - all on foot or by bicycle. During the count I discovered that North Cross Road was something of a sweet spot for warblers, especially Cape May Warblers with more than a dozen there on the 16th and a huge count of 25 on the 17th. With them came Bay-breasted, Blackpoll and Tennessee Warblers and a lot of Northern Parulas. I really enjoyed the bird-a-thon but as much as I'd like to do it again next year, I'm genuinely hopeful that my tour schedule will be up and running and we'll have returned to 'relative normal' in spring 2021. 

Early morning, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

Early morning, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Northfield, RT 142, Franklin Co., MA. May 15th, 2020.

Some unfortunate roadkill along the bird-a-thon , two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak below.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male) - Northfield, RT 10, Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

 Louisiana Waterthrush - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

Plentiful during the Mass Audubon bird-a-thon with 27 noted on the 16th. This one was off River Road, Gill. 

Swainson's Thrush - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

A scarce migrant, this one was off River Road, Gill. 

 Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

Woodland fringe on the Mass Audubon bird-a-thon, off River Road, Gill. 

Cape May Warbler  - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

Very good numbers (16) seen during the Mass Audubon bird-a-thon. This male was on North Cross Road, Gill. 

Even more were present on North Cross Road the next day. 

Cape May Warbler  (male) - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 17th, 2020.

Image appears courtesy of Josh Layfield. 

Cape May Warbler  (male) - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 17th, 2020.

Image appears courtesy of Josh Layfield. 

Wilson's Warbler - Greenfield Community College,  Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

Image appears courtesy of Josh Layfield. 

Josh managed to tally four of these scarce spring migrants in the college grounds during the bird-athon.

My trusty steed. Giant Revel. Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. May 16th, 2020.

54 miles ridden at an average speed of 11.5 miles mph and 114 bird species recorded. 

Mid-week was, for me at least, highlighted by nice close views of a migrant Gray-cheeked Thrush at the mountain bike trails at Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst on the 19th. It was very co-operative and feeding right alongside a Swainson's Thrush. The 19th/20th also bought a strong 'wave' of Tennessee Warblers throughout northern Franklin County with at least 15 singing the Montague area alone. The 22nd brought fewer Tennessee Warblers and a couple of Blackpoll Warblers to the Gill area but did produce a nice surprise in the form of a Solitary Sandpiper on Ben Hale Road, Gill.

Gray-cheeked Thrush - Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA. May 19th, 2020.

Swainson's Thrush - Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA. May 19th, 2020.

Gray-cheeked and Swainson's Thrush (rear) - Orchard Hill, Umass-Amherst, Hampshire Co., MA. May 19th, 2020.

Solitary Sandpiper - Ben Hale Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 22nd, 2020.

May 14th -

Bobolink - one of at least five singing males, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 14th, 2020.

The day dawned cold, clear and frosty once more. Initial indications appeared to point to very few new birds so I settled for catching up with some local breeding birds including Bobolinks and Orchard Orioles in Gill, and Killdeers at Turner's Falls where I just happened to come across a nest with four eggs!

Killdeer (nest with eggs) - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. May 14th, 2020.

As the day warmed up migrant warblers including Blue-winged, Nashville and Northern Parula became more obvious but as I set off for a morning bike ride I wasn't quite prepared for the numbers of parulas that would actually be out there. A 22 mile loop from Montague Plains through Sunderland and Turner's Falls produced no less that 40 Northern Parulas, easily the biggest wave of the species that I've experienced in Franklin County. Other notable arrivals on the same ride included Northern Waterthrush (8) which seem to have been scarce so far this spring and Yellow-throated Vireo (4), notably late in arrival compared to previous springs.


The evening hours were decidedly balmy in Gill (72 deg F) with a fantastic chorus of Barred Owls and Wood Thrushes and my first 'singing' Veery of the spring. Our yard in Northfield also turned out to be something of a sweet spot for thrushes with Susannah spotting a migrant Swainson's Thrush, several foraging Veeries plus a Hermit Thrush in song early in the morning.

Covid Spring V

Virginia Rail - Franklin Co., MA. April 23rd, 2020.

A difficult, unseasonably cold week has just passed. Temperatures at dawn were often below freezing bringing a thin layer of ice to some of the smaller ponds in the area and, on top of that, pesky raw winds from the NW brought more snow flurries in mid-week. Not surprisingly, migration was effectively stalled though a few hardy species did appear including an early House Wren at Barton Cove on April 20th. Otherwise, much of the migration was composed of slightly less obvious migrants with a particularly strong showing of Ruby-crowned Kinglets all week with up to six birds at places such as North Cross Road, Barton Cove, and Riverview Drive all in Gill plus other sites in Northfield and Bernardston. Savannah Sparrows cropped up in small flocks in several places including Deerfield Meadows, Northfield Meadows and even along North Cross Road in Gill. The flocks did contain several paler, light colored birds that seemed to stand out from the rest, and were first highlighted by Josh Layfield being noted at Northfield Meadows and North Cross Road and actually much earlier in the month by David Sibley at Deerfield Meadows. Also of interest, two Eastern Meadowlarks showed up at a promising looking grassland area in Deerfield on the 19th (Josh Layfield), remained all week increasing to three birds by the 24th.

House Wren - Barton Cove, Franklin Co., MA. April 20th, 2020.

A fairly early migrant, perhaps my earliest in Franklin County.

Eastern Meadowlark - Deerfield. Franklin Co., MA. April 24th, 2020.
One of three present in suitable breeding habitat.

Savannah Sparrow - Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. April 21st, 2020.
Small numbers of migrants passed through Franklin County this week including several notably paler birds. 

Warblers were scarce but small waves of Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers filtered through all week, as did Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Louisiana Waterthrushes, usually very vocal in the third week of April, remained atypically quiet throughout the week with just a handful of birds bursting into song at a wide scatter of locations.

But on the plus side, our Northfield yard was quite lively over the last two days with 10 White-throated Sparrows and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet on the 24th and an early Swainson's Thrush hopping around the back lawn on the 25th.

At Barton Cove the most notable waterbirds were up to 26 Ring-necked Ducks, 2 female Buffleheads and 6 Great Blue Herons on the 21st, and at least 17 Double-crested Cormorants on the 22nd.

Probably my personal highlight of the whole week was a close encounter with a Virginia Rail, a scarce but probably overlooked breeding visitor to Franklin County. In fact, I heard two birds calling simultaneously at the same marsh on the 23rd and had pretty nice views of one of them.

Great Blue Herons (6) - Barton Cove, Franklin Co., MA. April 21st, 2020.

Quite unusual to see an actual 'flock' of migrant Great Blue Herons resting at Barton Cove. 

MA - migration and a little more Le Conte's.........

Le Conte's Sparrow - Mill Village Road, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2019.

The last few days have been characterized by cool, foggy nights giving way to glorious autumnal days. The temptation to be outside has been huge, and I've been sneaking out when ever the opportunity arises. Fresh migrants have appeared on all of the last three mornings, particularly on North Cross Road, Gill with a Swainson's Thrush and 2 Blue-headed Vireos on the 14th, more Blue-headed Vireos and a wave of Ruby-crowned Kinglets on the 15th, and 45 White-throated Sparrows, 35 Chipping Sparrows, 6 Golden-crowned Kinglets and 9 Hermit Thrushes on the 16th. The 15th saw a notable push of Chipping Sparrows and I tallied 115 birds in the Gill/Northfield area, all of them in flocks in roadside yards and on street corners, areas where I  wouldn't typically go birding.

Le Conte's Sparrow - Mill Village Road, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2019.

Le Conte's Sparrow - Mill Village Road, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2019.

Le Conte's Sparrow - Mill Village Road, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2019.

The cold October evenings also brought to mind owls, more specifically Northern Saw-whet Owl and on the 15th Josh Layfield and I made our first owling attempt of the autumn. Our chosen site was Wendell, and we tried three spots hearing a Barred Owl at the first, nothing at the second but managed to confirm our first Saw-whet of the fall at the third site. The latter bird gave one clear, unambiguous "keew" , a call usually associated with hatch-year birds and most typically heard on fall migration. Needless to say we were delighted!

Savannah Sparrow - Mill Village Road, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2019.

Northern Harrier (juvenile) - Mill Village Road, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 16th, 2019.

The 16th found me back down at Mill Village Road in Deerfield trying get lucky (between errands) with the Le Conte's Sparrow.  It was late morning so hardly the best time, plus I hadn't seen any successful reports from that time of day, but I was curious to see what else the fields could offer. The answer was 'scads' of Savannah Sparrows (120+) and the continuing Le Conte's Sparrow. The latter seemed to be so focused on feeding that it was exceptionally difficult to see and the call note, which seemed so distinctive when I heard it two days ago, was somehow lost amid the frequent and similar sounding call notes of Savannah Sparrow. Even so, it was close to noon when I caught up with the Le Conte's Sparrow and I can admit to being delighted to see it skulk in the rank grasses at that time of day.