MA - more Connecticut Warblers

 

Connecticut Warbler - Caldwell Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2021.

A high pressure system currently settled over much of the region brought cooler temperatures with chilly, foggy dawns and delightful fall-like days. September is surely one of the most beautiful months of the year to be out birding! Such conditions generally don't see the larger scale fall-outs associated with more active weather systems but often see a steady turnover of newly arrived migrants along with the departure of the few remaining summer migrants. This particular month I've been engrossed in the day to day changes playing out in the fields near the Northfield transfer station no more than five minutes from my home. The highlight has unquestionably been the discovery of several more Connecticut Warblers. After the personal excitement surrounding the bird that showed so well on Sep 10th, I would never have imagined being gifted even better views of a different bird on Sep 16th. The latter bird showed off and posed around me for a solid five minutes having flown in totally unsolicited following a 'Trail's' Flycatcher and a Tennessee Warbler. And, much like the Connecticut Warbler that I saw in the same fields on the 10th, it seemed to be naturally inquisitive about my presence in the hedgerow as the images appear to show. While I was watching this bird I'm pretty sure another Connecticut Warbler called from farther down the hedgerow and thirty minutes earlier I succeeded in getting marginal but conclusive audio of a calling bird in a completely different spot in the fields, so certainly a minimum of two Connecticut Warblers present on the 16th. I also heard, but did not see, a further individual bird on the 15th and may have a sound recording of that one too. So, I'm reasonably happy with at least five individual Connecticut Warblers passing through the Caldwell Road fields between Sep 10th - 16th, pretty remarkable considering how difficult the species has been in previous years. 

Habitat favored by migrant Connecticut Warblers, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 16th, 2021.

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.

MA - a Connecticut Warbler 'pops up' in northern Franklin County!

Connecticut Warbler - Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 29th, 2019.

This image appears courtesy of  the finder, Josh Layfield. 

Late September has traditionally been a diverse time in Franklin County and we usually see a busy end to the month with waves of warblers and vireos departing just as the first surges of southbound sparrows appear in the fields and hedgerows. This year, however, the last week of the month has been surprisingly quiet, limited to small pockets of birds at sites such as North Cross Road in Gill, and Pine Meadow Road in Northfield. Indeed, the 'sweet spot' at Northfield Meadows has been more or less bereft of migrants, especially looking back at the concentrations of Cape May and other warblers present during the same period last year. Western Massachusetts looks parched, dry and really ready for a change in the weather!

Connecticut Warbler - Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 29th, 2019.

This image appears courtesy of  the finder, Josh Layfield. 

And so it seems remarkable that a period with so few migrants should produce a Connecticut Warbler, very much a 'grail bird' in northern Franklin County, and found by Josh Layfield and David Sibley on Pine Meadow Road in Northfield. Moreover, Josh did incredibly well to photograph the elusive little beast (which apparently popped up for just a few seconds) and produced what may be the only photos of the species taken in Franklin County. I'm certainly not aware of any others but would happily be corrected if I'm wrong. David and Josh also found Chestnut-sided and Bay-breasted Warblers (getting late) on Pine Meadow Road and the first local White-crowned Sparrows of the fall, all on September 29th.

Chestnut-sided Warbler - Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 29th, 2019.

This image appears courtesy of Josh Layfield. 

Elsewhere, Montague Sand Plains hosted impressive numbers of Pine Warblers on the 28th with at least 20 along Old Northfield Road including many males, some of which were in song. Pine Warblers certainly seemed to be moving through with one singing on Riverview Drive, Gill on the 29th and five together on North Cross Road on the 26th. Other migrants of interest included a Wood Thrush (dead) on North Cross Road, Gill on the 24th, a Tennessee Warbler in Northfield Meadows on the 24th, an Eastern Wood-Pewee on Riverview Drive, Gill on the 27th, a late Warbling Vireo on North Cross Road on the 26th, a  Black-and-white Warbler at Canalside Railtrail in Deerfield on the 30th, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet on North Cross Road, Gill also on the 30th. There was also a strong push of Blue-headed Vireos towards the end of the month with at least five together at the Canalside Railtrail in Deerfield on the 30th.

Tennessee Warbler (first-winter) - Northfield Meadows, Franklin Co., MA. September 24th, 2019.

Eastern Wood-Pewee - Riverview Drive, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. September 27th, 2019.

Warbling Vireo - Gill, Franklin Co., MA. September 26th, 2019.

 Black-and-White Warbler - Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 30th, 2019.

Blue-headed Vireo - Hilltop Farm, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 30th, 2019.

Blue-headed Vireo - Canalside Railtrail, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 30th, 2019.

Blue Jay - Hilltop Farm, Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 30th, 2019. 

Small waves of Blue Jays passed through hilltop sites today, the first notable movement of the fall. 

The 29th also featured a small but notable gathering of shorebirds at Hell's Kitchen, with 6 Killdeer, 2 Solitary Sandpipers, 2 Least Sandpipers, a Wilson's Snipe and a Pectoral Sandpiper. 

MA - Northfield shorebirds, kestrels and Cape May Warblers

Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary and Pectoral Sandpipers - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. 

September 26th, 2018.

Another volatile weather system brought heavy rain for the whole of the 25th followed by warm, muggy, south-westerlies the next day. Storm related birds appeared to be very few on the 25th but I did find a 'pocket' of shorebirds at Caldwell Road fields in Northfield late in the day. A modest haul of 2 Pectoral, 2 Semi-palmated and 2 Least Sandpipers plus Greater Yellowlegs and Killdeer wasn't bad compared to most other sites that I checked which seemed to be bereft of birds. American Pipits though, appeared in numbers for the first time this fall with 11 visible on the sod fields.

American Pipits - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 26th, 2018.

The following day, the 26th, was a very different story. A return to the Caldwell Road fields had me captivated for three hours! The place was hopping and it was clear that a major songbird fall-out had taken place. The very first warbler that I saw and identified was a first-winter Cape May setting the theme for the morning as Cape May Warblers (12 in total) lifted out of the corn fields to filter through the trees and bushes along the roadside. Again, I was struck by the relative abundance of this species in northern Franklin County compared to previous years. Other warbler species included Yellow-rumped (10), Tennessee (5), Magnolia (2), American Redstart (3), Common Yellowthroat (9), Northern Parula (5) and plenty of unidentified birds that were just too quick or high for me to be sure of. Red-eyed (5) and Blue-headed Vireos were both included in the mix and I'm pretty sure I had a Philadelphia Vireo leaf gleaning but just couldn't clinch it.

Cape May Warbler (first-winter) - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. 

September 26th, 2018.

American Redstart (first-winter) - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 26th, 2018.

Red-eyed Vireo - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. September 26th, 2018.

Down on the sod fields, some shorebirds remained and had even increased from the previous evening, surprising given the clearing weather conditions - 5 Least, 2 Pectoral, and 3 Solitary Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs and Killdeer, and an increase to 35 American Pipits.

Solitary and Pectoral Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. 

September 26th, 2018.

In terms of spectacles, well 14 American Kestrels on wires along a stretch of dirt road no more than 300 meters would take some beating and certainly the closest I've come to a fall-out of that species in our area.

American Kestrel (5 of the 14 birds in view here) - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. 

September 26th, 2018.

Northern Harrier (juvenile) - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. 

September 26th, 2018.

Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs - Pine Meadow Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. 

September 27th, 2018.