MA - Harlequin plus White-fronted and Cackling Geese

 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) and Ring-necked Duck (adult male) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 11th, 2021. 

This Harlequin was first discovered by Anne Jemas on the Millers River, January 1st, 2021.

Yesterday's Greater White-fronted Geese offered a clear indication that waterfowl diversity is picking up locally. With that in mind I checked Barton Cove fairly early this morning hoping for the white-fronts and anything else that might have dropped in with the Canada Geese. On arrival at cove I was greeted with an obvious increase in waterfowl numbers, especially diving ducks with 27 Ring-necked Ducks, 8 Hooded and 5 Common Mergansers, a dozen Common Goldeneye and a male Harlequin Duck....What?!! After rubbing my eyes a couple of times, sure enough, there indeed was a Harlequin, undoubtedly the same immature male that had been wintering a few miles upstream on the Millers River. Despite multiple birders checking, myself included, the Harlequin hadn't been seen on the Millers River since February 5th with that particular sighting coming from Jeremiah Trimble. A cool five weeks later, and there it was off Riverview Drive, Gill consorting with a couple of Common Goldeneyes. It was flighty this morning and rarely settled for long, and I last saw it around noon. 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 11th, 2021. 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 11th, 2021. 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male, left) - with Common Goldeneyes, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 11th, 2021. 

Greater White-fronted Goose - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 11th, 2021. 

Greater White-fronted Goose - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 11th, 2021. 

Just right of center, taken from Unity Park, Turner's Falls.

Cackling Goose - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 11th, 2021. 

Bathing just in front of the American Black Duck. Taken from Unity Park.

Canada Geese - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 11th, 2021. 

Numbers increased again today with over 1000 feeding in Bernardston in the evening. 

Aside from the Harlequin, two Greater-fronted Geese did eventually show up at the cove in mid-morning. Oddly though, they were not associating with each other and things even got a little testy between them when they got too close. A quick check from Unity Park in mid-afternoon found only one Greater White-fronted Goose but with a wide scatter of reports from around the region in the last few days, I'm slightly hesitant to regard these and yesterday's birds as definitely relating to the same individuals. The two white-fronts yesterday did appear to be moving around together, quite different from the behavior of the two observed today. The afternoon search also turned up a Cackling Goose off Riverview Drive, my first of the season. 

Back at the Montague Plains, a thirty minute stop along Old Northfield Road rustled up a further 70 Red Crossbills and my first Fox Sparrow of the year giving bursts of song among the stands of young Pitch Pines.  

MA - white-fronts, waterfowl and more crossbills

 

Greater White-fronted Geese (2) - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Over the last couple of days immaculate weather, warm air and southern winds have produced a distinct uptick in waterfowl migrants passing through Franklin County. Small flocks of Canada Geese passed over the Montague Plains all morning on the 9th and by the evening some 800-900 had gathered in a well hidden cornfield in Bernardston. While visible migration was less evident on the 10th, a Greater White-fronted Goose was discovered at Barton Cove/Unity Park by David Sibley and by the time that I got to Unity Park at noon there were two, both of them adults! Having carefully scrutinized the geese at Unity Park the evening before I feel confident that these were brand new arrivals. Ring-necked Ducks too have increased over the last two days with 4 at Unity Park and 17 at the Turner's Falls power canal. The latter site also produced a whopping 26 Hooded Mergansers on the evening of the 10th!

Greater White-fronted Geese (2) - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Greater White-fronted Goose - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Ring-necked Ducks - Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 9th, 2021.

Gull migration can be a more discrete event but the evening of the 10th saw an impressive surge in Ring-billed Gull numbers to almost 200 birds. A Lesser Black-backed (adult) and two Iceland Gulls (first-winters) continue amid the Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls roosting at Unity Park. 

Black Vultures - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Turkey Vultures were already widespread by the 8th but on the 10th, a northward movement of some 12 Black Vultures over the Montague Plains was rather more impressive. 

White-winged Crossbill (male) - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 9th, 2021.

White-winged Crossbill (male) - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 10th, 2021.

Finally, the Montague Plains have been 'heaving' under the weight of some 75 - 100 Red Crossbills with these birds being well north of the more heavily watched site of Old Northfield Road. Small scattered groups of singing/calling birds have been found throughout the plains over the last two days with an especially impressive concentration of about 60 in one spot. As expected, most identified to Type have been Type 10 but, thanks to Tim Spahr's help and guidance, I've also managed to identify and record Type 2 and Type 3. Of course, the prize for scanning through all those crossbills has been the continued presence of White-winged Crossbills, all of them have been males and around 7 or 8 individuals in all, maybe more. They're not especially vocal either and finding them usually involves careful checking of each individual crossbill that just happens to show itself. 

With several more days of warmth in the forecast I think it would be reasonable to expect a few more migrants of interest before the forecast colder snap in the early part of next week. 

MA - Sage Thrasher and more on the first day of March

 

Sage Thrasher - Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Still with us after 11 weeks, and first found by Theresa Gessing on December 13th, 2020.

March. The first day of three months of spring migration dawned appropriately mild, calm and showery. By late afternoon, and in a way equally appropriate for March, it was cold and blustery! The first morning of the month was certainly very spring-like with lots of song coming from the local residents and nicely mixed with a number of species that will certainly not stay for the breeding season, namely American Tree Sparrow (multiples singing in Gill, Whately and Hatfield), Common Redpoll (75 in Whatley, many in song) and Rusty Blackbird (18 in Hatfield at Cow Bridge Road and singing/calling throughout my time there). 

Sage Thrasher - Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Sage Thrasher - Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Spurred on by the mild conditions, a visit with the Hatfield Sage Thrasher had the most appeal for the morning. After about 20 minutes of waiting (alone) the bird duly appeared and put on a fantastic show. It was bold and totally unfazed by my presence and I especially enjoyed watching it forage on the ground, marveling at its ability to simply disappear only to see it reappear in a completely different spot some 15-20 minutes later. 

The rugged farmland along Cow Bridge Road, Hatfield. A seemingly unlikely setting for a wintering Sage Thrasher. March 1st, 2021. 

White-crowned Sparrow (first-winter) - one from a nice concentration of five immatures in Whately this morning. Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2020.

Common Redpolls - Whately, Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Not the best day for studying redpolls. They simply sat up in the trees and sang!

Barrow's Goldeneye (center) - first-winter male with Common Goldeneyes, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

Sometimes tricky to find but generally present in the area since December 25th, 2020.

Late afternoon saw a return to more wintery conditions. For the most part it was raw and windy but I was delighted to find the Barrow's Goldeneye back at the power canal, and it was courteous enough to drop into the roost nice and early with just a tiny handful of Common Goldeneyes. The local gull roost continues to be a little on the 'light' side but did produce a nice Iceland Gull this evening. 

Iceland Gull (kumlieni) - first-winter, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2021.

MA - Harlequin still settled on the Millers River

 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - Millers River, Erving, Franklin Co., MA. February 2nd, 2021.

First found by Anne Jemas on Jan 1st, 2021. 

Echoes of the Grand Tetons this morning as I walked along a mostly frozen Millers River, the faster flows exposing a narrow channel through otherwise snow covered ice. The latest Nor'easter dropped 6 - 8 inches of fresh sticky snow throughout much of Franklin County, more on the higher ground. Warmer temperatures made for a pleasant walk along the river and I had little trouble finding the long staying Harlequin Duck, the only duck present. The Harlequin looks settled, healthy and content and, having been there for over one month, I can certainly envision it spending the remainder of the winter on the Millers through to the end of February at least. 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - Millers River, Erving, Franklin Co., MA. February 2nd, 2021.

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - Millers River, Erving, Franklin Co., MA. February 2nd, 2021.

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - Millers River, Erving, Franklin Co., MA. February 2nd, 2021.

The Harlequin is resting at the edge of the snow left of center.

Lesser Black-backed Gull Center) - sub-adult, Franklin Co., MA. February 2nd, 2021.

The continuing first-winter male Barrow's Goldeneye came into roost at the Turner's Falls power canal again this evening where a sub-adult Lesser Black-backed Gull joined the modest roost of about 300 gulls. 

Horned Larks - Pine Meadow Road, , Franklin Co., MA. February 2nd, 2021.

MA - hybrid Great Black-backed x Herring Gull

 

(presumed) Great Black-backed x Herring Gull (center) - adult, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. January 11th, 2021. 

Yesterday evening, a routine check of the Turner's Falls power canal found a small group of Herring and Ring-billed Gulls resting on the recently formed ice. All the adult gulls present looked uniformly light/mid gray with no Great Black-backed Gulls present at that point. As a result it wasn't too difficult to pick out the lone, darker mantled bird roosting right in the middle of the group. Eric Huston was already at the scene and had seen the same gull independently and we then combined forces to work through the features shown by the darker mantled gull. For the most part it wasn't too cooperative and had its head tucked into its mantle feathers but when it eventually became alert the overall appearance was striking. The head was gleaming white and completely unstreaked, exceptional for any large gull locally in mid-January aside from Great Black-backed Gull which it clearly wasn't. While the upperparts might have been described as being close to that of graellsii Lesser Black-backed Gull in tone, the head and bill structure along with the clean, white-headed appearance showed an uncanny resemblance to a small Great Black-backed Gull. In addition, the legs were an insipid, light pinkish-flesh color. After watching it for a while directly alongside Herring and Ring-billed Gulls we became pretty well convinced that the unidentified bird was almost certainly a hybrid Great Black-backed x Herring Gull. Soon afterwards, the first Great Black-backed Gulls of the evening arrived providing further comparisons and yet more compelling evidence that the subject bird was indeed a hybrid. 

As the proverbial penny continued to drop, I had a strong collection of David Sibley seeing and photographing a very similar bird at the Turner's Falls power canal some time last winter. As luck would have it, the hybrid gull was present again this evening being seen at both Barton Cove and the Turner's Falls power canal, and David Sibley managed to catch up with it at the latter site. We both agreed that it was almost certainly the same returning hybrid and back for another winter spell in the Tuner's Falls area. Let's hope it sticks around for a little while longer as last year David recorded the hybrid on just two dates in 2020 - February 20th and 23rd. It's certainly an attractive, distinctive gull to watch especially in a winter that's produced so few other large gulls of interest to date. 

(presumed) Great Black-backed x Herring Gull (center) - adult, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. February 20th, 2020. 

Found and photographed by David Sibley. Image appears by kind permission. 

(presumed) Great Black-backed x Herring Gull (center) - adult, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. January 11th, 2021. 

(presumed) Great Black-backed x Herring Gull (center) - adult, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. January 12th, 2021. 

MA - Boxing Day Grosbeaks

 

Pine Grosbeak - Federal Street, Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. December 26th, 2020. 

After a balmy wet Christmas Day, the next day was pretty much business as usual with temperatures barely above freezing all day in combination with a raw North-westerly wind. But driving the streets of Greenfield and Turner's Falls did produce Pine Grosbeaks, lots of them! Sixteen were still present at a well reported site on Federal Street in Greenfield, actually right outside the local MacDonald's. Turner's Falls had three on L Street and a further nine on 3rd street, just west of the Avenue A intersection. And today (Dec 27th), a further five Pine Grosbeaks flew along the powerline cut through Highland Park in Greenfield. I must say it's an absolute treat to have these birds around, and even better to be able to find them so easily. We haven't seen numbers like this since the winter of 2007/08 and the consensus appears to be that the current influx is bigger and more widespread than the event of 12 years prior. One big difference between the two incursions seems to be adult males or rather the lack of them in the current incursion, and I still await my first!

Pine Grosbeak - Federal Street, Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. December 26th, 2020. 

Water levels on the Connecticut River have remained extremely high since the Christmas Day thaw but the Barrow's Goldeneye seen in Turner's Falls that day appears to have moved on. Several checks of the power canal roost have not produced the goldeneye numbers seen that morning, especially the seemingly high numbers of first-winters males. Having been optimistic that the Barrow's might show up again, I'm now getting the distinct impression that it was perhaps just a one day wonder. On the other hand, checking for the Barrow's did produce an unseasonable Green-winged Teal at the power canal on the 27th and a female American Wigeon at Barton Cove, Gill the previous day.

Green-winged Teal (right) - first-winter male, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. December 27th, 2020. 

MA - Sage Thrasher in Hampshire County!

 

Sage Thrasher -  Hatfield, Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2020. Something of a 'mega' for interior Massachusetts, about the 5th state record. 

Originally found on December 13th. 

Yesterday as I walked the alder/birch scrub patches by the Turner's Falls power canal I couldn't help but think about lingering rarities. Considering the time of year, it was a remarkably balmy afternoon fueling random thoughts of finding a MacGillivray's Warbler or something similar from the west. Naturally, such fantasies only rarely become real but I was more than happy to find a late Common Yellowthroat, a record that compared favorably with a steady series of Common Yellowthroat reports from Northfield Meadows in Dec/Jan 2018/19. Moreover, this yellowthroat was a sharp male and watching it was a staunch reminder that fall migration '2020' wasn't quite over. 

Common Yellowthroat - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. December 13th, 2020.

Late on Sunday evening, a good birding friend sent me a couple of really nice images of an obvious Sage Thrasher, a species I know well from many trips to the Western US but I nearly fell off my chair when I read and processed the content of her message. The thrasher had been photographed by her friend that afternoon (Dec 13th) no more than 30 minutes down the road in Hampshire County! Not only an exceptionally rare bird in Massachusetts, but also the first ever to be found deep in the interior - all four other records had been coastal. 

Sage Thrasher - Hampshire Co., MA. December 14th, 2020. About the 5th state record. 

Though narrowly outside Franklin County, the site was still well within my 'self-imposed' drive time limit and I made a plan to arrive at the site just after first light. The morning was not the best. It was dull and gloomy with periodic bouts of heavy snow. The half-a-dozen or so birders present had to work very, very hard to eek out just a few glimpses but after three hours of effort I left the site feeling satisfied with the views that I'd had. On the other hand, I couldn't help feeling a few twinges of angst since I felt sure that simple birder presence was enough to interfere with the bird's ability to feed undisturbed. Apparently I wasn't alone in these thoughts and I believe, at least for the time being, a decision has been made not to release the exact location in the best interests of the bird. 

In recent years late autumn/early winter has proven to be an exceptionally productive time for Western vagrants in the Connecticut River Valley . The Sage Thrasher falls neatly within a pattern that has so far produced Mountain Bluebird in Turner's Falls, MacGillivray's Warbler and Pacific-slope Flycatcher in Hadley, Say's Phoebe in Westminster, VT, and Varied Thrush in Westport Village, NH to mention just a few, and all of them since fall 2016.  

As always, the final word and gracious thanks go to the finders and friends who passed on the information, and to the birders at the scene who worked together to relocate the bird on the morning that I visited  - thank you all!

NB. As if that wasn't enough for one day, the Barnacle Goose and the Cackling Goose once again graced the Turner's Falls power canal in the evening!

Barnacle Goose (adult) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. December 14th, 2020.

Long staying individual present in the Greenfield/Turner's Falls area since November 23rd.