MA - more heat and more migrants

Baltimore Oriole - Barton Cove, Franklin Co., MA. May 3rd, 2018.

Other passerines in the boat ramp area included warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, and several White-throated Sparrows. 

May 3rd - another busy, interesting and extremely warm day. Most obvious was a broad wave of Wood Thrush arrivals in Gill with at least 12 males heard singing on my 5K run through the woods on North Cross Road this morning. Also strikingly obvious, many Blue-gray Gnatcatchers in all habitats with seemingly above average numbers of migrants for early May. With them came the first Black-throated Blue Warblers, Least and Great Crested Flycatchers. Two Solitary Sandpipers called overhead at 06:30, the birds seen heading west. Around that time Josh Layfield found a male White-winged Scoter at Barton Cove which had been joined by two Red-necked Grebes by the time I got there at around 11:00 hours, and the first Spotted Sandpiper of the year skimmed across the water. Fourteen Ring-billed Gulls were loafing around off the boat ramp at Barton Cove while overhead there was a light movement of Broad-winged Hawks (c.10) and a couple of Ospreys.

Red-necked Grebes and a White-winged Scoter (male) - Barton Cove, Franklin Co., MA. May 3rd, 2018.

Spotted Sandpiper - Barton Cove, Franklin Co., MA. May 3rd, 2018.

Early evening at Barton Cove saw the White-winged Scoter and Red-necked Grebes still present but an increase to 33 Double-crested Cormorants, and well over 30 Ring-billed Gulls most of which were hawking for insects high above the cove. An adult Herring Gull and a breeding plumage Common Loon also dropped in towards the end of the evening, and a Black Vulture headed west over Turner's Falls presumably to roost.

Double-crested Cormorants - Barton Cove, Franklin Co., MA. May 3rd, 2018.

Black Vulture - Barton Cove, Franklin Co., MA. May 3rd, 2018.

Elsewhere, Brian Kane noted the first Orchard Oriole of the season down in Montague.

MA - November fourth week

Winter Wren - North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 23rd, 2017. 

The last week of the month had a handful of surprises in store while other species showed consistently in the same areas with Hooded Mergansers present daily at Barton Cove, Gill and reaching triple digits on Nov 28th (110)! Indeed Barton Cove proved to be something of a 'sweet spot' with a Northern Shrike rather briefly on the 26th, four White-winged Scoters on the 27th and a Winter Wren on the 29th. Good numbers of Winter Wrens continued along North Cross Road, Gill with a minimum of five staging there though I'm expecting them to move on when the freeze starts in earnest. 

Winter Wren - Barton cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 28th, 2017. 

White-winged Scoters - Barton cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 27th, 2017. 

The Turner's Falls power canal has seen a continual build up of wintering waterfowl as birds fly into roost in the evenings. Numbers vary day by day but upwards of 1100 Canada Geese, 110 Common Mergansers, 75 Common Goldeneye and 175 Mallard have been resting on the canal in late evening, and two Green-winged Teal showed up there on the 30th.

Common Mergansers - some of the 98 birds counted at the Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 28th, 2017. 

Numbers of large gulls remained relatively stable with the only obvious new arrival being an Iceland Gull on the 28th. 

Iceland Gull (kumlieni) - first-cycle, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 28th, 2017. 

On the 28th I also had a brief view of an Oregon 'type' Junco at Gate 35 in the Quabbin watershed. I say Oregon 'type' because, while clearly hooded, the views were so poor that I couldn't rule out the hybrid form Cassiar Junco (J.h.cismontanus) which I have seen two or three times before in the Pioneer Valley. Away from feeders, viewing juncos well enough to see detail is pretty difficult in our area and I'm afraid that I'll have to let this one go. 

Oregon/Cassiar Junco - North Quabbin (Gate 35), Franklin Co., MA. November 28th, 2017.

Seen only very briefly but certainly appeared 'hooded' with light orange-buff flanks. 

The 28th also produced a 'new' site for Northern Saw-whet Owls in Gill when I had three birds calling at a spot that I'd previously scouted in daylight. I had a wonderful evening with three very vocal saw-whets though only had brief views of one. November also continued to produce an above average number of encounters with Eastern Screech-Owls in the Turner's Falls area.

Eastern Screech-Owl - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 30th, 2017.

Ring-necked Ducks (2) and Lesser Scaup (3) - Barton cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 27th, 2017. 

Mute Swans - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 28th, 2017. 

Peregrines - sparring at the Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 17th, 2017. 

Carolina Wren- Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 27th, 2017. 

Hermit Thrush - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 12th, 2017. 

MA - White-winged Scoter - Gill

Quickly breezed by Barton Cove this morning with the thought that a few fresh birds may have dropped in. Good to see a White-winged Scoter and three Ruddy Ducks appear as the first ducks of note this fall, at least for my personal tally. Hopefully we can now look forward to more regular arrivals through the fall and into December.

Apologies in advance for hideous glare on these images, one of the perils of viewing from Riverview Drive on a sunny morning in the fall! All images taken using Nikon Coolpix L26 through Swarovski HD scope.

 White-winged Scoter - female-type, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 18th, 2012.

 Ruddy Ducks - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 18th, 2012.

 White-winged Scoter and Ruddy Ducks - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 18th, 2012.

 

MA - White-winged Scoters grace Barton Cove - 05/19

White-winged Scoters - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 17th, 2011. Two birds, male and female. These had probably moved on before the new group of seven (below) arrived on the 19th.

White-winged Scoters - flock of seven, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 19th, 2011.

The current spell of inclement weather, now in its fifth staright day, brought a nice a flock of seven White-winged Scoters to Barton Cove this morning. The birds remained in a tight, roosting group just off the public ramp off Route 2 in Gill. They only looked up at the occasional marauding Bald Eagle before resuming resting in preparation for the long, tundra-bound journey North. Two White-winged Scoters were also present at Barton Cove on 05/17 though I didn't notice any at all on the the 18th suggesting they may have moved on before the new group arrived today.

Eastern Towhee - male, Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. May 17th, 2011.

Other notables locally included several Alder Flycatchers and Magnolia Warblers along Main Road in Gill and the continued presence of an Eastern Towhee in the yard since the 17th. Our local Louisiana Waterthrush was also singing well on this damp May morning.

Bald Eagle - immature, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 18th, 2011 - regularly present in addition to two breeding adults.

Also of note yesterday, a brief naked eye view of an unidentified egret, probably a Great, at Barton Cove before it was promptly flushed by one of the resident Bald Eagles.

JPS

MA - local WWScoter

White-winged Scoter - female-type, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 5th, 2010.

Hopeful that today's showery North-easterlies might produce one or two birds of interest, I made my first 'fall' visit to Barton Cove this afternoon finding a female-type White-winged Scoter and 4 Northern Pintail visible from Riverview Drive in Gill. Otherwise rather quiet with a total of about 300 Canada Geese between Barton Cove and the power canal and nothing unusual amongst them. Even so, rather nice to see waterfowl on the move through the Pioneer Valley.

Northern Pintail - four together, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 5th, 2010.