MA - 120th Northampton CBC - Hadley

 

Northern Harrier (juv/first-winter) - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

A good day for harriers with multiple sightings involving at least three individuals. 

Sunday December 20th saw Brian Kane and I join our friend Scott Surner for his traditional sector of the Northampton Christmas Bird Count. Though we haven't always been able to join Scott for the count every December, Brian and I have always made the effort, as long as time and weather permitted. Indeed, I first did this particular count with Scott way back in December 2005! This year Annie Nugent joined the team for the first time and as always it turned out to be a massively enjoyable day enriched by fine birding, decent weather and great company. It was around 19 deg F at dawn, calm and overcast throughout the day until around 14:00 hours when the forecast snow showers started in earnest and effectively closed play for the day. Annie and Brian quite sensibly departed at that point while Scott and I trudged on through the snow until 16:00 hours but couldn't muster a single addition for the day's tally!

Annie Nugent, Brian Kane and Scott Surner - Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

Careful, socially distant CBC in action. 

The day delivered 49 species, slightly lower than the 53 - 55 species that we typically record in Scott's sector. We began at Hadley Cove steadily working our way north through the Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley Honey Pot, and finishing at the end of Meadow Street, North Hadley. Portions of the Connecticut River were frozen over and the river wasn't quite as lively as we'd seen on previous counts. Moreover, late afternoon snow flurries interfered with observations upriver in North Hadley, a section of the river that often produced surprises in the past. 

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Hadley DPW, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

Eastern Phoebe - Hadley DPW, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

Black-capped Chickadee - Hadley DPW, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020.

The Hadley sector is always good for this perky, crisply marked species. 

In the event, the day was as much about chasing long standing 'lesser' rarities as much as it was about actual 'bird finding' and I'm really not sure if we came up with any species that hadn't been identified and established in the weeks prior to the count. Our tally included a couple of late/wintering migrants at Hadley DPW - Eastern Phoebe and Yellow-rumped Warbler, and two rare sparrows, or rather locally rare sub-species of sparrows in the form of an 'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow and the gambelli form of White-crowned Sparrow. We eventually ended up having excellent views of both sub-species on the Aqua Vitae Road which proved to be one of the more enjoyable parts of the day. Being an incursion year, we also found several large flocks of Common Redpolls but never came close to finding a Hoary Redpoll, failing to repeat our success with Hoaries in the 2012 count. Flocks of Horned Larks were scattered fairly frequent throughout the day but few settled and we had to work especially hard to find just a handful of Snow Buntings and a single Lapland Longspur, though the latter just happened to be a nice male. 

White-crowned Sparrow - Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020

First-winter showing characteristics of the gambelli subspecies. 

'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow (center) - with Savannah Sparrows, Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

'Ipswich' Savannah Sparrow (in flight) - with Savannah Sparrows, Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

Northern Mockingbird - Aqua Vitae Road, Hadley, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

Raptors were few but we did well for Northern Harriers with at least three seen, as well as Bald Eagle, Peregrine and Merlin. As so often happens on Christmas Counts and Big Days, we had our share of agonizing misses but one that really stood out for me was Feral Rock Pigeon. In the early part of the day we joked that at least one bird we could guarantee was Feral Pigeon. Scott was a lot more cautious and indicated pretty heavily that we might have our work cut out to find one. How right he was! Even our best bet at the Coolidge Bridge was bereft of Feral Pigeons, certainly a big change in status from the years that I've done the count and Scott tells me that the Coolidge Bridge used to support hundreds of pigeons in decades past. Even so, to spend an entire day birding in the Connecticut River Valley missing Feral Pigeon struck me as bizarre!

Brian Kane, Scott Surner and Annie Nugent - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

Common Mergansers - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

Common Redpoll - Hadley Honey Pot, Hampshire Co., MA. December 20th, 2020. 

One of a flock of about 25 just as the snow showers set in for the rest of the day. 

Hadley Honey Pot at dawn - December 20th, 2020. 16 Horned Larks were feeding along the dike at first light. 

Starting count day at 19 deg F really didn't feel that bad compared to the previous morning when I ran three miles in Gill at - 2 deg F/ - 19 C!

As always, it was tremendous fun being out in the field with Scott and friends, and taking part in this long standing, traditional event. This year, quite naturally, we approached the count safely and carefully using four separate vehicles and keeping our distance in the field. It worked surprisingly well and proved to be no real detriment to the count. As to the bigger picture, well the overall participation fielded no less than 186 observers who identified 86 bird species and counted some 36374 individual birds! Thanks very much to Janice F. Jorgensen and Amanda Kallenbach, co-compilers for this year's count. And of course, special thanks to Scott Surner for putting up with us for yet another year!

MA - pictorial highlights during Thanksgiving week

Barnacle Goose (adult) - Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 28th, 2020. No doubt the same bird that's been using the Turner's Fall power canal for roosting and bathing since November 23rd. 

As if the prospect of one or more lingering Barnacle Geese wasn't enough to grace Thanksgiving week, winter finches continued to show in numbers almost unabated. In particular, Pine Grosbeaks settled into a couple of reliable feeding spots at Wendall and Northfield after several weeks of frustrating flyovers. Red Crossbills remained in their reliable haunts at Montague Sand Plains (85+) and North Cross Road, Gill (5+) and flocks of Common Redpolls, mercurial if nothing else, showed up in flocks of 25 - 30 in several birch stands before disappearing just as suddenly as they'd appeared. Of the irruptive finches, White-winged Crossbills have been the most difficult to catch up with and continue to elude my camera though I got pretty close this morning (Nov 28th) with two passing low over North Cross Road, Gill. The latter site is also currently hosting a fairly late Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a couple of Winter Wrens. However, numbers of Evening Grosbeaks do appear to be tapering and in fact I only saw a single over North Cross Road during the whole of Thanksgiving week where formerly I was seeing them almost daily. A Yellow-rumped Warbler on Pine Meadow Road, Northfield on Nov 26th could well be my last warbler species of the year though I wouldn't rule out finding another in December. 

Barnacle Goose (adult) - Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 28th, 2020.

Pine Grosbeaks -  on a soggy Thanksgiving morning, Wendall State Forest, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2020. First noted by Bruce Kanash on November 25th. 

Aside from rare geese, the Turner's Falls area managed to pull in a Red-throated Loon on Nov 25th, 5 Greater Scaup on Nov 26th and the first Iceland Gull of the fall on Nov 27th/28th. 

Red-throated Loon (adult) and Red Fox - Turner's Falls,  Franklin Co., November 25th, 2020. 

Red-throated Loon (adult) - Turner's Falls,  Franklin Co., November 25th, 2020. 

Greater Scaup (5) -  Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., November 26th, 2020. 

Iceland Gull (kumlieni)  -  first-winter, Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., November 28th, 2020. 

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Pine Meadow Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 26th, 2020. 

Horrible shot I know. Taken through the car windscreen during a downpour and included purely for the records. 

Common Redpoll  -  Montague, Franklin Co., November 18th, 2020. 

Red Crossbill (fem/imm) -  Montague, Franklin Co., November 25th, 2020. 

Pileated Woodpecker  -  Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., November 26th, 2020. 

May 6th -

White-crowned Sparrow - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 6th, 2020.

Another chilly start to the day, even colder than yesterday morning with a sharp frost in Gill and dawn temperatures of around 29 deg F. Barton Cove again proved attractive to swallows with at least 4 Cliff and 25 Bank Swallows hawking over the water. The riverside vegetation had some interesting migrants including at least 5 Northern Parulas, several Yellow-rumped Warblers, 15 White-throated Sparrows and a crisp adult White-crowned Sparrow, the latter hot on the heels of one in Deerfield on the 4th and 5th (David Sibley). Throughout the morning Wood Thrushes could be heard singing at every stop in Gill/Montague/Sunderland/Deerfield and a major arrival had clearly taken place overnight - they were simply everywhere!

Northern Parula (male singing) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 6th, 2020.

The migrant of the day would have to be Yellow-rumped Warbler (150+) with migrant groups all along the Connecticut River from Montague City down to Sunderland, and back along River Road in Deerfield to Montague City once more, a 20 mile loop on the bike. Northern Parulas (6+) featured in the early part of the ride but I didn't hear any singing after about 9:15 am. Baltimore Orioles too, were common throughout the ride and another summer breeder that clearly arrived in numbers overnight. In the evening, a surprise Eastern Meadowlark was singing on South Ferry Road on Montague along with multiple Savannah Sparrows, plus a Merlin playfully stooping at an American Kestrel!

Yellow-rumped Warbler (male) - Montague City, Franklin Co., MA. May 6th, 2020.

An impressive day for this species with easily over 150 birds along the Connecticut River between Sunderland and Turner's Falls.  

Gray Catbird - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 6th, 2020.

White-throated Sparrow - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. May 6th, 2020.

Good numbers of migrants moving through Franklin County in early May. 

MA - more from mid-October

Northern Harrier - juvenile, Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 12th, 2016. 

Back into warm southerlies for a few more days, especially in the afternoon. The mornings, however, usually start chilly and foggy. Spectacular numbers of birds continue in the fields around Gill and Northfield. On the 11th, I counted no less than 185 Yellow-rumped Warblers in a single pumpkin field off North Cross Road, Gill. The field was literally heaving with them along with 20 or so Palm Warblers and a few Blackpoll Warblers. At dawn in the same area, I was surprised to hear an American Woodcock roding along with three calling Swainson's Thrushes and a Rusty Blackbird.

Yellow-rumped Warblers - North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 11th, 2016.

Yellow-rumped Warblers - River Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 13th, 2016.

Impressive numbers working the field edges and woodland fringe in Gill.

Blackpoll Warbler  - juv/first-winter, North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 11th, 2016.

Savannah Sparrow  - North Cross Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 11th, 2016.

Abundant migrant in Gill/Northfield in mid-October. 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - juv/first-winter, Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 12th, 2016. 

Swamp Sparrow - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 12th, 2016. 

October 12th saw me taking a look at the fields to the north-east of the Northfield transfer station along Caldwell Road. Although I rarely bird this area, it's often productive when I do and the morning of the 12th was no exception, again producing hundreds of sparrows, mainly Song, Swamp, Savannah and White-throated but also two or three immature White-crowned Sparrows. There was also a 'getting-late' Bobolink, and another Rusty Blackbird giving its characteristic call as it flew north. A juvenile Northern Harrier was a real treat as it worked the fringes of the dirt roads, seemingly oblivious to me standing only meters away. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker also joined the fun, in fact single sapsuckers have been showing up in most of the spots that I've looked at in the last few days including; North Cross Road, Gill Elementary School, and River Road in Gill, and Unity Park in Turner's Falls. 

Rusty Blackbird - Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 12th, 2016. 

Northern Harrier - juvenile, Caldwell Road fields, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 12th, 2016. 

A brief stop on River Road, Gill on the 13th saw much the same species profile but with increased numbers of Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets. The Ruby-crowneds seemed quite happy foraging along the field edges and sometimes even in the crops themselves, but the Golden-crowneds were much more tied to woodland. Late migrants here included Northern Parula and Red-eyed Vireo and an American Pipit flew over. 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - River Road, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 13th, 2016.

About five or six along River Road fields this morning. 

MA - Gill obs

It's been a bit of a 'whirlwind' since returning from California on September 24th..., so much so that I've had no time at all for local birding, a great shame because I can see and hear that the Gill area is full of birds. A weather event from Friday (Sep 29th) onwards seems to have deposited loads of birds in our local area. For example, there must have been 35-40 Yellow-rumped Warblers in a our yard alone on Sep 30th, with 50+ on our neighbor's property off Mountain Road on Oct 1st. With them have been plenty of Blackpoll Warblers including 10+ off Mountain Road on Oct 1st, plus the odd Black-and-White and Pine Warbler, and a calling Black-throated Blue this morning (Oct 2nd). Common Yellowthroats still seem to be plentiful in almost any patch of rank vegetation, and on Sep 30th two Indigo Buntings and a Northern Flicker joined the yellowthroats that usually frequent our compost pile.

The first major waves of sparrows appeared in late September after the first White-throated Sparrow on the 24th and multiple Swamp Sparrows in the yard from Sep 30th. By Oct 1st, some 300 White-throated Sparrows were swarming our neighbor's property off Mountain Road.

Red-breasted Nuthatches remain abundant in the Gill woodlands though perhaps slightly less vocal than they were back in August and early September. Even so, 15-20 must have been calling on our neighbor's property this morning (Oct 2nd).

Other odds n' ends for Gill in September/October included a late Louisiana Waterthrush in our yard on Sep 6th, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at Giving Tree School on Sep 24th, a calling Red Crossbill off Main Road on Sep 25th, a pair of Barred Owls audible from our yard on the evening of Sep 25th, several Blue-headed Vireos including one in our yard (Oct 2nd) and multiple Purple Finches including several in our yard, also on Oct 2nd.

JPS

MA - Gill in October: Third Week

Yellow-rumped Warbler - getting comfortable in the yard. It's been a great week for these with up 25 around the homestead on most days. The bulk will have moved south by early November. Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 19th, 2011.

Gill - Another terrific week for local incidental sightings. Great Horned Owls have been vocal on several mornings this week predawn being the best time to hear them. The 'event' of the week was a mini fall-out of Catharus thrushes on Oct 19th along Main Road, with Swainson's Thrushes (6) and a Gray-cheeked Thrush frequenting the yards and woodland fringe at dawn, but also including a nice Swainson's in our yard in mid-morning. The following day saw 4 Swainson's, again birds calling at dawn and likely birds left over from the previous day. October 21st had singles of Swainson's, Gray-cheeked and Hermit Thrushes calling at dawn from yards on Main Road.

Northern Harrier - first-winter migrating over our yard in Gill. Franklin Co. MA. October 17th, 2011.

Our yard has seen some fantastic feeding flocks consisting mainly of Yellow-rumped Warblers (20+), Eastern Bluebirds (8), Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets (2 of each), and surprisingly, Chipping Sparrows with up 20 occasionally dropping down onto the lawn to feed. After last week's post, Swamp Sparrows have been a permanent feature in the weedy tangles around the vegetable plot with up 8 present at times.

Chipping Sparrow - Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. October 17th, 2011.

Swamp Sparrow - Gill yard, Franklin Co., MA. October 17th, 2011.

Interesting ' fly-over' migrants included another Northern Harrier (Oct 17th) and an American Pipit (Oct 18th) with Canada Geese commuting everyday between Gill's fields and the CT River at Barton Cove. Despite regular checks, I never did relocate the putative 'Taverner's' Cackling Geese from Oct 14th but on Oct 19th and 20th, there was a large Canada Goose closely resembling the maxima subspecies - 'Giant' Canada Goose. This bird was seen both at Upinngil Farm and Barton Cove.

A few late/lingering migrants in the yard included an Eastern Phoebe and a Blackpoll Warbler on the 17th, Palm Warbler on the 18th, a Gray Catbird on the 20th and up to 2 Common Yellowthroats through to the 21st.

Ring-necked Ducks - Turner's Fall power canal, Franlin Co., MA. October 16th, 2011.

Despite several visits, Barton Cove and Turner's Fall power canal have been slow for waterfowl with only a Hooded Merganser and 5 Ring-necked Ducks last Sunday (Oct 16th).


Finally, Oct 17th produced the first calm evening for days which seemed liked a good cue to try a few local plots for Northern Saw-whet Owls. I tried three areas coming away with nothing definitive but did have possible contacts in two plots. All three spots produced saw-whets last fall/winter. Doubtless, I'll be trying again next week!

JPS

Palm Warbler - possibly a dull Eastern showing a weak yellow wash on the underparts, but I decided to leave this one unidentified as it looked quite pallid and washed out at times, more closely resembling a Western Palm Warbler.