MA - Cackler 11/08

Late afternoon at the Turner's Falls power canal - plenty of Canada Geese, about 700 in all and just one Cackling Goose..perhaps a continuing bird. A female Green-winged Teal was also present along with six male Common Goldeneyes. My first Yellow-rumped Warbler in over a week was in the hedgerow along the fish lab fence......

 Cackling Goose (B.h.hutchinsii) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 8th, 2014.

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 8th, 2014.

MA - GRAY JAY 11/07

Gray Jay - Gate 41, East Quabbin, Worcester Co., MA. November 7th, 2014.

Nowadays I tend to be quite conservative about the birds I chase around Massachusetts, but when Mark Lynch and Sheila Carroll found a Gray Jay in the Quabbin watershed on November 4th I became increasingly interested. Moreover, they found the bird at a gate I'd never explored before. Despite spending tens of field hours at Gate 40, I'm ashamed to say that I'd never even looked at Gate 41 just a few miles south on Rt 32A. The last twitchable Gray Jay in the state was found by Marshall Iliff way back in 2007 so this seemed like a fine opportunity to see a state bird and explore a new gate on the eastern side of the Quabbin. I arrived at 10:20 hours and was surprised to find just two birders at the beaver pond where most of the previous sightings had taken place. After a quick chat, I decided to wander a bit and had a look at the larger pond to the west. No sooner had I arrived at the pondside, a lone jay flew high across the water and beyond some tall white pines. I snapped a few in-flight shots and could see through the camera's viewfinder that it was the Gray Jay! It was all over in seconds and I went back to the 'stake out' pond to share the news with the birders waiting there. By 11:15hrs, it hadn't reappeared and I decided to head back to Gill.

Gracious thanks to Mark and Sheila for the find and for giving such excellent directions as they do with all their bird finds. We're fortunate indeed to have birders working the area with such unparalleled knowledge of the Quabbin. I've always found it a really tough area to bird but Mark and Sheila make it look easy. Kudos to them!

 

 Nice place....and the site of my first Gray Jay in Massachusetts.

MA - Turner's Merlin 11/06

Slowish day - mild, dull and rain sodden for much of it. Barton Cove was remarkably quiet with 10 Hooded Mergansers being the only waterbirds that I could find. At the power canal a drake Bufflehead, 10 Common Goldeneye and a continuing Ring-necked Duck had the place to themselves as the canal was nearly devoid of Canada Geese. As I was leaving I noticed a Merlin teed up above the industrial buildings on the east side of the canal. It looked and behaved like the local male I see periodically around Turner's Falls and Barton Cove.

 Hooded Mergansers - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2014.

 Bufflehead - male, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2014.

Merlin - male, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2014.

MA - Cacklers continue 11/05

Good numbers of Canada Geese on the Turner's Falls power canal with multiple flocks arriving in late morning. Among them, two Cackling Geese both of which looked like continuing birds from last week. Fortunately I was able to pick them out on call as they flew in at around 11:20 hours, but once they landed I lost touch with them and it took me another 20 minutes of searching to relocate them. It's not at all easy picking out Cacklers from 700 swimming and bathing Canada Geese!

This morning I wanted to do at least 10 miles on my bike and chose a route from Turner's Falls to East Deerfield. I was surprised to stumble across three Winter Wrens on this stretch of bike path, two of them on the Montague side of the Connecticut River and another on the East Deerfield side.

Aside from scads of Dark-eyed Juncos seemingly on every corner and road side, raptors featured this morning with a nice adult Peregrine teed up on a snag usually occupied by a Red-tailed Hawk at Upinngil Farm, and two Northern Harriers migrated through Turner's Falls just before noon.

 Cackling Goose (center) - presumed continuing bird from October 24th. Plumage seemingly lacking in brown tones of surrounding Canadas giving a cold-toned, 
frosty field appearance. Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 5th, 2014.

Northern Harrier - fem/imm, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. November 5th, 2014. 

One of two migrating together high over the power canal. 

 Bike Path at East Deerfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 5th, 2014. 

Not only a lovely place for an autumnal bike ride but apparently good habitat for Winter Wrens as well!

MA - sapsucker, towhee 11/04

The push of waterfowl from the north seems to have slowed a bit over the last two days and Barton Cove and the Turner's Falls power canal have had little to offer in terms of fresh arrivals. Despite the presence of 500+ Canada Geese, I haven't seen a Cackling Goose since Sunday the 2nd, so I can't help but wonder of the two recent migrants have moved on. In short, the water biding has been exceedingly quiet for the last two days. But this morning I found a nice 'pocket' of birds on Pine Meadow Road, Northfield just south of the intersection with Cross Road. Lots of juncos, White-throated Sparrows and Pine Siskins present as well as a 'getting late' Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Eastern Towhee, and a single Yellow-rumped Warbler.

 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Pine Meadow Road, Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. November 4th, 2014.

The bulk have migrants have already moved through, but in truth a few of these will stay into December

and turn up on the Christmas Bird Counts. 

 Hooded Mergansers - part of a lose group of about 15. Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 3rd, 2014.

Becoming increasingly visible at Barton Cove this month.

 Black Scoter - female, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 2nd, 2014.

Probably lingering from the previous day.

MA - more waterfowl, Cacklers continue - 11/01

Raw northerlies bringing a taste of things to come and certainly the most wintery day of the fall so far. In addition to the wind, rain and showers for much of the afternoon brought a smattering of waterfowl as well as holding some longer stayers. As usual, I had no real time for birding at the weekend but managed 20 minutes at the power canal and 15 minutes at Barton Cove with Matan. Both sites had things to offer with 2 (continuing)  Cackling Geese, 5 Ring-necked Ducks, 4 Common Goldeneye, 2 Hooded Mergansers, 2 male Bufflehead and 10 Common Mergansers all at the Turner's Falls power canal. The latter included an interesting tight group of five f hatch-year males.

Up at Barton Cove, 10 Bufflehead ( 6 yesterday) along with a female Black Scoter and a female Ruddy Duck. In short, I wish I could have been out for longer today. At home in Northfield two Fox Sparrows remained at the feeders but only showed well in the morning.

 Common Mergansers - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., Nov 1st, 2014. 

Cackling Goose - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., Nov 1st, 2014. Continuing from Oct 24th.

Cackling Goose - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., Nov 1st, 2014. Continuing from Oct 29th.

 Buffleheads and a Black Scoter (female) - Barton Cove, Franklin Co., Nov 1st, 2014. 

MA - more Fox Sparrows

This is the time for them! Two together in our yard this morning closing matching observations from our previous home in Gill: http://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2013/10/ma-yard-fox-sparrow-1030.html

Fox Sparrow - West Northfield yard, Franklin Co., MA. October 31st, 2014.

One of two present today, and so nice to have them gracing the yard.

MA - late REVI - 10/30

Yet another lovely fall day to be out. This morning I had a quick look at Turner's Falls airfield finding good numbers of Dark-eyed Juncos and with them my first American Tree Sparrow of the fall. Loosely associating with this flock was a Field Sparrow and a Red-eyed Vireo. The vireo caught me off-guard being one of the latest I've seen in the Pioneer Valley. A single, calling Snow Bunting also flew over heading west.

Red-eyed Vireo - edge of Turner's Falls airfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 30th, 2014.
Looking back I realized that I had another late Red-eyed Vireo back in 2008, that bird was in 
Amherst also dated October 30th: http://pioneerbirding.blogspot.com/2008/10/late-revi-oct-30th.html

American Tree Sparrow - edge of Turner's Falls airfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 30th, 2014.

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet - off Rt 2A, Greenfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 30th, 2014.

MA - poking around - Winter Wren and Fox Sparrow

Fox Sparrow - West Northfield yard, Franklin Co., MA. October 29th, 2014.

The last two days have been beautifully calm and autumnal. The first was superbly clear with glorious late autumn sunshine while the second was fog-bound until well after noon and a complete contrast to the previous day. Both days produced some nice species as I selected my birding spots between running errands.

October 28th brought six Horned Grebes to Barton Cove as well as a fly-over Snow Bunting and 5 Ring-necked Ducks. At the power canal, two, possibly three Cackling Geese were present in the afternoon including the continuing bird for its fifth straight day. A female Northern Pintail appeared all too briefly amid the Canada Geese before disappearing downstream.

The next day was heavily shrouded in fog but still had some good species in the woodland edges at Barton Cove including several Golden-crowned Kinglets, ten plus Yellow-rumped Warblers, a late Blackpoll Warbler, a calling Red-breasted Nuthatch (seem scarce this fall) and a perky Winter Wren. Late afternoon was dark and gloomy but brightened up considerably by a super 'Red' Fox Sparrow - the first at our new place in West Northfield, even bursting into song a couple of times toward dusk.

Horned Grebes - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 28th, 2014. 
Seems like the best way to get close to these grebes is by kayak! The shot below is a very heavy crop of the same group of six Horned Grebes. 

 Cackling Goose (center) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 28th, 2014. 
My second of the fall at this location. Less 'frosty' looking than the previous individual with a lot more buff to the breast color and narrower pale fringes to the upperparts. 
Again on the large side for a Cackling Goose but note the completely different head and bill shape compared to the surrounding Canadas.

 Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis  - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. October 29th, 2014. 
Not too uncommon around Gill but views like this are few and far between with most of my observations going down as 'heard only'.

 Northern Pintail (center) -  female-type, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 28th, 2014. 

MA - Cackling Goose - 10/27

Nice to see last Friday's Cackling Goose continuing today at the Turner's Falls power canal. Saw the same bird yesterday as well with a handful of Canada Geese. Numbers of diving ducks remain quite small at Turner's with three Common Goldeneye, 2 Bufflehead and a Ruddy Duck continuing at the power canal today.

As usual, I didn't get a lot birding done over the weekend but a couple of notables included a male Eastern Towhee in our new yard in Northfield, and an apparent maxima Canada Goose in a stubble field off Route 5 in Bernardston.

 Cackling Goose (left most bird)  - typical example of hutchinsii (Richardson's), looking strikingly pale and small in the field among Canada Geese. 

Overall pallid, gray cast with broad, whitish fringes to upperpart feathers. Notably ''boxy' head shape with small bill and often appeared neckless. 
Turner's Falls power canal Franklin Co. MA. October 27th, 2014. 

 Cackling Goose (center)  - hutchinsii (Richardson's). Different day, different light. 

Same bird as above at the same location but photographed under completely overcast skies. Turner's Falls power canal Franklin Co. MA. October 26th, 2014. 

Canada Goose - showing characteristics of the maxima form (aka 'Giant' Canada Goose),  Bernardston, Franklin Co., MA. October 26th, 2014. 

Eastern Towhee (male) - West Northfield, Franklin Co., MA. October 26th, 2014. 
Getting late for this species in Western MA and the second consecutive day that it visited our new yard.