MA - Boreal Chickadee in the Berkshires!

Boreal Chickadee - North Hoosac Road, Williamstown, Berkshire Co., MA. January 14th, 2021.

Ever since my chance encounter with a Boreal Chickadee in New Salem last November, I don't mind admitting that I've become a little obsessed with the idea of finding another, partly because I'm genuinely fond of the species but also because I narrowly missed getting documentation photos of the New Salem bird. Throughout the remainder of the fall and winter I've been hopeful that another would come my way and my interest was more than a little piqued when I noticed a report from Lori Van Handel in Williamstown on January 11th. The initial report was followed by multiple successes from local birders and the site (along North Hoosac Road) was subsequently posted as a "stakeout". This morning I decided to take my chances and drove out to Williamstown, just over an hour from Northfield. On arrival I was slightly surprised see no other birders at the scene but on other the hand I was thrilled to open the car door and hear the Boreal Chickadee calling from the closest spruce grove! It made one circuit around the neighborhood evergreens and then moved off to the SW, its call notes being lost amid traffic and construction noise. My twelve minute stay was short but sweet having produced fabulous views and three very satisfactory audio clips of the diagnostic, wheezy calls. Gracious thanks go to the finder, Lori Van Handel.

Boreal Chickadee - North Hoosac Road, Williamstown, Berkshire Co., MA. January 14th, 2021.

Approximate location relative to North Housac Street, Williamstown.

Habitat for a wintering Boreal Chickadee, Williamstown. A quiet neighborhood with plenty of spruce and hemlock. January 14th, 2021. 

As far as I'm aware this is at least the fourth in Massachusetts during the current 2020/21 incursion with two reports from Franklin County in early November, and another that visited a yard in Wellfleet on the Outer Cape in early December. 

Boreal Chickadee - New Salem Vista, Franklin Co., MA. November 3rd, 2020.

Sketch of the New Salem bird from last fall, just by way of comparison to the current bird in Williamstown. 

The journey home was swift and neatly punctuated by a light morph Rough-legged Hawk flying alongside Rt 2 at Mile Long Farm in Charlemont, that's just a couple of miles west of last week's close views of a light morph along the same stretch of road and almost certainly the same bird. 

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. 

Costa Rica 2020 - Part II

 

White-eared Ground-Sparrow - Hotel Bougainvillia, Santa Domingo, Costa Rica. January 5th, 2020.

A tricky species with a very patchy distribution in Central America. I hadn't quite appreciated that most of the guests at the hotel were composed of birding groups, many of them with a keen interest in seeing this species. Fortunately, all members of our party managed to have pretty good views. 

Jan 5th - 8th; Santa Domingo/ Paraiso Quetzal Lodge/Savegre Valley and Lodge. The Hotel Bougainvillia had been good to us but it was time to head for the hills and start the Naturalist Journeys Costa Rica Birding and Nature Tour in earnest. We climbed up to the spectacular  Talamanca Mountains for our first taste of cloud forest birding at Paraiso Quetzal. Regional endemics were plentiful and during the following three days we were treated to a dazzling array of high quality species often in stunningly beautiful surroundings. Indeed, we spent much of January 7th on foot exploring the surroundings of the rather plush Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve & Spa, our base for two nights of the tour. That particular day included no less than six Resplendent Quetzals and ended up being one of the most enjoyable days of birding that I've had for some years. The following day, January 8th, we soaked up in one last morning around the Savegre Hotel and then retraced our steps back over the Talamanca Mountains, crossing the Continental Divide and dropping back down into Cartago. Johan Fernandez was our guide with some assistance from Marino Chacon at the Savegre Hotel, and supported throughout by Jorge our stoic driver.  

Rufous-naped Wren - Hotel Bougainvillia, Santa Domingo, Costa Rica. January 5th, 2020.

Hotel Bougainvillia, Santa Domingo, Costa Rica. January 5th, 2020.

The hotel boasts 10 acres of bird-rich, beautifully landscaped gardens.

Hoffman's Woodpecker (female) - Hotel Bougainvillia, Santa Domingo, Costa Rica. January 5th, 2020. Regional Endemic.

Lesson's Motmot - Hotel Bougainvillia, Santa Domingo, Costa Rica. January 5th, 2020.

Hotel Bougainvillia, Santa Domingo, Costa Rica. January 5th, 2020.

Crimson-fronted Parakeets - Hotel Bougainvillia, Santa Domingo, Costa Rica. January 5th, 2020.

Regional Endemic. Screeching flocks of these parakeets passed over the hotel grounds fairly frequently especially in late afternoon/early evening. 

On the road. Leaving the suburbs and heading for the Talamanca Mountains. January 6th, 2020. 

Black-capped Flycatcher - Paraiso Quetzal, Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica. January 6th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

The trails at Paraiso Quetzal, Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica. January 6th, 2020. 

Entering the cloud forest for the first time on the trip.

Black-thighed Grosbeak - Paraiso Quetzal, Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica. January 6th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

Montane Forest - Paraiso Quetzal, Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica. January 6th, 2020. 

Ochraceous Pewee - Paraiso Quetzal, Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica. January 6th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

Sooty-capped Chlorospingus - Paraiso Quetzal, Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica. January 6th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

Buffy Tuftedcheek - Paraiso Quetzal, Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica. January 6th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

Birding the Copey Road,  Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica. January 6th, 2020. 

Location of Savegre Valley relative to San Jose. 

Resplendent Quetzal  (male) - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 7th, 2020. 

The first of three males seen by our group in just one day!

Resplendent Quetzal  (male) - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 7th, 2020. 

The second of the three males seen by our group. 

Sooty Thrush (male) - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 7th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

Slaty Flowerpiercer (male) - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 7th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

Yellowish Flycatcher - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 7th, 2020. 

Jeeps required to get up to the trails at Los Pioneeros. Savegre Hotel & Spa. January 7th, 2020. 

Yellow-thighed Finch - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 7th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

High elevation birding - Los Pioneeros Trails above the Savegre Valley. January 7th, 2020.

Overlooking the Savegre Valley. January 7th, 2020.

Black-billed Nightingale-thrush - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 8th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

Savegre River , Costa Rica. January 8th, 2020.

Torrent Tyrannulet - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 8th, 2020.

Barred Becard - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 8th, 2020.

Black Guan - Savegre Valley, Costa Rica. January 8th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

Flame-throated Warbler (male) - Le Esperanza, Costa Rica. January 8th, 2020. Regional Endemic. 

MA - local Rough-legged Hawk plus Harelquin and more

 

Rough-legged Hawk (light morph juvenile) - Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway, Charlemont, Franklin Co., MA. January 8th, 2020. 

Found by Brendan Murtha on January 7th, 2020. 

For some inexplicable reason, Rough-legged Hawks appear to be pretty rare in Franklin County. Over 15 years of regularly birding the county at the right time of year I've managed to see just two; one at Turner's Falls Airfield on Nov 4th, 2013 and another at the Quabbin Reservoir, first found by Bill Lafley, on Jan 16th, 2016. I really don't have a clear explanation as to why my favorite North American buteo has been so aloof over the years but needless to say, when Brendan Murtha reported a light morph near Shelburne Falls on Jan 7th my interest was more than a little piqued! The location was a familiar one, a rather picturesque roadside picnic area by the Deerfield River along the Mohawk Trail. This is well known territory for our family with dozens of trips to Thunder Mountain Bike Park and Berkshire East Mountain Resort logged in years past. 

Rough-legged Hawk (light morph juvenile) - Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway, Charlemont, Franklin Co., MA. January 8th, 2020. 

This morning's venture could hardly have gone any better. No sooner had I pulled in to the rest stop and had started to layer up with warm gear than the Rough-leg appeared. It was low, close and stunning! No need for binoculars, it was an easy naked-eye identification. It drifted around the fringe of the White Pines and out of view only to return via almost exactly the same route some 30 minutes later. It was a classic, crisp New England winter's day and the views of the Rough-leg were as pure as anything I could have hoped for.  It drifted low over the Deerfield River and began quartering the lower lying fields in Buckland. 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - Millers River, Franklin Co., MA. January 8th, 2020. 

Northern Pintail (fem/imm) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. January 8th, 2020.

Later in the day I caught up with the Harlequin Duck back on the Millers River, the Lesser Back-backed Gull again at Barton Cove, and the young male Barrow's Goldeneye back at the Turner's Falls power canal where a female Northern Pintail looked like the only new arrival of the day. 

Lesser Black-backed Gull (sub-adult) - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. January 8th, 2020.