Headed out this morning with the Hitchcock birding class to the Quabbin Reservoir, our goal was finding our first warbler wave of the season. While we did encounter eight species of Warblers, the numbers were pretty thin and song was almost non-existent. However, we had nice looks at a Prairie and Black-White Warblers, a brilliant Male Scarlet Tanager is always a crowd pleaser, but the show stealer was the Common Ravens nesting at the Spillway. With a scope we were able to detect 3 young at the nest and one of the adults seem to stand guard near the nest allowing for extended scope views and photos. The adult also made an array of calls and noises you would have trouble describing.
Later at Larch Hill in Amherst (Hitchcock Center) I had my first Hermit Thrush of the year, along with a Black-throated green Warbler, Northern Parula and a stealthy Swamp Sparrow. All in all a nice day with 11 species of warblers.
Trip list below....
SDS
Common Raven- Quabbin.
Black & White Warbler-Male. Quabbin
Pine Warbler-Female. Larch Hill- Amherst.
Turkey Vulture - Quabbin.
Quabbin Reservoir--Park HQ.
Observation date: 5/1/10
Number of species: 51
Canada Goose 8
Mallard 1
Wild Turkey 11
Common Loon 1
Double-crested Cormorant 9
Turkey Vulture 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Broad-winged Hawk 11
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Mourning Dove X
Chimney Swift 6
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 2
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Blue Jay 15
American Crow X
Common Raven 5
Barn Swallow 1
Black-capped Chickadee X
Tufted Titmouse X
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
American Robin X
Gray Catbird 1
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling X
Nashville Warbler 2
Northern Parula 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 8
Pine Warbler 18
Prairie Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 3
American Redstart 1
Scarlet Tanager 2
Eastern Towhee 4
Chipping Sparrow 25
Field Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 15
Northern Cardinal 5
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird 12
Baltimore Oriole 2
American Goldfinch X
