Migration is on....but low turn out so far

American Robin- Along the Rail Trail in Amherst.

Greetings;

The last couple of weeks have been interesting to say the least. Each year we try to figure out what’s going on with migration… We try and predict the next fallout but most of the time we just kid ourselves into thinking we have a handle on migration.  So far in May, there’s seems to be a huge void of Wood Thrushes, Veery’s, Eastern Kingbirds , Yellow-rumped Warblers and even Catbirds! Most of these should have pulled in by the last week in April… and yet, there are many species that are right on time. The one consist so far, at least in my humble opinion is the lack of numbers. A common thought is that the majority of birds have been held up behind this front that’s now approaching our area. The bottom line is…”Who Knows”, but it’s early May and one thing is for sure, the fun is just beginning.  Keep the bins close by………

Played around a little with the macro lens the other evening....thousands of tiny Red Ants.

Common Yellowthroat- First of the season- Oxbow N.W.R.

Eastern Phoebe- Our Phoebes have return and have justed started sitting on eggs.

Northern Flicker- Bike Trail in Amherst.

Flicker Nest hole- Bike trail-Setting up shop.

Just Missed!

Northern Waterthrush along Mitch's Marina.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow- Bike Trail in Amherst.

Northern Watersnake- Oxbow N.W.R.

White-throated Sparrow- Already started to decline at the feeding station.

Warbling Vireo- Rail Trail

White-crowned Sparrow- made a two day appearance and then headed out.

Yellow-throated Vireo- Mitch's Marina in Hadley.

Yellow-throated Vireo- Up close & Personal!

Glossy Ibis- Amherst

Glossy Ibis- Rail Trail- Amherst

It's been a while since the last post . We certainly had a more typical New England winter this past season , and I finely caught up to the Gray Ghost in January & February. Valerie and I were able to get away in March to Costa Rica & Panama for a week and now spring migration is in full swing.

The Hitchcock Center Spring birding class is also in full swing.....Today's trip brought us down the Rail Trail in Amherst. We started out at Larch Hill conservation Area, an area adjacent to the Hitchcock Center. We had a great encounter with 9 Ruby-crowned Kinglets. All interacting with one another and several showing their brilliant red crowns. We also had several Palm Warblers, 2 Pine and a couple Yellow-rumped Warblers. We then headed to Southeast Street for a quick walk down the Rail Trail to visit an area that recently had three Glossy Ibis?  Although they hadn't been reported in a couple of days, we thought we'd give it a quick scan of the area. As most of us were looking over the main Beaver Pond, Jim & Kim   Athern were looking on the other side of the trail and BINGO! they spotted a large iridescent bird sleeping in the grass....Glossy Ibis was still around, and not just one but all three. The Glossy Ibis is a rare bird in western Massachusetts...reported just about each year, but most keep moving through. Once in a while they'll stay put for a couple of days and give everyone a chance for a look. I've had less than 10 sightings over thirty-five years, so they can be tough to come by.  The Ibis put on a wonderful show, we observed a couple of them eating crayfish several times. The trial also had several Palm Warblers (Eastern) and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. A nice way to spend a Sunday morning....complete lists below.

Glossy Ibis- Rail  Trail. 4-21-13

Glossy Ibis- Amherst Rail Trail.

Palm Warbler- Amherst.

Palm Warbler- Amherst 4-21-13

Pine Warbler-Amherst. Larch Hill

Ruby-crowned Kinglet-Amherst 4-21-13

Yellow-rumped Warbler- Larch Hill -Amherst.

Amherst-Hop Brook-Beaver Pond.Rail Trail, Hampshire, US-MA
Apr 21, 2013 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.5 mile(s)
32 species

Canada Goose 8
Mallard 6
Common Merganser 1
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 3 continuing since Wednesday afternoon-photos
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Killdeer 1
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
American Crow 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Tree Swallow 9
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 7
American Robin 2
European Starling 2
Palm Warbler (Yellow) 12
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Eastern Towhee 1
Song Sparrow 4
Swamp Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
American Goldfinch 2

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13826633

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

LARCH HILL CONSERVATION AREA-AMHERST, Hampshire, US-MA
Apr 21, 2013 7:10 AM - 8:10 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.3 mile(s)
22 species

Mourning Dove 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 4
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 9
American Robin 3
Palm Warbler (Yellow) 3
Pine Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Song Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 12
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Common Grackle 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 11

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13826390

Chasing the Gray Ghost..Gyrfalcon

Well, Western Mass doesn't usually see large concentrations of birder's, but every once in a while a bird changes that. On Dec 13th a couple found and photographed a GYRFALCON! in the Honey Pot, Hadley, Mass. However the Gyr was not seen again until late afternoon on New Years Day, and that sighting set in motion a wave of scope carrying birder's that came from as far away as Virginia. 

The next day the Arctic Falcon put on a show in the Honey Pot for most of the day. Birder's were not only able to view the bird but got some amazing shots. However....I found myself unable to escape from work and was left to provide updates on Western Mass Birder's-facebook Page & Massbird.

The Falcon wasn't the only story going on in Hadley....with the recent snowstorm, a lot of birds found themselves looking for food! Most of the time birder's have to walk through the many weedy fields of the Honey Pot looking for Larks, Longspurs,Buntings and Sparrows. This time many of the birds were right by the road eating grass seeds that the local snowplows had unearthed. 50+ Savannah Sparrows, 2 Clay-colored Sparrows, 1 Vesper Sparrow, many Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and even a few Lapland Longspurs made an appearance. Besides the sparrows, good numbers of Common Redpolls remained along with 1-2 Hoary Redpolls, and then the raptor show got even better.....

During this week...a Long-eared and Short-eared Owls were seen and photographed, Northern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, Merlin, American Kestrel, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed & Rough-legged Hawk and a Bald Eagle or two. An AMAZING WEEK is clearly an understatement. I was able to get some photos of the birds reported out there this past week, but missed the Gyrfalcon & Long-eared Owl/Short-eared Owl.

American Pipit- one of three birds I found on New Years day on South Maple Street/Hadley.

Horned Lark- hundreds in the Hadley area. 

Horned Lark- Aqua Vitae Rd

Lapland Longspur- So.Maple Street/Hadley.

Rough-legged Hawk (Light Morph) So.Maple Street.

Rough-legged Hawk- So.Maple Street

Snow Buntings- So.Maple Street/Aqua Vitae Rd & the Honey Pot. Some reported a flock of 200

Snow Buntings

Vesper Sparrow-honey Pot. A good find in winter.

Savannah Sparrow- as many as 60 reported.

Common Redpoll- Honey Pot. 

Cooper's Hawk- My feeding station.

Clay-colored Sparrow. one of two in Hadley.

Quabbin C.B.C. Twenty-fives years and counting

The twenty-fifth Quabbin Christmas Bird Count took place on December 29, 2012. When Jim Lafley and I set this count into motion twenty-five years ago,  we knew that this count would become one of Massachusetts most remote/rural of the Christmas bird counts in the state. While some of the areas at Quabbin seem to be a bird-less,  frozen wilderness. Participants get to travel into areas behind the locked gates and encounter areas that once played host to thriving communities, before they were removed in favor of a water supply for Boston and other Eastern Mass communities. However, the count has a few claims to fame for the first twenty-five years- We hold the North American record for the most Northern Saw-whet Owls..(61) and we usually have State high counts for things like Bald Eagles,  Pileated Woodpeckers, Common Ravens, and some years for Red-breasted Nuthatch- our all time high is (1886). 

We've also experienced some interesting weather over the years. Everything from sunny near 50 degrees (not many of those days) to light rain/fog...light snow to an all out BLIZZARD that cut the count short that year, but we got the count into the books. Another cool thing about the Quabbin count is the mammals, it seems each area gets an interesting mammal sighting during the day. We tallied up an impressive list over the years.

This years count was fairly uneventful, but we did get a new high count for Hairy Woodpecker. The weather probably kept birds down a bit...Overcast with a late afternoon snowstorm approaching. Everyone made it home safe, but it kept the tally at Headquarters rather subdued with just a handful of observers. 

Complete list below. 

Area 43/Horseshoe Dam. Most water frozen, limited road access because of recent snowstorm.

Certainly of one the days highlights was this 25th Anniversary cake presents to Myself and Jim Lafley by David Spector......Thanks David! 

A few of the survivors 

Saying good-bye to David Peake-Jones at the visitor's center- Storm gaining steam at this point.

                                                                  Quabbin C.B.C. (Dec 29, 2012)

Happy New Year,

Despite the impending Nor'easter, we managed to get the Quabbin  Christmas Count into the books.  Generally overall numbers were down, but we ended the day with 67 species, along with two new highs.  Road access inside of the reservoir wasn't too bad considering a snowstorm a few days earlier. Temperature ranged from 16-30 degrees with overcast skies. The snow didn't really get going until 3pm, by that time most areas had started to call it a day. Complete list below…

Canada Goose 18

Wood Duck 1-3^rd record.

American Black Duck 131

Mallard 66

Ring-necked Duck 5

Common Goldeneye 57

Hooded Merganser 85

Common Merganser 26

Ruffed Grouse 5

Wild Turkey 154

Common Loon 15

Horned Grebe 10

Red-necked Grebe 1

Great Blue Heron 1

Bald Eagle 11 (3 Imm/8 Ad)

Sharp-shinned Hawk 3

Cooper’s Hawk 3

Red-tailed Hawk 22

Ring-billed Gull 49

Herring Gull 13

Rock Pigeon 87

Mourning Dove 188

Eastern Screech-Owl 1

Great Horned Owl 12

Barred Owl 9

Northern Saw-whet Owl 6

Belted Kingfisher 3

Red-bellied Woodpecker 27

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1-3^rd record.

Downy Woodpecker 156

Hairy Woodpecker 62-new high

Northern Flicker 3

Pileated Woodpecker 23

Northern Shrike 1

Blue Jay 141

American Crow 146

Common Raven 27

Black-capped Chickadee 1026

Tufted Titmouse 292

Red-breasted Nuthatch 376- 2^nd highest count/ Most inside of Quabbin.

White-breasted Nuthatch 210

Brown Creeper 39

Carolina Wren 3

Winter Wren 3

Golden-crowned Kinglet 97

Eastern Bluebird 45- New High.

Hermit Thrush 1

American Robin 160

Northern Mockingbird 6

E.Starling 221

American Tree Sparrow 173

Song Sparrow 22

White-throated Sparrow 52

Dark-eyed Junco 714

Snow Bunting 49

Northern Cardinal 100

Red-winged Blackbird 3

Brown-headed Cowbird 2

Pine Grosbeak 19-( 8) still feeding on crabapples at Quabbin HQ.

Purple Finch 1

House Finch 58

Red Crossbill 6-( Gate 40)

White-winged Crossbill 9-(Gate 40)

Common Redpoll 302

American Goldfinch 124

Evening Grosbeak 27 (Hardwick/Petersham/North Dana)

House Sparrow 250

67 species

Mammals

River Otter 3

Red Squirrel 21

Gray Squirrel 35

Flying Squirrel 1

Beaver 1

White-tailed Deer 9

Eastern Chipmunk 1

Island Pond, VT

Headed north the other day to Island Pond, Vermont to do a little scouting for a trip later in 2013.
Priscilla Moor and I left around 5:30am and headed up 91 North towards Vermont. Considering the time of year, the weather and roadways were pretty good. We made a quick stop at Exit 17 for breakfast at the P&H Truck Stop. After breakfast we continue north until we got to Newport, Vermont, from there we headed east on rte 105 to Island Pond and onto our main target.... Moose Bog. This region plays host to such boreal specialties like Spruce Grouse, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee and Black-backed Woodpecker.

Although we arrived late, we were able to locate a couple of Boreal Chickadees amongest  a flock of Black-capped Chickadees. The area also had a recent light snow fall, which made it a winter wonderland. No big surprise, we didn't break 20 species for the day...besides the Boreal Chickadees, the other highlights were several large flocks of Wild Turkeys and a 1st winter Iceland Gull in Newport.

Below are a few photos of Island Pond region and recent Redpolls in the Honey Pot area in Hadley.

Main Road to Moose Bog

Bulletin board at Moose Bog 

Winter Wonderland...we only had to drive 220 miles to experience it. 

Priscilla on Moose Bog Trail.....

Iceland Gull-Newport, VT (Sleeping in center)

Red-breasted Nuthatch- Moose Bog

Black-capped Chickadee

Common Redpolls- A large flock has been hanging out in the Honey Pot for the last couple of weeks. There also have been 1-3 Hoary Redpolls mixed in with the flock.

Common Redpoll

Common Redpoll

Common Redpoll

Bobcat! Sunning at Hampshire Fittness in Amherst.

Scott

Pine Grosbeaks-increasing.

Headed into Amherst the other day to pick up a couple of Holiday items when I came across four Pine Grosbeaks in the center of town. The Grosbeaks were feeding on a Crabapple Tree across from the Police Station on Main Street. The center of Amherst has several pockets of Crabapple Trees in the downtown area. Pine Grosbeaks are still being found around the Umass Campus, Quabbin HQ in Belchertown and the flock in Turners Falls is has increased to over forty birds. Again, most if not all the birds being reported are Imm/Females.

Pine Grosbeak- Amherst

Angry Pine Grosbeak?