Chestnut capped Warbler, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025
Orange crowned Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025
Painted Redstart, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025
Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 29, 2025
Red faced Warbler, Mount Lemmon, AZ, Jun 10, 2025
Hooded Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025
Yellow rumped Warbler 'Audubon's', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Dec 13, 2025
Yet another year has come to an end (they really do go by faster every year!). It was another great year for warblers and I saw a total of 49 species. Trips away from home included
Costa Rica in late January into early February, a short stop in
Florida on my way home from Costa Rica in early February, a trip to southeast
Arizona in late February, another trip to
Costa Rica from late March into early April, a return to southeast
Arizona in mid June and the
Finger Lakes of New York in July. A trip to Texas in November had to be cancelled due to some health issues with Wilson. I also added an Audubon's Warbler (currently a subspecies of yellow rumped Warbler) to my Hampshire County list and managed a total of 31 species in the county this year. My total number of warbler species went up by one with the
split of Yellow Warbler into two species (Mangrove Yellow Warbler and Northern Yellow Warbler). I have now seen 106 species of new world warblers out of a total of 116 (and two of that total are almost certainly extinct).
Cape May Warbler, South Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025
I started off the new year with catching up with the continued
Cape May Warbler at a private residence in South Hadley and continuing my streak of at least one warbler in Hampshire County to 93 consecutive months. I added a flyover
Yellow rumped Warbler on the fifth and extended my streak of two warblers in the county to 34 months...unfortunately this was the only Yellow rumped Warbler of the month.
Pine Warbler, Turners Falls Power Canal, Turners Falls, MA, Jan 17, 2025
I made a brief trip out of Hampshire County with a stop up to Franklin County to see a
Pine Warbler in the middle of the month. I continued to look for warblers in the county through the
end of the month with nothing found.
Chestnut capped Warbler, Finca Mango, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025
Tennessee Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 29, 2025
Wilson's Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 30, 2025
Slate throated Redstart, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Jan 31, 2025
Golden winged Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025
Mourning Warbler, Refugio San Antonio, Costa Rica, Feb 2, 2025
At the end of the month I headed to
Costa Rica for my 16th(!) time. This time I would stay at an Airbnb in the same vicinity of the now closed Rio Magnolia Lodge. It was nice to get back down to the southern Pacific area again after a three year absence. I stayed down there until the early part of February and had a dozen species of warblers for the trip.
Northern Parula, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025
Orange crowned Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025
Prairie Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 5, 2025
Palm Warbler 'western', Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 6, 2025
Yellow throated Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 6, 2025
On my way home from Costa Rica I stopped off in
Florida for a couple days before returning to the snow and cold of home. The short stop produced ten species of warblers.
Once back home I started looking for warblers for February in Hampshire County despite the continued cold and snowy weather. I was only able to catch a brief glimpse of a
Common Yellowthroat for all of my effort.
Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's', Sweetwater Wetlands, Tucson, AZ, Feb 20, 2025
Painted Redstart, Madera Canyon, AZ, Feb 21, 2025
Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's x 'myrtle' hybrid, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025
Black throated Gray Warbler, Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ, Feb 22, 2025
In late February we made a short trip out to southeast
Arizona checking out the area as a possible location to spend upcoming winters. The original plan was to go to south Texas but we changed it to Arizona due to cold weather in Texas. I added a few new warblers for the year during the trip. February ended with me just finding a single species of warbler in the county so my streak of two for every month ended at 34 straight months...damn the cold winter!
Northern Waterthrush, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 24, 2025
Tennessee Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 25, 2025
Wilson's Warbler, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica, Mar 26, 2025
Chestnut sided Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 28, 2025
Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 29, 2025
Magnolia Warbler, Arenal Kioro Suites, Costa Rica, Mar 30, 2025
Slate throated Redstart, Hotel Quelitales, Costa Rica, Apr 1, 2025
At the end of March we headed down to
Costa Rica with most of our time spent in the Arenal area with a few rainy days at Arenal Observatory Lodge and then onto Arenal Kioro Suites. I then spent a few days to the east of San Jose at Hotel Quelitales by myself. Among the warblers was a new one for me in Costa Rica with a Magnolia Warbler.
Palm Warbler 'yellow', Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 9, 2025
Pine Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Apr 4, 2025
Once back home in early April I got my
Pine and Palm Warblers in the county. The weather turned colder than normal for the end of the first week and well into the second week with some rain and snow. Warblers were few and far between.
Louisiana Waterthrush, Fitzgerald Lake, Northampton, MA, Apr 10, 2025
Black throated Green Warbler, Ware, MA, Apr 16, 2025
Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 19, 2025
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Apr 22, 2025
Near the end of third week of April some southerly winds
pushed in more warblers and the next few days to end that week and start the next featured a few more new arrivals plus the biggest push of
Yellow rumped Warblers so far.
Yellow Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Apr 27, 2025
Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 27, 2025
Blackburnian Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 28, 2025
Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 28, 2025
Nashville Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 25, 2025
Towards the end of the month featured multiple days of continued great migration conditions with many new arrivals including a returning Blue winged Warbler singing a Golden winged song, my first double digit count of warblers in a day for the season and the 20th warbler species captured on the camera at the water feature (Nashville Warbler).
Black and White Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 29, 2025
Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Apr 30, 2025
Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Apr 30, 2025
By the end of the month I had tied my best ever April in the county with 20 warbler species thanks to early arrivals including record early arrivals of a few species including Cerulean and Worm eating Warblers on the 30th.
Brewster's Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 2, 2025
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 2, 2025
Ovenbird, UMASS demonstration forest, Belchertown, MA, May 1, 2025
Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 1, 2025
The first two days of May more warblers showed up including my earliest ever record of a Brewster's Warbler hybrid. I then added an Orange crowned Warbler on the 4th before the weather took a turn to cooler, rainy conditions for days that slowed migration down.
Blue winged Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, May 6, 2025
Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2025
Northern Parula, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2025
Common Yellowthroat, Ware, MA, May 5, 2025
Prairie Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 4, 2025
Despite the rain I was still out birding to end the first week of May and among the highlights was a return of a Cerulean Warbler back to Quabbin Park (which eventually became at least two in the same area).
Prairie Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, May 8, 2025
Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2025
Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Rail trail, Ware, MA, May 9, 2025
Canada Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 12, 2025
Orange crowned Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 12, 2025
Cape May Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 12, 2025
Tennessee Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 12, 2025
Ovenbird, UMASS Demonstration Forest, Belchertown, MA, May 13, 2025
Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 14, 2025
Migration conditions continued to be quite good through the second week of the month and lots of birds were moving through including my second Orange crowned Warbler of the spring.
Prairie Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, May 17, 2025
Magnolia Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, May 19, 2025
Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 19, 2025
Common Yellowthroat, Quabbin Park, MA, May 20, 2025
Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, May 20, 2025
Cerulean Warbler with leg bands, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, May 20, 2025
Cerulean Warbler with leg bands, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, May 20, 2025
Northern Parula, Quabbin Park, MA, May 21, 2025
The third week of May featured the peak of migration and brought in even more birds with the notables including a Hooded Warbler at UMASS and two color banded Cerulean Warblers at Skinner SP. The last few days on the third week featured less than good (to very bad) migration conditions with cold temps and uncooperative winds.
Bay breasted Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 23, 2025
Magnolia Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 23, 2025
Blackpoll Warbler, Rail Trail, Ware, MA, May 24, 2025
Blue winged Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 26, 2025
American Redstart building nest, Quabbin Park, MA, May 27, 2025
Black and White Warbler, Ware, MA, May 29, 2025
Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 31, 2025
As May moved on I continued to get lots of warblers including a number of Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrids. Mourning Warblers arrived as the month came to an end and I found multiple different regiolects. I ended the month with 30 species of warbler in Hampshire County.
Cerulean Warbler being banded, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2025
Ovenbird, Skinner SP, Hadley/South Hadley, MA, Jun 4, 2025
Worm eating Warbler, Mt Holyoke Range SP, Amherst, MA, Jun 5, 2025
American Redstart at nest, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 6, 2025
Common Yellowthroat, Breeding Bird Survey stop #45, Monson, MA, Jun 8, 2025
I started off the month of June guiding for a client from India and we got to witness the banding of a Cerulean Warbler at Quabbin (a highlight for both of us!). The migration of warblers rapidly came to an end but not before a very late Mourning Warbler showed up mid month.
Lucy's Warbler, Agua Caliente Park, Tucson, AZ, Jun 10, 2025
Townsend's Warbler, Mount Lemmon, AZ, Jun 10, 2025
Hermit Warbler, Late, Mount Lemmon, AZ, Jun 10, 2025
Virginia's Warbler, Mount Lemmon, AZ, Jun 10, 2025
Red faced Warbler, Mount Lemmon, AZ, Jun 10, 2025
Grace's Warbler, Mount Lemmon, AZ, Jun 10, 2025
After being tied to home for awhile in May into mid June I finally was able to make a short getaway and I decided on a brief trip out to southeast Arizona and it was a great trip...hot but very productive with multiple new species for the year including my first U.S. Red faced Warbler and decent pictures of Grace's Warbler (as well as other good stuff).
Chestnut sided Warbler, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 21, 2025
Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 25, 2025
Blue winged Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jun 26, 2025
Common Yellowthroat, Pelham, MA, Jun 28, 2025
American Redstart with unique plumage, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 29, 2025
Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 30, 2025
Once I was back from Arizona I continued to track down warblers close to home including the continued Brewster's Warbler in Amherst and warblers while doing field surveys on the Prescott Peninsula. As the month came to a close I got a uniquely plumaged American Redstart. By the end of the month I had managed to find 30 species of warbler (thanks to the Arizona trip and lots of local warblers).
Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 5, 2025
To start off the month of July I was able confirm breeding of
Cerulean Warbler at Quabbin Park...a very exciting moment for me as I highly suspected it the last few years. Nice to see them back within Quabbin Park again.
Hooded Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025
Prairie Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025
In the middle of July we made a short trip out to the finger lakes area of New York. I had four target species to add to my New York list and found them all during this short getaway.
American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 30, 2025
The end of July brought a huge life event for me with my retirement from the fire/EMS field after 33 years of service.
Canada Warbler, Pelham, MA, Aug 2, 2025
Ovenbird, Quabbin gate 8, Pelham, MA, Aug 8, 2025
Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 10, 2025
Cerulean Warbler with leg bands, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 14, 2025
Prairie Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 22, 2025
Northern Parula, Belchertown, MA, Aug 24, 2025
Bay breasted Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 26, 2025
Nashville Warbler, UMASS Demonstration Forest, Belchertown, MA, Aug 29, 2025
I started August with 18 species including a few late Cerulean Warblers. I continued to find Cerulean Warblers through mid August. I got a number of early fall arrivals during the third week and by the end of the month I had 26 species for the month, a good total.
Black and White Warbler, UMASS Demonstration Forest, Belchertown, MA, Sep 1, 2025
September got off to a good start and by just pass the end of the first week. I got my first Connecticut Warbler on the 12th and my the end of the second week I had 24 species for the month. I had a few more Connecticut Warblers mid month including a sustained look of one. Toward the end of the month I had a great influx of Blackpoll Warblers and ended the month with 27 species total.
Blackburnian Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 2, 2025
Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 2, 2025
Black throated Blue Warbler with unusual plumage, Belchertown, MA, Oct 2, 2025
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2025
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' with odd white plumage, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2025
Bay breasted Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 4, 2025
Nashville Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 4, 2025
Nashville Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 5, 2025
Palm Warbler 'yellow', Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2025
Tennessee Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2025
Palm Warbler 'western', Amherst, MA, Oct 21, 2025
Common Yellowthroat, Amherst, MA, Oct 25, 2025
I started off October with a possible hybrid Yellow rumped Warbler and then another oddly plumaged Yellow rumped Warbler. By the end of the first week I had found 17 species in the county. Great migration continued to clear out warblers through the start of the second week of the month. By mid month more and more Yellow rumped Warblers had arrived. I added a couple Orange crowned Warblers and then more before the third week ended.
Mangrove Yellow Warbler, Reserve Naturelle de La Caravelle, Martinique, Dec 13, 2017
By the end of the month eBird made a taxonomic update which netted me another warbler species when Yellow Warblers was split into Northern Yellow Warbler and Mangrove Yellow Warbler.
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Hadley, MA, Nov 20, 2025
Palm Warbler 'western', North Hadley, MA, Nov 21, 2025
Common Yellowthroat, Great Pond, Hatfield, MA, Nov 24, 2025
November started off slow with only two species of warblers through mid month due to cooler, windy weather and being home with Wilson more after the tumor on his foot returned and ruptured. I found a late 'western' Palm Warbler to end the third week. I then added a Common Yellowthroat toward the end of the month. Due to Wilson's health issues we had to cancel a planned trip to south Texas.
One of the best warblers of the year for me in Hampshire County showed up on the last day of the month when an Audubon's subspecies of Yellow rumped Warbler showed up in Hadley. It was the first record ever of the subspecies in the county and only the second ever in western mass.
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Dec 6, 2025
Yellow rumped Warbler 'Audubon's', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Dec 13, 2025
I started off December looking for warblers and found multiple Yellow rumped Warblers and extended my streak of finding at least one warbler species in the county to 104 consecutive months. I also managed to get some fleeting glimpses of the Audubon's Warbler once again on the 9th and then some photos mid month. I continued to get Yellow rumped Warblers through the end of the year.
Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' and Chipping Sparrow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 24, 2025
Nashville Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 25, 2025
Chestnut sided Warbler and White throated Sparrow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 30, 2025 Black throated Blue Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 7, 2025
Black throated Green Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 12, 2025
Canada Warbler and Tufted Titmouse, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 12, 2025
American Redstart, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 12, 2025
Black and White Warbler and Gray Catbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 14, 2025
Common Yellowthroat, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 14, 2025
Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 16, 2025
Blackburnian Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 16, 2025
Blackpoll Warbler and Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Home, Belchertown, MA, May 16, 2025
Ovenbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 20, 2025
Yellow Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Jul 26, 2025
The camera on the water featured captured a number of warblers with a total of 14 species. I had some issues with the camera in the fall so didn't capture too much for that season unfortunately.
The next year will see us making a few trips away from home starting with a long stay in Florida in January into early February, a brief trip to south Texas before a couple weeks in Arizona from February into March and finally a trip to Alaska with a stop in Washington in July. There will likely be other trips too but this is all that is scheduled for now.
Below are a few tallies for the year with overall warblers seen, warblers per month overall and warblers per month in Hampshire County.
Warblers (running tally for year)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
14 25 32 39 43 48 48 48 49 49 49 49
Warblers overall per month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
14 23 21 25 30 30 21 26 27 18 3 1
Hampshire County warblers by month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2 1 1 20 30 21 19 26 27 18 3* 1*
* Audubon's Warbler subspecies seen on these months
