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| Golden winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 31, 2017 |
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| Golden winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 31, 2017 |
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| Golden winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 31, 2017 |
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| Golden winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 31, 2017 |
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| Golden winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 31, 2017 |
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| Golden winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 31, 2017 |
May certainly ended on a high note despite the damp, rainy and cool weather with a male Golden winged Warbler on the last day of the month at Quabbin Park and another Brewster's Warbler late in the morning elsewhere in Belchertown. My plan this morning was to just bird around Quabbin Park but I got a later start then I hoped for when the gates to the park didn't open until almost seven. I checked a few spots outside the gates but didn't turn up anything unusual. Once the gates opened up I headed in from the east entrance and almost immediately the steady drizzle started up and then became a near constant light rain. Nonetheless I turned up the ongoing Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid once again. As the conditions continued to deteriorate I thought about trying to head elsewhere but figured the weather would be the same so I might as well just stick it out at Quabbin Park. I was certainly happy with that decision a short time later when I stopped in the area of Goodnough Dike and heard an unusual call. I fully expected to track down an oddly singing Blue winged Warbler but much to my surprise I found a gorgeous male Golden winged Warbler instead! Only my fifth record of this species in the county and easily the most cooperative one I have ever had. The bird was singing an odd single pitch long buzzy song and continued singing it nearly the entire time I was there watching it. It moved back in forth within a large brushy area but never strayed too far although it was out of sight much more than it was in. The bird stayed through the day and allowed a number of people to see it (a lifer for several of them). It is not too often I add a new species to my Quabbin list but this warbler became species #245 for me at Quabbin. Other notables around the park included a few late migrants such as Blackpoll Warbler, Wilson's Warbler and another Mourning Warbler.
Full list from the morning here (with audio links):
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37286251
Additional photos and video link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/albums/72157681432202874
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| Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Quabbin Park, MA, June 4, 2017 |
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| Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, June 2, 2017 |
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| Wilson's Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, June 1, 2017 |
Apparently the Golden winged Warbler was seen for the entire day on Thursday in the same area so I stopped by there after work on Friday morning and the bird was still present along with a number of birders. It was continuing to call nearly continuously but showing itself very sparingly. Around 8:30 or so it flew up to the top of trees and then launched itself off to the south and did not return for the remaining hour and half while I was there. I thought it might have moved to the power line cut off to the south but I didn't have a lot of time to go looking. Apparently I was right as the bird was reported along the power lines on Saturday but has not been relocated there since. It could still be in the same general area but the going there can be tough and the ticks are horrible in addition to the weather being cool, rainy and breezy. A consolation prize on Friday was a Mourning Warbler in the same area which called quite a bit and showed briefly. It appears this individual is from the Nova Scotia group according to the researcher up in New Hampshire who is studying the different vocal groups of Mourning Warblers (more about the Mourning Warbler study below). Other highlights in early June included the continued hybrid Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler and a somewhat late Wilson's Warbler.
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| Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 23, 2017 |
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| Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 23, 2017 |
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| Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 21, 2017 |
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| Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 20, 2017 |
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| Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 20, 2017 |
I had a great run of Mourning Warblers during the end of May into June. My best day was on May 23rd at Quabbin Park when I had three Mourning Warblers (the most I have ever had in a single day around here). In staying with the topic of Mourning Warblers I got in contact with a researcher (Dr Jay Pitocchelli) in New Hampshire who is continuing to study the regional variations in the songs of these warblers. My recordings revealed that the Mourning Warblers coming through here represent two of the four distinct vocal groups, the eastern and Nova Scotia groups (the other groups being western and Newfoundland). A link to the study can be found here (at least the link should work for about a month):
http://www.anselm.edu/homepage/jpitocch/MOWAsongvar.pdf
During May I found at least seven Mourning Warbler (plus added another in early June)
Overall for the month of May I managed to find 30 species of warblers plus a few hybrids including a Lawrence's warbler, two Brewster's Warblers and the other unnamed hybrid. Highlights besides the Golden winged Warbler and Mourning Warblers included three each of Bay breasted Warblers and Cape May Warblers and an Orange crowned Warbler. I only missed two other warbler species that were reported (Kentucky Warbler and Yellow breasted Chat) but both of these were seen briefly by the original observers and not relocated.
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