Palm Warbler at Lake Wallace

Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2018

Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2018

Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2018

I got a message from Dawn Winkler this afternoon that she had a very early Palm Warbler at nearby Lake Wallace.  I initially was not going to try for it today but decided I was feeling up to it so I took a quick drive over and found the bird right away late in the afternoon.  I typically don't find this species around here until the end of the first week of April into mid April.  I have only had the species in the county in March once before and that was back in 2012 on March 24.  It is even more unusual given that the weather lately has not been conducive for early migrants as we have had snowstorms, colder than average conditions and a major lack of southerly winds.  The Palm Warbler becomes the third warbler species for March for me in Hampshire County, something I have only managed once before (also in 2012).

Florida warblers during trip to Melbourne area

Northern Parula, Turkey Creek Sanctuary, FL, Mar 18, 2018

Pine Warbler, St Sebastian River Preserve SP, FL, Mar 18, 2018

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Turkey Creek Sanctuary, FL, Mar 19, 2018

Prairie Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 19, 2018

Palm Warbler (western), Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 19, 2018

Yellow throated Warbler, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 20, 2018

Black and White Warbler, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 20, 2018

Northern Parula, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 21, 2018

Common Yellowthroat, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Mar 20, 2018

Ovenbird, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 20, 2018

Just back from a trip down to the Melbourne area of Florida arriving down there on March 17 and leaving the the 22nd.  Unfortunately I sick for a large portion of the the trip but still got out as much as I could.  Although a little early to produce a big variety of warblers heading north a few locations did produce some groups of migrants moving through with decent numbers of Northern Parula and Black and White Warblers. It was nice to hear some of the warblers starting to sing.  Eleven species of warbler were seen (with nine photographed) including Ovenbird, Northern Waterthush, Black and White Warbler, Orange crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow rumped Warbler, Yellow throated Warbler and Prairie Warbler.

An eventually fruitful search for an early Pine Warbler

Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018

Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018

Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018

Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018

Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018

Over the last several days I have tried to catch up with a very early Pine Warbler that showed up at the feeders of the Griffith's but was not successful until late this morning.  The bird showed up on Wednesday the 7th just as the latest nor'easter was starting to crank up.  I got a message from Devin about it but I was at work until the following morning so I would not have a chance to try for it until then.  After getting home and digging out on Thursday I headed out for a few errands and decided to swing by the neighborhood where the bird was seen and I had no luck. As I was heading out I got a text saying the bird had just returned.  Being literally just around the corner I immediately headed over there and missed it by mere minutes.  We waited patiently for it to return but the bird was a no show after almost an hour.   I left and then got another message late in the afternoon saying it was back but I was once again just a little too late to see it. I had a feeling the bird was in the same general area but visiting other locations to feed as it was very irregular at their feeders.  On Friday I met up with Devin late in the morning and we searched all around the neighborhood without finding the bird but we did get a nice close look at a Sharp shinned Hawk as well as a Fox Sparrow.  We also spent some time watching the feeders but once again come up empty.  The bird did not seem to have any real routine besides showing up briefly with long periods of not being present at the feeders.  On Saturday I headed over to areas along the river for the morning and turned up at least two Yellow rumped Warblers in the same area I have had them for weeks at Arcadia.  As I was out I got a text from Devin saying the bird has returned once again and was sticking around.  The sighting was very promising as the bird had not shown up in the morning the previous few days.  I headed right over and once I arrived I quickly found the bird feeding at one of their suet feeders.  I was happy to finally catch up with the bird after multiple attempts...four times was apparently the charm!  I eventually got some close up views and photos of the bird as it fed at the feeders as well as on the ground near the feeders.  Usually I get Pine Warblers around here in early April with very occasionally some showing up in later March (only twice in the last fifteen years or so...2012 and 2016).  My previous early date was March 19, 2012 so this birds beats that record by a healthy margin.  I suspect the bird was an early arrival as it was not seen prior to a push of southerly winds several days before its arrival and is not the only Pine Warbler in the area that has recently shown up at a feeder.  Having two species of warblers in Hampshire County on March 10 is not something I have been able to accomplish before.  A big thank you to the Griffith's for letting me search for this bird in their yard on multiple occasions.