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| Cape May Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018 |
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| Cape May Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 16, 2018 |
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| Bay breasted Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 21 2018 |
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| Tennessee Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 16, 2018 |
As the month of May has ended and June has begun I will take a quick look at the warbler migration for the season and a more detailed look at Tennessee, Cape May and Bay breasted Warblers. As predicted last fall (
Fall warblers 2017) all three species turned up in above normal numbers with my highest spring totals I have ever had for all three species in Hampshire County. Some single locations turned up more individuals in a day then I have gotten in entire seasons. I had two days where I had seven Tennessee Warblers, a day where I had three Bay breasted Warblers and a single day with 13 Cape May Warblers (including one spot where I had eight in view at once!). All three species have had a population upswing the last couple years due to a spruce budworm outbreak that all three species feed on. To show the big numbers further north I have attached a link to a mind blowing eBird list from a location in
Quebec where hundreds of thousands of these species (and many others) passed in a single day...should be a great fall for them too if the outbreak continues. Below is a list of this springs totals as well as totals from the previous ten years.
Tennessee
2018 53
2017 5
2016 17
2015 8
2014 16
2013 6
2012 8
2011 1
2010 2
2009 4
2008 5
Cape May
2018 22
2017 3
2016 1
2015 1
2014 3
2013 1
2012 0
2011 0
2010 0
2009 0
2008 0
Bay breasted
2018 12
2017 3
2016 4
2015 3
2014 9
2013 1
2012 1
2011 1
2010 0
2009 1
2008 2
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| Brewster's Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2018 |
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| Golden winged x Blue winged Warbler hybrid, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018 |
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| Mourning Warbler (Newfoundland vocal group), Quabbin Park, MA, May 29, 2018 |
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| Mourning Warbler (eastern vocal group), Quabbin Park, MA, May 17, 2018 |
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| Prairie Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 17, 2018 |
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| Nashville Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 15, 2018 |
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| Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 15, 2018 |
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| Cerulean Warbler building nest, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 15, 2018 |
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| Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018 |
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| Northern Waterthrush, Pelham, MA, May 8, 2018 |
Besides the above mentioned species it was a decent spring warbler migration overall with a total of 30 species plus a few hybrids (one Brewster's and a returning Golden winged x Blue winged Warbler). My best single day was
May 16 when I had 29 species including my third Hooded Warbler of the season and an odd for spring Orange crowned Warbler. Other highlights for the month included at least nine different Mourning Warblers with one apparently on territory and still present through the end of the month. After sending my recordings to a professor researching the various vocal groups of Mourning Warbler I learned most were from the Eastern group but I had at least one from the Newfoundland group. There are a total of four distinct vocal groups (Eastern, Western, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland) and I have now recorded three of the groups migrating through the county with only the Western group not represented. I also located a Cerulean Warbler nest at Skinner SP mid month but have not been able to get back up there to check on the progress due to construction there.
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