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| Red Warbler, Parque Ejidal San Nicolás Totolapan,Mexico City, Jan 31, 2019 |
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| Black polled Yellowthroat, Lerma Marsh, Mexico state, Mexico, Jan 31, 2019 |
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| Hooded Yellowthroat, Jardín Botánico del Instituto de Biología UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico, Jan 31, 2019 |
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| Altamira Yellowthroat, Rt 85, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Feb 2, 2019 |
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| St. Lucia Warbler, Millet Nature Reserve, St. Lucia, Mar 12, 2019 |
Another year has just about come to an end and therefore there is another end of year wrap up to post. It was another great year both close to home and on various trips to the south with visits to Costa Rica, Mexico, Florida and the eastern Caribbean (including the islands of Saint Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, Saint Thomas and Tortola) plus a trip to Europe (where I had a few old world warblers). Overall for the year I had five new warblers added to my list including Black polled Yellowthroat, Hooded Yellowthroat and Red Warbler in the vicinity of Mexico City, Altamira Yellowthroat in Tamaulipas, Mexico and Saint Lucia Warbler on Saint Lucia. This brings my total number of warblers seen up to 80 in my continued quest to see them all. I had a total of 52 species of warbler for the entire year overall and yet again managed to find at least one species of warbler in Hampshire County for every month of the year (something I accomplished for the first time last year).
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| Kentucky Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 6, 2019 |
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| Prothonotary Warbler, Hacienda Baru NWR, Costa Rica, Jan 4, 2019 |
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| Chestnut sided Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 5, 2019 |
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| Golden winged Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 2, 2019 |
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| Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 2, 2019 |
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| Buff rumped Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 8, 2019 |
The year for me started off in
Costa Rica at the Rio Magnolia Lodge and during the first part of January down there I found a total of 14 species of warbler with two being new for my Costa Rica list (MacGillivray's Warbler and Kentucky Warbler).
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 15, 2019 |
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| Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jan 17, 2019 |
Once home from Costa Rica I made a concerted effort to find a warbler in Hampshire County in January and my effort paid off with a
Yellow rumped Warbler in the East Meadows in the middle of the month as well as an even more surprising
Common Yellowthroat on January 17th in Amherst. It was first winter record for the species in the county and one of just a handful of January-February records in western Massachusetts.
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| Red Warbler, Parque Ejidal San Nicolás Totolapan,Mexico City, Jan 31, 2019 |
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| Black polled Yellowthroat, Lerma Marsh, Mexico state, Mexico, Jan 31, 2019 |
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| Hooded Yellowthroat, Jardín Botánico del Instituto de Biología UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico, Jan 31, 2019 |
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| Black throated Gray Warbler, San Andrés de la Cal, Morelos, Mexico, Feb 1, 2019 |
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| Golden browed Warbler, Camino San Juan Tlacotenco-Coajomulco, Morelos, Mexico, Feb 1, 2019 |
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| Altamira Yellowthroat, Rt 85, Tamaulipas, Mexico, Feb 2, 2019 |
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| Crescent chested Warbler, Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo, Tamuliapas, Mexico, Feb 3, 2019 |
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| Wilson's Warbler, Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo, Tamuliapas, Mexico, Feb 3, 2019 |
At the end of January and into early February I made a focused trip down to
Mexico in search of four species of warblers (Altamira Yellowthroat, Black polled Yellowthroat, Hooded Yellowthroat and Red Warbler) and I happily found them all (with the assistance of some great guides!). In addition to the four species mentioned above I had great luck finding a number of other resident and migrant warbler species on the trip (21 species overall for the trip). It was another great adventure down to the tropics.
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 5, 2019 |
Between my trips out of the area and fighting multiple bouts of the cold I did make it out to find a warbler in Hampshire County for the month of February with a sighting of the continued
Yellow rumped Warbler in the East Meadows.
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| Yellow throated Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, FL, Feb 25, 2019 |
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| Northern Parula, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 24, 2019 |
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| Black and White Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Feb 24, 2019 |
Late in February we made a brief trip down to
Florida and despite being down there for a just a few days I found nine species of warbler with six new species for the year. Most were species I will see around here once spring arrives but one (Yellow throated Warbler) is unlikely to be seen this far north.
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 1, 2019 |
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 20, 2019 |
I started off March by relocating the overwintering Yellow rumped Warbler in the East Meadows and found the individual still there late in the month.
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| Saint Lucia Warbler, Millet Nature Reserve, Saint Lucia, Mar 12, 2019 |
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| Prairie Warbler, McKinnon's Salt Pond, Antigua, Mar 14, 2019 |
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| Yellow Warbler, McKinnon's Salt Pond, Antigua, Mar 14, 2019 |
During the middle of the month we took a seven day cruise to the
eastern Caribbean with multiple stops including one to Saint Lucia where I caught up with the endemic Saint Lucia Warbler. I also found an unusual for the island warbler in Antigua when I turned up a Prairie Warbler.
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| Palm Warbler 'yellow', Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2019 |
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| Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2019 |
The very end of March brought in some new warblers for the Hampshire County for the year including multiple Pine Warblers (including multiple birds coming to the suet feeders) and Palm Warblers (only my third March getting the species in the county and the first time getting multiple individuals).
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| Orange crowned Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Apr 29, 2019 |
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| American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 24, 2019 |
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 24, 2019 |
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| Northern Waterthrush, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Apr 23, 2019 |
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| Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 13, 2019 |
Although
April was a very rainy overall the temperatures were at or above average until the last week or so of the month when it cooled down quite a bit. There were a number of highlights among the 13 species of warbler seen for month including a rare for spring record of
Orange crowned Warbler and early dates for a number of species (Ovenbird, American Redstart and Black throated Green Warbler).
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| Bay breasted Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 16, 2019 |
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| Tennessee Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2019 |
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| Cape May Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 15, 2019 |
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| Blackpoll Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2019 |
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| American Redstart, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2019 |
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| Blue winged Warbler x Golden winged Warbler hybrid (Lawrence's backcross?), Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2019 |
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| Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2019 |
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| Blue winged Warbler x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2019 |
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| Ovenbird, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 18, 2019 |
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| Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 22, 2019 |
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| Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 23, 2019 |
As always May is the best month overall at home for warblers as the large numbers flood in to breed or continue on their journey to locations further to the north. I found a total of 29 species in Hampshire County for the month with many highlights including Hooded Warbler, loads of spruce budworm specialists (Bay breasted, Tennessee, Blackpoll and Cape May Warblers) with Bay breasted Warblers being the most impressive with triple digit totals for the month (usually I struggle to break into double digits with the species!), Mourning Warblers (with three regiolects represented) and several hybrids. A more detailed look at several of the species mentioned above can be found at the following
link.
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| Hooded Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 1, 2019 |
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| Chestnut sided Warbler, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 8, 2019 |
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| Hooded Warbler, Prescott Peninsula, New Salem, MA, Jun 8, 2019 |
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| Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 3, 2019 |
June started off with a bang with a
Hooded Warbler showing up at Quabbin Park on the first of the month. Unfortunately it didn't stick around despite being in great breeding habitat. I came across another
hooded warbler on the Prescott Peninsula about a week later that also looked to be in great breeding habitat. Another highlight was catching a Pine Warbler during the annual
banding program at the house as part of the Neighborhood Nestwatch program.
The month of July was fairly uneventful in regards to warblers as we were over in Europe to start the month and I spent a lot of time working overtime for the month.
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| Cerulean Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 27, 2019 |
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| Common Yellowthroat, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 26, 2019 |
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| American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 30, 2019 |
By the end of August warblers were really starting to move with one the biggest highlights being a
Cerulean Warbler at Silvio Conte NWR (my latest date ever for the species in the county). By the end of the
month I had a total of 22 warblers with all but one of those seen in Hampshire County (I had some Louisiana Waterthrushes out in the Finger Lakes during a trip out that way)
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| Blue winged Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2019 |
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| Black and White Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2019 |
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| Tennessee Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Sep 21, 2019 |
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| Connecticut Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 28, 2019 |
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| Northern Parula, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 28, 2019 |
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| Magnolia Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2019 |
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| Blackburnian Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 7, 2019 |
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| Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 5, 2019 |
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| Palm Warbler 'western', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 20, 2019 |
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| Prairie Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Sep 16, 2019 |
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| Black throated Green Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 19, 2019 |
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| Canada Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Sep 6, 2019 |
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| Wilson's Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 6, 2019 |
As is typically the case
September was the second best month for warblers in the county with 27 species for the month. Highlights included a Worm eating Warbler early in the month and above normal numbers of Northern Parula, Tennessee Warblers and Cape May Warblers. Oddly the number of Bay breasted Warblers was not above average despite being a record breaking spring for them....it will be interesting to see if the numbers are high once again next spring and the fall migrants just passed over without stopping. September also marks the arrival of Connecticut Warblers in the area and I found at least seven for the month.
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| Cape May Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 3, 2019 |
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| Northern Waterthrush, Belchertown Land Trust trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 3, 2019 |
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| Yellow rumped Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 14, 2019 |
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| Tennessee Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Oct 1, 2019 |
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| Nashville Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 5, 2019 |
I had a total of 18 species for the month in
October with the highlights including a late Northern Waterthrush, an Orange crowned Warbler, a Connecticut Warbler (bringing my total for the fall to at least nine for the species) and several Cape May and Tennessee Warblers. I even had a very high single day total of
14 species on the 8th (13 of those species just at Arcadia!).
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 14, 2019 |
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 30, 2019 |
For the month of
November I managed just two species of warblers (Yellow rumped Warblers and a Common Yellowthroat) which is less than the previous two years when I had five species (
2018,
2017). I did manage to find multiple locations through the end of the month that featured Yellow rumped Warblers so I was happy about that.
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Dec 1, 2019 |
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 24, 2019 |
I started off December with a productive search for
lingering warblers when I found several Yellow rumped Warblers at a couple different locations...hopefully in spots they will overwinter once again. At least ten individual Yellow rumped Warblers at multiple locations were still around through
Christmas. I also managed to locate a Yellow rumped Warbler for the
Quabbin CBC at the end of the month. Finding a warbler in Hampshire County for December made it the second year in a row I have managed to find a warbler in the county for every month of the year. With those two years plus eight months in 2017 I have now brought my streak for seeing warblers in the county up to 32. Fingers crossed I will be once again be able to locate some overwintering warblers to add to the streak.
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| Pine Warblers, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 4, 2019 |
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| Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2019 |
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2019 |
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| Palm Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 6, 2019 |
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| Magnolia Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 16, 2019 |
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| Bay breasted Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 22, 2019 |
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| Blackpoll Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 23, 2019 |
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| Bay breasted Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 24, 2019 |
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| Blackpoll Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2019 (my only warbler for the fall at the water feature) |
The motion camera set up at the water feature captured a number of warblers this year with the spring being the most active and fall being very slow. The number of Bay breasted Warblers captured was impressive...multiple times I had more than one in the water feature! I also caught Pine Warblers coming into the suet feeders before I had to take them down for the season due to bears.
Next year looks to feature more warblers in my quest to see them all. I have trips planned to Costa Rica in January (no new warblers there but a great spot nonetheless) plus a brief stop in Florida on the way home, the Santa Marta Mountains in Columbia in early February (with three target species including White lored Warbler, Yellow crowned Redstart and Santa Marta Warbler), Antigua and Barbuda in late February (target species being Barbuda Warbler) and then a trip to Grand Cayman in early March (target species being Vitelline Warbler and possibly a wintering Swainson's Warbler). There is always the chance of a late year trip but none planned yet.
Below are few tables of warblers seen overall for the year, warblers per month and warblers seen in Hampshire County by month.
Warblers (running tally for year)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
23 39 40 41 51 51 51 51 52 52 52 52
Warblers overall per month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
23 24 8 13 29 24 18 21 27 18 2 2
Hampshire County warblers by month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2 1 3 13 29 23 18 20 27 18 2 2
