Yellow rumped Warbler continues in East Meadows but no sign of the Common Yellowthroat in Amherst

Dawn, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 23, 2019

Following our snow and sleet storm and bitter cold temperatures and before the heavy rain forecast for tonight and tomorrow I headed out this morning looking for the two warblers I had found earlier in the month (Yellow rumped Warbler and Common Yellowthroat).  I started off in the East Meadows and the going was a lot tougher than last time I was down there and had to walk much further to get to where I had the warbler but the effort paid off when I relocated it.  I was not able to get any photos this time but it was good to see it was still around and I will certainly check back on it again once February arrives.  My attempt to relocate the yellowthroat came up empty but it could still be in the area as the last time I saw it it only showed very briefly and never made a sound.  Hopefully it did make it through the recent cold and snow.  I will try for it again a few more times before I give up on it. 

Common Yellowthroat in Amherst in January!

Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jan 17, 2018

Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jan 17, 2018

My efforts to find late season warblers around here paid off again this cold morning when I had brief looks at a Common Yellowthroat off the rail trail in Amherst.  I have never had this species in the county in January but it was certainly on my radar as I was working through a frosty marsh area.  It popped into view briefly and never showed itself again and did not make any calls at all the entire time I was there.  I tried to get better photos but the bird never showed itself again after popping up briefly.  There are few records of this species in any county in western Massachusetts during the January-February time period although this year does appear to be a good one for them as one was reported in Hadley on January 1st and James Smith has had one continuing up in Northfield until at least January 9th.  The only other records I can find in the area include one in Amherst on Jan 13, 2007, one in Turner's Falls on Jan 1, 2012 and another in Stockbridge on Jan 28, 2007.  I will be checking up on the bird again in the future but the upcoming heavy snow and bitter cold do not look good for its continued presence.

Yellow rumped Warbler in East Meadows

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 15, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 15, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 15, 2019

Now that I have returned from the tropics (for a short time anyway) I have been trying to find any lingering warblers in Hampshire County while catching up with more typical species.  There was a Common Yellowthroat reported in Hadley several days ago but it appears to have moved on.  I have put in a concerted effort to try to find a warbler and my effort paid off this morning when I found a Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' in the East Meadows.  Last year was the first year I was able to find a warbler in January around here and I was happy to find another this year.  It looked to be in an area with enough food to sustain it through the winter and I will check up on it periodically to see if it makes it through.

Costa Rica warblers on the latest trip down there (with two new ones for my Costa Rica list!)

Golden winged Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Dec 31, 2018

Tennessee Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Dec 31, 2018

Chestnut sided Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Dec 31, 2018

Black and White Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Dec 31, 2018

On the final day of 2018 I was once again down in Costa Rica at the Rio Magnolia Lodge where I had a half dozen warbler species to end the year (Golden winged Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Chestnut sided Warbler and Buff rumped Warbler).

Gray crowned Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 2, 2019

MacGillivray's Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 1, 2019

Chestnut sided Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 2, 2019

Mourning Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 3, 2019

The new year started as the last one ended with us down in Costa Rica at the Rio Magnolia Lodge. The first day of the new year started off with me adding a new warbler (and new species) to my Costa Rica list when I found a juvenile MacGillivray's Warbler at the lodge. In addition to the MacGillivray's Warbler I found four more species of warblers the first day of the year.

Prothonotary Warbler, Hacienda Baru NWR, Costa Rica, Jan 4, 2019

Prothonotary Warbler, Hacienda Baru NWR, Costa Rica, Jan 4, 2019

MacGillivray's Warbler, Hacienda Baru NWR, Costa Rica, Jan 4, 2019

American Redstart, Hacienda Baru NWR, Costa Rica, Jan 4, 2019

On the fourth we headed down to the Pacific Coast to Hacienda Baru where I picked up two new warbler species for the trip: Prothonotary Warbler and Northern Waterthrush. Right before we left I found a MacGillivray's Warbler, which is apparently unusual for the area. There were also a number of Chestnut sided Warblers and Tennessee Warblers plus a single male American Redstart and a single Mourning Warbler.

Kentucky Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 6, 2019

Golden winged Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 6, 2019

Chestnut sided Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 5, 2019

Yellow Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 6, 2019

Buff rumped Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 8, 2019

Buff rumped Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 8, 2019

The remainder of the trip was spent around the lodge property with the a few new warbler species seen for the trip including my first Kentucky Warbler in Costa Rica, Yellow Warblers and Worm eating Warbler. The most warbler species I had in a single day was ten on January 6, all at the lodge.

Overall for the trip I found a total of 14 species of warbler which included the following species: Worm eating Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Golden winged Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Gray crowned Yellowthroat, MacGillivray's Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut sided Warbler and Buff rumped Warbler....a great start to 2019! As typical for the area of Costa Rica we were in the most abundant warbler species were Chestnut sided Warbler and Tennessee Warbler. I got photos of almost all the species seen as well as a few recordings.