I managed to locate two separate Common Yellowthroats this morning despite cool temps and varying levels of rain showers. I'm usually able to find this species early in the month of November but had no luck early in the month and then I went off to Ecuador. I have checked a number of locations since I got back but continued to miss the species. Late in the day yesterday I noticed two reports of the species, with one at the Honey Pot (plus a late Palm Warbler) and another on the campus of UMASS. I figured I would try my luck in relocating one of them this morning despite the less than ideal forecast. At least the winds would be calm until at least late morning when a cold front was forecast to move through. I headed over to the Honey Pot at dawn and started walking along the road and into 'That's a Plenty Farm'. As it was getting light enough to see fairly well I heard a yellowthroat calling occasionally from a dense thicket area and managed to get some brief glimpses before it flew further away. I looked for it for a bit from the road but had no luck hearing or seeing it again. I then spent some time looking in vain for the Palm Warbler splitting my time between the farm and the roadside. After over an hour of walking back and forth in the rain I heard the yellowthroat again and this time managed to get better views and some photos. As the rain continued to be light and knowing the campus would be nearly deserted due to the holiday I decided to try my luck at UMASS to try to find the yellowthroat there too. I made a brief stop at the pond before looking for the yellowthroat and did not find anything noteworthy. I then walked around the building in the area the yellowthroat was reported yesterday and on the last side of the building I checked there was the bird! Always amazing where late season warblers can show up. It was in some ornamental plantings that made up part of a rain garden right in the middle of a very busy campus. Two Common Yellowthroats in a morning in late November here is great. I have had a few later records of the species well into December and even into mid January (in 2019) but still noteworthy to multiples around this late in the season.
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