Pine Warblers at multiple locations in Belchertown today totaling at least eleven individuals

Pine Warbler, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

It was an epic morning of finding overwintering Pine Warblers in Hampshire County (really all just in Belchertown).  Beyond the continued overwintering group at Winsor Dam I found at least four other individuals at to other spots in Belchertown bringing the total for the morning to at least eleven individuals!  

Pine Warbler, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warblers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warbler, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warblers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warblers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warblers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Feb 26, 2024

One of my first stops for the morning was to Winsor Dam and I came across the continued flock fairly quickly as they fed in the grasses and showed fairly well.  I scanned through the group multiple times and maxed out with at least seven birds (and possibly an eighth individual).  The group contained at least four birds with varying amounts of yellow and three dull individuals.  I had never before had three dull birds together before so I suspect there may be as many as nine Pine Warblers in the area of the dam.  During my dozens of visits since last fall to the dam I have been able to recognize various unique birds based on plumage differences which makes getting a total count a little easier when not all the birds are around on a given day.

Pine Warbler, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warbler, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warbler, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

I then headed over to nearby Lake Wallace with my main goal being to track down an Eastern Phoebe that has been reported sporadically all winter and I finally caught up with it.  I then walked around the lake a bit in the hopes of finding an overwintering Common Yellowthroat (unsurprisingly no luck with a yellowthroat).  When I pished up a small mixed flock along the edge of the marsh a bright adult male Pine Warbler dropped in.  Not what I was expecting at the location at all.  It showed fairly well and I got some good photos as it moved around feeding.

Pine Warbler, South Cemetery,  Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warbler, South Cemetery,  Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warbler, South Cemetery,  Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warbler, South Cemetery,  Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warblers, South Cemetery,  Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

Pine Warbler, South Cemetery,  Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2024

After a brief stop to check a nearby marsh for possibly a Common Yellowthroat I stopped at South Cemetery to try my luck in relocating a Pine Warbler I saw briefly while driving by a few days ago.  Not long after arriving I found a bright male in a mixed species flock that also contained the first Chipping Sparrows of the season for me.  The warbler was in view for a few minutes and then flushed up and landed in a nearby tree where it was joined by another Pine Warbler (another fairly brightly colored male).  Both eventually landed back in the cemetery to feed on the ground and as I scanned through the area I found that a dull individual had joined them...three more Pine Warblers for the day!  Crazy for sure.

I have covered earlier just how unusual it is for even one Pine Warbler to be around in the winter so having multiples around is without precedent and beyond what I could have hoped for.  Not totally certain as why there are so many around this year but there are a few factors that probably have combined to lead to the influx.  Winters have become increasingly warmer lately with this year one of the warmest (thanks in part to a strong El Nino).  The Eastern White Pine cone crop was also very heavy this year which provided some additional food sources although the birds have fed on a mix of seeds, insects and berries.  It will be interesting to see if this is just a very unusual winter for the species or does it point toward the species surviving winters here in the future.  Could some of the Pine Warblers be early migrants?  Certainly possible but given the date that seems unlikely as migrants unusually return to the area in late March and we have had late February warm ups quite a bit in the last few years with strong southerly winds and Pine Warblers did not show up in those years.