Warbler migration finally got up and running in a big way today with the arrival of a Hooded Warbler in Hadley. The migration conditions improved a bit last night after several days on nearly nonexistent migration into the area. I had high hopes when I set out this morning despite the temps being below freezing. I started my morning along the river in Hadley and the activity was a little slow (likely due to the cool temps) but I did have a number of Yellow rumped Warblers and a few Palm Warblers plus the first Louisiana Waterthrush I was able to get photos of this spring. After a little more than an hour in Hadley I decided to head up to UMASS where I had five species of warbler including my first Yellow Warbler of the season and a photogenic Black and White Warbler. By this point it was around 8:30 and I had to decide where to go next before heading home. I thought about going to Silvio Conte in Hadley but decided instead to go to Lake Wallace. Not long after I arrived there I got a message from Greg letting me know that a group of young birders had found a Hooded Warbler at Silvio Conte. Although I would not typically go back to a general area I just left, for an unusual warbler I almost always will. I made my way back to Hadley to Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River where I arrived around 9:30 and headed to the area where the warbler was reported. Although I had a few Palm Warbler and Yellow rumped Warbler I had no luck seeing or hearing the Hooded Warbler. I decided to try a few nearby areas that had great habitat for the warbler. After about 20 minutes of searching I heard an odd song that sounded like an abbreviated Hooded Warbler song (almost Magnolia Warbler like). After a few minutes I caught some fleeting glimpses of the warbler as it worked its way through dense thickets. A Blue Jay flew in close to it and the warbler flushed up and flew right over me and landed up in a tree where I was able to get better looks and the first photos of it. I was able to point the rarity out to a few nearby birders who all had decent looks at it. The warbler continued to work through the dense undergrowth where it would sing from time to time and then go silent for periods. I got the word out to others that I had relocated the bird and a large number of birders were able to come by and see it. Hooded Warbler is a rare warbler in the area with just a few sightings every year (with some years having none at all). This is my personal earliest date for the species in the county with the earliest previous arrival being April 30th of 2021. Hopefully this is just a taste of unusual warblers to come this spring. I ended my day with eight species of warbler...my best day yet for this spring migration season.
Below are the sightings I have had of Hooded Warbler over the years in the county:
May 12, 2009 Hadley
June 4-25, 2011 Quabbin
May 6, 2012-July 1, 2012 Quabbin
May 13, 2014 Hadley
May 4, 2015 Hadley
May 15, 2015 Hadley
June 17, 2017 Easthampton
May 3, 2018 Hadley, Amherst (two individuals for day)
May 16, 2018 Amherst
May 10-11, 2019 Amherst
June 1, 2019 Quabbin
June 7-8, 2020 Hadley
April 30, 2021 Hadley
May 17, 2021 Hadley
May 13-20, 2023 Hadley (likely same individual)
