June ends on a hot note

Prairie Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Jun 28, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Jun 28, 2026

Cerulean Warbler with leg bands, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 27, 2026

June came to an end today and with it the beginning of a multi day heat wave that will feature record setting temps in the upper 90's with high humidity that will continue into the weekend.  It was a productive month for warblers with highlights including a Nashville Warbler a few days ago at Quabbin Park and confirmed breeding of Cerulean Warbler at Quabbin Park for another year.  I ended the month with 24 species of warblers (with all but one of those being in Hampshire County...I did make a trip down to Hampden County late in the month for Hooded Warblers).  July will bring a trip out west (assuming Wilson stays healthy) with a few days in Minnesota and Wisconsin before continuing on to Alaska and then to Oregon before coming home.  I hope to get Kirtland's Warbler and Golden winged Warbler in Wisconsin (and perhaps Connecticut Warbler if I get the other two targets right away).  Alaska will not feature any new warblers for the year but hopefully some photos opportunities of a few species and Oregon should offer better chances for photos of a couple species including MacGillivray's Warbler and Hermit Warbler.  

Cerulean Warblers confirmed breeding again at Quabbin Park

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 29, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 29, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 29, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 29, 2026

Cerulean Warbler carrying food, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 29, 2026

Cerulean Warbler carrying food, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 29, 2026

After several weeks of following the multiple Cerulean Warblers at Quabbin Park  I was finally able to confirm breeding again for this year.  The first Cerulean Warbler arrived on May 8th and by the next day I had three singing males and one was banded on May 12th (I believe this was original male as the area it started singing in is the same area it has stayed in throughout).  Multiple males continued through May and on June 11th I maxed out the number of singing males at four (with the only banded individual being the one banded this year).  I have been trying in vain to confirm breeding until today.  Following some birding earlier in the morning in Ware and Hardwick I made my way over to Quabbin Park around 8AM.  With somewhat limited time as I had to get some stuff done at home and get Wilson a walk before it got too hot I concentrated on trying to track down some of the Cerulean Warblers.  I have had just one very sporadically singing male during my previous two visits to the area in the past week and a few days ago I was able to get eyes on the banded male.  I walked the area and did not hear any Cerulean Warbler song at all and with calm conditions I'm sure I would have heard even a distantly singing individual.  As I was scanning the area where the banded male has consistently been I caught sight of a female Cerulean Warbler...my first in the park for the year.  I watched her forage for a bit and eventually she had a mouthful of food and disappeared to near the top of a large maple.  She repeated this behavior for at least the next thirty minutes I was watching her. I briefly caught sight of the banded male but I never saw him carrying food or approaching the probable nest location.  Despite trying many different angles to try to find the nest I had no luck but I'm quite certain there is a nest with nestlings in the tree in question.  I'll try again to get views of the nest tomorrow perhaps.  Last year I also confirmed breeding of the species with the sighting of a fledgling in early July and I highly suspect breeding has occurred in a few years previous to last years confirmation.

Northern Yellow Warbler, Hardwick, MA, Jun 29, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Hardwick, MA, Jun 29, 2026

American Redstart, Hardwick, MA, Jun 29, 2026

American Redstart carrying food, Hardwick, MA, Jun 29, 2026

My stops prior to going to Quabbin Park found lots of evidence of breeding warblers with fledglings around and multiple adults of numerous species carrying food to feed nestlings or fledglings. 

Cerulean Warbler nest at Skinner SP with cooperative breeding occurring

Cerulean Warbler female with nestlings, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 17, 2026

Cerulean Warbler nestlings, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 17, 2026

Cerulean Warbler male with leg bands and female with nestlings, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 17, 2026

Cerulean Warbler male with leg bands and female with nestlings, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 17, 2026

Cerulean Warbler adult male without bands with nestlings, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 17, 2026

Cerulean Warbler nestlings, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 17, 2026

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 17, 2026

American Redstart carrying food, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, Jun 17, 2026

I got a text from Jack yesterday letting me know he found a Cerulean Warbler nest at Skinner State Park and the nestlings looked about ready to fledge.  I was in the middle of a project at home yesterday so could not break free to make the trip over to see them.  I hoped they would still be around this morning when I had some free time to make my way over to the park.  Armed with the rough location of the nest I arrived at Skinner SP before sunrise and made the hike up the mountain.  On the hike up I ran across a number of warblers with a few carrying food to unseen nestlings or fledglings.  Once I arrived near the site of the nest I had a male carrying food and then disappearing into the trees toward the yet unseen nest.  The male I saw appeared to have bands (white bands meaning it was the individual banded this year).  As I continued my search for the nest Jack arrived and with his directions I was able to finally find the nest.  Initially the nestlings stayed hunkered down low in the nest and it was tough to even see if there was anything in the nest but as the morning wore on the nestlings became more active and the adults increased their trips to the nest with food.  We got to see the adult female arrive on multiple occasions and spend a little time around the nest before disappearing to get more food for the nestlings.  We had the banded male show up briefly on multiple occasions and even had an unbanded adult male show up to assist with feeding the nestlings.  Jack mentioned he observed this behavior yesterday too and from a bit of research this type of cooperative breeding is extremely rare (and perhaps unrecorded) with the species.  Having a banded male around was the only thing that made this observation possible and the two males never were at the nest at the same time.  Another great reason to color band individuals so you can see this behavior.  After about an hour and a half of observing the nest and talking with Jack I headed back down and once again had a number of warblers.  Jack stayed and after a few more hours all three nestlings fledged from the nest and started their lives outside the nest and out in the big world.  Eventually they will make the long migration down to South America for the winter before making a return trip north to breed.

Four male Cerulean Warblers today at Quabbin Park

Cerulean Warbler (first unbanded individual), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 11, 2026

Cerulean Warbler (first unbanded individual), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 11, 2026

Cerulean Warbler (second unbanded individual), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 11, 2026

 

Cerulean Warbler (third unbanded individual), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 11, 2026

 After getting a little birding done in Ware I headed into Quabbin Park to follow up on the Cerulean Warblers there.  I'm determined to find conclusive evidence of breeding once again this year and I hoped today would finally reward me with evidence (it did not).  I spent a couple hours looking and listening for Cerulean Warbler and was rewarded with four singing males...the most so far this year.  With much effort I was able to get at least brief looks at each of them and three were unbanded with the banded individual being the one banded in mid May.  Although I found no definitive evidence of breeding I'm certain I will eventually find it and I suspect the banded bird might have found a mate as he has been less vocal recently and is still staying in the same territory since he arrived in early May.  Having a fourth male show up this late in the breeding season raises several questions...where was he before?  What attracted him to here?  Are the presence of other singing males attracting wandering individuals?  This species is at the limit of its range here and behavior is somewhat atypical compared to behavior in its core breeding range.  Would be great to be able to track these individuals over the course of the year (or years) and see where they come from and how they travel around during the breeding season.  More questions than answers sometimes.

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 11, 2026

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 11, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 11, 2026

As I looked for the Cerulean Warblers I had a bunch of other breeding warbler species around and I got photos of a few of them...Quabbin Park always produces.

Three Cerulean Warblers continue at Quabbin Park

Cerulean Warbler (male #1), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Cerulean Warbler (male #1), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Cerulean Warbler (male #1), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Cerulean Warbler with leg bands (male #2), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Cerulean Warbler (male #3), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

I stuck close to home again today as I wanted to make sure I was home to watch Wilson as he continues to recover from surgery he had on Saturday.  I started off before dawn at Quabbin Gate 5 before eventually moving on to Quabbin Park.  After getting most of the expected warbler species over the previous two days I decided to concentrate on the Cerulean Warblers at Quabbin Park.  I have consistently had at least one there since early May and many times have had two.  I even had three singing males on a couple occasions.  I have been working with some DCR biologists in keeping tabs on the Cerulean Warblers in the park and today was a great day with three singing males once again.  Two of the individuals are not banded and if the biologist can fit it into their busy schedule they may try to capture and band the remaining unbanded birds.  I will do a more in depth post on the Cerulean Warblers once the breeding season is over in regards to site fidelity and the return of previously banded birds.  

 

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

There were other warblers around with all on breeding territory and I got photos of a few among a lucky 13 species of warblers.

Wilson sleeping, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 3, 2026

My boy is slowly recovering and is doing fairly well given his age...hopefully he will be up for a real walk tomorrow.

Banding a Cerulean Warbler this morning

Cerulean Warbler just prior to banding, Quabbin Park, MA, May 12, 2026

Banding process with a Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 12, 2026

As part of an ongoing, multistate study of Cerulean Warblers a couple biologist were on site to try capture and band the Cerulean Warblers I have been watching at Quabbin.  Cerulean Warblers at the very limit of their range in Massachusetts with just a few pairs scattered around the area.  After a little of birding in the morning I caught up with the biologists a little before nine and immediately a Cerulean Warbler was singing nearby.  I had heard at least two in the area when I checked earlier in the morning.  I thought it would be easy to capture and band the very vocal of the two Cerulean Warblers around for the morning and they captured him fairly quickly in a mist net.  He was quickly banded, weighed, measured and had a measurements made before I was able to release him back into the trees to try to attract a mate.  He flew out of my hand and sang a song in flight, landed, sang again and then caught an insect and returned to the tops of the trees.  Always a treat to see a warbler up close and remember this tiny guy has made the trip down and back to South America at least once and found his way here.  I will be keeping an eye on these Cerulean Warblers throughout the breeding and season and hopefully they will nest successfully again.

Three Cerulean Warblers at Quabbin Park on a rainy, cool morning

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2026

Today was a rainy, raw day and the conditions were not too pleasant to be out in.  There were lulls between heavier showers with just a bit of drizzle and I tried to be out of the car when the lulls occurred.  The reward for the cold effort was seeing at least three singing male Cerulean Warblers at Quabbin Park!  I first found at least one (possibly two) on May 7th and had one in the same area yesterday.  Today I was able to confirm at least three individuals in distinct locations and all three remained in their chosen locations as I bounced between the spots.  None of the birds had bands so none are the one banded last year on site.  In addition I had a Black throated Blue Warbler singing a very Cerulean Warbler like song at another spot.  A productive morning despite the rainy, cool weather with a total of 15 species of warblers just in the park.

Bay breasted Warbler today becomes warbler species #44 for the year, some unusual Blue winged Warblers and Cerulean Warblers come back to Quabbin

Blue winged Warbler with black forehead, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2026

Blue winged Warbler with black forehead, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2026

Blue winged Warbler with black forehead, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2026

Northern Waterthrush, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2026

Northern Waterthrush, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2026

Blue winged Warbler, KC Trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2026

Nashville Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2026

Today was a bit cool with temps in the mid 30's to start the day and highs that stayed in the 50's with a northerly breeze and overcast conditions.  Needless to say migration was mostly non existent overnight.  No matter the conditions it is early May and I will be out looking for stuff and today was no different.  I started out in Amherst with stops at Wildwood Cemetery, UMASS (multiple spots with Orchard Hill being depressing with more clearing of trees...a sad shadow of a previously great birding spot), the rail trail and a few other places before I headed back to Quabbin Park before returning home to get Wilson.  The notables for the day included warbler species #44 for me in the US this year with a Bay breasted Warbler while out walking Wilson, the continued Blue winged Warbler with a black forehead on the rail trail and a continued Cerulean Warbler at Quabbin Park (more on the Cerulean Warbler below).

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2026

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2026

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2026

Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2026

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2026

Blue winged Warbler, Ware, MA, May 7, 2026

Prairie Warbler, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, May 7, 2026

Yesterday started with some light rain just before dawn that thankfully quickly moved out.  Eventually it got sunnier and breezy.  Migration was stagnant overnight so I thought it would be a good time to hit some areas I have not as much as I would have liked the previous couple mornings when overnight migration was so good.  I stayed in the Ware and Quabbin Park area and I had some interesting sightings.  The first was an odd singing Blue winged Warbler (recordings and video in this list).  It would sing either a three or four part song, sounding a bit like a Golden winged Warbler.  I tracked it down and physically it looked exactly like a Blue winged Warbler should.  I have seen this multiple times before with Blue winged Warblers and most look like typical Blue winged Warblers.  The other big sighting was the return of at least one and possibly two Cerulean Warblers to Quabbin Park where they have started nesting again in the last few years.  The bird I did get to see did not have any bands (one was banded onsite as part of a Cerulean Warbler study last June and I got to assist...link here banding a Cerulean Warbler).  I have reached out to the biologist conducting the study and hopefully they will attempt to band the new male next week.  I ended the morning with another 20 warbler day.