Warblers have started to arrive including a Blue winged x Golden winged hybrid

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2020

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2020

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2020

Common Yellowthroat, Quabbin Park, MA, May 3, 2020

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 3, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2020

Today was the best day for the year in Hampshire County for warblers so far. Conditions overnight featured mainly calm winds which allowed a lot of birds to move (a few checks of the radar overnight showed lots of activity). The day also turned out to be the warmest day we have had in awhile with temperatures reaching the upper 70’s. I could not get out at dawn due to work but I still made it out early enough to beat the hordes of people and the pesky breeze that kicked up later in the day. I started my morning at UMASS where I found eight species of warblers including my first Nashville, Yellow and Chestnut sided Warblers. I then headed over to Quabbin Park and hit just a few areas but still turned up eleven species of warblers including my first Ovenbird, Blackburnian Warbler and Prairie Warbler. There was a really nice arrival of both Ovenbird and Black and White Warblers in the park with a noticeable decline in Yellow rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers (I found no Palm Warblers for the day). I headed for home around 9:30 as the increase in people began to wear thin. We took Wilson for a walk along the land trust trail in Belchertown and I had not only my first Blue winged Warbler of the season but also a Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid (the individual had yellow wing bars/patches but otherwise looked like a typical Blue winged Warbler and it sang a typical Blue winged Warbler song). I managed a few marginal photos with the iPhone through the binoculars to document the bird. Most of the rest of the day was spent around the yard where I had half a dozen warblers (no sign of any Blue winged Warbler today but I hold out hope one will finally show this year). Overall for the day I had 16 species of warbler for the day plus the hybrid.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Home, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Home, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2020

The second warbler for the season turned up at the water feature at the house when a few Yellow rumped Warblers dropped in.

Loads of Yellow rumped Warblers (and a few others) to begin May

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, May 1, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Quabbin Park, MA, May 1, 2020

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 1, 2020

Black throated Green Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 1, 2020

May started off with some early morning rain but it eventually stopped mid morning but the rain didn't deter the warblers as the insects were out in force in among the freshly leafing out trees.  After getting out of work I made my way over to Quabbin Park where I had nearly two hundred Yellow rumped Warblers as well as continued numbers of Palm Warblers and an influx of Black and White Warblers as well as Pine Warblers and a Louisiana Waterthrush.  I got a couple iPhone videos of the large flocks of Yellow rumped Warbler (and some Palm Warblers) and these can be viewed at the following links:  video 1, video 2.  After my time in the park I stopped by Winsor Dam where I had a great fallout of waterfowl and gulls plus at least 85 Yellow rumped Warblers moving through.  The rest of the day I spent around the house and I had a Black throated Green Warbler that was around for quite awhile and almost made it down to the water feature but not quite.

End of April warblers

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 29, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 29, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 29, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 29, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 29, 2020

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 29, 2020

Louisiana Waterthrush, Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Apr 29, 2020

As a cooler and wetter than normal April comes to an end the warblers are a bit behind from typical with just nine species for the month (with a few being represented by just one individual).  The numbers of Yellow rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers are still decent and are the default warblers at most every location.  Today saw a large influx of Yellow rumped Warblers with a triple digit count at Quabbin Park.  In addition today brought my first sighting of Black throated Green Warbler and American Redstart.  Pine Warblers are back in typical numbers and I had a female in the yard gathering nest material yesterday.  The only other warblers I have had so far are a handful of Black and White Warblers and Northern Waterthrushes and a single Black throated Blue Warbler.  Even the numbers of Louisiana Waterthrushes are below were they typically are with several areas that I usually have them in by now totally quiet.  I suspect there will be a big push of warblers in  between bouts of rain over the next few days with the biggest push probably coming Saturday night into Sunday.  In other warbler news a friend down the eastern end of the state found the first spring record of MacGillivray's Warbler in Massachusetts (and likely for the entire New England area).  Tough to say if it wintered somewhere in the east and then moved north or was brought in from weather conditions (similar to the Townsend's Warblers mentioned in a previous post).  I suspect it got caught in strong southerly winds that occurred a few times in the last couple weeks instead of a wintering bird as a bird with messed up migration (moving east instead of south in the fall) would be messed up for its spring migration and not come north along the east coast. Link to eBird lists with photos below.
eBird list

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 29, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 29, 2020

The camera at the water feature captured its first warbler for the season with a Palm Warbler captured today.

End of the third week of April and a look at an incursion of Townsend's Warblers into the east

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 20, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 20, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 20, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2020

The weather has continued to be cooler than normal through the third week of the month with no major change in that forecast through the next week.  There have been a couple of nights with southerly winds over the several days but mainly the wind has been less than conducive for migration.  A couple of weather systems have had decent set up for fallout conditions in the far south of the US and the chance for early season overshoots into the mid Atlantic into the northeast.  An interesting phenomenon is likely associated with some of these strong weather systems has been an influx of Townsend's Warblers into the east with an individual in New Jersey on 4/7, a first state record of the species in Connecticut (one of many eBird lists) at a cemetery in Hartford (present from 4/17-4/19) and another in the eastern part of Massachusetts in Newton on 4/19.  The species is a very rare spring occurrence anywhere in the east so these sightings are certainly noteworthy.  Like many western species it is more commonly seen as a vagrant in the fall with the main reason appearing to be a so called 90 degree migration issue (when a species moves east instead of moving south) and usually involves first year birds.  Spring vagrants have made at least one 'proper' migration so their appearance well out of range is typically weather related.  Another western species made an appearance in Hampshire County when a Western Tanager was found coming to a feeder in Amherst for a couple days so who knows what other rarity is out there waiting to be found?   I have certainly been out as much as can to see if I could turn up anything unusual with lots of looking at any warbler that moves in any flocks I come across.  I have had to be content with the warblers that we do have at this point with the most active location being Lake Wallace where the birds can feed in some areas protected from the wind.  Pine Warblers continue to increase with some of the first females I have seen for the season over the last couple days.  Both Palm Warblers and Yellow rumped Warblers are around with good numbers with a notable increase in Yellow rumped Warblers this morning.  I have also had a few Louisiana Waterthrushes but not as many as I would expect by now. 

Mid April warblers

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Pine Warbler, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 15, 2020

The middle of April has arrived and with it the four expected species of warbler have started to arrive in numbers with the most numerous being Palm Warblers.  I have not had as much time to spend outside looking for warblers due to work but I have still gotten out a bit.  I stopped by Lake Wallace on my way to work yesterday and my way home today.  I had four species yesterday during just a 15 minute stop (Louisiana Waterthrush, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler and Yellow rumped Warbler).  My stop today was a bit longer with the highlight being 50+ Palm Warblers in the relatively small area I covered.  The weather has been fairly cool and breezy lately but the birds always seem to find some protected areas that produce sufficient insects to feed on.  There is no big warm up in the forecast so I don't expect many (if any) new species over the next week (although with the strong southerly winds that occurred a few days ago the chance is there for a rarity and/or an early species to be discovered).

Early Louisiana Waterththrushes

Louisiana Waterthrush, Nash Hill Road, Williamsburg, MA, Apr 7, 2020

Louisiana Waterthrush, Nash Hill Road, Williamsburg, MA, Apr 7, 2020

Louisiana Waterthrush, Nash Hill Road, Williamsburg, MA, Apr 7, 2020

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 7, 2020

After work this morning I headed up to Williamsburg to try to see if I could find an early Louisiana Waterthrush plus follow up on some other unusual birds.  I went up to the upper part of Nash Hill Road and walked a few of the roads.  I honestly didn't expect to find one there but as I was walking back to the car I had one singing and I eventually found it fairly high up in a tree and got a few photos plus a recording.  This is my earliest record for the species ever in Hampshire County, beating my previous record of April 10, 2010 at Quabbin Park  (all of my early and late dates for warblers in the county at the following link).  After I left Nash Hill Road I found a second Louisiana Waterthrush singing along Depot Road  in Williamsburg as I headed for home.  Other warblers for the day included multiple Pine Warblers as well as a few Palm Warblers.  More on the non warblers for the day here.

Three warbler species this morning including the first Palm Warblers of the season

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 5, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Apr 5, 2020

I was finally able to get out for a more extended time this morning to try to catch up with some warblers (among other species).  Between not feeling well lately and less than ideal weather conditions I have not been able to get out much but with warmer temperatures today I tried to make up for lost time.  With the beginning of April warbler migration starts to pick up and I managed to find three species of warbler including my first Palm Warblers of the season around here with individuals seen or heard at multiple locations over the course of the morning.  I added half a dozen Yellow rumped Warblers at Arcadia (I could have found more in the area but Arcadia is closed to the public due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic so I had to bird from the public roads).  I believe the Yellow rumped Warblers are the overwintering group and not recently arrived migrants.  The third warbler for the day were Pine Warblers which were also recorded at multiple locations.  Lighting was terrible for almost the entire morning with a few showers and cloudy conditions but I still managed to snag a photo of each species.