Warblers on a trip to the eastern Caribbean

Yellow Warbler (Martinique subspecies), Reserve Naturelle de La Caravelle, Martinique, Dec 13, 2017

Yellow Warbler (Martinique subspecies), Reserve Naturelle de La Caravelle, Martinique, Dec 13, 2017

Yellow Warbler (Barbados subspecies), Grahme Hall Nature Sanctuary, Barbados, Dec 14, 2017

Just back from a cruise from San Juan which made stops at a variety of islands in the Caribbean including St. Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, Barbados and Grenada. The original itinerary had stops in St Martin, St Croix and Dominica but the extensive hurricane damage to those islands resulted in a change of stops. This change unfortunately meant no chance to get the near endemic Plumbeous Warbler on Dominica.

 A non birding trip around St. Kitts produced two warblers, a Yellow Warbler that darted through the undergrowth along a roadside thicket (didn't get a good enough view to ID to subspecies) and a Louisiana Waterthrush along a rainforest stream in the hills (apparently quite unusual on the island).

Looking toward Barbuda (and Barbuda Warblers), offshore Antigua, Dec 12, 2017

The trip to the beach at Antigua produced two migrant warblers- Black and White Warbler and Northern Parula.  I tried to figure out a way to get myself over to Barbuda to find the endemic Barbuda Warbler but due to time constraints, the distance to the island and the continued fact that the island is not back open to the general public, it was not to be on this trip.

Yellow Warbler (Martinique subspecies), Reserve Naturelle de La Caravelle, Martinique, Dec 13, 2017

My first true birding day was on Martinique where I got several great looks at the local subspecies of Yellow Warbler with its all maroon head.  Although put in the 'golden yellow warbler' subspecies group it looks much more like a bird from the 'mangrove yellow warbler' group.

Yellow Warbler (Barbados subspecies), Grahme Hall Nature Sanctuary, Barbados, Dec 14, 2017

Yellow Warbler (Barbados subspecies), Grahme Hall Nature Sanctuary, Barbados, Dec 14, 2017

On the next stop in Barbados I headed over to Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary where I eventually caught up with the endangered local subspecies of Yellow Warbler and managed to get a few photos of it.

The final stop of the cruise was to the island of Grenada where the only species of warbler I was able to find was a Northern Waterthrush in a mangrove on the southwest coast. Overall for the trip I found five species of warblers: Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Waterthrush, Black and White Warbler, Northern Parula and Yellow Warbler (including multiple island specific subspecies).

Common Yellowthroat and Yellow rumped Warbler continue into December

I have managed to turn up two species of warbler still lingering around in the first five days of December with a Common Yellowthroat on December 1st and a Yellow rumped Warbler today.  Both of these species were seen at Arcadia and both represent the latest dates I have ever had either species still around (in fact they are the only warblers I have ever had in December in the county).  No photos but hopefully I can track them down again in the near future and get some.

November comes to an end with two species of warbler still around and a total of four species for the month

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 14, 2017

Yellow rumped Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 27, 2017

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 28, 2017

This November was my best ever for warblers around here with four different species for the month including the incredible MacGillivray's Warbler plus multiple late lingering Common Yellowthroats and Yellow rumped Warblers (still present at the end of the month)...I have never had any warblers around this late in the county.  The fourth species for November was a Palm Warbler seen early in the month.  What a month!

Two Common Yellowthroats at Arcadia and a look at early and late dates for warblers in Hampshire County

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 28, 2017

Common Yellowthroat, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 28, 2017

After getting a call from Keenan mid morning about a Common Yellowthroat at Arcadia I decided to make a late morning trip over to see if I could find it.  I arrived around ten and found the bird in the area Keenan had it.  It would call occasionally and stayed hidden most of the time.  As I was getting photos of it another yellowthroat popped into view (this one was an adult male)...two Common Yellowthroats in the same area in late November made my morning.  My previous late date for the species in the county was Nov 2nd back in 2013.  This got me thinking of other late and early dates for warblers that I have seen in the county so I looked up the info on eBird and that bird nerd data is below.  No sign of the Yellow rumped Warbler from yesterday but I spent just a few minutes looking so they could still be around in the surrounding area.


                                                    Early date                                 Late Date
Ovenbird                                     4/27/17                                     9/28/13
Worm eating Warbler                  5/1/15,17                                 7/8/17
Louisiana Waterthrush                4/10/10                                     8/26/12
Northern Waterthrush                 4/19/12                                     9/24/14
Golden winged Warbler              5/13/12                                     9/15/16
Blue winged Warbler                   4/28/09,11,17                          9/15/10
Black and White Warbler            4/18/13                                    10/8/10, 16
Prothonotary Warbler                  5/24/04                                    N/A
Tennessee Warbler                       5/3/17                                     10/21/12
Orange crowned Warbler             5/4/17                                     10/19/17
Nashville Warbler                        4/27/06                                   10/20/17
Connecticut Warbler                    8/29/17                                   10/7/16, 17
MacGillivray's Warbler               11/13/17                                  11/15/17
Mourning Warbler                       5/12/16                                    9/24/07
Kentucky Warbler                        5/8/10                                     6/5/09
Common Yellowthroat                 4/27/11, 16                             11/30/17
Hooded Warbler                           5/4/15                                     7/1/12
American Redstart                        4/28/11                                   10/6/07
Cape May Warbler                        5/7/17                                     10/3/17
Cerulean Warbler                          5/4/17                                      9/4/06
Northern Parula                            4/26/11                                    10/14/17
Magnolia Warbler                         4/29/11                                    10/26/14
Bay breasted Warbler                    5/5/12                                     10/1/17
Blackburnian Warbler                   4/20/12                                    9/29/13
Yellow Warbler                             4/23/17                                    10/7/08
Chestnut sided Warbler                 4/29/09, 13, 17                        10/12/04
Blackpoll Warbler                         5/6/10                                      10/19/16
Black throated Blue Warbler         4/25/11                                    10/16/06
Palm Warbler                                 3/24/12                                    11/6/06, 15
Pine Warbler                                  3/19/12                                    10/16/11, 17
Yellow rumped Warbler                3/30/12                                    11/30/17
Prairie Warbler                              4/26/11                                     9/29/03
Black throated Green Warbler       4/24/07, 17                              10/25/04
Canada Warbler                             5/5/15                                      9/29/13
Wilson's Warbler                           5/5/12                                      10/11/07

Yellow rumped Warblers still around at Arcadia

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 27, 2017

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 27, 2017

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Nov 27, 2017

Although the MacGillivray's Warbler has moved on to locations unknown there are at least two and perhaps three Yellow rumped Warblers that continue to hang out at Arcadia.  Typically I see the last of this species in the county in very late October to perhaps mid November.  The only other late date I have for the species was back in 2005 at Quabbin Park when I had two.  Perhaps the birds will stick around a few more days and linger into December.

MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER in Hampshire County!

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 13, 2017

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 13, 2017

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 13, 2017

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 13, 2017

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 13, 2017

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 13, 2017

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 13, 2017

What a fantastic day of birding in Hampshire County with the highlight by far being a MacGillivray's Warbler!  The bird was found yesterday by Ted Gilliland and seen by several others late in the day.  I got a few phone calls and messages about the bird but due to other non birding obligations I couldn't check them until it was too late in the day to try for the bird.  I had high hopes that I would be able to relocate the bird this morning but my hopes were tempered by the fact that unusual warblers can be quite difficult to relocate after the initial sighting.  I arrived before dawn at 'That's a Plenty a Farm' and started listening and looking for the bird.  After just a few minutes I heard it call just a couple times down the road from me but I could not relocate it at that point.  A few other birders (Mary, Scott and Mike) arrived and we all started looking for it.  It called a few more times but still would not show itself.  After quite a bit of time Mike got a brief look at the bird and then the bird started to show itself a bit more and started calling more regularly and loudly before it flew across the road into a small green patch were it stayed largely out of view and silent for quite some time, offering just fleeting glimpses.  After a patient and quiet wait in the cold, the bird finally showed well (if briefly) before disappearing again.  I managed to get a few photos and some recordings of the call but it required a high level of patience.

The MacGillivray's Warbler becomes the 33rd warbler species in Hampshire County this year for me (which makes 2017 the highest total I have ever reached for warbler species in the county).  It also becomes warbler species #35 I have ever seen in the county (after the Yellow breasted Chat got demoted from warbler status).  This leaves me with just four warbler species that have been sighted in the county that I have not seen, with those species being Black throated Gray Warbler (seen in Westhampton in Oct 1973), Townsend's Warbler (seen and photographed in Amherst in Nov 2013...thanks to Scott for the update on this species), Hermit Warbler (seen in Amherst in Nov 1995) and Yellow throated Warbler (seen and photographed in Hadley in Oct 2010).  As you can see the best time to find a western (or southern warbler in the case of Yellow throated Warbler) is in the fall so perhaps another rarity will show up before 2017 ends?

I also managed to find two Yellow rumped Warblers over the course of the morning while out and about including one at Arcadia and another in Belchertown.

MacGillivray's Warbler is quite rare anywhere east of the Mississippi River with most of the handful of records being on the coast (where rarities tend to stop before flying out over the ocean and take advantage of whatever habitat they can find).  Checking eBird records for the last ten years shows perhaps just a couple dozen records anywhere east of the Mississippi River.  The closest breeding population is way out in the Dakotas so any bird making it east has flown a long way off course from their typical range.  For the current year this is just the fourth record in the eastern side of North America with the other records coming from Florida (currently being seen near Naples), one in Rye, NH in early September and another early September bird in Orleans, MA (Cape Cod).

Warblers at the end of October into the beginning of November

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 28, 2017

Yellow rumped Warbler, Aracdia, Northampton, MA, Oct 22, 2017

Now that October has come to an end and November begins the warblers have largely vacated the area to points south.  October featured above normal temperatures through most of the month which resulted in some warblers sticking around longer than usual into the later parts of the month.  Overall for the month I had a total of 17 species of warblers (most in the early part of the month).  By the end of the month I could only turn up three species (Common Yellowthroat, Palm Warbler and Yellow rumped Warbler).  There are still a few warblers lingering around here into November with several Yellow rumped Warblers as well as a yellow Palm Warbler (seen this morning at Arcadia).  There is always the chance of a late rarity showing up but that is far from certain.