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| Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018 |
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| Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018 |
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| Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018 |
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| Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018 |
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| Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018 |
Over the last several days I have tried to catch up with a very early Pine Warbler that showed up at the feeders of the Griffith's but was not successful until late this morning. The bird showed up on Wednesday the 7th just as the latest nor'easter was starting to crank up. I got a message from Devin about it but I was at work until the following morning so I would not have a chance to try for it until then. After getting home and digging out on Thursday I headed out for a few errands and decided to swing by the neighborhood where the bird was seen and I had no luck. As I was heading out I got a text saying the bird had just returned. Being literally just around the corner I immediately headed over there and missed it by mere minutes. We waited patiently for it to return but the bird was a no show after almost an hour. I left and then got another message late in the afternoon saying it was back but I was once again just a little too late to see it. I had a feeling the bird was in the same general area but visiting other locations to feed as it was very irregular at their feeders. On Friday I met up with Devin late in the morning and we searched all around the neighborhood without finding the bird but we did get a nice close look at a Sharp shinned Hawk as well as a Fox Sparrow. We also spent some time watching the feeders but once again come up empty. The bird did not seem to have any real routine besides showing up briefly with long periods of not being present at the feeders. On Saturday I headed over to areas along the river for the morning and turned up at least two Yellow rumped Warblers in the same area I have had them for weeks at Arcadia. As I was out I got a text from Devin saying the bird has returned once again and was sticking around. The sighting was very promising as the bird had not shown up in the morning the previous few days. I headed right over and once I arrived I quickly found the bird feeding at one of their suet feeders. I was happy to finally catch up with the bird after multiple attempts...four times was apparently the charm! I eventually got some close up views and photos of the bird as it fed at the feeders as well as on the ground near the feeders. Usually I get Pine Warblers around here in early April with very occasionally some showing up in later March (only twice in the last fifteen years or so...2012 and 2016). My previous early date was March 19, 2012 so this birds beats that record by a healthy margin. I suspect the bird was an early arrival as it was not seen prior to a push of southerly winds several days before its arrival and is not the only Pine Warbler in the area that has recently shown up at a feeder. Having two species of warblers in Hampshire County on March 10 is not something I have been able to accomplish before. A big thank you to the Griffith's for letting me search for this bird in their yard on multiple occasions.
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