Recording setting number of warblers for February

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

An amazing day for warblers in the valley for late February today.  I headed out this morning specifically trying to locate groups of wintering Yellow rumped Warblers and had some great luck ending with double digit counts at two different locations!  I'm sure with additional effort I could have found even more but I was a bit short of time.  I started the sunny but cold morning at Arcadia where I had two Yellow rumped Warblers in the parking lot at the visitors center before the sun even came up.  I poked around a few other nearby spots near the Mill River and then circled back to the area of the parking lot where I found at least three and possibly four individuals.  I then headed over to another area where I have had some warblers off and on the last few weeks and ran into a group of at least seven together bringing my total at Arcadia up to at least ten.  I never checked further up along the Mill River or near the rookery where warblers have been seen at least occasionally this winter as I wanted to get into and out of the East Meadows before it warmed up and turned the place into a muddy quagmire. 

Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle' (four in view), East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

I made it to the East Meadows around 7:45 and started walking in and eventually came across at least 11 individuals.  There may have been even more but this is a conservative count as it was tough to keep track of them.  Up until 2018 I have never had a single warbler in the county in February but that year I had up to eleven in a single morning at Arcadia and last year I had at one throughout the winter in the East Meadows (including February). 

Pine Warbler, Granby, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Pine Warbler, Granby, MA, Feb 23, 2020

As I was rapidly running out of time I decided to make my last stop over to the private residence in Granby that has had a Pine Warbler all winter and hopefully add another warbler species for the morning.  After messaging the homeowner and getting permission I stopped by again and after about twenty minutes of waiting had the bird come in briefly to the suet.  This brought my total number of warblers for the morning up to 22 with 21 Yellow rumped Warblers and a Pine Warbler...easily my highest overall total for warblers in February in Hampshire County ever.  I'll post about the overall totals of warblers for the winter in an upcoming post but suffice it to say the numbers and variety are beyond anything I have ever had.