Golden winged, Blue winged, Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers on the same day (plus another hybrid) in western Massachusetts

Golden winged Warbler, Montague, MA, May 10, 2021

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2021

Brewster's Warbler, KC Trail, Amherst, MA, May 10, 2021

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2021

Blue winged Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 10, 2021

I managed to accomplish something I have never done before in all my years of looking for warblers.  I got to see and photograph a Golden winged Warbler, a Blue winged Warbler, both easily recognized hybrids of the two above mentioned species (Brewster's Warbler and Lawrence's Warbler) and an odd Blue winged x Golden winged hybrid for good measure all in a single morning here in western Massachusetts with all but the Golden winged Warbler in Hampshire County.  I have had the thought of trying this someday but trying to get all all of the stars to align at the same time is extremely unusual and much luck is involved in pulling it off.

Brewster's Warbler, KC Trail, Amherst, MA, May 10, 2021

Brewster's Warbler, KC Trail, Amherst, MA, May 10, 2021

Brewster's Warbler, KC Trail, Amherst, MA, May 10, 2021

Brewster's Warbler, KC Trail, Amherst, MA, May 10, 2021

The day started off rainy and I initially was out trying to find migrants downed by the weather and had  a few species of waterfowl at Winsor Dam but nothing too unusual.  I saw other people were not finding much either so I decided to instead head over to Amherst to follow up on a reported Brewster's Warbler (thanks Ben for the details on it).  I made the walk into the area where it was seen and found the bird fairly quickly (as well as a few pure looking Blue winged Warblers).  The occasional rain, low clouds and overall gloomy conditions were less than ideal for photos but I got what I could and was just happy to see the bird.  The bird was singing a slightly off three part song and I got some audio of it too.  At this point I decided I would try to find all the examples of the Blue winged/Golden winged Warbler complex (although it would a require a trip out of Hampshire County briefly to do it).  My next stop after seeing the Brewster's Warbler was north up to Montague in search of the Golden winged Warbler.

Golden winged Warbler, Montague, MA, May 10, 2021

Golden winged Warbler, Montague, MA, May 10, 2021

Golden winged Warbler, Montague, MA, May 10, 2021

Golden winged Warbler, Montague, MA, May 10, 2021

I arrived in Montague a bit after seven and as soon as I arrived I heard a Blue winged Warbler song and quickly located the Golden winged Warbler (thanks to Amasa and Genlyne for sharing the initial sighting).  The bird appears to sing both Blue winged and Golden winged songs and variations of the two.  In overall appearance it looks spot on for a 'pure' Golden winged Warbler and will almost certainly be accepted as such by the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (Golden winged Warblers have become rare enough now that the species is now on the review list for the state).  The habitat it was in looked perfect for breeding although his chances of attracting a Golden winged female is quite low and if he stays he will almost certainly produce more hybrids.  I was quite surprised to find no one else at the site when I arrived given the rarity of the species in the state.  I have now seen six Golden winged Warblers in western Massachusetts, with all of them in Hampshire County except the one today in Franklin County.  All my previous records were in the spring (except a single one in September).  The dates for my previous spring sightings were May 13-31 so there is still a chance of finding one in Hampshire County this year.  My last Golden winged Warbler I had in the area was back in 2017 when I found one in Quabbin Park.  That individual stuck around for a few days and was enjoyed by many.

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2021

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2021

Before trying for the Lawrence's Warbler I stopped at a few spots in Amherst and Belchertown to check out suitable habitat for Blue winged Warblers in the hopes of turning up something beyond the typical.  I had a few different individuals in Amherst singing somewhat unusual songs but all looked like typical Blue winged Warblers.  I had better luck in Belchertown when I found a Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid that was not one of the typical hybrids.  This individual looked like a typical Blue winged Warbler but had a golden wing patch instead of the usual white wing bars.  I have found a few similar looking birds over the years but this was the first one this year.

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2021

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2021

Lawrence's Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, May 10, 2021

The toughest bird to find today turned out to be the Lawrence's Warbler which took me quite a bit of time to finally track down.  I originally found the Lawrence's Warbler on May 3rd, returning to the same spot I had one last year.  I had not gone back to relocate it again before today so after a lot of looking and listening I was afraid the bird had moved on.  Thankfully the guy finally showed himself and I was able to achieve my goal of seeing all of the Blue winged/Golden winged Warbler complex in a day.  A fantastic day of warbler birding and something I doubt I will ever be able to repeat around here.

Blue winged and Golden winged Warblers are very similar genetically and will interbreed where their ranges overlap and the Blue winged Warblers tend to outcompete the Golden winged Warblers and this has led to that species becoming rare in the area.  Golden winged Warblers formerly bred in the area but have not for many years now.