Western Palm Warbler today making a rare spring appearance

Palm Warbler 'western', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 13, 2024

Palm Warbler 'western', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 13, 2024

Palm Warbler 'western', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 13, 2024

Palm Warbler 'western', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 13, 2024

I headed out on a cool morning today (temps in the low 40's) in search of warblers and started at UMASS before going to the rail trail and then Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River and finishing at Quabbin Park.  Migration conditions overnight were marginal and the only noticeable migrant were Tennessee Warblers (more on that and other warblers below).  The best warbler of the day was a western Palm Warbler that I finally caught up with at Silvio Conte after failing to find it on a previous visit.  Palm Warblers are at the tail end of their migration through the area and the finding a western subspecies in spring around here is quite noteworthy.  Previous to today I have only tallied this subspecies in spring in the county on three other occasions with the first being one at Lake Wallace from March 25-28, 2018, the next being one May 4th, 2021 at Quabbin Park and another at Quabbin Park on May 4th, 2023.  During fall it is much more common but is decidedly rare in spring here.  It will be interesting to see how long the bird hangs around.   

Chestnut sided Warbler building nest, Quabbin Park, MA, May 13, 2024

Blackburnian Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 13, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, May 13, 2024

Brewster's Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2024

Tennessee Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2024

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid (Brewster's backcross?), Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2024

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid (Brewster's backcross?), Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2024

Magnolia Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 13, 2024

Now to the other warblers for the day beyond the western Palm Warbler.  As mentioned above Tennessee Warblers were around in good numbers at a variety of locations with lots of singing.  I had great luck tracking down a number of species as well as multiple continued hybrids.  I ended the day with a respectable 24 species of warbler.  With a Palm Warbler today and the potential for the first arriving Mourning Warblers arriving into the area now, I had some thoughts of trying for a big warbler day today but without a Bay breasted Warbler or Blackpoll Warbler for the day the chances of that fizzled.  With great migration conditions on tap for the next few nights the time of year has arrived to try for a big warbler day.  As mentioned in previous posts the only way to have a record setting day is to have some rarities around, a lingering Palm Warbler and arriving Mourning Warblers.  If the Palm Warbler continues then one piece of the puzzle is in place.  It will certainly be tougher for me this year as my back will just not allow a long walk up at Skinner SP to get Cerulean Warbler and Worm eating Warbler.  However with a couple of Cerulean Warblers at Quabbin Park and the chance to get a Worm eating Warbler at a lower elevation it will be possible...time will tell.

Warblers on Global Big Day

Chestnut sided Warbler at nest, Quabbin Park, MA, May 11, 2024

Chestnut sided Warbler at nest, Quabbin Park, MA, May 11, 2024

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 11, 2024

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, May 11, 2024

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 11, 2024

American Redstart gathering nest material, Quabbin Park, MA, May 11, 2024

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 11, 2024

Brewster's Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst,  MA, May 11, 2024

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Rail trail, Amherst,  MA, May 11, 2024

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Rail trail, Amherst,  MA, May 11, 2024

Today was the annual Global Big Day put on by eBird to try to maximize the number of people seeing birds in a single day around the globe.  The event has grown over the last several years and involves tens of thousands of people seeing millions of birds and submitting as many as 150,000 checklists in a single day.  What did that mean for me?  I did a typical day of birding for May (within the confines of what my back will allow).  I didn't come close to maximizing all the possible warblers with just 22 species (plus multiple hybrids).  My best day so far for the spring was yesterday when I had 25 species.  Not being able to get to all the places I typically would go certainly makes a big warbler day a tougher proposition this year.  Even without tons of warblers I had some great encounters including watching a Chestnut sided Warbler nest building at Quabbin.

Blue winged Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 10, 2024

Wilson's Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 10, 2024

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 10, 2024

Bay breasted Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 9, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Home, Belchertown, MA, May 9, 2024

Wilson's Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 9, 2024

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2024

Canada Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 9, 2024

Brewster's Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 9, 2024

Magnolia Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 9, 2024

As mentioned above I have had some good warbler days the last couple days, including a decent selection around the house.  I'll let the photos tell the story.

Multiple hybrid warblers around today

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid (Brewster's backcross?), rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2024

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid (Brewster's backcross?), rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2024

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid (Brewster's backcross?), rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2024

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid (Brewster's backcross?), rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2024

Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2024

Brewster's Warbler, rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2024

Brewster's Warbler, rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2024

Brewster's Warbler, rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 8, 2024

With great migration conditions overnight and an estimated 2.1 million birds having crossed Hampshire County (according to Birdcast) I had high hopes for the day.  I was once again up early thanks to my back and was out the door before five.  I decided to head to Hadley along the river and although I had some birds, it was not as active as I had hoped it would be.  I then decided to head back to the rail trail in Amherst where I had a Brewster's Warbler yesterday and the walking is easy.  The radar showed rain rapidly approaching but I knew I had a little time to get a walk in before it arrived.  As I walked along the paved path I heard a few Blue winged Warblers and all appeared to indeed be Blue winged in appearance although there was one individual I could not get a look at.  I then ran across the Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid I first found on May 1st.  It was once again less than cooperative for photos and I had to be content with a few marginal photos.  I then caught back up with the Brewster's Warbler as well as the Blue winged Warbler singing a Golden winged like song that I had yesterday.  I wanted to walk even further down the trail but with the radar showing rain rapidly approaching I decided to head back toward the car and follow up on a Blue winged Warbler song I heard on the way in that I was never able to get a look at.  After a little effort I got a look at it just as the rain started to come down and I was pleasantly surprised to see it was yet another hybrid.  This individual looked to be a backcross of a Brewster's Warbler as it had some gray in areas including the face and flanks.  It was singing a typical Blue winged Warbler like song despite its appearance being what it was.  The rain continued to increase so I headed back to the car.  Heavy rain then followed and I picked up some more meds before heading home. 

Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2024

Blue winged Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2024

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2024

Yellow Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 8, 2024

The rain then become more spotty and I decided to head to Quabbin Park where I dodged on and off rain for a couple hours.  I once again had the Cerulean Warbler in the area I found it two days ago.  I then concentrated on Blue winged Warblers once again and came across a bird that sang a very Golden winged Warbler like song and after much effort I got some looks at it and it showed no signs of hybridization, despite its odd song.  I got to spend some time with it, along with another male Blue winged Warbler and got to see lots of interaction between the two as they chased each other around and seemed oblivious to my presence.  I ended the day with a total of twenty species of warblers plus the multiple hybrids.

American Redstart, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 5, 2024

Black and White Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 4, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' and Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2024

The camera at the water feature continues to capture warblers and the last several days have captured four species (Yellow rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black and White Warbler and American Redstart).  The yard for the month has produced 16 species so far.

Brewster's Warbler in Amherst plus a dull Nashville Warbler and Cerulean Warbler at Quabbin Park

Brewster's Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2024

Brewster's Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2024

Brewster's Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2024

Brewster's Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2024

Blue winged Warbler, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, May 7, 2024

After spending a few hours at Quabbin Park in the morning I still need to get another walk in while the weather was decent so I headed over to the rail trail in Amherst.  As I was arriving there I noticed an email about a hybrid warbler seen there earlier that looked fine for a Brewster's Warbler.  I walked out to the general area and heard both a Blue winged Warbler song and a Golden winged Warbler like song.  I tracked down the Golden winged like song and found a typical looking Blue winged Warbler.  The bird singing the Blue winged Warbler song turned out to be the Brewster's Warbler.  It took a bit of time and effort to get some photos as it worked an area along the trail.  After getting my fill of the Brewster's Warbler I walked a little further and once again had the hybrid I originally found on May 1st (no photos of it today as I got just distant, fleeting views).  Seeing the Brewster's Warbler certainly made my day a bit better.

Dull Nashville Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2024

Dull Nashville Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2024

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2024

Black throated Blue Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 7, 2024

Blue winged Warbler, Ware, MA, May 7, 2024

After failing to relocate a Hooded Warbler reported at Quabbin Park yesterday I decided to try one more time today.  I headed into the park around daybreak and made the walk to the general location but once again failed to find the bird.  I would have loved to hike some other trails in the area but my back would just not take it and I had to be content to stay on more level areas...this back thing is really starting to cramp my birding.  Despite being confined somewhat to the areas I could cover, I nonetheless turned up some good warblers including the continued Cerulean Warbler plus a very dull Nashville Warbler that had me thinking Virginia's Warbler when I saw it.  The park produced an impressive 22 species of warblers for the day including my first Bay breasted Warbler.