End of January in western Massachusetts

Cape May Warbler, South Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Pine Warbler, Turners Falls Power Canal, Turners Falls, MA, Jan 17, 2025

January is rapidly coming to a close and the very cold weather continues with a slight reprieve for a few days.  I have managed to find two species of warbler in Hampshire County for the month with an amazingly rare Cape May Warbler and just a single Yellow rumped Warbler (my worst winter for the species in several years).  I also added a Pine Warbler with a brief foray into Franklin County.  There was a Palm Warbler that popped up briefly in Hadley to end 2024 and again just before our bitter cold weather arrived.  My attempts to relocate it have not resulted in any success and I guess the weather did it in.  As of now there are no reliable warblers anywhere in the county to end the first month of the year despite lots of looking.  I will certainly be out looking as much as I can to try to track down some as the winter wears on.  In the immediate future I'm headed down to Costa Rica where I'm sure to find a number of warbler species for the year (more on that when I get back).

Fruitless quest to find a Palm Warbler in Hadley

After our biggest snow storm of the year so far with around 6" of snow I spent some time cleaning up the yard before I decided to try again for a Palm Warbler that is somehow surviving in a series of farm fields well away from any homes.  It was originally reported on New Years Eve and then not seen again until yesterday.  I had made a few checks of the area over the last couple weeks with no luck in finding it.  I made a quick trip over to the area yesterday just before the snow arrived and struck out.  Although it was sunny today it was darn cold with temps that were in the teens and stayed there all day with a wind that eventually kicked up a bit.  I lucked out when I went over to Hadley in mid morning as the winds were not too strong at all.  I looked through many areas in the general area where the warbler has been reported but came up empty.  With cold and windy weather through most of the week coming up I don't hold out a lot of hope that the bird survives but birds can certainly surprise you and I will be out looking when I can.

Pine Warbler in Franklin County

Pine Warbler, Turners Falls Power Canal, Turners Falls, MA, Jan 17, 2025

Pine Warbler, Turners Falls Power Canal, Turners Falls, MA, Jan 17, 2025

Pine Warbler, Turners Falls Power Canal, Turners Falls, MA, Jan 17, 2025

I found myself having to make a trip up toward Greenfield and since I was so close I figured I would make a stop by the power canal to see if I could locate a Pine Warbler that has been seen with some regularity since December.  It was by no means a certainty as many have missed it when they have visited the area.  Pine Warbler is a rare warbler around here in the winter and this individual is one of the only ones to be reported in Franklin County ever for the month of January.  I arrived to find the canal fairly full of waterfowl under sunny and calm conditions.  I walked the road a bit over 2/3rd of the way down and back and finally caught up with the stunning male feeding along the road and occasionally into nearby trees.  It looked to feeding on stink bugs and spiders.  It seemed to be at least somewhat attached to a mix species flock moving around the area...safety in numbers. It will be interesting to see how he fairs with some snow and then bitter cold conditions in the next several days.  Pine Warblers that do show in the winter here usually show up at feeders but after last years epic showing of the species in double digit numbers away from any feeders the species certainly can overwinter away from feeders.  Just as I was leaving I noticed the warbler head deeper into the woods fast and then a tiny Sharp shinned came swooping in and landed across from me briefly before speeding away.  Thankfully the warbler was able to escape and became my third warbler species of the year...hopefully Hampshire County will get a Pine Warbler soon as there are others in nearby areas.

Before heading up to Franklin County I checked another large area of the East Meadows looking for overwintering Yellow rumped Warblers and came up empty again.  This is one of the slowest winters I have had for the species in the area with just a single flyover for me earlier in the month.  I will keep looking as there are certainly others out there just waiting to be found.  The Cape May Warbler in South Hadley had now been missing from the location for several days and likely moved on or finally succumbed to the weather or a predator.  There is always the chance it resurfaces at some point, perhaps when our upcoming snow and cold arrives....conditions like that can certainly move a warbler or two into (or back to) a feeder area.

Flyover Yellow rumped Warbler today

After lots of looking the last several days I finally had a brief interaction with a Yellow rumped Warbler as it flew over calling as I was walking along the Connecticut River in Hadley (Overwintering Yellow rumped Warblers here always seem to hang near the river if they are around).  I spent a lot of time trying to track down the bird to get a photo but no luck today.  At least I know there is at least one still around.  I will try the spot again soon plus will scour more areas to try to find more as the month moves along.  This now adds to my streak of having at least two warbler species in the county per month to 34 months!  

Cape May Warbler to start the new year

Cape May Warbler, South Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Cape May Warbler, South Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Cape May Warbler, South Hadley, MA, Jan 1, 2025

Once I got out of work on New Years Day I headed out looking for warblers to start out 2025.  The continued drizzle in the morning after a night of heavy rain curtailed my plans a bit.  I decided I would make my first stop the Honey Pot to try to catch up with a very late Palm Warbler reported at the location yesterday.  Not surprisingly I did not relocate it but did have a number of other notable species around.  The rain largely stopped by around 8:30 so I tried my luck in tracking down some Yellow rumped Warblers along the river and I only managed to get muddy with no warblers heard or seen.  I then headed to South Hadley to try to see the overwintering Cape May Warbler that I initially saw there on December 14th when I returned from my trip down to Peru and Bolivia and then saw again on Christmas Eve during a bit of snow.  The homeowner said it has disappeared for long periods lately so it was far from a sure thing.  A text before I arrived initially reported the bird as not present but it showed up right before I arrived.  It seemed a bit more skittish than prior visits with more time spent in a dense thicket than on the feeders.  It teed up nicely once away from the feeders but a car horn scared the bird before I could get a photo.  Eventually it showed itself long enough for me to snap off a few photos before I headed for home.  Really amazing the bird continues to survive.  Some upcoming cold weather is not good news for it but it has survived some bitter cold already so hopefully it pulls through.