July comes to an end and with it my retirement

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 30, 2025

Yellow Warbler (warbler species #14 for the year at water feature), Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

 

Group photo on last shift at work, Northampton, MA, Jul 27, 2025

July has now come to an end and overall it was quite warm with multiple heat waves and humid conditions.  It is usually one of the slowest months for warblers outside of winter around here and I did not get out a ton due to both the heat and work.  Work will no longer be an issue moving forward as I retired at the end of the month.  Now I will get to bird full time, travel more and spend more time with Wilson.  Even without being out a ton I still got some warblers including the 14th species at the water feature at the house this year with a Yellow Warbler.  I also added a few warbler for the month with a trip to the Finger Lakes in the middle of the month.

My 13th species of warbler at the water feature this year

Ovenbird, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 20, 2025

I have been working a bit of overtime lately during the lull of warblers that is July so don't have a lot to report.  Nonetheless there are certainly warblers around with lots of fledglings.  I did capture one warbler at the water feature in the yard a few days ago when an Ovenbird showed up.  The Ovenbird became the 13th warbler species captured by the camera on the water feature this year so far...hopefully more are to come once fall migration starts.

Warblers on a trip to the Finger Lakes in New York

Hooded Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

 

Canada Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

 

Prairie Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Just back from a quick trip out to the Finger Lakes in New York. Sherri had a conference to go to and I was along to help out and bird when she was in the conference. Although I have made several trips out to the area I still had a few warblers in the general area I had a decent chance of tracking down. My targets included Mourning Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Prairie Warbler and Canada Warbler and I found all four.

Hooded Warbler, Cayuta Lake Boat Launch, Alpine, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler feeding juvenile, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler feeding juvenile, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler feeding juvenile, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Magnolia Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Hooded Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Hooded Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Hooded Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

American Redstart, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Ovenbird, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Black throated Blue Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Hooded Warbler and Black throated Green Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Canada Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Ovenbird, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Saturday I headed nearby spot before I had to go back to our Airbnb to pick up Sherri to get her to the conference in Ithaca. I decided Cayuta Lake to try for a few of my targets. I walked the entrance road and added two target for the trip with Canada Warbler and Hooded Warbler. My next stop was to Shindagin State Forest where I spent about two and a half hours exploring the area. The area featured a decent showing of warblers with a lucky 13 species of warblers including my first Mourning Warbler for New York. Multiple species of warblers had evidence of breeding from adults carrying food, adults feeding juveniles and juvenile birds. My next stop was to Lindsey Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, arriving around 11:30 and then spending about an hour there despite the heat. There was some bird banding taking place as part of the MAPS program that looks at breeding species in a particular area. I got to see some warblers up close as they banded an Ovenbird and American Redstart during my brief stop checking out the banding station. Despite the heat of the day with temps pushing 90 I did add a Prairie Warbler to my New York list and checked off my fourth target warbler species for the trip. At this point it was really hot so headed back to the house for a late lunch. I picked up Sherri in the mid afternoon and we then spent the remainder of the afternoon stopping at wineries. The day produced 17 species of warblers.

    

Yellow Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Blue winged Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

 

American Redstart, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

 

Prairie Warbler with leg band, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

I was up before dawn on Sunday with temps already in the upper 70’s with high humidity…very tropical. I headed south to Connecticut Hill WMA and walked a small loop trail and battled hordes of deer flies. The stop produced just three species of warblers although one was a new one for the trip with a singing Yellow rumped Warbler. With the bugs too bad to stay and a few hours free I had to decide where to go and settled on a return trip to Lindsey Parsons where I arrived around 6:30 and stayed for about an hour and a half. I got a number of photos of the eight species of warblers I found. I then headed back to the house to pick up Sherri and we headed down south of Watkins Glen to check out a few waterfalls before headed to a few wineries. I ended the day with nine species of warblers.

     

Yellow Warbler, Taughannock Falls SP, Ulysses, NY, Jul 14, 2025

 

Taughannock Falls, Taughannock Falls SP, Ulysses, NY, Jul 14, 2025

On the last day I stayed fairly close to the house with a trip off to the north to Taughannock Falls SP. Not much for warblers to report from that location with just two species. I then headed back to the house to pack up and start the long drive back. 

I had a total of 18 species of warblers overall for the short trip. Of these four were new for me in the state (Canada Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Mourning Warbler and Prairie Warbler), moving my New York state total to 23 species.

Tracking down warblers the last couple days and confirmed record of Cerulean Warbler breeding at Quabbin Park

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 5, 2025

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 5, 2025

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 5, 2025

Cerulean Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 5, 2025

Prairie Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 5, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 5, 2025

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 5, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 5, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 5, 2025

American Redstart carrying food, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Jul 5, 2025

I finally was able to get out early in the morning yesterday for a few hours tracking down warblers to start off the month of July.  Until then I was either going to work, working or getting held at work for the first four days of the month (I still got some warblers then but only a paltry ten species for the first four days of the month).  I started off the morning along the rail trail in Ware where I had ten species of warbler including three new ones for the month.  I then headed to Quabbin Park where I had 13 species of warbler with the highlight by far being a yellow washed juvenile Cerulean Warbler in an area I suspected the species has been breeding for a few years now.  This was the first time I could confirm it and I was very happy to finally do so.  

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Cadwell Memorial Forest, Pelham, MA, Jul 6, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 6, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 6, 2025

 

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 6, 2025

Today I concentrated on the area on the west side of Quabbin mainly looking for a few more sporatic breeding warblers including Magnolia Warbler, Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' and Canada Warbler.  Despite a decent amount of insect activity that made birding a challenge at times I tracked down all three species.  I also made a brief stop at Quabbin Park and once again had a juvenile Cerulean Warbler as well as a number of other warbler species.  With two productive mornings of chasing down warblers I now have 19 species for July in the county, which is all of the expected breeding species.  To go over that total will only come about if a rarity pops up.