September ends with a total of 27 species in the county for the month

Black throated Blue Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 30, 2025

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Sep 30, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 30, 2025

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2025

Northern Parula, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2025

Blackpoll Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2025

Northern Waterthrush, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2025

Black Bear, Belchertown, MA, Sep 29, 2025

The peak of fall warbler migration has now come to an end with the ending of the month of September.  It was a great month for warblers with a total of  27 species including four Connecticut Warblers, a Mourning Warbler as well as multiple late species.  The end of the month also brought a great influx of Blackpoll Warblers as well as increased numbers of Yellow rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers. I also had Black Bears in various spots for multiple days in a row. October will bring the peak of these two warblers and rapidly decreasing numbers of most of the remaining species.  I will be out as much as I can trying to track down late staying warblers, more Connecticut Warblers and with lots of luck, a true rarity from the west.

Big influx of Blackpoll Warblers the last couple mornings

Blackpoll Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Blackpoll Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Northern Parula, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Northern Parula, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Nashville Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Blackpoll Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Wilson sleeping, Belchertown, MA, Sep 27, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2025

Blackpoll Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2025

Northern Parula, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2025

Blackpoll Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 26, 2025

After a couple days of somewhat rainy weather we returned to mainly sunny and rather warm conditions the last couple days and although the winds were not perfect for migration the last two mornings have produced impressive numbers of Blackpoll Warblers with double digit counts at multiple locations both days...with my highest count at a single spot being 33 in a bit under a mile of walking!  I also had above normal counts of Northern Parula, Ovenbird, Cape May Warblers and Chestnut sided Warblers in at least a few spots.  This morning had the biggest diversity and numbers with a total of 17 species.  We should have continued warmth until a cold front comes in to start off the month of October and I expect to see the next big push after that front. 

Another Connecticut Warbler, an early Orange crowned Warbler and others to start out the fourth week of September

Common Yellowthroat, Belchertown, MA, Sep 21, 2025

Northern Parula, Belchertown, MA, Sep 21, 2025

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Nashville Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Palm Warblers 'yellow', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 23, 2025

Magnolia Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 23, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 24, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 24, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 25, 2025

After a seemingly endless string of sunny days we had an overcast day with occasional rain and drizzle yesterday and then the rain really came down overnight into today with heavy rain through mid morning well into the afternoon.  The less than ideal weather has allowed me a little extra time to work on an upcoming program I will be hosting for the Hampshire Bird Club..."Endemic Warblers of the Caribbean"...more on that to come before the program takes place in mid October (details at the following link).  To start off the third week of September I had yet another Connecticut Warbler, a very early Orange crowned Warbler and a slightly late Yellow Warbler among some 14 species of warblers....some really good stuff for sure!   I was then out for hours yesterday despite the weather and although far from an epic warbler day I did have some stuff around with a total of a lucky 13 species with multiple Cape May Warblers for two days running.  Today's birding was much more abbreviated with just a few short walks in between bouts of rain with just a handful of warblers.  The weather now looks to return to mainly sunny conditions for the foreseeable future with just a few shower chances over the next week plus.  Should be some great mornings of late fall warblers as the diversity continues to drop but the numbers ramp up briefly with the arrival of numbers of Yellow rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers.

An extended time with a Connecticut Warbler this morning

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Northern Parula, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Hot on the heels of the second Connecticut Warbler I found in Ware yesterday I had an exceptional long visit with another individual today in Belchertown.  I have been trying to expand to new area this year to track down Connecticut Warblers and so far it has paid off quite well.  I started off my morning with a visit up to Pelham where I had just half a dozen species and not many individuals.  I then headed to a spot in Belchertown and started my walk with a few Pine Warblers still singing.  I made it to an edge area with young birches and white pines that gets the sun early and quickly turned up a couple Yellow Warblers, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Cape May Warbler and Tennessee Warbler.  As I was trying to get photos of the Tennessee Warbler I noticed some movement down low and expected to see a Common Yellowthroat but instead saw a beautiful Connecticut Warbler.  It quickly dropped down and out of view and I had little hope of relocating it again....it is not a species that is easy to relocate once you lose view of it (and most views of the species are fleeting at best!).  I moved a little bit and checked for movement and after about five minutes I saw a bird down low and it was the Connecticut Warbler!  It is always tough to get any looks at the species around here but today would be the exception!  As I maneuvered to try to get better looks and hopefully some photos the warbler fed quite actively on a variety of caterpillars in an area of Eastern White Pines.  I fired off hundreds of photos and managed to get a few decent ones plus got a video of the bird as it walked along the branches (I think the first video I have ever obtained of the species).  I had the bird in view for over 45 minutes...easily the longest I have ever had with the species in view around here.  Not the best photos I have ever gotten of the species but it was a gift to be with this typically very skulking species for such a long time.  I only heard the bird give a call once during my entire time of watching it.  This becomes my third Connecticut Warbler of the fall and one I'm not likely to soon forget.  I usually find the species by hearing it call but two of the three so far have been found by seeing it pop up first.  Link to the eBird list with additional photos and a video here.

I also had some other unusual species for the day and those are covered here.