A Brewster's Warbler (a hybrid between Blue winged Warbler and Golden winged Warbler) showed up in the same spot in Amherst for a third year in a row and possibly a fourth year. With more north winds overnight I didn't expect to find too much this morning and was pleasantly surprised to see this bird back for another year. It was cold with temps in the upper 30's and light winds that picked up as the morning wore on. I started my morning in Hadley before moving to Amherst. There were certainly some warblers around and it was still fairly easy to see most with the leaves still not out yet on many trees. Once I got on the rail trail I heard a number of Blue winged Warbler songs and when I made it to the area where a Brewster's Warbler had occurred for the last couple years I made sure to get a good look at it the bird and it was the Brewster's Warbler. The light was terrible for photos although with a little work was able to get some passable shots. Now for some history on the the bird. The individual showed up in 2024 on May 7 and stuck around through at least mid June. Last year I relocated it on May 2nd in the same spot and it once again stayed around until nearly the end of June. I could not find any definitive evidence of breeding during any of the years I watched it. There is even a chance that this is the fourth year for the individual as I had a very similar in appearance bird along the rail trail in mid May of 2023. That year it only stayed in the area a couple days and then was not reported again. I figured it moved out of the area completely but in retrospect it probably didn't move far.
The Brewster's Warbler doesn't add to my overall count of warbler species for my US big warbler year but seeing one (and hopefully other hybrids) certainly adds to the enjoyment of the quest. No new warbler species for the day although a count of 14 species was not too bad considering the weather conditions.
The next few nights look to feature some good migration conditions with strong southerly winds and some warm temps. I expect a big influx of warblers during the period before the weather turns less conducive for migration for multiple nights.
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