Hooded Warblers continue in Westfield

Hooded Warbler, Grace Robson State Wildlife Sanctuary, Westfield, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Hooded Warbler, Grace Robson State Wildlife Sanctuary, Westfield, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler fledgling, Silvio Conte NWR- Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Common Yellowthroat during banding process, Silvio Conte NWR- Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 2, 2026

After having a fantastic day yesterday in Hampshire County with 19 of the somewhat regularly occurring species for July, I was up well before dawn again today to try to beat the heat of our ongoing heat wave and I decided to make the drive down to Westfield to check up on the small breeding colony of Hooded Warblers.  I arrived there before dawn and once I walked up to the breeding area I had first one male and then two and possibly a third singing both dawn songs and the typical song associated with the species.  I got a number of recordings and some blurry photos in the early light and added my 20th warbler species for the month.  I then worked my way back into Hampshire County and made a few stops to add new species for the month as the heat steadily increased.  I eventually made it to Silvio Conte NWR in Hadley and got to witness some of the ongoing MAPS banding program and today featured a number of Common Yellowthroats getting captured and banded.  I would have stayed longer but wanted to get back home to get Wilson a walk before the heat became too oppressive.