First Connecticut Warbler of the fall

 

Connecticut Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Connecticut Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Connecticut Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Connecticut Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Connecticut Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Connecticut Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Connecticut Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

I had my first Connecticut Warbler of the fall this morning in the East Meadows while trying in vain to track down a Stilt Sandpiper that I missed by just a few minutes.  The morning featured intermittent rain showers and conditions like this can produce some good shorebirds (and other stuff) forced down by the weather.  After a brief stop at Winsor Dam I headed over to Hadley and was at the Honey Pot looking at shorebirds when I got a text from Ted about a Stilt Sandpiper and headed across the river only to arrive a couple minutes too late.  I then bounced around the area and finally settled on spending a decent amount of time in the East Meadows.  Ted had mentioned he had a Connecticut Warbler in a large cornfield so I had that species in the back of my mind as I walked the various mud filled roads in the meadows.  After my third pass by the cornfield I heard the distinct chip of a Connecticut Warbler and it sounded close.  I got some recordings and then waited and looked for movement.  I came up with a couple Song Sparrows in the area and then eventually the warbler.  It actually showed as well as I have had the species in a few years and I snapped off loads of photos as the bird perched up within the corn perhaps ten feet from me.  Always a great experience to get some up close looks and photos of this typically cryptic species.  Although not the expected spot to find these warblers I have had a few in cornfields in the past and is yet another spot to try when looking for them in fall around here.  The species is just starting to arrive in the area and the prime time is coming up from the mid part of September until the end of the month so worth getting out and looking and listening.  Hopefully I will turn up several more before they make there long flight down to Amazon basin.

Yellow Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Yellow Warbler, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Sep 11, 2023

In addition to the Connecticut Warbler I had a couple Yellow Warblers as well as several Common Yellowthroats.  Not a ton of diversity for sure but some really good stuff nonetheless.  A walk with Wilson in the drizzly late morning added an Ovenbird and a couple Pine Warblers to the haul for the day.

Large influx of Yellow rumped Warblers

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 4, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 4, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 4, 2020

The last couple days have featured a noticeable influx of Yellow rumped Warblers (as expected for early October) but this morning was truly impressive.  Yesterday I spent a few hours at Arcadia and noticed quite a few had arrived with a total of 50+.  I then made a brief late morning stop in the East Meadows mainly looking for shorebirds and noticed many Yellow rumped Warblers both in the cornfields and in the air.  On yet another foggy and cool morning I headed back over to the East Meadows to both look for a Nelson's Sparrow that was seen a few days before and to try to get a better count of the warblers. Not long after I arrived I started seeing and hearing Yellow rumped Warblers and they continued until I left.  It appeared that many of the birds were roosting in the large tracts of corn and heading mainly off after dawn while others appeared to be feeding both in the cornfields and in any nearby weedy area.  I had a total of at least 178 individuals which is my fourth highest count for the species I have ever had in the county.  I covered just a very small portion of the meadows and I'm sure the total number of Yellow rumped Warblers was many times the total I had.  My top three previous days in the county for the species included a count of 188 on May 1st of this year, a count of 243 on October 14th last year and the biggest count of all of a whopping 944+ at Quabbin Park on October 19, 2005 following a unique set of circumstances that grounded large numbers of birds (the passage of a series of showers before dawn while numbers of birds were migrating).

End of March warblers

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 31, 2020

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 31, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 18, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Mar 18, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 18, 2020

As the month of March comes to an end the warbler season is soon to start ramping up slowly but steadily over the next few weeks.  The ongoing Covid 19 pandemic certainly has and will continue to have an impact on birding for me.  In Hampshire County for the month I found two species of warbler with multiple Yellow rumped Warblers successfully overwintering as well as the first migrant Pine Warblers arriving late in the month.  The Pine Warbler at a feeding station in Granby successfully overwintered (which I believe is a first for the species in the area).  I specifically went looking for overwintering Yellow rumped Warblers on 3/8 to Arcadia and found four individuals and then again on 3/18 to Arcadia and the East Meadows where I found an amazing 17 at Arcadia and half a dozen in the East Meadows.

Winter warblers for the 2019-2020 winter in Hampshire County

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Dec 1, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 18, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 24, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Dec 25, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, Dec 18, 2019

Now that winter is coming to an end I'm taking a look at the record setting number of warblers that managed to hang on through the winter season of 2019-2020 in Hampshire County.  It was the third winter in a row I had at least one warbler through every month of the season.  I consider the winter season to run from December-February with December the month most likely to feature lingering warblers.  During December this year I found two species of warbler in Hampshire County once again with a single Common Yellowthroat and multiple Yellow rumped Warblers.  I had Yellow rumped Warblers at multiple locations including the East Meadows (high count of 4 on 12/1 but at least one continued through the end of the month), Mitch's Way (two present on 12/25), Arcadia (high count of 7 on 12/24), and singles along the Swift River on 12/10 and another single on the Quabbin CBC on 12/28.  The Northampton CBC also turned up an unusual warbler for the month when an Orange crowned Warbler was found along Aqua Vitae Rd in Hadley (it was not relocated by anyone on subsequent days).

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 1, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Jan 7, 2020

Pine Warbler, Granby, MA, Jan 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 31, 2020

January continued to feature a number of sightings of Yellow rumped Warblers at multiple locations plus a surprise Pine Warbler that showed up at a private residence in Granby and continued through the end of the month and into February.  Yellow rumped Warblers were reported from at least three separate locations for the month with a single seen at the bird blind at Fitzgerald Lake late in the month, up to half a dozen at Arcadia to begin the month with less numbers seen through the end of the month at multiple locations within Arcadia and up to an amazing 18 individuals in the East Meadows (seen by Aaron on 1/8) with my highest count for the month there being half a dozen on 1/31.  Overall the month was quite mild with almost no snow to speak of.

Pine Warbler, Granby, MA, Feb 2, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 2, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 15, 2020

Pine Warbler, Granby, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' (four of eleven present), East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

February is typically the toughest month to find warblers in the county but this year there were a good number around with Yellow rumped Warblers at multiple different locations as well as the Pine Warbler continuing at a private residence in Granby.  My best total for warblers by far for a day in February occurred on February 23 when I had 21 Yellow rumped Warblers (double digit counts at Arcadia and the East Meadows) and a Pine warbler in a single morning.  Both the Yellow rumped Warblers and the Pine Warbler continued into March.  A really amazing winter for warblers in Hampshire County.

Just outside the county there was a Pine Warbler at a suet feeder in Orange that showed up in early December and was seen on and off through February at the same location.  There was also an Orange crowned Warbler seen briefly in a private yard in Holyoke in early December.

Recording setting number of warblers for February

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

An amazing day for warblers in the valley for late February today.  I headed out this morning specifically trying to locate groups of wintering Yellow rumped Warblers and had some great luck ending with double digit counts at two different locations!  I'm sure with additional effort I could have found even more but I was a bit short of time.  I started the sunny but cold morning at Arcadia where I had two Yellow rumped Warblers in the parking lot at the visitors center before the sun even came up.  I poked around a few other nearby spots near the Mill River and then circled back to the area of the parking lot where I found at least three and possibly four individuals.  I then headed over to another area where I have had some warblers off and on the last few weeks and ran into a group of at least seven together bringing my total at Arcadia up to at least ten.  I never checked further up along the Mill River or near the rookery where warblers have been seen at least occasionally this winter as I wanted to get into and out of the East Meadows before it warmed up and turned the place into a muddy quagmire. 

Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle' (four in view), East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Feb 23, 2020

I made it to the East Meadows around 7:45 and started walking in and eventually came across at least 11 individuals.  There may have been even more but this is a conservative count as it was tough to keep track of them.  Up until 2018 I have never had a single warbler in the county in February but that year I had up to eleven in a single morning at Arcadia and last year I had at one throughout the winter in the East Meadows (including February). 

Pine Warbler, Granby, MA, Feb 23, 2020

Pine Warbler, Granby, MA, Feb 23, 2020

As I was rapidly running out of time I decided to make my last stop over to the private residence in Granby that has had a Pine Warbler all winter and hopefully add another warbler species for the morning.  After messaging the homeowner and getting permission I stopped by again and after about twenty minutes of waiting had the bird come in briefly to the suet.  This brought my total number of warblers for the morning up to 22 with 21 Yellow rumped Warblers and a Pine Warbler...easily my highest overall total for warblers in February in Hampshire County ever.  I'll post about the overall totals of warblers for the winter in an upcoming post but suffice it to say the numbers and variety are beyond anything I have ever had. 

More Yellow rumped Warblers over the last few days

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 7, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 7, 2020

Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Jan 7, 2020

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Jan 10, 2020

There continues to be a number of Yellow rumped Warblers around from the end of the first week of the month into the middle of the second week.  I went down to Arcadia on Tuesday morning where the species has been the most reliable lately with multiple individuals around.  I initially could not find any in the area near the metal bridge but after exploring a couple other areas I found a group of at least five in a new area (I also saw a report from yesterday of another group of several individuals near the rookery which is well away from where I had mine on Tuesday so there is likely at least two separate groups of the warblers down at Arcadia).  After work this morning I headed down to the East Meadows where Aaron had an amazing flock of 18 Yellow rumped Warblers yesterday (easily the largest group of warblers in western mass in January, if not the entire winter season...I had a group of eleven one day back in February 2018, which is my highest count for warblers in the county in the winter season).  It was very cold to start the morning with a slight breeze which is what probably kept the warblers a bit more subdued and I managed to turn up just four (which is still quite good for January!).  Certainly looks as if a fair number of warblers are attempting to overwinter and I will keep tabs on them as much as vacations, work and weather allow.

Yellow rumped Warblers on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 24, 2019

Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 24, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 24, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle' (single individual away from group), Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 24, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Dec 25, 2019

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Dec 25, 2019

After a couple mornings of checking out various locations along the river in search of lingering Yellow rumped Warblers I found at least ten individuals at various spots which bodes well for at some attempting to overwinter again.  I started off on Christmas Eve morning at Arcadia after getting out of work.  With some recent snow melt I was able to check an area where a few warblers had been seen before the recent snows made it inaccessible without a long walk.  I quickly found one warbler still there but could not find any others.  I then drove down to an area near the Oxbow where I found at least half a dozen Yellow rumped Warblers together in a single group.  I wish I could have explored a bit more but my time was limited so I had to be satisfied with just the one relatively short stop at Arcadia.

With more time available to me early on Christmas morning I headed down to the East Meadows at dawn and eventually turned up a single Yellow rumped Warbler flying over, calling.  No luck tracking down where it landed to get any photos or recordings but still nice to see at least one bird still around.  I then headed down to Mitch's Way to search of half a dozen Yellow rumped Warblers that were seen there during the Northampton Christmas Bird Count (thanks to Bill for details on where they had them).  I eventually ran across at least two Yellow rumped Warblers bringing my total for the morning up to at least three.