A huge loss with the passing on my best buddy Wilson

Wilson resting on his last morning, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 10, 2026

Wilson enjoying one of his favorite things one last time...deck water!, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 10, 2026

Wilson checking out the geese, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, May 9, 2025

 

Wilson ready for Halloween, Belchertown, MA, Oct 31, 2025

Wilson exploring in the snow, Belchertown, MA, Jan 8, 2024

Wilson ready for the eclipse, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 8, 2024

Wilson getting a laser treatment after surgery, Jul 5, 2023

Wilson in the snow, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 26, 2022

Playing ball with Wilson, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 14, 2022

 

Wilson enjoying a fall day, Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Oct 12, 2022

Wilson playing with the deflated soccer ball, Home, Belchertown, MA, Feb 2, 2022

Wilson, Belchertown Land Trust trail, Belchertown, MA, Dec 4, 2019

Wilson surveying the world from on top of a snowbank, Home, Mar 7, 2015

Wilson ready for the 4th of July, Belchertown, MA, July 3, 2015

Wilson trying to find something under the snow, Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Feb 7, 2014

Wilson trying to figure out what a Painted Turtle is, Belchertown, July 15, 2013

The post today is all about my boy Wilson.  We had to make the very difficult decision to end his suffering yesterday.  He had declined fairly rapidly the last couple weeks and we always said we would never let him suffer and the decision would be based on his quality of life.  He was part of our family for over 15 years and he made it to just shy of 15 1/2 years on this planet.  Wilson came to us via an Australian Shepard rescue group from a farm in West Virginia.  We met him in Connecticut in early July 2011 when he was a four month old pup named Wally (we knew that name just didn't fit him so after lots of discussion he became Wilson).  After losing our old boy Kody in March 2010 we had tried a few other dogs briefly but none fit in (or we were just not ready for a new dog at the time).  We were not totally convinced on taking a chance on this pup but we did anyway because he was so damn cute.  He was a difficult boy to deal with early on as he not been socialized properly early on so had a variety of behavior issues when dealing with new situations or people and he would go on 'walk strikes' when he would refuse to continue on a walk!  We dealt with his issues and eventually he became a great dog that loved those closest to him.  He had a laundry list of medical issues over the years and was on various meds for almost his whole life.  In the last five years he fought a cancer diagnosis and multiple surgeries and always seemed to bounce back.  We had many difficult medical decisions to make over the years for him and in the end we feel we made the right choices with the goal always being quality of life for him, even if it meant less time with him.  He had quite a life and was my constant companion on our daily walks.  We had so many adventures over the years that to recall them all would fill volumes.  I spent more time with him over the years then I spent with anyone else by a fair margin.  Our only disagreement was the fun that winter and snow provided...he loved it and I hated it!  I already miss him beyond what words can express and I feel completely and totally lost without him.  He is now free of pain and I hope he had met up with Kody and they are playing and running around.

Three Cerulean Warblers continue at Quabbin Park

Cerulean Warbler (male #1), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Cerulean Warbler (male #1), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Cerulean Warbler (male #1), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Cerulean Warbler with leg bands (male #2), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Cerulean Warbler (male #3), Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

I stuck close to home again today as I wanted to make sure I was home to watch Wilson as he continues to recover from surgery he had on Saturday.  I started off before dawn at Quabbin Gate 5 before eventually moving on to Quabbin Park.  After getting most of the expected warbler species over the previous two days I decided to concentrate on the Cerulean Warblers at Quabbin Park.  I have consistently had at least one there since early May and many times have had two.  I even had three singing males on a couple occasions.  I have been working with some DCR biologists in keeping tabs on the Cerulean Warblers in the park and today was a great day with three singing males once again.  Two of the individuals are not banded and if the biologist can fit it into their busy schedule they may try to capture and band the remaining unbanded birds.  I will do a more in depth post on the Cerulean Warblers once the breeding season is over in regards to site fidelity and the return of previously banded birds.  

 

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 3, 2026

There were other warblers around with all on breeding territory and I got photos of a few among a lucky 13 species of warblers.

Wilson sleeping, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 3, 2026

My boy is slowly recovering and is doing fairly well given his age...hopefully he will be up for a real walk tomorrow.

Kentucky Warbler and Prothonotary Warbler today for species #47 and #48 in the US this year

Prothonotary Warbler, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Prothonotary Warbler, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Prothonotary Warbler, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Prothonotary Warbler, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Prothonotary Warbler, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Prothonotary Warbler, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Prothonotary Warbler, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Prothonotary Warbler, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Prothonotary Warbler habitat, Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit, Concord, MA, May 28, 2026

Blackburnian Warbler, Rockport Town Forest, Rockport, MA, May 28, 2026

American Redstart, Rockport Town Forest, Rockport, MA, May 28, 2026

Wilson going for ice cream, Granby, MA, May 28, 2026

Today was a great day away from my home area and I managed to track down two more warbler species for the year in the United States in my ongoing quest for a warbler big year in the US.  Despite my distaste for the traffic and sprawl of the eastern part of this state I decided to make the trip as I will be stuck closer to home after this weekend for a bit.  My two target species for the day were Kentucky Warbler and Prothonotary Warbler.  I headed out well before dawn to head to Rockport to try to find a Kentucky Warbler that initially showed up just over a week ago.  I had to head out way before dawn for the two hour drive out in the hopes of avoiding some of the traffic chronic for the area.  I avoided any traffic issues the entire way out and made it to Rockport Town Forest with no issues at all.  I almost didn't bother making the trip out to the location as the bird was last reported a couple days before with no sightings since.  Nonetheless I gave it a shot and was certainly glad I did.  I arrived just after five with sunny skies, cool temps and a slight to at times moderate breeze, which was enough to make it hard to see movement among the leaves but not enough to keep the plentiful mosquitoes away.  I started hearing warblers as soon as I got out of the car and added multiple species as I made the short walk into the area where the Kentucky Warbler had been reported.  I did not hear it as I approached the area and continued to not hear it as I endured some mosquito bites.  I decided to find a sunny spot just west of the area of the water tank and had multiple warblers feeding on the ample supply of caterpillars.  As I watched a Blackburnian Warbler near the top of an oak a bird shot in from the northwest and chased it.  They chased each other through the trees and then one bird landed half obscured by leaves and it was the Kentucky Warbler!  It stayed put for a few seconds and then took off in the direction from which it came, chasing another bird again.  Although the views were brief I saw the bird well enough to be absolutely certain as all the field marks pointed squarely at Kentucky Warbler as the ID...warbler species #47 for me this year in the US.  I headed into the woods after the warbler and thought I might have heard it sing once distantly but if it was indeed it, the bird was very far away.  I continued to look around for another half hour before deciding to give up and move on to Concord to look for my second target and hopefully beat the traffic mess that is a typical day in eastern Massachusetts.  As I headed toward Concord I thought I was doing well and then boom...traffic jam that just grew as I watched it on my map.  At least the traffic mainly kept moving slowly with only a few instances of it coming to a dead stop.  Eventually I got to Great Meadows NWR-Concord Unit only to find the small parking lot jammed full.  I drove around a few times with no cars leaving so I spent a little time trying to find a place I could park nearby and make a longer walk in and finally found a spot.  A little longer walk was just fine as being cooped up in the car was not my style on a spring day.  As I walked the Dike Trail out I ran across a large group of birders and they mentioned they had seen the Prothonotary Warbler so I was confident I would find it too.  As I approached the area I could hear it singing repeatedly and got some recordings of it.  I scanned through the trees from the trail to where I thought it might be but had no luck finding it from that vantage point.  I walked up to the area of the twin benches and started scanning from there and after a few minutes the bird sounded much closer and after just a little time looking I found the Prothonotary Warbler singing vigorously about 30 feet up in a tree along the river bank....warbler species #48 down!  I got a few photos and then assisted a couple other birders present who had not yet seen it.  Eventually everyone got on it and we all enjoyed great looks at it and got photos and videos.  Although the chances of this guy finding a mate is quite low, there is no chance if a female happens to come by that she will miss him as he sang constantly.  At this point I started the walk back to the car to make the drive back west to rescue Wilson from an appointment earlier in the day.  I would have loved to have gotten photos of the Kentucky Warbler too but I had to be satisfied with brief looks for now.  With any luck another one will show up closer to home (although the chances of that are quite slim as I have only had the species twice before in Hampshire County but one can hope).  I also may make a trip further south where the species is more common if I can possible make it happen.  Once I picked up Wilson we headed out for a tick filled walk and then made a stop for a celebratory ice cream.

The end of April warblers

Magnolia Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 26, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 27, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Rail Trail, Amherst, MA, Apr 29, 2026

Wilson relaxing after a walk, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 29, 2026

Blackburnian Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 30, 2026

The end of April continued to feature mainly subpar migration conditions with below average numbers and variety of warblers.  Today was rainy in the morning and never really warmed up.  Nonetheless I was out walking a little in the rain and my reward was one new warbler species for the year with a Blackburnian Warbler at Quabbin Park (warbler species #38 for the year in the US).  The previous few days were at least mainly sunny and pleasant but without good winds to move stuff in the warblers mainly trickled in.  I did manage my first double digit warbler day of the spring here on Tuesday with eleven species including my first Blue winged Warbler of the year plus my first Northern Parula of the year in Hampshire County.  Yesterday featured one new species for me for the year in the county with a Prairie Warbler.  The record early Magnolia Warbler I found on my birthday continued for me for at least another day 

Palm Warblers 'yellow', Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 28, 2026

I also added a second species at the water feature with Palm Warblers on the 28th.

To end out April in the county I found a total of 14 species with two of those (Blue winged Warbler and Blackburnian Warbler) being new for me for my big warbler year in the US moving my total to 38 species so far.  April overall was quite productive for warblers with my trips to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona plus warblers at home bringing me to 27 species seen for the month.  May will rapidly bring in numbers of warblers and I will be out there enjoying them as much as possible.  May migration is truly one of the best reasons to live here.

Slow start to November with just two warbler species and a Wilson update

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 5, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Nov 5, 2025

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Belchertown, MA, Nov 2, 2025

November is off to a slow start for warblers with just two species thanks mainly to colder than normal weather and windy conditions on multiple days.  Today was actually the first morning without winds but we now face very windy conditions again starting tonight and throughout the next few days.  I have run across a handful of Yellow rumped Warblers but even those seem to be in lower numbers than usual for early November.  The only other species I have had was a brief look at a 'yellow' Palm Warbler this morning in Amherst.  Tough going for warblers for sure.

Wilson resting, Home, Belchertown, MA, Nov 5, 2025

Now for some sad news concerning my best bud Wilson  The cancer on his foot has returned to the point that the tumor has ruptured on a small part of the foot.  We knew the tumor would be back at some point as the removal of two toes on the foot two years ago did not completely removed the cancer but we could not go through with a full amputation at that point.  He has thrived the last couple years and does not his age of just over 14 1/2.  He is in no pain right now but he has to wear a botty to keep him from licking the foot.  After a consult with a surgeon there unfortunately are not any good options going forward and we are still trying to decide what to do.  In the end it will be quality of life for him, as it has always been.  He is convinced he can just lick the cancer away if we just gave him the chance!  He still runs around like a pup when it is play time, even with the boot on.  Fuck cancer.

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.