Trip Highlights

It was a beautiful day on the hill with birders coming and going throughout the day.  Hazy sunshine with gauze-thin clouds slowly gave way to thickening high-altitude stratus clouds for our hawkwatch. A light ENE wind shifted to SE then SW, never exceeding 7 mph. Temperature range was 62-72 degrees F during the day.

Given the wind direction(s), I expected a disappointing flight, and my expectation was not disappointed. The largest kettle comprised only 15 Broad-wings. Also counted were 2 Osprey, 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 Cooper’s Hawks, and 1 Ameri-can Kestrel.  Not counted as migrants were 2 Black Vultures, 2 Turkey Vultures, adult Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk (local), 2 Red-shouldered Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawk.

Other species identified throughout the day were Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, 3 Chimney Swifts, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pile-ated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, 2 Common Ravens, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, 9 Cedar Waxwings, and 2 American Goldfinches.  There was one (!) skulking warbler, who refused to show ID. We also counted 11 monarch butterflies and the first spotted lanternfly (horrors) on Blue-berry Hill.

Four members joined for the morning walk and together we counted a total of 28 species.  The walk was lacking in migrating warblers until the end, and even then, the light was bad and the birds were located high in the trees.  However, that mixed flock of warblers was definitely the highlight of the walk.  

Click below to view trip list.

On September 2, the Allen Bird Club began its fall series of Wednesday morning walks, a weekly field trip that invites participants to observe the small changes which herald not only the progression of seasons, but also the ever-changing movements of fall migration. A team of five members facilitated this walk, with two more joining the group toward the end.

The trip's weather ranged from 67 to 72 degrees on a calm, cloudy day immediately following a day of steady rainfall. Mosquitoes were vengeful.  Cornell's BirdCast estimated some 45,000 birds migrated over Hampden County on the previous evening, yet the refuge remained fairly quiet.

Still, signs of fall abounded. Katydids changed the preserve's "dawn chorus" to a melody matching the second day of meteorological fall. Wood Ducks, apparent in multitudes, wore a gambit of plumage ranging from female to spotty juvenile to molting male. Multiple Green Herons seemed to pose for close looks and, while raptors were scarce, one club member spotted a Peregrine Falcon perched along the Connecticut River as participants identified sandpipers, plovers, and egrets on the sandbar.

Click below to view complete species list.

Twelve members gathered in hopes of witnessing a spectacular flight of Common Nighthawks in Longmeadow. Unfortunately, this unpredictable phenomenon was not to be. One nighthawk was spotted late in the outing, and those who persevered were rewarded with a view.

Participants did enjoy another impressive avian spectacle: a thousand blackbirds flying in large flocks, merging and separating before settling in the trees around the ponds.

Many Wood Ducks were observed, along with a half-dozen Double-crested Cormorants and the usual Mallards, Mute Swans, and Canada Geese. Two Great Blue Herons, a few Chimney Swifts, and a handful of songbirds rounded out the evening. The final species total was 15. Click below to view the complete species list.

Nine members gathered at Pynchon Point in Agawam to explore the trails, scan the river and shoreline, search the sandbar in Longmeadow, and bird from the viewing platform at Pondside.

At Pynchon Point, one early-arriving member caught sight of a Great Egret and others heard Ravens. Together we identified Carolina Wren, Baltimore Oriole, Chimney Swift, Great Blue Heron, Double-crested Cormorant, Common Merganser, Spotted Sandpiper, and more.

From there, we headed to the Bondi’s Island boat ramp, hoping to find the Red-necked Phalarope reported there the previous day. We had no luck with the phalarope, but we did find two Semipalmated Sandpipers and four Least Sandpipers.

Our next stop was the Longmeadow Sandbar, which is often especially productive near the end of summer, when low water levels expose the sandbar. It provides an important resting and refueling stop for shorebirds continuing their migration along the Connecticut River. We enjoyed nice views of Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers, Killdeer, and a distant Greater Yellowlegs.

The highlight was a huge flock of Bank Swallows, which took turns dancing low over the sandbar and resting in large groups on the exposed beach. We also identified a Red-shouldered Hawk by ear—or perhaps it was a Blue Jay offering a remarkably convincing imitation—as well as Great Blue Heron, American Black Duck, Hairy, Downy, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and several other species.

Although the official trip ended at the sandbar, some members continued to Pondside, where they added numerous Wood Ducks, a Mute Swan, a flyover Green Heron, and an Eastern Kingbird to the list. Another member extended the outing by exploring the refuge trails and found Cedar Waxwing, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Common Yellowthroat, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Northern Flicker.

In all, we counted 51 species and enjoyed the cooler morning air, one another’s company, and the opportunity to play at being expert birders. Click below to view complete species list.