Trip Highlights

The weather was just about as close to perfect as a June morning can be, with abundant sunshine and a welcome cooling breeze, when ten Allen Bird Club members visited the Southwick Wildlife Management Area.  The site is renowned for hosting many grassland species, and it did not disappoint on this occasion.  We tallied 34 species and had excellent views of many of them, including Willow Flycatcher, Brown Thrasher, Grasshopper Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Orchard Oriole, Blue-winged Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Prairie Warbler and Indigo Bunting.  A Chestnut-sided Warbler teased us, singing repeatedly from cover, but declining to come out in the open.  The catch of the day was unquestionably the Blue-wing, and not just because the species has been unusually scarce in our area this season:  for one member of our party, this confiding Blue-winged Warbler was her 200th life bird in the lower 48 states. We all congratulate her on reaching this milestone, and wish her luck as she aims for 300!

Click below to view total species list.

Five members leisurely wended our way from south to north in the lovely Tyringham Val-ley, enjoying not only the birds but also scenic vistas.  At this time of year birding is al-most all by ear, but we had looks at some species as well.  Thrushes were around, and we heard several Veery and some Wood Thrush in addition to seeing Bluebirds and Robins.  Warbler species included Black-and-white, Common Yellowthroat, Redstart, Parula, Yellow, Pine, BT Green, and Ovenbird.  We had a nice look at a Kestrel at the Cobble; the only other raptors were two Red-tailed Hawks.  We were glad to see that Cliff Swallows had returned to a nesting site on Breakneck Road where they had been absent for several years.  In the end, we added some Rough-winged Swallows on Meadow Street, in a location where earlier in spring there were Bank Swallows.  Tyring-ham didn’t give up anything too notable this trip, but it is always a delightful place for a morning of birding.  

Click below to view complete list of 56 species.

The trip started at the Quabbin Park HQ on a pretty sunny and warm Sunday morning, with 6 members in attendance.  We birded around the HQ for a few minutes before heading to the other side of the Winsor Dam.  We usually catch a raven over there and this time we came upon a whole family.  I was reminded that sometimes it is not about the birds you see but what they are doing that can make the sighting memorable.  This group consisted of two adults and two ado-lescents and another one that I could not tell.  They were flying around, with the two younger birds following the adults begging (calling) for food from the adults, who seemed more content to fly around with them and show them where to look.  Many of us thought this might be the high-light of the trip but there was more to come.  

With the trees in full foliage, finding the birds was a little harder but the Winsor Memorial did yield good views of a Black-and-white Warbler and an American Redstart (which we were hearing all day).  As we drove towards the tower, we heard a Prairie Warbler calling and so we pulled over.  After much searching, he decided to come out and sing for us in the sunlight for a number of minutes.  At this same location we had great looks at a Chestnut-sided Warbler and heard a Cerulean Warbler calling.  

Not much in the tower area so we headed to Gate 54 (the artillery platform) and walked down to the shore.  On the way down while looking for a Hairy Woodpecker in a nearby tree we found a Black-billed Cuckoo.  We then proceeded down to the water where we saw a distant duck and a raptor that flew past us and landed in a tree on the far shore (even with binoculars this raptor was near impossible to see).  A scope was retrieved and the duck turned out to be a Common Merganser with at least two ducklings and the raptor turned out to be a Merlin.  The other interesting thing we saw there was a Great Blue Heron that flew into a pine tree near us and about 30 ft up, who proceeded to stand on the branch with bill open and gullet fluttering, cooling itself.  At this point the morning was running out, the heat was climbing and the two birds we usually look for at the power lines at the end had already been seen, so we decided to end the trip on those high notes with 40 species tallied.  

Click below to view complete list.

The drive after leaving our meeting spot seemed longer than usual, and we arrived at Bloomingdale Bog around mid-morning.  Despite warm temperatures, a pleasant breeze made walking on the path comfortable.  Here we had to tune our ears to the voices of species that breed in the north and we soon heard Nashville and Palm Warblers, Red-breasted Nuthatch and White-throated Sparrows.  Seeing them was more difficult.  On Floodwood Pond Road, our next stop, we did see two separate Common Loons where we “always” see them.  A local birder told us there was a pair with babies, but we missed the babies.  Here we also heard Winter Wren, Blackburnian, BT Blue and BT Green warblers, Blue-headed Vireo, and a Yellow-throated Vireo too.

Sandy Point Motel in Long Lake is a welcome place to stay as our rooms overlook the lake and we usually hear loons calling during the night and early morning.  This time some of us also heard a Barred Owl calling early.  We began Saturday on Sabattis Circle Road which has become one of the favorite spots of the trip.  Again, it was mostly birding by ear, but we did see a Flicker and Scarlet Tanager at an open parking area.  At the marsh we searched for Bittern, and tried calling for it.  Nothing.  Then, one of us suggested we try one more time, as he had seen it “right here” last year.  A bittern flew right over us from one marsh to another!  

Then, at Tupper Lake marsh we kept our eyes open for Sandhill Cranes we had seen there last year, and very shortly after we arrived one flew distantly and out of sight!  

Then it was on to the Massawepie Mire where we always hope for Olive-sided Flycatcher or Black-backed Woodpecker.  They did not appear but we had looks at Nashville Warbler, and heard a close Canada.  Later we riled up a Golden-crowned Kinglet and a few of us scared a Ruffed Grouse into the thick undergrowth. At a bog adjacent to the mire, we had nice looks at Lincoln’s Sparrow, a Broad-winged and Red-shouldered Hawks. Also along the road into the mire, we were delighted by a pair of “dancing” Sapsuckers, who chased each other around and around a tree close to the road, a behavior new to us.

With time left in the afternoon we tried a new location from the Adirondack Birding Festival itinerary.  Horseshoe Lake Road promised mixed habitats but it might prove more productive earlier in the day.  Here, though, on a short walk beside a railbed, a few startled another Grouse, this one with some young ones, and they flew off in all directions while mom perched in a tree close to the path.  Unfortunately, not all of us saw the bird, even after we quietly circled back later.  Next time…

Sunday, again, we made a stop at what was once Shaw Pond “just in case” and were rewarded with the sound of Wilson's Snipe.  We headed next to a trail we discovered last year, the Minerva Rail Trail. This year proved to be just as magical.  Soon after entering the trail one of us spotted a Great Egret flying off behind the tree line.  Then another announced that his Merlin app was noting the call notes of Black-backed Woodpecker.  A couple of us spotted the woodpecker fairly close, but it quickly flew away and out of sight.  Although it made it “on the list” it was not a great look.  However, GREAT looks are what we had next, this time of a very cooperative and “curious” Least Bittern.  Almost forgotten was the Virginia Rail we had just moments previously.  All of this while we were serenaded by a chorus of Winter Wrens.  Further down the trail we first heard, then saw a couple of Pied-billed Grebes, and we commented that we typically don’t get to hear them.  

The trip always ends with a drive through the grasslands near Fort Edward, and it’s almost like they don’t want to be “outdone” by the Adirondacks.  They do put on a show, this year giving us close looks at Grasshopper Sparrow, Bobolink, more American Bitterns, a Green Heron, a rookery of Great Blue Herons, Thrashers, a “gray ghost” Harrier, and at the very end, a Merlin.  On our way out of the grasslands, along the canal, we added two Osprey to the list, bringing our trip total to 113.  Another Adirondacks trip for the history books…  Click below to view complete species list.

We had a great turnout of six people for our recent bird walk at Heather's Place (Ruel Farm) in Granby, MA. Heather shared a fascinating history of the farm, including their past, present, and future projects.

The farm offers a wonderful variety of habitats. In the grasslands, we saw Kestrel and Swallow boxes, and at the small beaver pond, we observed Kingbirds and Pewee flycatchers. We also walked a mile-long loop through a wooded area filled with Oak and Pine trees.

We spotted a total of 36 species during our two-hour walk, including several woodland birds such as Ovenbirds, Wood Thrushes, Veeries, and Scarlet Tanagers. A highlight of the trip was seeing the "Bear Tree," a giant Sycamore with a large hole in the trunk where a female Black Bear hibernates each year.

It was a successful outing and a wonderful day for birding. There is definite potential during migration for a variety of warblers. Click below to view species list.