Trip Highlights

The weather was cool when six members met up at the Pynchon Point parking lot, but warmed later, providing a beautiful sunny weather field trip. The Point gave us Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Warbling Vireo, and other usual landbirds, as well as C. Merganser (6), Bald Eagle, DC Cormorant, Spotted Sandpiper, Great Blue Heron. The special species for this spot was A. Kestrel (3).  We made a quick stop at Bondi’s and added Semi-palmated Plover, Least and Semi Sandpipers.

From there we headed to the Eastern States grounds where over 150 Canada Geese were grazing in the fields. It must have been a good day for A. Kestrel, because we found another two here.  Also along the river bank, we picked out two Solitary Sandpipers and a Spotted Sandpiper. Last stop I recorded was on River Rd in Agawam.  Somehow I do not have notes from the Longmeadow portion of the trip. Sorry about that…  Anyway, River Rd gave us Bald Eagle (2), Cooper’s and Red-tailed Hawks, C. Merganser (6), Great Blue Heron, and a few landbirds, including Chimney Swift (4).

Seven people attended in seven kayaks.  We started at the Sunderland bridge and kayaked north to the Montague town line and back again.   It was cloudy and calm, perfect conditions for a beautiful and peaceful paddle on the river.  The sun popped out, and in our eyes just 15 minutes before we got off the river.   It reminded us of how easy on the eyes it was to kayak during the overcast, but warm morning.  The trip took four hours.  We observed 17 species in all.

There were eight Common Mergansers taking turns resting on a sandbar and then taking a swim in the slight current.  We counted six Bald Eagles.  There were 50+ Bank Swallows perching along the wire that stretches across the river on the approach to the Montague line and flying high and low with acrobatic moves.  We had a Pileated and two Red-bellied Woodpeckers.  Seen in groups of two or three, we counted ten Spotted Sandpipers, plying the muddy flats along the banks of the river until we got too close, and then we watched as they flew off with their telltale stiff wing beats.  Two Kingfishers were seen and heard.  Two Carolina Wrens, a White-breasted Nuthatch, a Red-eyed Vireo, and three Goldfinch were spotted, a Raven was heard, and 5+ Cedar Waxwing were heard and seen sallying out over the river for insects, and then returning to their perches, high on bare branches that lined the river. Other than bird species were Monarch Butterfly and Gray Tree Frog.

It was a great trip. The weather was nice all weekend, with mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures during the days and a slight breeze in the afternoons.  By the time we reached the Fort Edward grasslands on Sunday, it was actually hot.

Mosquitoes were as bad as we've seen them at the Massewepie Mire, but most of us wore head nets and long sleeves, so they weren't too annoying.  A breeze kept them from bothering too much.

We added 4 birds to the total trip list, including 2 Sandhill Cranes north of Saranac Lake on the way to Bloomingdale Bog!  We also heard 2 Cape May Warblers on a new trail we took.

We changed the itinerary a bit this year.  Instead of going to Moose River Plains the first day, we started the trip by hiking on the Roosevelt Truck Trail, off of 28N north of North River.  We continued to the Visitor Center in Newcomb, then the Northville-Lake Placid Trail near Long Lake (which we have done in the past), and finally the Shaw Pond marsh (3 Virginia Rails).

Saturday we followed the regular itinerary - Tupper Lake marsh (Cliff Swallow), en route to the Mire (Mourning Warbler), Massewepie Mire (2 American Bitterns, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Gray Jay, 12 Palm Warblers, Canada Warbler, and 6 Lincoln’s Sparrow), Bloomingdale Bog (Olive-sided Flycatcher).  We skipped Floodwood Road.

Sunday we drove to Tupper Lake and had coffee and breakfast at the McD's there (decided Stewart's coffee was not worth even stopping).  Enroute to Whiteface we stopped along Wilmington Notch to look for Peregrines along the cliffs there.  Didn't get any, but did see 2 Spotted Sandpipers.  We planned to get to Whiteface to drive up the highway as soon as the road opened at 8:45.  The views at the top were amazing!  Whenever we have been up there before it has been misty and cloudy, but on Sunday we could see for miles.  Bicknell's was a life bird for some, and, after several attempts at trying to see it, and only hearing it, we got a great look at the last place we tried for it.  We were all very pleased.

We continued to the grasslands near Fort Edward and added the usual species there, except no Grasshopper Sparrow this year.  And no Orioles.

Nine members gathered to find birds in the Berkshires.  Our first stop was on Monterey Rd in the beautiful Tyringham Valley.  Sighting a Chimney Swift, two Alder Flycatcher and two Bobolink got our day started.  From there we headed to McCarthy Rd, where we added a Turkey, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 2 Pewee, a Yellow-throated Vireo and 5 Redeyes, a Barn Swallow, a Winter Wren, 2 Baltimore Orioles, and warblers, 2 Ovenbird, 3 Yellowthroat, a Redstart, 2 Blackburnian, 2 Chestnut-sided, and two Black-throated Green.  Off now to Jerusalem Rd for seven more Turkeys and a Least Flycatcher.  

The Cobble was next where we added a Red-tailed hawk, a Flicker, a Kingbird, 10 Tree and 2 Barn Swallows, 4 Cedar Waxwings, 2 Field and 2 Song Sparrows, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and an Indigo Bunting. Continuing onto Meadow St, we picked up a Great Blue Heron, 2 Willow Flycatchers and a Brown Thrasher.  Next came Fernside/Jerusalem Rd which gave us our first RT Hummer, a Blue-headed Vireo, and a Blue-winged Warbler.  On to Breakneck Rd where we spotted 2 Turkey Vultures, 2 Cliff Swallows, and a Black-and-white Warbler.  

We then headed out of town to Post Farm Marsh.  The only new species to add from this location were one Rough-winged Swallow, two Marsh Wren, which were very vocal, and two Swamp Sparrow.  Our final destination was October Mtn.  We picked up a Broad-winged Hawk, a Raven, a Purple Finch, a Black-throated Blue, a Yellowrump and 2 Scarlet Tanagers.

The field work for this 16th annual Little River IBA Count was done with comfortable temperatures ranging between 50˚-78˚F, breezy at times. The compilation was hosted by Joanne Fortin, gracious as always, and all who attended enjoyed the spirited conversation about the day’s adventures.

There were 7 teams and 11 observers in the field for a total of 57.75 hours.  This was the lowest number of total hours since the inception of the Count, with average hours coming in at 72.  So, it was no surprise that the total individuals counted was well below average, 2,587 compared with the average of 3,562.  However, the number of species counted at 112 was slightly higher than the average of 111.6.

Notably low species counts compared to average, with lowest count ever being noted with an asterisk, were for Wood Duck 5* (19), Mourning Dove 20* (49), Sapsucker 18 (35), Red-eyed Vireo 217 (308), Tree Swallow 22* (56), Veery 90* (145), Hermit Thrush 4* (24), Wood Thrush 23* (47), Chickadee 50* (88), Robin 61* (136), Ovenbird 189 (247), Black-and-white Warbler 52* (80), BT Blue 46* (85), Yellow-rumped 7* (17), BT Green 18* (55), Canada 6* (12), Cardinal 22 (44), Song Sparrow 40* (62), Rose-breast Grosbeak 6* (16), and Purple Finch 2* (8).  Misses of note include, Common Loon, DC Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Woodcock, Rock Pigeon, Mockingbird, YB Cuckoo, Kestrel, Mockingbird, Mourning Warbler, and Savanah Sparrow.  This year, high counts were set for Canada Goose (143), Green Heron (3), and Olive-sided Flycatcher (3).  The Sora and Pine Siskin were found for only the 5th time, Tennessee Warbler for the 4th time, and Common Nighthawk and Blackpoll for the first time.  Some of these results might be attributed to the Count being held a few days earlier than usual.

Click below to view or download complete count results.

2019 June Count Results