Trip Highlights

Fourteen participants met to enjoy an evening walk of 1.5 miles on the Rail Trail.  We garnered 28 bird species, but highlights included a mink and, later, a beaver nearly at our feet.  One of the best sightings was a Common Nighthawk that flew directly across the water low over our heads at dusk, with white wing bars clearly visible.  The entire group got great looks at that one.  

Other highlights included 3 Woodcock, 2 Solitary Sandpiper, a Great Blue Heron, a Cooper’s Hawk, a Great Crest Flycatcher, numerous Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows, 2 Wood Thrush, 3 Catbirds, 2 Swamp Sparrows, a Baltimore Oriole, and warblers, 2 Ovenbird, a Black-and-white, a Yellowthroat, a Parula, a Blackburnian, 4 Yellow-rumped and a Black-throated Green.  Last on the list were two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, always beautiful to behold!

There were 14 birders on a day that quickly turned warm and sunny.  The area was still very muddy, so many of the trails continued to be off limits.  We did see 47 species in all, the highlights being the warblers:  Northern Waterthrush, Black-and-white, Parula, Redstart, Yellow and a Magnolia, which we all had great looks at.  There were also good birds in the meadows on West Rd, including both yellowlegs and a least sandpiper.

Showers threatened as our group of 23 began the walk into the trail system at Stanley Park.  What was advertised as a two-hour walk turned into a five-hour adventure for some birders, who lingered when they hit a warbler wave on the way back to the parking area.  In all, the trip reported 53 species with highlights including five raptor species, Osprey, Sharp-shin, Broadwing, Red-tail and a Barred Owl calling.  

Among the usual woodpecker species, we identified two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.  There was a Great Crested Flycather “wheeping,” the “che-bek” of a Least Flycatcher, five Blue-headed Vireos, three Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Veery and a couple of Wood Thrushes.  Catbirds were abundant, as were Blue Jays, Black-and-white Warblers, Yellows and Yellow-rumps.  Other warbler species were three Ovenbirds, two each of Louisiana and Northern Waterthrushes, a Blackburnian, a Chestnut-sided, two Pine, two Black-throated Greens and an American Redstart.  All-in-all a great day with very little rain, and well worth the effort!

We had a very nice bird walk today in the McDonald Nature Preserve.  There were 16 participants, 14 from the ABC and 2 from the Wilbraham Hiking Club.  

The list of birds seen included two Robins, a Red-winged Blackbird, Crows, 2 Red-tailed Hawks, Blue Jays, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, a Cardinal, 3 Flickers, a Towhee, two Field Sparrows, Titmice, 2 Bluebirds, 2 Cowbirds, 2 Chickadees, 2 Broad-winged Hawks, a Black-and-white Warbler, 4 Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Hermit Thrush, 2 Canada Geese, 12 Mourning Doves, a Cooper’s Hawk, one Goldfinch, one Song Sparrow, and a Great Blue Heron flyover.

The field trip was cold and windy, but seven members braved the weather to see how many arriving migrants we could find.  At the gate, two Creepers sang.  After the gate, the woods and ponds had Sapsucker, Pileated, Red-breasted Nuthatch and 2 singing Pine Warblers.  There were 2 Palm Warblers close in the small ponds and four swallow species were feeding over the calmer waters, mostly Tree and Bank, a few Rough-winged, and at least one Barn Swallow.  

From the walking road along the main pond we had 2 Common Loon, quite a few Canada Geese, a pair of Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Wood Duck and Mallards, almost all along the far bank. Along the bank of the reservoir, near the road, there were two Spotted Sandpipers, who blended well into the rocky edge of road as they foraged.  In flight there were two Great Blue Herons, an Osprey, and an accipiter.  We walked a short way across the railroad tracks and into the woods to find Black-and-white Warbler, both Kinglets, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.  The tally was 34 species for the day.