Trip Highlights

Only one car made the trip, others missing the rich early shorebird migration that passes over the island in August.  The low tide kept shorebirds far out at Joppa Flats, but we still picked out a dozen Laughing Gulls among the hordes of peeps feeding in the mud with a few lesser Yellowlegs, Bb Plovers, an Osprey and a Snowy Egret.  At this date and time, the island was not busy with people and cars, so we drove slowly and studied the marshes for the white egrets.  First, we stopped at Lot One, still home to several Purple Martins.  Here also were the visiting Tree Swallows perched by the hundreds on nearby brush, often surging into the air in clouds, eager for the day to warm and the insects to rise and offer themselves for food.  The Salt Pannes had near and distant Great and Snowy Egrets, a surprise Little Blue Heron, plus a Great Blue Heron and hunting Osprey, Merlin, and Peregrine.  The Wardens appeared quiet after an American Bittern and eight Glossy Ibis flew away at our arrival.  Then we emerged from our car and were amazed to find 2 Least Bitterns hunting the muddy edge of the nearby pond.  None of us had ever been able to study them so closely in the open, especially for so long.

We headed down the island, and the first look at the Hellcat Pool was from the blind, giving us looks at plenty of Semipalmated Plovers and Sandpipers, some Least Sandpipers, Black-bellied Plovers, Dowitchers, both Yellowlegs, a flock of 25 White-rumped Sandpipers, 2 Dunlin, a Killdeer, and 2 Gadwall with young.  We paused for a short time along the main road beside Stage Island Pool and spotted a Black Tern flying past, plus some Least Terns, Yellowlegs, and more sandpipers.  It was a short way to the parking lot at the point, where we walked to the beach behind the ropes that protected the Piping Plover and tern nesting area. Inside this area of young reeds, we could see flocks of Semi-palmated Plovers and Sandpipers circling and settling into the sparse dune grass to rest protected during high tide.  Five Piping Plovers were there among the many Least and Common Terns, a few Ruddy Turnstones, and some Black-bellied Plovers.  On the ocean’s edge there were Sanderling flocks feeding where the waves washed up their food. On the ocean side of the point, Emerson Rocks were covered by the high tide, leaving only a few Cormorants on the ocean’s surface and a few more Sanderlings on the beach.  We left the point and headed back north to Hellcat, this time walking out on the dike, where we enjoyed closer looks at a few Pectoral and Spotted Sandpiper.  In the Forward Pool behind the dikes there were even bigger flocks of the same species we watched from the blind on the opposite side.  Also there, were 2 Least Terns and 4 Snowy Egrets.  On our way out of the refuge we stopped at Lot one and walked down to the boat pullout, where we “pished” a bit to entice a Salt-Marsh Sparrow to fly out of hiding several times and close to us.

The Plainfield trip only had 4 people plus Judy, and we had two Alder Flycatchers to start out from marshes on both sides of street and two Kingbirds.  A Common Merganser flew overhead, before we plunged into the trail, over a new bridge, and through the evergreen woods to the pond.  The woods had Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Warbler, and Brown Creeper, plus Bt Green, Bt Blue, Yellow-rumped, and Blackburnian Warblers.  A Raven called somewhere close, but was never seen.  At the pond a Broad-winged hawk circled, and then caught a young Kingbird, as we noted a parent in chase.  Sapsuckers and Purple Finches and Rose-breasted Grosbeak called.  Winter Wrens were at the waterfall and farther along the trail.  Other birds on the walk back were Hermit Thrush, Blue-headed Vireo, and Veeries.  At the house we had 2 Hummingbirds and more Purple Finches, plus good treats as always on the comfortable screened-in porch.

Six members headed to the Adirondacks for this year's Northern New England trip.  Weather was predicted to be overcast and showery, but we enjoyed two full days of good weather (80's, hot, humid, sunny), and most of a third day before heavy rains fell.  We visited some of the usual spots - Moose River Plain Road, Ferd's Bog, Raquette Lake marsh, and also added some new sites.  We obtained permission from Nature Conservancy for access to Spring Pond Bog just outside of Tupper Lake, and found 3 Gray Jays there.  

On a tip from a local birder that it was a good location for Black-backed Woodpecker, we visited the Northville/Lake Placid Trail outside of Long Lake.  Though we failed to find a woodpecker, we did add two Merlins to the list there.  At nearby Shaw Pond we had great looks at Virginia Rail and American Bittern.  Later at Bloomingdale Bog we found Palm Warblers, and at Floodwood Road we found our family of Common Loons.  

On the third day, since rain threatened, we took a shorter route to the grasslands in Fort Edward.  We tried for Mourning Warbler on Cornell Road in Newcomb, without good result.  Then we drove up Tahawus Road into more boreal territory, but did not find our targets.  On our way to the grasslands we added Fish Crow as a first on these trips, and the grasslands themselves were productive, with Savannah Sparrows, Meadowlark, Harrier, and "best views ever" of Grasshopper Sparrow.  Soon the heavens opened up, and we headed south to home.  A Double-crested Cormorant was the last addition to end our list at a respectable 108 species.  Since 113 is our high total for the 5 years we've led this trip, we were very satisfied and counted this as a very good trip.

Favorable weather conditions, with clear, warm temperatures in the 80's and light to moderate winds, brought out six birders plus the trip leader.  Roadside birding, focusing on stops at five upland marshes, yielded 72 species.  The trip began at 6:45 a.m. at a large marsh adjacent to Fisk Road, located in the northeast section of Chester.  An elevated woodland trail running the entire western edge of the marsh affords excellent views of the marsh.  Two female Hooded Mergansers, several Wood Ducks, a Virginia Rail and a variety of other expected wetland species were observed.  Unfortunately no American Bittern was located here or at the other marshes we visited.  

Next, a leisurely three-mile drive down Kinnebrook Road yielded many of the expected upland species, including a nice view of a Ruffed Grouse.  This narrow woodland road is unique in the lack of other vehicular traffic and a general quietness that's hard to find.  It is easy to become lost in the overall beauty of the experience.  One marsh along this road provided a somewhat uncommon occurrence of the upland Alder Flycatcher singing together with the lowland Willow Flycatcher, which is generally not found in the hills of Western Massachusetts.  

Kinnebrook Road ends at the Littleville Fairgrounds where Kinne Brook intersects the Middle Branch of the Westfield River.  From here we followed the Westfield River down to the boat launch at the north end of the Littleville Reservoir.  Spotted Sandpipers, Yellow-throated Vireo, Warbling Vireo and several Indigo Buntings were added to the species list for the day.  

Next, roadside birding along East River Road produced a singing Winter Wren, a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Broad-winged Hawk.  Another female Hooded Merganser, this time with 4 young, was spotted during a quick stop at the Lyman Road marsh.  A vibrant Bobolink population was observed at an active farm at the corner of East River Road and Skyline Drive.  The trip ended at 11:30 a.m. after visiting one last marsh adjacent to Skyline Drive.

The trip to the Berkshire lowlands went with six people, and spent most of the time in Tyringham.  There we had a Cooper’s Hawk fly over, a Kestrel in the east meadow along Appalachian Trail, many nesting Cliff Swallows on Breakneck Road along with a perched pair of Red-tailed hawks.  A Meadowlark was calling at Meadow Road, where we spotted Great Blue Heron, 2 Wood Ducks, 2 Pileated Woodpeckers, many Bobolinks, Swamps Sparrows, Yellow, Yellowthroats, Blue-winged Warbler, Willow, Alder, and Least Flycatchers, Hummingbird, Bluebird, and 4 Kingbirds.  We got good numbers of warblers and other forest birds on Fernside Road.  No Bitterns answered the tape at any of our stops.  We arrived in Stockbridge on Ice Glen Road, finding Hooded Merganser with one young, 2 Wood Duck, 2 Kingbirds, Yellow-throated Vireo, a Virginia Rail calling, 2 Marsh Wrens, and 2 Bluebirds.  We then visited Post Farm in Lenox to watch an adult Virginia Rail foraging with 4-5 black young.  We also had 2 Alder Flycatchers and 3 Marsh Wren there.