Trip Highlights

We started by breaking my personal streak of it raining on every trip I lead.  While it started out a little cold, it ended up being a beautiful sunny and warm day.  A total of 7 members were there for the walk and got many of the usual suspects.  

The Brown Thrasher showed up, perched high on a tree and sang for a good hour.  We scoped it so everyone got good looks.  Field Sparrows were there in numbers and singing their hearts out along with Song, White-throated, Swamp and Savannah.  We had great looks at a Hermit Thrush and probably the biggest surprise was an early Blue-headed Vireo.  We only had a few Palm Warblers and a single Pine.  Barn and Tree Swallows were both present.  We left, deciding to take a look for the Meadowlark on Moody Bridge Rd and, while we did not see him, we did get to see 2 male Kestrels in the fields and on one of the nest boxes.  There were 35 species in total.  All-in-all, it was a really nice morning of birding with a total of 35 species.

There were 12 who met for a yummy breakfast in Northampton.  We then drove to Turners Falls starting at the dam, and then to Barton Cove for 5 Mute Swan, 3 Cormorant, 75 Common Merganser, 4 Ring-necked Duck, a few Tree Swallows.  We drove over to the Sportsman’s Club to find 10 Mute Swans, 10 Common Mergansers, 1 Hooded Merganser, Bald Eagle and 3 Kingfishers.  

At the airport, we found 2 Kestrel, 3 Meadowlarks, and 2 Killdeer.  We met a couple who got their spotting scope back from Airport attendant who had it for a year.  He gave me directions to a place where Crossbills had been spotted on Montague Plains, but they did not help much and we went to the west side to come in on Plains Road, which was no picnic.  No Crossbills, but we had Palm and Pine Warbler, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sapsucker, Towhee and Field Sparrow, plus Hermit Thrush by some.

Three members enjoyed the spirited flight songs of three Woodcock at Meadowbrook School.  Twenty Robins and five Cardinals were also counted.

There were 10 people on the trip to Longmeadow and West Springfield.  The water was high at Pynchon Point, but we found 8 Wood Duck, Carolina Wren singing, and a Field Sparrow.  

Pondside in Longmeadow had Harrier, 2 Green-winged Teal, 3 Ring-necked Duck, Goldeneye, 4 Wood Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, swans chasing geese, 150 Tree Swallows, mostly perched on bushes.  We drove to Eastern States to find water very high and muddy in the marsh.  The field had Killdeer, Kingfishers in the marsh and along river with Common Merganser.  The dike area had 2 Kestrel and a Bald Eagle.  Bondi’s had 2 Turkey.

The trip to the coast was postponed a week, but went on the 24th with five people. We headed to Scusset Park and found the adult King Eider close to the rocky dike just below us.  Also there at 9:00 am were Oldsquaw, Red-breasted Mergansers, some Brant, and many Eiders, which slowly flew in groups farther out to sea and over to Horizons Beach.  

After getting very cold, we drove south to Falmouth, where few ducks were in ponds except a nice Red-throated Loon, with Goldeneye, Eiders, and Buffleheads in the bay. We drove though congestion slowly along Rte. 3 until Marston’s Mills, where there was only a Gadwall.  A short ride on Rte. 6 took us back to Horizons, where there were many Black Scoters, with fewer Surf and White-winged Scoters.  Other ducks were scattered among them, including possible Razorbill.  

Plymouth Beach had only a few things plus some Brant, and a strong cold wind again.  We did not try for Tundra Swan at Atwood Reservoir in Carver. Maybe we should have driven to the outer Cape, where alcids were found by others on that day.