Trip Highlights

There were 14 folks in four cars on the trip to Plum Island, but the tide had not dropped enough to uncover Joppa, so we drove quickly down the island stopping or slowing briefly for looks at a Peregrine, a Harrier, 30 Great and 25 Snowy Egrets, a close Redtail on the ground, and some Cormorants.  Stage Island pool looked very inviting, but we started at Sandy Point where there was still some room to park and the cove was already open.  We walked out on the beach to the cove, getting a flock of Sanderlings, hunting Ospreys and a Harrier. With a little more scanning we added a Golden Plover alone, some Black-bellied Plovers, 3 Dunlin, Semipalmated and Piping Plovers, and a Red Knot.  On the other side of the point at Emerson Rocks we had an Eider and a Common Loon.  On our return, Stage Island was still busy with many yellowlegs, some peeps, Green-winged Teal, a Pintail, 5 Dunlin, a Pied-billed Grebe, 4 Snowy Egrets and a Great Egret.  We drove without stopping much to the Forward Pool blind, finding the small parking lot full at first.  Then the birders there left, saying a peregrine had spooked all the shorebirds.  We still found some Dowitchers and yellowlegs, a few Snowy Egrets, and a flock of Green-winged Teal.  From the main dike at Hellcat there were a few yellowlegs, Killdeer, and peeps.  We skipped looking for Night-Herons at the roost, and only paused just briefly at the Wardens and Salt Pannes, hoping to get to Joppa before it was covered by the tide.  We were still too late, so we ended the trip and headed home.

Despite being postponed one day, the prospect of finding owls was still enough to attract 23 people.  We began at the Great Brook crossing to the transfer station and were rewarded with two Screech Owls, heard by everyone and seen by several.  Our next targets were Barred Owls along Munn Brook at the foot of Drake Mountain.  We got three of them to respond, two serenading closely together.  It took more time, but we also got a Great Horned Owl to begin hooting in this area.  It was a very successful prowl.

The first walk of the season in Longmeadow was extremely birdless.  No robins or thrushes where expected or found. However, Al Richardson and I identified 2 Red-shouldered hawks on Pondside.  One flew in with a flash of red on its wings.  We studied it and when it flew to join another hawk, we got positive identification marks.

It started slow at the meeting place on Bark Haul and Pondside, but when we moved up to the parking area on Pondside across from Tina Lane about 6:45pm, the Nighthawks began to flow down over the ponds.  At one point there were 35 swirling directly over our heads.  We ended with 107 Common Nighthawks, and everyone had great looks.  We also had about 75 Chimney Swifts, several Tree Swallows, a Barn Swallow and some Rough-winged Swallows.  There were nine participants plus leaders, and we picked a good night.  It was a nice evening and everyone seemed pleased with the number and the great views - lots of insects for sure - plus a nice sunset.

At the meeting place, Pynchon Point in Agawam, two screaming Peregrine Falcons flew over us.  One continued west and the other landed on the cell tower across the street, calling for a few minutes.  Walking to the Point, we managed to find 2 Great Egrets, a Great Blue, and 3 Dc Cormorants.  We drove to the Expo Lagoon and found 3 Great Blue Herons, 5 Green Herons, 2 Dc Cormorants, Great and Snowy Egrets, 2 immature Black-crown Night-herons, a Solitary Sandpiper, a Kingfisher, an Osprey perched, and a Killdeer heard only.  On to Longmeadow, where Pondside gave us 11 Great Egrets, 3 Great Blues, 35 Wood Ducks, 7 Mute Swans, 40 Mallards, 4 Least Sandpipers, 3 Tree Swallows, 3 Orioles, and 3 Warbling Vireos.  At the Island the water was too high for anything but one Spotted Sandpiper, 2 Great Egrets, 2 Dc Cormorants, a Bald Eagle close overhead, and a preening Peregrine Falcon perched atop dead driftwood on a reduced sandbar.