MA - March migration and yet more crossbills!

 

Bonaparte's Gulls - three of eight present, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 26th, 2021.

March 26th was one of those bigger migration days when warm conditions coupled with an occluded front brought rain, thunderstorms and a lot of avian action! Widespread arrivals of Eastern Phoebes and, to lesser degree, Tree Swallows occurred that day as well as 30 newly arrived Green-winged Teals at Barton Cove. Just upriver, Ted Gilliland was busy sorting through a smaller flock of 13 Green-winged Teal and ultimately found a nice example of the Eurasian sub-species, certainly the first that I've seen or even heard about in Franklin County! Later that day, eight Bonaparte's Gull graced Barton Cove, along with five (early) Double-crested Cormorants and a Common Loon in full breeding plumage. And....I would have loved to have seen the flock of five migrant Sandhill Cranes reported by Eric Huston migrating high over the cove a little earlier in the afternoon. Overall, that was a pretty decent haul of migrants for the 26th!

Bonaparte's Gulls - five of eight present, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 26th, 2021.

Eurasian (Green-winged) Teal (left) - distant crop, taken from Barton Cove campground, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 26th, 2021.

Nice find by Ted Gilliland. First Franklin County record.

Barton Cove continued to host a fairly large flock of Ring-necked Ducks with over 100 present, often loafing around Barton Island and subsequently difficult to see at times. Up to two Lesser and seven Greater Scaup (on the 28th) were often present with or near the Ring-necked Ducks. 

White-winged Crossbills - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 29th & 30th, 2021.

Red Crossbills - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 29th & 30th, 2021.

Fox Sparrows - three of five in the Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 19th, 2021.

Field Sparrow - Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 29th, 2021.

Waterbirds aside, the incursion of winter finch species continued to be a major attraction for me and over the last month or so I've been very drawn to the Montague Plains which continues to host large numbers of Red Crossbills, the numbers of which appear to fluctuate on a day-to-day basis as the birds roam, presumably in search of the most productive feeding spots. Red Crossbills peaked at a whopping 360 birds on March 25th, a day which also saw 55 Pine Siskins and over 200 Dark-eyed Juncos and the first local Pine Grosbeak that I've seen for weeks. The day before saw 22 White-winged Crossbills in the plains with smaller numbers continuing through to the end of the month including 17 on the 31st. The Montague Plains have also proven to be a good spot for migrant Fox Sparrows with up to five present on the 19th, and the first territorial Field Sparrows started to appear for another breeding season from March 28th. 

Red-shouldered Hawk - one of two first-summer birds over the Montague Plains WMA, Franklin Co., MA. March 30th, 2021.

These birds flew off to the NW together and behaved like migrants.

Ring-necked Ducks and Double-crested Cormorants - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 31st, 2021.

A fairly typical early spring spring scene. 

The last two days of the month saw increasingly warm temperatures with first Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Pine Warblers in the Montague Plains as well as some odd migrants such as two immature Red-shouldered Hawks and 5 Rusty Blackbirds on the 30th, and a Belted Kingfisher heading north on the 31st. The latter date also saw a late afternoon arrival of 17 Double-crested Cormorants at Barton Cove. 

MA - a little more HARLEQUIN!!

 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - Millers River, near Millers Falls, Franklin Co., MA. January 5th, 2021.

A stunning find for Anne Jemas on Jan 1st and still present through to Jan 6th. 

Okay. I can admit it. I'm completely smitten with this little Harlequin. I was more than delighted to see this denizen of the rapids return to the fast flowing, white waters of the Millers River after spending January 4th downriver at Barton Cove. We've had our fair share of rarities along the valley this fall and winter but I think, for pure aesthetics, watching this bird charge and dive through the swift currents, eddies and white water of the Millers River has been the most gratifying. It's exactly the sort of birding I like. A truly rare bird discovered in an extremely local, yet unexpectedly beautiful spot. Of course, only time will tell how long the Harlequin will stick around but for now at least, it appears to be pretty content. Other nice birds along the Millers River this morning included the continued wintering Eastern Phoebe, 6 Red Crossbills and a Pine Grosbeak. Numbers of Pine Grosbeaks do seem to have dwindled somewhat from the large flocks than we saw around Christmas and New year with just single birds showing up in Gill, Turner's Falls and Montague over the last few days.  

Millers River (with Harlequin Duck) looking towards the Montague side of the river. January 5th, 2021. 

MA - Harle on the move plus Barrow's Goldeneye and a wintering phoebe

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - with Ring-necked Duck, off Riverview Drive, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. January 4th, 2021. 

A mid-morning walk around Cabot Camp along the Millers River failed to produce the Harlequin Duck that apparently showed well to the many visiting birders the previous day (Jan 3rd). As it happens I did hear a second hand report that a Cooper's Hawk had been seen pursuing the Harlequin and forced it out of the Millers River and into the larger, wider Connecticut River! Either way, the Harlequin proved to be a no show but the walk along the Millers River was extremely pleasant not only revealing an Evening Grosbeak but also an Eastern Phoebe, presumably the same bird that I first heard calling there on Jan 2nd but neglected to follow up. The phoebe showed well this morning and, although I've late phoebes in November and December in past years, I'm pretty sure this particular bird furnishes my first January record for Franklin County. 

Eastern Phoebe - Cabot Camp, Millers Falls, Franklin Co., MA. January 4th, 2021. 

Common Redpoll - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. January 4th, 2021. 

One from a flock of about 85 birds. 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - off Riverview Drive, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. January 4th, 2021. 

After keeping an eye on Barton Cove on and off for over 15 years I could never have visualized watching a Harlequin in flight over the open water! 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - at dusk from Unity Park, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. January 4th, 2021. 

Looking at little lost and out of place.

In late morning I spent time with a close, cooperative flock of Common Redpolls in Turner's Falls and then made a point to swing by Barton Cove on my way home where I was greeted by the sight of multiple birders avidly scoping the open water from Riverview Drive in Gill. They'd relocated the Harlequin which had evidently moved downstream to share the relatively calm waters with Common Goldeneyes, Hooded Mergansers and the continuing female Ring-necked Duck. As if that wasn't enough, at least ten Red Crossbills fed and called from a tall White Pine right along Riverview Drive!

Red Crossbills - Riverview Drive, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. January 4th, 2021. 

Late afternoon found the Harlequin still present though distant and actually best viewed from Unity Park plus a nice aggregation of gulls viewed from the same spot that included my first local Iceland Gull (a first-winter) in about three weeks. The last two evenings have also seen up to 85 Common Goldeneyes dropping in to roost at the Turner's Falls power canal and with them the continuing first-winter male Barrow's Goldeneye, and the female Bufflehead. 

Barrow's Goldeneye (center) - first-winter male with Common Goldeneyes, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. January 4th, 2021. 

Hooded Merganser (male) - Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. January 4th, 2021. 

 

MA - HARLEQUIN in Franklin County!!

 

Harlequin Duck (first-winter male) - Millers River, near Millers Falls, Franklin Co., MA. January 2nd, 2021.

An exceptional find for Anne Jemes and probably the first for Franklin County.

A brand new year and it seems that there's no slowing up in the general excellence of birding along the Connecticut River Valley. Late last night I read an intriguing report of a Harlequin Duck on the Millers River, a mere ten minutes from our home in Northfield and a spot that I knew well from my local bike rides. First and foremost, kudos and full credit goes to Anne Jemas who gave such a compelling description of the bird and (importantly) its behavior that I had little choice but to go and have a look for myself! It was a fabulous first-winter male, just as Anne described, and the only duck present on the river. Nor was it especially shy leaving me to simply enjoy it and the beautiful location it had chosen. Inland records of Harlequins are exceptional in Massachusetts and I'm not aware of any other reports for the Pioneer Valley. Congratulations to Anne for a truly spectacular find and for following it up with such an excellent description. 

Moreover, on the short walk upriver I came across an unseasonable Eastern Phoebe, with the walk back producing two flyover White-winged Crossbills - not too shabby!

Postscript: in the afternoon I went back to the Millers River with Susannah who quickly found the Harlequin significantly further downstream than I'd seen it in the morning. In fact, it was visible from bike path bridge looking upstream. We later rounded off a fabulous day for diving ducks with a visit to the Turner's Falls power canal where the Common Goldeneye roost built up to about 60 birds and the  young male Barrow's Goldeneye flew in with one of the last groups to arrive. About eight Hooded Mergansers and a female Bufflehead were also present. 

Showing very well in late afternoon, and in better light.

Susannah finding and enjoying the Harlequin in late afternoon.

Looking upriver from the bridge over the Millers River. The Harlequin was visible from this spot in late afternoon. 

Barrow's Goldeneye (center) - first-winter male, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. January 2nd, 2021. 

Barrow's Goldeneye (second from right) - first-winter male, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. January 2nd, 2021. 

The same individual that showed up on Christmas Day but flew in late today, too late in fact for photos. 

Even so, very cool to relocate this bird after a long pause of eight days.