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March 2005 Sightings
Hampshire, Hampden & Franklin Counties of Massachusetts
First of the Year in RED

March 1 - Tuesday - Snowed all day 5-6 inches.

March 2 - Wednesday - Mostly Cloudy, Cold and Windy

NORTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) A pair of Turkey Vultures flew over Smith College this morning.

HOLYOKE (from Larry Therrien) Finally made it down to Holyoke, but literally got called back into work as soon as I arrived there! I took a quick look through the gulls and had a Glaucous Gull (1) among the usuals.. When I was there around 1pm there were probably around 125-150 gulls. NORTHAMPTON STATE HOSPITAL - Cedar Waxwing (10) and American Robin (30+) plus the other usuals.

HOLYOKE (posted to Massbird by Scott Ricker) The Coopers was back at the feeder this morning, still no luck. I was at the fish ladder yesterday around 1pm, looked for the lesser-black backed gull without success. There were a large group of robins feeding under the bridge and on the edge of the river. In Southwick a Turkey Vulture was scoping out the center of town. In Feeding hills I spotted a coyote on the side of the New Rt 57 extention that leeds to and from Springfield.

HADEY (from Harvey Allen) Cove is thawing out - Male Northen Pintail.

March 3 - Thursday - Sunny and Vey Cold

SOUTH HADLEY+ (from Larry Therrien) I finally got to spend some time checking out the gulls down in Holyoke/South Hadley...despite an hour and a half of looking, no Lesser Black Backed, Black headed or Mew Gulls seen. Connecticut River from the South Hadley below the Rt116 bridge: Glaucous Gull (1), Iceland Gull (1..maybe 2), the other three usual gulls, Bufflehead (1) male, Common Goldeneye (22), Common Merganser (3), Canada Geese (55+), Mallard (12), Fish Crow (1), American Robin (35+) feeding along the river edge. Earlier in day at FITZGERALD LAKE. I had a Turkey Vulture (1) and a Kingfisher (1) flyby.

TURNERS FALLS (from Taj Schottland) mid-afternoon today, Julie Tamler found the screech owl at the power canal sunning himself in his nest. also, in the power canal were 4 ring-necked ducks, 7 common goldeneye and 1 Common Merganser.

March 4 - Friday - Sunny and Very Cold

AMHERST (from Harvey Allen) 2 Glaucous Gulls at the Hampshire College Farm compost pile in with 150 common gulls. 10am. SOUTH HADLEY - Below dam, 1 Iceland and 2 Glaucous Gull. Bufflehead still present.

TURNERS FALLS (posted to Massbird by Marj Rines) If you have never gone to the Northeast Utilities web site with the web cam showing the Bald Eagles nesting at Turners Falls, now is the time to start. There is an egg in the nest (visible when the adult stepped off the nest at 2:35 this afternoon, and at 11:25 this morning), and there wasn't one there yesterday. Check it out at: http://www.nu.com/Eagles

March 5 - Saturday - Sunny, High 30s.

LOWER CONNECTICUT RIVER (from Chris Gentes) Heather and I set out looking for waterfowl at 8am. Hadley Cove is open slightly, however we just saw Mallards and Black Ducks. The red-phase screech was present. At Brunnelles in SOUTH HADLEYwe had 58 Canada Geese, 15 Mallards, 5 Common Mergansers and 2 Ring-billed Gulls. At Canal Park there were 3 Mute Swans and a few Mallards. Robins were seen along the shore in the mud evidently getting stoneflies. Below the dam we checked the gulls but only had the common three. Other birds seen there included 1 Common Merganser, 1 Hooded Merganser, 1 Bufflehead, 8 Common Goldeneye and 1 Carolina Wren. We then went over into CHICOPEE where we tried to find some good locations to scout the river. At one spot there were a lot of gulls near some outflow, but we couldn't find a place to scope them. At the Medina Street Boat Ramp we observed a Bald Eagle on the nest and 3 Hooded Mergansers. Here we observed a mass emergence of Taeniopterygidae (Winter Stoneflies). They were coming right out onto the boat ramp. Many dozens of nymphs, tenerals and adults. Also seen were numerous Capniidae (Small Winter Stoneflies). It was interesting to see this lage number of them emerging - this is what the robins are feeding on along the river. We then proceeded to the Chicopee River where we observed 4 Wood Ducks and 2 Ring-necked Ducks along with some Mallards, Canada Geese, a Hairy Woodpecker, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and in the far distance many gulls and crows.

March 6 - Sunday - Sunny and Cold early, Flurries and Breezy late afternoon

DEERFIELD+ (from Chris Gentes) There were 2 Peregrine Falcons this morning at Mount Sugarloaf. Both were standing on ledges on the cliff face and making occasional flights. One went after seome robins and came up empty. Also seen there was a Raven (not in nest). Nothing observed in the river. In SUNDERLAND near the falls we observed a scattering of Black Ducks and Mallards along with 1 Common Merganser, 1 Hooded Mergasner, 1 Pied-billed Grebe, a Grackle, and an immature Bald Eagle. Numerous Capniidae Stoneflies (there were none here last week). Earlier in HADLEY we had a Hooded Merganser on the river. At 4:30 I went down to the river in NORTH HADLEY. I saw 6 Hooded Mergansers (3 pair), 1 Common Merganser, 2 Mallards, 2 Black Ducks, 1 im. Bald Eagle, 1 Kingfisher, 20 Robins, 3 Bluebirds, 10 Grackles and 1 Red-winged Blackbird. The robins and bluebirds were along the river feeding in the exposed mud/detritus. They were getting Stoneflies. One of the robins pulled out a large Cranefly Larva and proceeded flying off with it. As I walked to the river there was a long low-flying line of 300+ Crows. It was snowing lightly so they were just above the treetops. Later as I headed back 12 Great Black-backed Gulls flew over. Also a beaver sitting in the river munching on a stick.

March 7- Monday - Sunny and Cool - Breezy.

NORTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) At @8:15 about 100 Robins were dancing around picking stoneflies off the snow on Paradise Pond. At 1pm the Robins were gone but the Stoneflies continued by the thousands. In Hadley there was 1 Savannah Sparrow.

BARTON COVE+ (from Taj Schottland) Today at Bartons Cove, 5 Ring-necked Ducks, 3 Lesser Scaup, 2 Hooded Mergansers. POWER CANAL: 9 Ring-necked Ducks, and several Common Goldeneye. on Route 5 near Yankee Candle 2 Turkey Vultures were flying together in the air. From Amherst up to Turners Falls I tallied 30 species in a very short time!

MOUNT SUGARLOAF (from Deedee Minear) The male peregrine tried to interest the female in the nest site. (same location as last year's failed nest) both grines hang gliding above sloaf. March 7 from 1 to 3 pm. 1) male enters nest for short time, exits. 2) male lands on front of nest and watches female in air. 3) female lands on side of nest, male enters nest for 5 minutes, emerges and takes off. Also yesterday morning I saw robins, bluebirds, juncos, a cardinal!, and (I think) crows, picking stoneflies off the snow along the dike in Hadley. easy pickings.

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS This is the Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, March 7

Reported on the Connecticut River below the Holyoke dam this week were 3 GLAUCOUS and 2 ICELAND GULLS, a BUFFLEHEAD, and 28 COMMON GOLDENEYES. In Holyoke, itself, a pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS have taken up residence at the city hall tower as if to nest there. Other birds reported in Holyoke were a FISH CROW, a CAROLINA WREN, and 35 AMERICAN ROBINS.

Found in Chicopee were a BALD EAGLE, 3 HOODED MERGANSERS, 4 WOOD DUCKS, and 2 RING-NECKED DUCKS.

A pair of PEREGRINE FALCONS is again in residence on the cliffs of Mt Sugarloaf in South Deerfield.

Birds continuing at Turners Falls were 3 LESSER SCAUP, 4 RING-NECKED DUCKS, ICELAND GULL. Seen at the Turners Falls Airport were 40 HORNED LARKS and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR. H Allen

In Hadley there were 7 HOODED MERGANSERS, a BALD EAGLE, an EASTERN SCREECH-OWL, a BELTED KINGFISHER, 20 AMERICAN ROBINS, 3 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, 10 COMMON GRACKLES, a RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD, and 2 GLAUCOUS GULLS. The GLAUCOUS GULLS were at the Hampshire College composting area.

Seen in Northampton were 100 AMERICAN ROBINS, 100 CEDAR WAXWINGS, 3 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, 75 HORNED LARKS, 10 SNOW BUNTINGS, a LAPLAND LONGSPUR, and 2 SAVANNAH SPARROWS.

A PIED-BILLED GREBE was noted in Sunderland, an AMERICAN WOODCOCK in mating flight was heard in Lenox, and a GREAT BLUE HERON was observed in Southwick.

TURKEY VULTURES, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, and COMMON GRACKLES are being reported from many places.

March 8 - Tuesday - Rain Overnight - Turned to Snow, Windy. @ 6 inches of Snow.

TURNERS FALLS (posted to Massbird by Amy Moeckel) Around noon today saw an American Coot in the Turners Falls canal just up from the Conte lab very close to the road. Although I assume they have been spotted here before, I have not seen any coots in the canal proir to today. Also plenty of goldeneye and ring necks (more than in the last few weeks).

NEW SALEM (posted to Massbird by Bill Lafley) The numbers of Purple Finches at the feeder has gone from zero to 7 over the past 2 weeks. Also had a Red-shouldered Hawk calling on Saturday. The field the woodcock generally calls from still has 8 - 12" of snow in it and more is falling as I type.

GRANBY (posted to Massbird by Lori Rogers) I had my first Grackles of the season at my feeders in Granby today. RW Blackbirds and Cowbirds showed up on 2/18 and 2/19 respectively, but Grackles didn't arrive until today.

March 9 - Wednesday - Sunny, Very Windy, Bitter Cold

SHUTESBURY (from Kevin Weir) 5 RedWing Blackbirds (first sighting from here) 1 White Throat 3 Purple Finches 1 Song Sparrow 16 M. Doves 4 White Nuthatch 6 BlueJays 8 Chickadees 3 Goldfinch 10 Juncos 2 Downey 1 Hairy 2 Titmouse

ASHFIELD (from Steve Sauter) I have had a Northern Shrike here the last two days at the feeder. I am trying for a photo but he is skittish. My neighbor up the street at the sugarhouse has also seen one.

March 10 - Thursday - Sunny, Breezy and Cold

SOUTHWICK (posted to Massbird by Scott Ricker) BIRDS AT THE FEEDER TODAY WERE: Downey-2 Hairy-2 Titmice-3 Junco-2(1 bird seemed injured, wouldn't walk) Redbellied Woodpecker-1 Nuthatch-2 Starling-12 FoxSparrow-1 (Sat on ground and fed for 2-3 hrs) English sparrow-3 M.Doves-6 Also had a Killdeer at Southwick post office at about noon, and a Turkey Vulture in the center of town.

HADLEY (from Chris Gntes) A Kestrel on Mill Valley Road and a Bluebird & 30 Horned Larks on East Hadley Road. I Northampton a pair of Bluebirds near the foot bridge below Paradise Pond - still eating stoneflies.

SHUTESBURY (from Kevin Weir) Two pairs of Purple Finches at the feeder.

FLORENCE (from Bruce Hart) A Saw-whet was calling after midnight from a Yew tree.

AMHERST (from Heather McQueen) A chicadee spent a few minutes this morning foraging on the pillars outside my office window. These stone pillars are decorated with a series of grooves around the circumference which create a small overhanging ledges of about a half an inch. Twice it pulled out something cocoon-like with many white sticky threads and ate whatever was inside.

March 11 - Friday - Snowy and Cold

HADLEY+ (from Chris Gentes) The Cove was slightly open this morning with just mallards and black ducks there. Oxbow, Danks Pond etc. frozen over with people still ice fishing. I didn't see anything of itnerest near the airport.

WESTIFELD (from Larry Therrien) Late morning today I had four Turkey Vultures over the north part of Westfield.

March 12 - Saturday - Steady Snow All Day - 6+ inches

NORTH HADLEY (from Chris Gentes) Tom Bevaqua said it was going to be about an inch of snow tapering off early in the day. When it was still snowing at 2pm I couldn't take it any more and headed to the Conn. River to look for waterfowl. It didn't seem as if there were any new arrivals since last Sunday. Six Wood Ducks, 5 Black Ducks, 10 Hooded Mergansers, 40 Common Mergansers, 30 Ring-billed Gulls, 1 Brown Creeper, 6 Bluebirds, 50 Robins, 2 Song Sparrows. Some of the Mergansers were making their quoi-quoi-quoi mating call. The Robins and Bluebirds were feeding on emerging stonefy nymphs (Taeniopterygidae). The robins strategy was walking along the edge of the ice sheet and the water. The nymphs were coming out steadily and I didn't see any get by the robins. The Bluebirds on the other hand perched on a tree branch overhanging the shore and would drop down on a nymph when they saw one. The Bluebirds were also eating berries. A pair of wood ducks were slowly feeding along the edge of the ice/water - I can only speculate that they too were feeding on the nymphs. There were smaller Capniidae stoneflies (adults) which the robins and bluebirds were ignoring. A pair of Song Sparrows however found them palatable and made quick order of a group of them on the snow. I observed one of the mergansers (a femlae) get a large frog. Two males chased after her, but she was able position it head first with the amphibian's back legs legs sticking out before she swallowed it whole. Meanwhile the gulls were feeding out on the middle of the river. They were sitting in the water and delicately pecking at something on the surface of the calm river. They would spin around while doing this - very phalarope-like. My guess is that they were getting emerging midges - of which I saw many on the water close to the shore - and some walking on the snow.

NORTHAMPTON (from John Hanley) I have seen a Barred Owl 3 times in the same area off route 5 in Northampton near the Clarion Inn. There was also a very large Red Tail in a tree behind the Clarion. I have also seen numerous Turkey Vultures the past 2 weeks.

March 13 - Sunday - Sunny in the 30s.

SUNDERLAND+ (from Chris Gentes) A check of the river near the falls had 40 Black Ducks, 20 Mallards, 3 Wood Ducks, 2 Hooded Mergansers, 2 Common Mergansers, and an imm. Bald Eagle. At the Sunderland Bridge we observed 8 Common Goldeneyes, 2 Peregrines and a Raven. Also seen were numerous Winter Stoneflies. Later in HADLEY I checked out some fields for meadowlarks etc. Still a lot of snow cover. A Peregrine was doing arobatics near Mt. Warner. At the Cove there was the large contingent of mallards, a few Black Ducks, and 2 Wood Ducks. At the North Lane levee there were 4 mallards and 1 Common Merganser and the Robins.

ARCADIA+ (from Larry Therrien) First stop this morning was at Arcadia. Following seen near visitors center: Cedar Waxwing (16), Eastern Bluebird (1) very vocal, Junco (20+), Red Tailed Hawk (1) in pines near parking lot being mobbed by crows, Canada Geese (3) flyby, American Robin (3), and other usuals. Everything was being quite vocal this morning...almost like spring. Next stop was at the Dinosaur Tracks in HOLYOKE: Common Goldeneye (38) with a lot of displaying going on. Below dam in SOUTH HADLEY: Common Goldeneye (10), Hooded Merganser (4), Canada Geese (3), Mallard (6), no unusual gulls...total of 75 gulls, mainly ring billed. Carolina Wren (1), Song Sparrow (1), Common Grackle (1), American Robin (40+) along the river eating stoneflies. Also made a few stops along Rt 47 in Hadley, without anything of note. Nothing near bridge on Rt 9 either...a few crew teams in the river practicing.

March 14 - Monday - Sunny in the 30s. Breezy

AMHERST (from Heather McQueen) I saw 15 Turkey Vultures at 5pm soaring over Rte. 116 near Pomeroy St.

EASTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) I explored a little bit around the E. Florence Smith Nature trail which affords a nice look at where the Manhan River enters the Oxbow. This section was open and there were a dozen Canada Geese, 2 Mute Swans and 6 Wood Ducks there. I also heard 4 Brown Creepers.

SOUTHWICK (posted to Massbird by Scott Ricker) There were two Fox Sparrows at the feeder this morning. In the last two days, feeding has returned to normal, the feeder emptied (2 1/2 pounds)rapidly compared to the rest of the winter.

HADLEY (from Harvey Allen) 30 Snow Buntings at the Honeypot.

HOLYOKE (posted to Massbird by Rick Baumhauer) Between about 4:30 and 5:30pm today, a Peregrine Falcon was in the area of Holyoke City Hall (corner of High and Dwight streets). It would occasionally perch for a few minutes at a time on an antenna on a building a bit west of City Hall, but it made several passes up and down High Street, calling loudly.

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS This is the Western Voice of Audubon for Monday March 14

Three FOX SPARROWS are coming to a feeder in Springfield.

A RUFFED GROUSE was noted in Westfield and 3 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS in West Springfield.

A NORTHERN SHRIKE has been visiting a feeder frequently in Ashfield.

Heard calling in Northampton was a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, while a BARRED OWL was seen near the intersection of Rtes 5 and 91. Also noted in Northampton were 6 WOOD DUCKS, 10 HOODED MERGANSERS, 40 COMMON MERGANSERS, 6 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, and a BROWN CREEPER.

At least 48 COMMON GOLDENEYES and 4 HOODED MERGANSERS have been counted on the Connecticut River between South Hadley and Holyoke

A BUFFLEHEAD was seen in Lenox and 8 SNOW BUNTINGS were in a field in Williamstown.

At Turners Falls there were 14 RING-NECKED DUCKS, an AMERICAN COOT, 3 LESSER SCAUP, and 2 HOODED MERGANSERS.

March 15 - Tuesday - Sunny in the 30s.

AMHERST (from Heather McQueen) A Sharp-shinned Hawk flew from out of nowhere and got a chipmunk.

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) Looks like everything is starting to thaw fairly quick. I made a few stops today including the old state hospital trails and Arcadia. The Arcadia marsh is now open about 1/4 to 1/3...with the weather predicted for this week I'm sure it will be fairly wide open by this weekend. State Hospital trails: American Robin (3), Red tailed Hawk (3)..all together and calling alot. Also had a Blue Jay doing a fairly good imitation of a Red Tail. Arcadia: Cedar Waxwing (95+)...all near the parking lot, looked for a Bohemian, but none found. American Robin (30+) along Arcadia marsh eating winter stoneflies along shore and out on the ice, Brown Creeper (2), Golden Crowned Kinglet (1), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Wood Duck (4)..two pairs, Mallard (10). Only a pair of wood ducks were in Arcadia marsh, remaining ducks were upriver. Also lots of winter stoneflies and some big groups of snow fleas.

ASHFIELD (from Steve Sauter) A Barred Owl came into the yard - he/she seems to be after voles under the feeder. The owl eventually caught a vole and ate it nearby.

March 16 - Wednesday - Sunny in the 30s. Breezy.

EASTHAMPTON+ (from Larry Therrien) At 9am Off East St Easthampton: Wood Duck (6), Ring Necked Duck (1), Mallard (5), Mute Swan (3), Canada Geese (2). Also great views of a mink moving along an island in the Oxbow. ARCADIA visitors center and marsh: Cedar Waxwing (90+) including one unlucky bird that could not fly, Wood Duck (8), Common Merganser (1), Mallard (38), Black Duck (1), Mute Swan (1), Canada Geese (2) flyby, Pileated Woodpecker (2) pair, Red Tailed Hawk (2) pair, House Finch (1) and other usuals. State Hospital trails: just the usuals.

EASTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) From the E. Florence Smith Nature trail at 1:15pm there were 200 Canada Geese, 3 Mute Swans, 3 Black Ducks, 1 Ring-neckde Duck and 1 Hooded Merganser. A red-tailed on the nest near the road and gun club.

March 17 - Thursday - Sunny in the 40s. Breezy.

ASHFIELD (from Steve Sauter) I found five snow buntings on Bear Swamp Road this morning, just east of the intersection with Bug Hill Road. The Barred Owl is in the yard for third straight day, roosting in bright sunlight.

QUABBIN (from Deedee Minear) On Goodnough Dike at Quabbin today 25 snow buntings. You can not drive to the dike. The road is plowed but gated.

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) Made a quick stop by Fitzgerald lake from North Farms Rd entrance...very little open water...maybe an area of about 25 feet by 75 feet...everything else is frozen.

HADLEY+ (from Chris Gentes) The fields on either side of Moody Bridge Road were mostly snow free and there were 400+ Crows there. There was a red-tailed above the nest on South Maple and Moody Bridge Road intersection. A quick check of the Manhan River-Oxbow had a Wood Duck, a Ring-necked Duck, 4 Common Mergansers, 3 Black Ducks, 2 Mallards, 3 Mute Swans and 100 Canada Geese.

AMHERST (from Heather McQueen) walking on rte 116 near Groof Park I saw 3 Purple Finchse and 1 Turkey Vulture.

March 18 - Friday - Sunny in the 40s.

HATFIELD (from Deedee Minear) Friday in Hatfield off Straits Road male wigeon, pair of hooded mergs, pair of wood ducks plus 6 single males, many mallards and black ducks. The far side of the marsh beyond the Hatfield DPW bldg (can drive in after hours) is open water.

GRANVILLE - BLUEBERRY HILL HAWK WATCH Official Counter: Seth Kellogg Observers: Seth Kellogg Weather: Cool Northwest wind with scattered clouds Observations: Only one hour produced 3 Redtails and a Cooper's migrating. Also an imm Goshawk with a full crop came up from woods east of observation point, flew low over hill to west side, then circled up before continuing on west. 7 Ravens and 5 Crows migrating. Heard Wb Nuthatch, Titmouse, Cardinal singing.

HADLEY+ (from Chris Gentes) Early this morning at the Hadley Cove I saw: 6 Canada Geese, 6 Wood Ducks, 30 Mallards, 8 Black Ducks, 15 Ring-necked Ducks, 5 Hooded Mergansers, 11 Common Mergansers, and a Bluebird. Ol' Red was in his tree. At Paradise Pond there were 6 Common Mergansers.

HADLEY (from Pete Yeskie) At the cove today there was 7 ring-necked ducks, 4 hooded mergansers, 2 great blue herons and a turkey vulture circled about.

TURNERS FALLS+ (from Larry Therrien) Early this morning I had three Common Grackles over downtown Florence. Trip up to Turners Falls had some nice birds: BARTONS COVE: Ring Necked Duck (7), Lesser Scaup (3), Common Merganser (3), Hooded Merganser (2), Black Duck (2), Mallard (12), Canada Geese (2), Mute Swan (4), Bald Eagle (2)..one adult on nest and a flyby juvenile who scared up the gulls. POWER CANAL: Common Goldeneye (2), Ring Necked Duck (1), Mallard (8), Canada Geese (110), Mute Swan (1). A couple Turkey Vultures along Rt 91. A Fish Crow near Stop & Shop in Northampton.

March 19 - Saturday - Sunny in the upper 40s.

GRANVILLE - BLUEBERRY HILL HAWK WATCH Official Counter: John Weeks Observers: John Weeks, Pam Witaszek Visitors: A LifeStar helicopter almost landed on the hill, then realized its mistake and proceeded to the next hill north (about half a mile away). We could see a loose gathering of snowmobilers. Rumor has it that one of them suffered a heart attack; we saw one person being placed aboard the copter about 30 min after it landed at the site. Weather: Sunny and warm (40s F), with slight haze. Wind NW 5-10 mph. Actual start time: 1005 EST. Observations: One Red-tail moved steadily to NE, passing high overhead just past noon. Non-migrant raptors: adult Bald Eagle, probable Sharp-shin, Red-shouldered Hawk. Several Turkey Vultures scoured the area. Common Ravens (5), Eastern Bluebirds (2), Common Grackle, fuchsia parasail.

HADLEY (posted to Massbird by Bob Packard) In the Honeypot section of Hadley: Redtail-1 Killdeer-1-flyover EBluebird-2 ARobin-5 Song Sparrow-5+ A few scattered Redwings and Grackles flew over, but no big flocks. Also one Coyote and one Red Fox. At least two Fish Crows on King Street in Northampton. 5 Turkey Vultures over Williamsburg.

March 20 - Sunday - Overcast and Cool

NORTH HADLEY+ (from Chris Gentes) Heather, Harvey and I checked out the Conn. River in North Hadley today and had the following highlights: Black Duck-10, Wood Duck-58, Pintail-2, Ring-necked Duck-3, Common Merganser-10, Hooded Merganser-12, Kingfisher-1, Grackle-20, Red-winged Blackbird-5. Later in the afternoon I went to Mitch's Marina and along with the hundreds of mallards I had Wood Duck-37, Pintail-4m, 2f, Common Merganser-8, Hooded Merganser-2. A kayaker put up all the ducks and they flew up river.

SHUTESBURY (from Kevin Weir) First pair of bluebirds yesterday. 8 female and 3 male purple finches, 1 Cowbird, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Bluebird and a Killdeer today.

TURNERS FALLS (posted on Massbird by Wendy Howes & Alan Rawle) At Turner's Falls, at the CANAL, there were: --Around 300+ Canada geese(and growing in numbers as more arrived), many obviously paired, a very vocal group --several pairs of Hooded Mergansers, many displaying --a small group of Ring-necked Ducks --a dozen Black Ducks circling overhead --1 Mute Swan --a few pairs of Common Goldeneyes Plus the usual gathering of gulls (couldn't find any white-wings) and mallards. BARTON COVE, held small groups of Hooded Mergs and a few C. Goldeneyes At a brief stop in the Northfield Mountain parking lot, we looked up and saw a very high-soaring raptor. I got the scope onto it as it was culminating its circular soaring pattern and starting to fly northwest. It's going down on my Massachusetts list as a GOLDEN EAGLE. I have more experience with Balds, and this bird was unlike a Bald in shape (shorter neck) and lacked light/white plumage, was almost completely dark. The wings were held at a slight dihedral. Only wish I could have had a longer look! A walk at Northfield Farms turned up 6 Horned larks, 1 A. Kestral, a pair of E. Bluebirds, C. Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds here and there, a Dark-eyed Junco, and a few A. Tree Sparrows. We were in perfect Killdeer country, but there were none found.

SUNDERLAND+ (posted to Massbird by Bob Packard) On Rte 47 this morning in a large farm field were 126 Wild Turkeys in a long irregular flock. Many males displaying. In the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area were a few Redwings and Grackles flying over, one Red-breasted Nuthatch and a Pileated Woodpecker. An adult Cooper's Hawk was hunting in the center of Whately.

March 21 - Monday - Sunny and Cool

HADLEY (from Harvey Allen) In the cove there were 2 Pintail and 3 Green-winged Teal.

NORTHAMPTON+ (from Larry Therrien) First stop was along Riverbank Rd to see what was in the Connecticut...not much at all. Just a few mallards and a few Common Grackles along the shore. Next stop was at the park on East St in EASTHAMPTON - Common Merganser (2), Black Duck (2), Common Grackle (3) and Song Sparrow (3). Lots of the other usuals there too. Final stop was at the oxbow and Arcadia marsh NORTHAMPTON plus a short walk through part of the Arcadia meadows. In Arcadia marsh I had Hooded Merganser (5), Common Merganser (6), Northern Pintail (3), Wood Duck (5), Black Duck (12), Mallard (50+), Canada Geese (90+), Mute Swan (1) plus a few Ring billed and Herring Gulls. Also near the marsh and in the meadows I had Great Blue Heron (3) with two sitting on nests and one flyby, Killdeer (2), Eastern Bluebird (3) checking out nest boxes, Turkey Vulture (1), Red tailed Hawk (2), Northern Mockingbird (1), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Golden Crowned Kinglet (1). Also 40 Red Winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles along Ventures Field Rd.

NORTHAMPTON+ (from Chris Gentes) There were a dozen Common mergansers in Paradise Pond. I saw an interesting behavoir I never observed before - it was a paired merganser couple. A male was swimming around with a female following it. She was very low in the water with her bill parallel and just above the water line - kind of scrunched forward. Her crest very compact and pointed up and to the rear almost like a conquistador helmet. She followed the male about. The male seemed uninterested - preening and sipping water. Another male came over but quickly left them alone. Soon the male got out of the water onto a log and the female followed. Heather told me she has read that this is the female's display that she has chosen this male. Many stoneflies were in the air fluttering about - and some were walking on the water - occasionaly fluttering their wings to help them along. I was looking to see if they were ovipositing - but couldn't tell one way or another. They seemed an easy meal for a fish but I didn't observe any getting eaten in that manner. Later in HADLEY we had 12 Tree Sparrows as it started getting dark in a field near Mount Warner. 50 Robins and many Red-winged Blackbirds, a few Bluebird pairs - but no meadowlarks yet. In AMHERST at a feeder at the intersetcion of Route 166 and Memorial Drive Heather saw 3 Purple Finches (2f, 1m).

AMHERST (posted to Massbirdby Bill Lafley) This evening a woodcock was performing in the playing fields next to the Middle School. Also had a killdeer calling.

AGAWAM (from Seth Kellogg) 7 Bufflehead, 4 C. Goldeneye

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS This is the Western Voice of Audubon for Monday March 21

In Hadley there were 58 WOOD DUCKS, 2 NORTHERN PINTAILS, 15 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 12 HOODED MERGANSERS, a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, 5 EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, and a KILLDEER.

Seen in South Hadley were 37 WOOD DUCKS, and 6 NORTHERN PINTAILS, while in Agawam there were 7 BUFFLEHEADS and an ICELAND GULL.

Present in Hatfield were 8 WOOD DUCKS, and an AMERICAN WIGEON, and noted in Northampton were 2 GREAT BLUE HERONS, 3 NORTHERN PINTAIL, 5 HOODED MERGANSERS, and 2 FISH CROWS.

A RUSTY BLACKBIRD, 2 RING-NECKED DUCKS, and 2 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS were seen in Longmeadow along with a single COMMON REDPOLL that was studied eating birch catkins.

PEREGRINE FALCONS are pairing off in downtown Springfield, Amherst, and Holyoke.

A NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL hit a window at a house in Russell, but was unhurt.

In Southwick 2 displaying AMERICAN WOODCOCK were reported. Also 2 FOX SPARROWS were coming to one feeder, and a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW visited another feeder.

Three PURPLE FINCHES were in Amherst and in Shutesbury 11 PURPLE FINCHES, a KILLDEER, and a RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH were observed.

A flock of 126 WILD TURKEYS was found in Sunderland, and 12 EVENING GROSBEAKS were seen again in Royalston.

The RED-HEADED WOODPECKER continues at a feeder in Tyringham. A BARRED OWL was visiting a yard in Hinsdale. SNOW BUNTINGS and a TUNDRA SWAN were feeding in fields in Great Barrington. In Pittsfield there were 3 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 5 HOODED MERGANSERS, a KILLDEER, an EASTERN SCREECH OWL, and a FOX SPARROW. Seen in Sheffield were a WOOD DUCK and a KILLDEER. RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were reported in Richmond.

March 22 - Tuesday - Sunny and Cool - High 40s.

HADLEY (from Heather McQueen) There was a Woodcock behind the Garden Center in a low wet spot. Behind the mall there were a couple of Killdeer.

QUABBIN PARK (posted to Massbird by Mark Lynch) We took our oldest grand-daughter out to South Quabbin/Quabbin Park this morning and had the following: Mallard (4) Turkey Vulture (9) Bald Eagle: (2ad+1imm at the State Trout Fram+1 ad perched on Ram. The birds at the fish farm were VERY vocal and perched in trees right at the edge of the back pool offering stunning views even for a young person just learning to use bins) Red-tailed Hawk (2) Killdeer (3 at Trout Farm) Common Raven (pair gathering sticks for the nest at the spillway who were very vocal+ 3 in a flight display over Ram) E. Bluebird (2) A Robin (22).

GREENFIELD (from Dave Mako) Just saw a flock of ~50 turkey vultures spiraling over Greenfield.

AMHERST (from Deedee Minear) Saw an imm cooper's hawk perched on a branch of a spruce. It made several lunges at a chattering red squirrel in the spruce but left empty clawed.

NORTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) 2 pair of Wood Ducks in the Mill River near Paradise Pond.

GRANVILLE - BLUEBERRY HILL HAWK WATCH Official Counter: John Weeks Observers: John Weeks, John Wojtanowski Weather: Mostly sunny; Wind WNW/W 5-15 mph; temperature 37-47.5 F. Actual start time: 0840 EST. Observations: Two Red-tails counted. Non-migrating raptors: immature Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tail. Half a dozen Turkey Vultures hunted the area. Bird of the day: NORTHERN SHRIKE--almost certainly the same 1st-year bird seen repeatedly last fall and on January 1st (the mask is quite distinctive). Displaying the same remarkable boldness as before, the bird came quite close to us. Also: American Crows (133 migrants), Horned Larks (7), Eastern Bluebird, American Robins (2).

AGAWAM (from Seth Kellogg) 6 Hooded merganser, 8 Tree Swallow

March 23 - Wednesday - Cloudy and Cool

SHUTESBURY (from Kevin Weir) Cynthia heard a Woodcock this morning in the fields. First grackle of the season today with an extra (2) cowbird.

HADLEY (from Chris Gentes) At the Hadley Cove this morning I saw Wood Duck-12, Wigeon-1m, Green-winged Teal-15, Ring-necked Duck-14, Hooded Merganser-8, Common Merganser-15 and a Kingfisher. Later in the day there was a Kestrel on Mill Valley Road and another on Stockbridge Road. Also 2 Killdeer on Mill Valley Road.

NORTHAMPTON+ (from Larry Therrien) ARCADIA MARSH and area near visitors center: Wood Duck (7), Ring Necked Duck (7), Northern Pintail (8), Hooded Merganser (10), Common Merganser (4), Black Duck (26), Mallard (110+), Canada Geese (28), Eastern Bluebird (2), Cedar Waxwing (65+), American Robin (3), Red Tailed Hawk (1), Common Grackle (3), Red Winged Blackbird (10) Also had Canada Geese (130) in a corn field near Fort Hill Rd. EAST STREET EASTHAMPTON: Ring Necked Duck (7), Common Merganser (2), Mallard (6), Canada Geese (5), White Throated Sparrow (1), Song Sparrow (2), Common Grackle (2), American Robin (3), Junco (3) and a Muskrat swimming along in the river. Rt 5 bridge: Mixed flock of Common Grackles and Red Winged Blackbird (35+) FITZGERALD LAKE from North Farms Rd: Great Horned Owl (1) being mobbed by crows, eventually flushed by the crows. Also had a very vocal Song Sparrow (1), Common Grackles (2) and Golden Crowned Kinglets (3) along with the usuals. Lake is open a little more but still remains largely frozen. Looks like the numbers of Grackles and blackbirds are finally starting to build as are the numbers of Turkey Vultures and some ducks...I looked hard for some teal, but nothing today...should be here...eastern phoebe shouldn't be too far behind...

TURNERS FALLS (from Deedee Minear) Bartons Cove: pair of Gadwalls close to the road (Riverview Dr) at the edge of the ice, 35 Ring Necked Ducks (10 f), 3 Lesser Scaup, 12 Hooded Mergs (distant) at Rod and Gun: pair of Buffleheads, many Common Mergs, and an uniden. eagle eating a bird carcass(maybe seagull) on the ice. I could not see any white on this eagle. When it finally flew I saw the tail was barred. I did not see the underwings nor undertail. An adult Bald Eagle flew down to the carcass for comparison. I thought the first eagle head was smaller and skinnier.

GRANVILLE - BLUEBERRY HILL HAWK WATCH Official Counter: John Weeks Observers: John Wojtanowski Weather: Ovecast (but cloud cover thin; sun shone through wanly); wind NE 0-10 mph; temperature 36-37 F. Observations: Nine low-flying raptors. Adult Bald Eagle at 1152. Non-migrants: 2 Turkey Vultures, Red-shouldered Hawk. Killdeer, Pileated Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglets (2 or 3), Eastern Bluebird. Predictions: Snow overnight and early morning.

SOUTHWICK (posted to Massbird by Scott Ricker) Birds at the feeder. Grackle- 40-50 Redwing Bl- 20-25 (1 Female) WBnut- 3 Redbellied W.- 2 DowneyW-2 bLUEjAY- 2 Starling- 15 Junco- 8 TreeSparrow-1 FoxSparrow-1 TTitmouse-5 HouseSPARROW-5

SOUTHWICK (from Seth Kellogg) Woodcock

March 24 - Thursday - Snow then clearing and Cool

HADLEY (from Harvey Allen) A lone Wilson's Snipe and 3 Killdeer were in the field off East Hadley Road. At the Cove there were 6 Pintail, 14 GW Teal along with some Common Mergs, Wood Ducks, Mallards and Black Ducks.

EASTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) In the Manhan River from the bridge near Arcadia there were 18 Wood Ducks, 1 Kingfisher and 6 Bluebirds.

AMHERST+ (from Heather McQueen) There were 200+ Cedar Waxwings at Amherst College. A Great Blue Heron flew over HADLEY'S Mount Warner at dusk

SPRINGFIELD (posted to Massbird by Randy Kuerzel) This morning, at 8:30, the following ducks were at Porter Lake: 4 Hooded and 12 Common Merganser, 4 A.Wigeon, 2 Wood Ducks, 30 plus Ring-necked Ducks, along with the usual Black Ducks and Mallards.

SOUTHWICK (from Seth Kellogg) Fox Sparrow

March 25 - Friday - Partly Cloudy and Cool. Snow melting - a thaw in the works.

TURNERS FALLS (from Harvey Allen) At the canal there was an Iceland Gull and at Barton Cove there was a pair of Gadwall, 45 Ring-necked Ducks and 3 L. Scaup. In MONTAGUE there was a Kestrel and on the river at Falls Road there was Wigeon.

HADLEY (from Heather McQueen) A Kestrel and 3 Killdeer at the Horse Farm.

SOUTHWICK (posed to Massbird Scott Ricker) At the southern lake of the Congamond Lakes today were: Common Mergs- 17, Female-6 Male-11 Mallard- 26+ Herring Gull-12 Ringbilled Gull-6 Blackbacked Gull-3 Canada Geese-6 Feeder report is as follows: Downey Woodpecker- 3 Male-1, Female-2 Hairy Woodpecker- 1 MoDoves- 3 Foxsparrow- 1 Treesparrow- 1 Redbellied Woodpecker- 1 WBNut-3 TTitmice- 5 Juncos- 14+ Chicadees-3 (First of this species since December) not many down this way Cardinal -2 Male-1 Female-1 Starling- 16 Brownheaded Cowbird-14 Grackles- 8 Crow-3 Had a woodcock flush out of my yard last evening and also a unidentified owl flushed out from the eves of my next door niebors house on Tuesday evening, possible Screech

HADLEY (posted to Massbird by Scott Surner) A quick trip around Hadley before work this morning produced the following highlights. Hadley Cove Canada Goose- 35 Mallard 175 Am. Black Duck 22 Wood Duck 21 Gr.Winged Teal 10 Am.Wigeon 4 No.Pintail 1 R.N.Duck 2 Co.Merganser-15 East hadley Rd. killdeer-1 Fox Sparrow

SHUTESBURY (from Kevin Weir) Nothing doing in any bird box this afternoon. Saw the turkey flock at the bottom of the Long field 12 individuals observed 16 sets of tracks. Woodcock continues early am call in bluebird field.

NORTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) Saw Larry T. as I was heading over to East St (nothing there- fishing boat) and he mentioned some activity at the marsh - but he didn't have his scope. I stopped briefly from near pontoon bridge and saw a group of ring-necked ducks and many geese.

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) Arcadia meadows: Great Blue Heron (2) on nests, Killdeer (1), Kingfisher (1), Turkey Vulture (3), Red Tailed Hawk (2), Common Merganser (6) flyby, Mallard (2), Black Duck (5) flyby, Song Sparrow (5), White Throated Sparrow (3), mixed floxk of 100+ Common Grackles and Red Winged Blackbirds, also many Canada Geese heard in the marsh.

GRANVILLE - BLUEBERRY HILL HAWK WATCH Official Counter: John Weeks Observers: Doug James, John Weeks Weather: Mostly cloudy, chilly and windy. Winds WNW/W 10-20 mph. Temperature mid- to upper 40s F. Observations: No migrants observed. Non-migrants: 3 Turkey Vultures, 2 Bald Eagles (adult and 1st- or 2nd-year bird), 1 large accipiter (probably Goshawk). American Robins (4).

March 26 - Saturday - Sunny and Mild

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) Arcadia marsh and oxbow: Black headed Gull (1) on ice near open water where mill river enters oxbow, Green Winged Teal (3), Wood Duck (6), Northern Pintail (5), Common Merganser (5), Black Duck (15), Mallard (50+), Canada Geese (850+), Great Blue Heron (1) in marsh, Eastern Bluebird (4), Killdeer (2), Cedar Waxwing (35+), American Robin (4), Common Grackle(3), Song Sparrow (1), and other usuals. State Hospital trails: Red Winged Blackbird (7), Brown headed Cowbird (2), Eastern Bluebird (1), American Robin (15), Song Sparrow (10), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Red Tailed Hawk (1), Golden Crowned Kinglets (1).

NORTHAMPTON (from Dave Mako) I just got back from checking out the mouth of OLD Mill River. Didn't see any gulls between 5:15 and 5:45p. Lots of ducks a bit upstream though. The highlight for me was a single Redhead among the ring-necks, mallards, blacks, Can geese, com mergs and 1 wood duck that I saw. The Redhead was a first for me in MA. I also built my kestrel box and put it up today. When I put one up in NV, I had a bird on the box within an hour. It might take a little longer here...

HADLEY+ (from Chris Gentes) Heather and I checked some places today with the following results. On the River in North Hadley this morning there were 2 Pied-billed Grebes, 4 Wood Ducks, 40 Black Ducks, 5 Green-winged Teal, 10 Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Hoodies, and 2 Common Mergansers. At the Hadley Cove there were 4 Wigeon, 5 Pintail, 9 GW Teal, and 4 Ring-necked Ducks. A lone Snipe was on East Hadley Road. Seen on Great Pond - 1 drake Northern Shoveler, 6 Pintail, 4 Ring-necked Ducks, 5 Wood Ducks, and 20 Black Ducks. At the Falls in SUNDERLAND there were 4 Wood Ducks. Also we thought we heard a phoebe calling a few times from the other side of the river - but we never saw the bird and a plane went over and it didn't call again.

SHUTESBURY (from Kevein Weir) A Flicker arrived and was calling.

SOUTH HADLEY (fide Harvey Allen) A Red-breasted Meganser was found on the Conn. River below the Rte. 116 Bridge on a trip with the Allen Bird Club.

LEVERETT (from Deedee Minear) Saw a red shouldered hawk in a Leverett Swamp today.

GRANVILLE - BLUEBERRY HILL HAWK WATCH Official Counter: John Weeks Observers: Jean McMahon, John Weeks, Pam Witaszek, Patrick McMahon Weather: Sunny with haze, variable winds 0-10 mph. Temperature 36-44 F. Exact start-time: 1052 EST. Observations: Red-tail, Red-shouldered and Bald Eagle (at 1315), all adult birds. Non-migrants: 3 Turkey Vultures, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, probable Goshawk, Red-tail. Common Ravens (2), Eastern Bluebird (male).

NORTHAMPTON (from Shelley Parker) Jon and I flushed a beautiful barred owl in Cook's Pasture Saturday afternoon. On the way home, we and others walking down King Street watched two red tails overhead.

WALES (posted to Massbird by Ian Lynch) RED-HEADED WOODPECKER After yesterday's teaser I can today give the details on this bird. In direct conversation with the homeowner today I heard a very clear welcome to birders, but, as always, we should be careful not to ruin the welcome. First the bad news, the bird was not present between 8 and 10 this morning (although 26 other species were). Still, the residents report that it has been consistently coming to the feeders in the morning for quite some time now. The address is 127 Main Street, Wales. This is right on Route 19 when first coming into Wales from Brimfield. The simplest way to get there is to turn south onto Route 19 off of Route 20 in Brimfield. Coming from the east, Route 20 west is right off of the Mass. Pike exit 9 (Sturbridge). Coming from the West on the Pike, take exit 8 (Palmer) and go south on 32 until it meets 20 (around a mile) and head east into Brimfield. There is only one traffic light in Brimfield. It is at the intersection of 20 and 19. When you pass the Wales sign watch for houses on the right. You will notice two roads to the left rather close together. The first is Holland Road, the second is a dead end road called Sizer Drive. Your best bet is to turn left onto Sizer and go down a little bit and park, then walk back up to the stop sign at Main Street. From here you will be looking directly at #127. Their yard, filled with feeders, is raised, so you need to be on this side of Main Street to get a good look. By standing to the south side of Sizer Drive you can see the suet feeders next to the house. With the suet are two tube feeders filled with peanuts, these are the feeders the bird prefers. Apparently, the bird regularly approaches and departs by way of the woods behind the house. The head is now very red with only a touch of brown around the eyes. It was silent for the five minutes that I observed it yesterday. As an aside, if you come for this bird tomorrow, you are welcome to join First Congregational Church (where I am the pastor) for Easter Worship. We will have a sunrise service at 6:00 on East Hill Road and 10:30 worship at the church, which you can't miss from the center of town. It is the large white church on the hill at the end of the common. Even if you don't worship with us, you are welcome to join us for breakfast at the church following the sunrise service (starting between 6:30 and 7:00) I try to keep my sermons clear, so optics, though welcome, should be unnecessary :-)

TURNERS FALLS+ (posted to Massbird by Scott Surner) I led a Hitchcock Center trip from Hadley to Turners Falls and had the following highlights… Hadley-E.Hadley Rd 2 Killdeer 1 Wilson’s Snipe Hadley Cove Canada Goose-20 Wood Duck – 12 Am.Wigeon – 4 Am.Black Duck-25 Mallars-many No.Pintail-1 Green-winged Teal-4 R.N.Duck- 5 Co.Merganser-1m Hatfield-Great Pond-seen from the D.P.W. Yard. Great Blue Heron-1 Wood Duck-6 Black Duck & Mallards-many of the ducks were in & out of the marsh grass-hard to get a accurate count. NORTHERN SHOVELER- 1m No.Pintail-10 Bald Eagle-1 Imm. Turners Falls-Canal 400+ Canada Geese 1 R.N. Duck 3 Co.Goldeneye Gill-Barton’s Cove Gadwall-2 R.N.Duck -45 Lesser Scaup -3 Hooded Merganser-8 Turners Falls-Rod & Gun R.N. Duck-10 Bufflehead-4 Hooded Merganser-8 Common Merganser-35 Bald Eagle-1 Imm

March 27 - Sunday - Sunny and Mild

NORTHAMPTON+ (from Larry Therrien) Arcadia marsh and oxbow: Eastern Phoebe (1), Wood Duck (5),Green Winged Teal (3), Northern Pintail (6), Ring Necked Duck (5), Hooded Merganser (4), Common Merganser (6), Black Duck (18), Mallard (160+), Canada Geese (33...3 in marsh, rest flyby's), Kingfisher (3)...a pair flew by making a low squawk I had not heard before, Great Blue Heron (1) Sharp Shinned Hawk (1) trying for sparrows near entrance to Arcadia, Killdeer (1), Eastern Bluebird (3), Red Winged Blackbird (6), Common Grackle (7), Brown Creeper (1), Brown headed Cowbird (1), Cedar Waxwing (45+), Northern Mockingbird (1), White Throated Sparrow (2), American Tree Sparrow (1), Song Sparrow (3)...no unusual gulls today. Also group of about 40 Canada Geese in corn field on Fort Hill.

HATFIELD (from Deedee Minear) At Great Pond saw 10 species of ducks including Shoveler, Gadwall (pr flew in), a Wigeon(m) that walked on the edge of the ice picking up something. Stoneflies?

HATFIELD+ (from Dave Mako) On River Road in Whaely near the Hatfield Town line (opposite Pilgram Airport) there was a Greater White-fronted Goose in with 50 Canada Geese.

NORTHAMPTON+ (from Chris Gentes) Heather and I looked for the Black-headed Gull and Redhead shortly after dawn without any luck. At Arcadia marsh we had 30+ Wood Ducks, 5 Pintail, 6 Green-winged Teal, 4 Ring-necked Ducks, 6 Hoodies, 1 Great Blue Heron, along with the usuals. In the West Meadows there was a Tree Swallow perched on the telephone wire. We bumped into Harvey Allen and then proceeded to check a few spots with him. At Pascommuck in EASTHAMPTON we had Mute Swan-2, Ring-necked Duck-4, Juncos-2, White-throated Sparrow-4. We stopped to checked the Old Mill River opposite Island Rd. and had a group of mallards, black ducks and a few ring-necked ducks. In HATFIELD on Bridge St. where the Mill River crosses we had a Phoebe and a Broad-winged Hawk which was perched and also flew around for a while. At Great Pond we saw the Shoveler along with 5 Pintails, 2 Green-winged Teal, 1 Wigeon, 6 Hoodies, 1 Ring-necked Duck and a Great Blue Heron. We then went to Barton Cove where we had 42 Ring-necked Ducks, 2 Gadwall, 3 L. Scaup and 12 Hoodies. We continued to NORTHFIELD wher we had a Kestrel on Rt. 63 near Mount Northfield. On the river from Pine Meadow Road we saw 41 Ring-nceked Ducks, 4 Hoodies, 22 Common Goldeneyes and nearby there were 3 Killdeer. At Hell's Kitchen things were mostly frozen but we tallied 8 Hooded Mergansers.

WALES (posted to Massbird by Bruce deGraaf ) I followed Ian's directions this morning and arrived in Wales at about 8:00. Its a very active location. So even if the Red-headed Woodpecker, didn't show, at least there was lots to see. Fortunately, I saw him .. twice, but briefly each time. First at 9:10 and then at 9:45. I had my camera but he was to quick. The first time he visited the feeder for about 5 seconds then went to a tree in the backyard where he stayed just long enough for me to get a look and then darted away. About 9:45 I decided to pack-up my camera and leave, except after packing up my camera I decided to have 1 last look around. Sure enough not 1 minute later I spotted him in a tree on the north side of the house and got a better view of him then turned around, got out my camera, turned around and he was gone. I spoke with the owner of the home for awhile and he was friendly and accommodating. I finally left at 10:15. For anyone interested, I didn't see 26 species like Ian and Tom Clay, but here's my list of the 22 species I did see: Red-headed Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Turkey Vulture Red-tailed Hawk Carolina Wren Blue Jay Am. Robin European Starling Common Grackle Am. Crow Am. Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Red-winged Blackbird Northern Cardinal House Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco Song Sparrow Black-capped Chickadee Morning Dove On the way there I also saw a group of Wild Turkeys, Ring-billed Gull, and Rock Pigeon.

SOUTHWICK (posted to Massbird by Scott Ricker) Dear Massbirders On Sunday the 27th my son and I went out birding in Southwick for the morning. It was a very pleasant morning, birds were as follows: Canada Goose Mallard Black Duck Bufflehead-1 (South pond of Congomond lakes) CMergs-5 (Same location as Bufflehead) Sharp-shinned-1 Redtailed-2 Broadwinged-1 Killdeer-3 RBgull Herring Blackbacked Gull-3 Rock Dove MoDove Hairy W Downey W Redbellied W Blue Jay Crow BCChickadee-8 TTitmouse WBNut Carolina Wren-2 AmRobin Eastern Bluebird-5 Golden C. Kinglet-1 Starling House Sparrow RWBlackbird Grackle Cowbird Cardinal House Finch Junco Treesparrow-2 Song Sparrow-8 The Broad-winged Hawk was in a large field across from a very large farm on Loomis Rd. There were many crows that indicated that there was a hawk in the area. The Hawk came across the field from the area of the crows, and landed on a dead tree. I went back to the car while my son(Jeremy) watched the bird. It was a good distance from us (1/2 mile), when the bird flew away from us I had the scope on the bird and was able to see white&brown striping on the tail as it landed in another tree. The crows were harrasing a redtailed. I also heard the song of, what I thought was a song sparrow, But after the second and third song I realized it was not a song sparrow. Jeremy & I went a short way into the swamp and the bird turned out to be a Treesparrow. I couldn't find the song of a Treesparrow on Peterson's guide to Birding by ear. Does anyone know of a bird calls series that has all bird songs on it? addendum: After looking at the photo of the veasey park Redshouldered Hawk, I am convinced that the Buteo that my son and I observed in Southwick on the 27th was not a Broadwinged Hawk but a Redshoulded. This forum is a great tool, with so many quality birders.

GRANVILLE - BLUEBERRY HILL HAWK WATCH Official Counter: John Weeks Observers: Chris Chinni, John Weeks Weather: Mostly cloudy to overcast; wind 0-10 mph varying from SW to SE; temperature 46-49 F. Observations: Migrants still very sparse: 3 Red-tails and one Cooper's Hawk. Non-migrants: 4 Turkey Vultures, 1 Red-shouldered, 1 Red-tail. Bird of the day: NORTHERN SHRIKE at 1426 -- this bird has been present since October 28th of last year, a full five months! Also: GREAT BLUE HERON (first of the season), Common Ravens (2), Eastern Bluebird (1 male), American Robins (3), Common Grackle.

NORTHAMPTON+ (from Chris Surprenant) I went out for the Redhead, but missed it. I did hear a Junco along the trail but could not locate it. From there I went to Hadley Cove where I had 2 Belted Kingfishers chasing each other.And some Green-winged Teals, Common Mergansers, and other various ducks. I then went to Stebbins, to the pond on the corner of Pondside rd. and Bark Haul, along with the usual ducks there was 5 ring-necked ducks , 4 green-winged teal , and a male and female Gadwall. I next went to the Conn. River on the Agawam side. There I Parked in the pull off opposite the sandbar,which is where I saw a Bald Eagle standing on the sandbar. I then went to Forest Park were I saw a Red-shouldered Hawk Perch in a tall pine over the rose garden. On the lake was 5 wigeons, many ring-necked ducks, and some common mergansers, with the usual ducks and canadian geese.

SOUTHWICK (from Seth Kellogg) Pied-billed Grebe, 3 Meadowlark, Bufflehead

March 28 - Monday - Rainy in the 40s.

NORTHAMPTON+ (from Chris Gentes) I checked out the Old Mill River at lunch and found the drake Redhead in with 30+ Ring-necked Ducks. Also in EASTHAMPTON in a corn field near the still frozen Dank's Pond there were 6 Green-winged Teal, a Wood Duck and some mallards.

SOUTHWICK (from Seth Kellogg) (feeders) Pine Siskin, Clay-colored Sparrow

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS This is the Western Voice of Audubon for Monday March 28

KILLDEER, AMERICAN WOODCOCKS, FOX SPARROWS, and EASTERN PHOEBES have arrived in a number of localities.

The RED-HEADED WOODPECKER continues in Tyringham and has now come into adult plumage. Another immature is present at a feeder at 125 Main Street in Wales, which is Route 19.

A REDHEAD duck was found on the Oxbow in Northampton Saturday and was still there this afternoon. Also in Northampton were 8 NORTHERN PINTAIL, 3 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and a BLACK-HEADED GULL.

A WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was observed at the old Pilgrim Airport in Hatfield. On the Great Pond in Hatfield there was a male NORTHERN SHOVELER and 10 NORTHERN PINTAIL.

A female NORTHERN SHOVELER is being seen at the Lake Onota causeway.

Reported in Hadley were 2 PIED-BILLED GREBES, 14 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 4 AMERICAN WIGEON, a NORTHERN PINTAIL, and a SNIPE.

Seen on Pondside Road in Longmeadow were 2 GADWALL, 8 GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 6 AMERICAN WIGEON, and 25 RING-NECKED DUCKS.

On the Connecticut River in Agawam there were 6 BUFFLEHEADS, 8 TREE SWALLOWS, and 2 BALD EAGLES.

On Fountain Lake in Forest Park, Springfield there were 6 AMERICAN WIGEON, 35 RING-NECKED DUCKS, and an ICELAND GULL. Nearby a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER was noted.

In Chicopee in the marsh off Route 141 there were 3 NORTHERN PINTAILS, a GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 20 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 20 WOOD DUCKS, and an ICELAND Gull.

A RED-BREASTED MERGANSER was seen on the Connecticut River in Holyoke and the 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS are easily seen on the city hall tower.

Noted in the Turners Falls area were 2 GADWALL, 3 LESSER SCAUP, 55 RING-NECKED DUCKS, and 4 BUFFLEHEAD.

At Woods Pond in Lenox there were 20 WOOD DUCKS, 25 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 3 BALD EAGLES, 15 TREE SWALLOWS, and an AMERICAN PIPIT.

The NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen again on the hawk watch in Granville, and another was noted in Northfield, where 150 WOOD DUCKS, 12 NORTHERN PINTAILS, and 8 AMERICAN WIGEON were found.

Seen in Southwick were a PIED-BILLED GREBE, a BUFFLEHEAD, 55 WILD TURKEYS, 3 EASTERN MEADOWLARKS, and a PINE SISKIN.

PINE SISKINS were heard in Monterey. Three BLACK VULTURES were observed in Sheffield, and one BLACK VULTURE was seen in Lanesboro. Reported in the town of Washington were 4 EVENING GROSBEAKS

March 29 - Tuesday - Rainy in the morning, clearing later.

EASTHAMPTON+ (from Larry Therrien) MORNING - Field across from Danks Pond: Green Winged Teal (4), Wood Duck (1), Ring Necked Duck (1), Black Duck (16), Mallard (90+), Canada Geese (42), Great Blue Heron (1), Eastern Bluebird (2), Song Sparrow (1), Red Winged Blackbird (6), Common Grackle (5), American Robin (2). EAST STREET looking into Oxbow: Common Merganser (2), Ring Necked Duck (2). NORTHAMPTON: Oxbow Marina: Ice had pulled away from shore and is starting to break up a little, but still almost totally iced over. Mallard (2) and Common Grackle (10), plus a few Great Black Backed and Ring Billed Gulls. OLD MILL RIVER: Redhead (1) in among the ring necked ducks...great looks, Ring Necked Ducks (32+), Common Merganser (2), Mallard (4), Eastern Phoebe (1), Common Grackle (5). ARCADIA MARSH and oxbow: Mute Swan (1), Wood Duck (4)...marsh was almost empty of birds...looks like they all moved out into all the newly flooded fields. GREAT POND HATFIELD: Walked down to pond and scoped the area and also walked in along Cow Bridge Rd...entire area is quite flooded and alot of the birds have moved into the flooded fields. Totals for area: Northern Shoveler (1), American Wigeon (2), Wood Duck (30+), Northern Pintail (3), Green Winged Teal (8), Hooded Merganser (6), Black Duck (40+), Mallard (200+), Canada Geese (7), Great Blue Heron (1), Kingfisher (2), Killdeer (1), Eastern Phoebe (2), Red Winged Blackbird (15+), Common Grackle (60+), Red Tailed Hawk (1). Valley Street in Hatfield: No ducks, roads flooded...only bird of note: Great Blue Heron (1). AFTERNOON - FITZGERALD LAKE: Lake finally starting to open up a bit. In the area near the boardwalk I had Hooded Merganser (4), Ring Necked Duck (3), Black Duck (2), Great Blue Heron (1), Kingfisher (1), Red Winged Blackbirds (3) and other usual stuff. EAST MEADOWS and Connecticut River near go cart track: No waterfowl at all in the river or in the fields. Eastern Bluebird (2), Red tailed Hawk (4+), Turkey Vulture (2), House Finch (4), Kingfisher (1), Song Sparrow (10+), Red Winged Blackbirds (10+), Common Grackle (60+), American Robin (3). ARCADIA marsh: Area is really starting to flood out rapidly. In the marsh and surrounding area I had Wood Duck (1), Mallard (3), Canada Geese (131), Golden Crowned Kinglet (1), Turkey Vulture (3), Red Tailed Hawk (2), Northern Mockingbird (1), Cedar Waxwing (16), Eastern Bluebird (1), House Finch (1). Field across from DANKS POND: returned here in mid afternoon and had the following: Ring Necked Duck (5), Wood Duck (6), Green Winged Teal (4), Black Duck (9), Mallard (125+), Canada Geese (16).

HADLEY (from Deedee Minear) At noon today seven Snow Geese flew in to join a large flock of Canada geese. I saw them south of Kieras Oil from Russelville/Comins Road near the town line. Did not see them at 2pm but maybe I missed them.

HOLYOKE (posted to Massbird by Marj Rines) I received an email from Don Cooper today with a link to his web page which shows photos of a pair of Peregrine Falcons at Holyoke City Hall (and permission to share it). Hope you enjoy them as much as I did! http://www.f8-photo.com/

HADLEY+ (from Chris Gentes) Heather and I checked the river at dusk. It was up high and flowing fast. A few Common Mergansers flew by. In a side channel there were 15 Wood Ducks.

WEST SPRINGFIELD (from Seth kellogg) Phoebe, Creeper

March 30 - Wednesday - Sunny and 60s.

HADLEY+ (from Chris Gentes) Heather and I checked a few spots this morning. N. Hadley pond had 7 Ring-necked Ducks. There were a lot of Canada Geese in a big flooded field off Russelville Rd.

GRANVILLE - BLUEBERRY HILL HAWK WATCH Official Counter: John Weeks Observers: John Weeks, John Wojtanowski Weather: Sunny, but with high thin clouds. Wind NE 0-10 mph. Temperature 42-52 F. Observations: Once again, non-migrants outnumbered migrant raptors. Non-migrants: 5 Turkey Vultures, 2 Bald Eagles (adult, immature), Cooper's, adult Northern Goshawk (recent sightings have been of an immature Gos), 2 adult Red-shouldered Hawks, 2 Red-tails. Killdeer, Horned Larks (8), Tree Swallows (3 -- first of season), male Eastern Bluebird.

HADLEY (from Pete Yeskie) I found 6 Red Crossbills on River Road in Hadley today. 1/4 mile past Mitch's Way.

HATFIELD+ (posted to Massbird by Oakes Spalding) Following up on the latest Bird Alert for Western Massachusetts, Herman D'Entremont and I saw a Greater White-fronted Goose among about 300 Canada Geese on the north side of Depot St. in Hatfield, between Straits Road and Main Road. Herman also saw a Ruffed Grouse on the Blue Trail at the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area in Northampton.

EAST LONGMEADOW (posted to Massbird by George Kingston) The Allen Bird Club woodcock watch had approximately 12 male woodcock displaying behind Meadowbrook School in East Longmeadow (off Parker St).

SOUTHWICK (posted to Massbird by Scott Ricker) While waiting for the ducks to come into the South Lake(Congamond Lakes) for the evening, my son and I were able to see 3 Tree Swallows. Also seen was 1 Great blue Heron. The ducks are coming in right at dark, on Monday they were in before dark, but I think that was because of the steady rain. I just checked the south pond and had 29 Ringnecked and 7 Cmergs. Also had a pheobe calling

March 31 - Thursday - Sunny and 50s.

GRANBY (posted to Massbird by Bill Benner) I took a walk around the pond behind the house this morning (Quinville Pond), looking for butterflies--but didn't see any. Instead, I saw my first Eastern Phoebe of the spring, singing almost non-stop and working his way along the shoreline through the dead snags. Also 3 picture-perfect Ring-necked Ducks, one female and two spectacular males, along with Mallard and Black Ducks.

HATFIELD (posted to Massbird by Mark Taylor) I spend approx. 30 minutes scanning the flock of Canada Geese in the fields off of Depot Rd. in Hatfield this morning in. I had no luck finding the Greater White-fronted Goose although it is quite possible that the bird is still there. I worked every conceivable angle here along this residential area, with one group of sleeping geese blocking some others. There are few parking pull-offs here and many private homes on this not-so-busy road, so be aware of that when looking for this bird.

EAST LONGMEADOW (posted to Massbird by George Kingston) I heard my first phoebe of the year today.

HATFIELD (posted to Massbird by Bob Packard) Great Pond (incl. surrounding flooded fields) this afternoon w/ Pat Serrentino and Jennifer Strules: Canada Goose-app 300 SHOVELER-1 male, possibly another AWigeon-1 GWTeal-5 Mallard-50+ Black Duck-10+ Ring-necked Duck-8 Wood Duck-20+ Common Merganser-2 Hooded Merganser-7 Redtail-2 Common Snipe-5 Killdeer-2+ RBGull-app 10 Rock Pigeon-2 MDove-5+ Kingfisher-1 male Red-bellied Woodpecker-1 Downy Woodpecker-1 Hairy Woodpecker-1 Pileated-1 ACrow-10+ TTitmouse-5+ WBNuthatch-2 ARobin-5+ Mockingbird-1 Starling-2 Tree Sparrow-app 8 Song Sparrow-5+ NCardinal-2+ Grackle-10+ Redwing-75+ Cowbird-10+ AGoldfinch-1 Plus at least 3 Muskrat Still surprisingly slow for many passerines. Noticeably absent were Phoebe, Flicker, Kestrel, Tree Swallow, sparrows, etc.

NORTH HADLEY (from Heather McQueen) 7 Ring-necked Ducks, 3 Hooded Mergansers, a pair of Green-winged Teal on the pond which is finally opening up on the river drive side. Elsewhere a Fox Sparrow and a dozen fresh Long-eared Owl pellets. Three Woodcocks displaying @6:30pm

SHUTESBURY (from Kevin Weir) One Bluebird perched on Box-1 and a male singing on Box-6.

NORTHAMPTON (from Pete Yeskie) I saw a meadowlark in the west meadows today, also an iceland gull in the oxbow

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) Field across from Danks Pond: Green Winged Teal (2), Black Duck (6), Mallard (60+), Canada Geese (5), White Throated Sparrow (1). Arcadia meadows and oxbow: Ring necked Duck (2), Common Goldeneye (1), Wood Duck (12), Common Merganser (7), Hooded Merganser (4), Black Duck (25+), Mallard (125+), Mute Swan (1), Canada Geese (7), Tree Swallow (6), Eastern Phoebe (2), Fox Sparrow (1), Savannah Sparrow (1), American Tree Sparrow (1), White Throated Sparrow (2), Song Sparrow (35+)..all quite vocal, Great Blue Heron (12) sitting on 9 seperate nests, Killdeer (1), Eastern Bluebird (3), Junco (25+), Cedar Waxwing (15), Northern Flicker (1), Red Tailed Hawk (6+)...max number in view at one time, Turkey Vulture (3), American Robin (10), Common Grackle (75+), Red Winged Blackbird (30+), Cowbird (1), usuals gulls (80+)...none unusual. Also had a Mourning Cloak and another small unidentified butterfly.

SHUTESBURY (from Kevin Weir) Phoebes are back, 7 waxwings in the bluebird field, 2 purple finches by the house, flickers starting to call in numbers around the fields.