Total Species - 43

This trip started out at 6:15 a.m. with Janice Jorgensen, Heather McQueen and I looking for owls in Hadley. The first birds of the day were some CANADA GEESE flying in the dark. A GREAT HORNED OWL was heard calling from Mount Warner, but no Screech-owls were located. As dawn approached we added AMERICAN CROW, NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD, AMERICAN ROBIN, and DARK-EYED JUNCO.

Driving to the UMass Pond we added a COOPER'S HAWK and at the Pond there were MALLARDS, BLACK DUCKS and STARLINGS, but no Peregrine Falcon. Next we drove to the Horse Farm hoping for a Kestrel, but only discovered some CARDINALS, ROCK PIGEONS, and MOURNING DOVES.

With the sun rising it was back over to Mount Warner where we picked up 2 RED-TAILED HAWKS, a TREE SPARROW, BLUE JAYS, a BLUEBIRD, a calling CAROLINA WREN and an adult NORTHERN SHRIKE.

Driving over to the Honeypot we saw a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK. At the Honeypot another Sharpie flew over the car and nabbed a starling. Two Red-tailed Hawks that were perched nearby dove down and stole the starling from the Sharpie.

A check of the river from West Street produced COMMON MERGANSER, SONG SPARROW, DOWNY WOODPECKER, BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. At one point 5! Carolina Wrens were calling at the same time from both sides of the river.

Next stop was at Pete Yeskie's house were we added TUFTED TITMOUSE, HOUSE SPARROW and GREAT BLACK-BACK GULL. Pete tipped us off to some WOOD DUCKS that had been there earlier - we got them at the Marina.

At 9 a.m. at the Northampton Airport we were glad to see Casey Surprenant, Chris Patterson, Eric Labato (in from Buffalo) and Nancy Eaton (up from Connecticut). Nancy was interested in seeing the Shrike so we gave her directions to where it was and she headed over to Hadley. (see addendum below)

Meanwhile the wind had picked up a little and it was chilly. A BALD EAGLE soared overhead. We searched for twenty minutes before locating some HORNED LARKS. The fields had no snow, hunters were out and the roads were muddy so we headed over to King Street hoping to add Fish Crow. No such luck.

We decided to head right up to Turners Falls instead of roaming about Northampton. At Barton Cove we added MUTE SWAN, HERRING GULL, and RING-BILLED GULL.

Over at the Power Canal it had warmed up and the breeze had died down. The gate was locked so we walked in. Along the road we added a HAIRY WOODPECKER. Out with the mallards was a female NORTHERN PINTAIL. We located a group of COMMON GOLDENEYES, but unfortunately the female Barrow's Goldeneye that had been there earlier in the week was gone. A KINGFISHER rattled along, high above us. We heard some GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS in the pines.

The highpoint was finding an EASTERN SCREECH-OWL sunning himself in a tree. We were tipped off by some people who were on a walk. They must have figured out we were bird watchers because of all our gear.

There was nothing new at the Rod and Gun Club. Chris and Casey headed back to Springfield. At the Montague/Sunderland line the rest of us checked out the river. We were hoping for some Hooded Mergansers, but just saw more Mallards, Black Ducks, Common Mergansers and Goldeneyes. Eric located a RED-BELLIED WOOPECKER.

The final bird of the day was a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW at Janice's house.

-narrative by Chris Gentes-

Total Species - 25

This was a very cold sunny morning. The temperature started at 14 degrees and ended at 19 degrees witha slight breeze. Bob Stevens, Heather McQueen and Chris Gentes started out near the airport hoping for some larks. The fields were clear of snow for the most part so they weren't concentrated at the airport. In the very far distance a flock of possible larks were seen briefly, but none showed up near the airport. The best birds seen were in the Conn. River. A pair of Wood Ducks and a drake Pintail. Over in the West Meadows going in from Olive Street we had a Creeper and a Pileated Woodpecker. All in all a pretty slow day of bird watching but it was good to be out.

Other species seen: Canada Goose, Mallard, Black Duck, Common Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk, Great Black-backed Gull, Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Crow, Blue Jay, Chickadee, Titmouse, WB Nuthatch, Robin, Starling, Cardinal, Junco, Song Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, House Finch.

Of interest was the margin of a pond/vernal pool which was covered in ice. The ice was clear so we could see down into a few inches of water/leafy debris. We noted numerous Isopods aka Aquatic Sowbugs. Also seen was a Water Scavenger Beetle covered with aquatic fungi. The aquatic beetle has an interesting life cycle. They overwinter as adults in ponds - sometimes hibernating in the mud. In the spring they mate and eggs are laid in the water. The larvae live in the water throughout the summer until they crawl out of the water and dig a small chamber where they pupate. A few weeks later they emerge as adults. Then they may disperse to a suitable pond to spend the winter.

Total Species - 37

We started at Arcadia HQ where there were 120 Cedar Waxwings waiting for us in the trees around the parking lot. Other birds seen in this area included a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Chickadees, American Crows, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bluejay, Robin, a pair of Bluebirds on a nest box, Cardinal, Common Grackle, Goldfinches, and singing Juncos. A Racoon was sleeping in a tree.

The marsh was partially open, though still surrounded by ice. There we added Canada Geese-10, Wood Duck-6, Mallard-25, Black Duck-8, Hooded Merganser-2, Common Merganser-20, Ring-billed Gull-2, and a drumming and calling Red-bellied Woodpecker. The Common Mergansers were courting - the males making their uig-a display call.

We next made a brief stop at Hadley Cove where a flock of what looked like mostly mallards flushed before we could see if there was anyhting more interesting mixed in with them.

At Mitch's Way we bumped into Brian Kane who had seen a possible teal fly off with some mallards just a few minutes earlier. He pointed us toward some Hooded Mergansers-7 and Wood Ducks-17 (on the far shore counted by Heather). Chris S. spotted three Pintails flying by. Fortunately they landed and gave us good views. Next a flock of 5 Common Goldeneyes flew in. They were in full display mode - soon joined by another 25. The whole flock was there for about ten minutes before they all flew off. An adult Bald Eagle then leisurely flew by putting up all the ducks before perching on a tree on the opposite shore. Nearby a Song Sparrow was singing.

Brunelles Marina was void of birds.

At Canal Park we had 3 Mute Swans, 8 Canada Geese, 5 Wood Ducks, 10 Mallards, 6 Hooded Mergansers, 1 Turkey Vulture and 1 Great-black Back Gull.

South of the dam from Beechwood Park we had 6 Common Goldeneye, 1 Common Merganser, and 2 Hooded Mergansers.

We ended the trip overlooking the Chicopee River where we saw 5 Ring-necked Ducks along with a few more Hooded Mergansers and Wood Ducks. Also seen there were a pair of Carolina Wrens. One called and the other flew over and made a rasping call in response.

Other birds seen - Mourning Dove, Rock Dove, Herring Gull, Red-tailed Hawk, Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow.

Total Species - 29

This walk started out near Olive Street where we searched the flooded woods for birds. We observed hundreds of Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds, Mallards, a half-dozen Wood Ducks and a female Hooded Merganser. Also seen were Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Cardinal, Robin, Cowbird, Song Sparrow , Mourning Dove and Goldfinch. Out on the Oxbow there were DC Cormorants and Great Black-backd Gulls. Near the Ibis pool there were a few more mallards and some Tree Swallows. We then observed the Great Blue Heron rookery for some time in the light of the setting sun. Also seen in this area was a flyby Killdeer, Kingfisher and Osprey. Other birds observed included Canada Geese, Black Ducks, Flickers, Bluebird, Chickadees, Downy Woodpecker, Song Sparrows, and Robins. As it became darker we watched a long line of a thousand plus blackbirds stream by. A mole ran along the path. A Peregrine Falcon appeared, chased after a bat, and then perched in a nearby tree for a few minutes. Eventually Woodcocks started peenting. In all we likely heard about 2-4 birds. A beaver slapped its tail from Ned's Ditch. Also heard were Pickeral Frogs and Spring Peepers.

Participants included Janice Jorgensen, John van de Graaff, Marylee Bomboy, George White, Karen Stevens, Bob & Andrea Stevens, Mark Fardal, Larry Therrien, Heather McQueen and Chris Gentes

Total Species - 45

This was a cold, wet, windy, rainy morning, but the birds didn't seem to mind too much. Dave Mako, Chris Gentes and Heather McQueen went on this walk and saw the following:

Canada Goose (with goslings), Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier (f), Turkey Vulture, Killdeer, Solitary Sandpiper, Kingfisher, Chimney Swift, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Flicker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Phoebe, Empid. Flycatcher, Am. Crow, Bluejay, Starling, Chickadee, WB Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Titmouse, Robin, Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Rough-winged Swallow, Warbling Vireo, Blue-winged Warbler (1), Northern Parula (2), Pine Warbler (3), Yellow-rumped Warbler (20), Palm Warbler (3), Yellow Warbler (6), Black-and-white Warbler (3), American Redstart (1), Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Cowbird, Northern Cardinal, Goldfinch.

Total Shorebirds - 9 species.
Total Species - 37

This trip was attened by Chris, Heather and Eric Labato in from Buffalo, New York. In Northampton we saw the 4 Baird's Sandpiper, but no other shore birds. Next we headed down to Longmeadow Sandbar we we added Semipalmated Plover-1, Killdeer-1, Semipalmated Sandpiper-2, Least Sandpiper-14. At the sandbar Seth Kellogg and the Allen Bird Club arrived - they had just been at Bondi's Island where they saw 2 Western Sandpipers. We headed over there but couldn't find them. At Bondi's Island we saw: Semipalmated Plover-2, Lesser Yellowlegs-2, Least Sandpiper-9, Semipalmated Sandpiper-1, Spotted Sandpiper-1. We then took a break before heading to North Hadley where we added: American Golden-plover-2 adults, Semipalmated Plover-1, Killdeer-60, Least Sandpiper-45, Spotted Sandpiper-3.

Of note was a very unusual tree swallow - it appeared completely white and was flying with other tree swallows.

Other birds we saw on the trip included: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Merganser-22, Great Blue Heron, DC Cormorant, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Kingfisher, Ring-billed Gull, Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeon, Hummingbird, American Crow, Fish Crow, Titmouse, Chickadee, Cedar Waxwing, Catbird, Tree Swallow, Bank Swallow, Common Yellowthroat, Starling, Cardinal, Song Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Goldfinch, House Finch, House Sparrow.

Total Species seen: 33

This walk was attended by Chris Gentes, Heather McQueen and Larry Duprey. It started with a light rain that progressively became heavy as the morning progressed. We visited the Marina, Dank's Pond area and then finished up at Whiting Reservoir. The highlights were the Kittiwakes at the Marina. We counted a total of 11 adults - 5 in the flooded soccer field, 3 in a secondary field and 3 out on the water. Here's our list from Oxbow/Dank's Pond: Canada Goose-4, Wood Duck-2, Black Duck-10, Mallard-58, Green-winged Teal-11, Pintail-1f, Hooded Merganser-2, DC Cormorant-1, Great Blue Heron-4, Osprey-1, Bald Eagle-1, Ring-billed Gull, Killdeer-41, Mourning Dove-3, Rock Pigeon, Kingfisher-1, Crow, Blue Jay, Starling, Chickadee, Titmouse, Robin-10, Yellow-rumped Warbler-30, Common Yellowthroat-1, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow-2, White-throated Sparrow-30, Red-winged Blackbird-200, House Sparrow. By this time the rain was pretty heavy so Larry headed back to Athol. Chris and Heather decided to check out Whiting Reservoir where they added: 2 Osprey, a Phoebe, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Junco, and 6 Chipping Sparrows.

4th Annual Northampton Waterfowl Census
Nov 12-13, 2005

Participants: Chris Ellison, Heather McQueen, & Chris Gentes.

Totals: 7 Species, 1424 Individual Birds

Saturday Nov 12 (6:30am - 3:30pm): Mute Swan-4, Canada Goose-1038, Wood Duck-2, Black Duck-19, Mallard-273, Hooded Merganser-5, Common Merganser-54, DC Cormorant-2, Bald Eagle-1, Red-tailed Hawk-6, Peregrine Falcon-1, Cooper's Hawk-1, Sharp-shinned Hawk-1, Ring-billed Gull-37, Rock Pigeon-25, Mourning Dove-10, Kingfisher-7, Downy Woodpecker-8, Hairy Woodpecker-1, Red-bellied Woodpecker-1, American Crow-25, Black-capped Chickadee-30, White-breasted Nuthatch-4, Red-breasted Nuthatch-5, Tufted Titmouse-6, Brown Creeper-2, Golden-crowned Kinglet-5, Eastern Bluebird-2, American Robin-31, Starling-110, Cardinal-8, Dark-eyed Junco-41, American Tree Sparrow-5, Song Sparrow-1, FOX SPARROW-1 (1st club record), Swamp Sparrow-1, White-throated Sparrow-4, Red-winged Blackbird-10, Common Grackle-4, Goldfinch-28, House Sparrow-10.

Sunday Nov 13 (7am-12:30pm) Mute Swan-2, Canada Goose-16, Wood Duck-8, Black Duck-8, Mallard-50, Hooded Merganser-2, Common Merganser-30, DC Cormorant-1, Great Blue Heron-1, Turkey Vulture-1, Bald Eagle-1, Red-tailed Hawk-3, Ring-billed Gull-20, Herring Gull-1, Rock Pigeon-10, Mourning Dove-5, Kingfisher-1, Northern Flicker-1, Downy Woodpecker-2, Hairy Woodpecker-1, Red-bellied Woodpecker-4, American Crow-120, Blue Jay-4, Black-capped Chickadee-16, White-breasted Nuthatch-5, Red-breasted Nuthatch-3, Tufted Titmouse-3, Brown Creeper-4, Golden-crowned Kinglet-5, Carolina Wren-2, Eastern Bluebird-1, American Robin-10, Starling-15, Yellow-rumped Warbler-2, Cardinal-6, Dark-eyed Junco-10, American Tree Sparrow-6, Song Sparrow-1, White-throated Sparrow-2, Red-winged Blackbird-3, Common Grackle-5, Goldfinch-11, House Sparrow-5.

December 18, 2005 Sunday

Participants: Bob Packard, Bruce Hart, Ilene Goldstein, Bill Packard, Larry Therrien, Kevin Weir and Doug Wheat.

We ended up with 38 species and 930 individuals seen which is just about average. Chris & Heather missed this year's count and Bruce hurt his foot, so some of the regular routes weren't covered this year. Still it was a pretty good count overall with 4 owl species seen. The Kellogg St. Screech-owl didn't respond, but a 'new' one was located in Whately. The Saw-whet & Barred Owls were near the Reservoir. Larry covered the WMA where he located a Hermit Thrush and Ruffed Grouse. There were 13! Brown Creepers - a bird we usually miss. Bill Benner has moved into our area and we staked out his feeder where we saw a Fox Sparrow. Five Swamp Sparrows were seen - a new high for our area. At least three at the Mountain St. swamp and two at the little shrub swamp across from the reservoir entrance along the snowmobile trail.

A FIRST RECORD for all Northampton Christmas Counts was a BOBCAT. Doug spotted it crossing Mountain Street at the big stream at 9AM. It slithered down into the swamp and flushed a bunch of birds, including a Swamp Sparrow. No mammels were out at night. Kevin found the area's first "Black" Squirrel near the dump.

Canada Goose -6
American Black Duck -7
Northern Saw-whet Owl -1
Barred Owl -1
Eastern Screech-owl -1 Second Time Seen in Area
Great-horned Owl -1
Red-tailed Hawk-2
Ruffed Grouse-1
Mourning Dove -201 NEW HIGH FOR AREA
Rock Pigeon -9
Belted Kingfisher -2 NEW HIGH FOR AREA
Downy Woodpecker -22
Hairy Woodpecker -10 NEW HIGH FOR AREA
Red-Bellied Woodpecker -3
American Crow -35
Blue Jay -60
American Robin -40
Hermit Thrush -1 Second Time Seen in Area
Eastern Bluebird -9
Mockingbird -2
Carolina Wren -1
Black-Capped Chickadee -114
Tufted Titmouse -32
Brown Creeper -13 NEW HIGH FOR AREA
White-breasted Nuthatch -28 NEW HIGH FOR AREA
Red-Breasted Nuthatch -20 NEW HIGH FOR AREA
European Starling-73
Cedar Waxwing -14
Northern Cardinal -20
Fox Sparrow -1 Second Time Seen in Area
Tree Sparrow -35
White-throated Sparrow -10
Swamp Sparrow -4 NEW HIGH FOR AREA Second Time Seen in Area
Song Sparrow -6
Junco -76
American Goldfinch -56
Common Redpoll -1
House Sparrow -16

MAMMELS
Gray Squirrel-5
Black Squirrel-1 First for Area 30
Red Squirrel-2
BOBCAT-1New for Northampton Count Circle