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February 2004 Sightings
Hampshire, Hampden & Franklin Counties of Massachusetts

VARIED THRUSH

Feb 1 Sunday Sunny and Cold
LONGMEADOW (reported on Massbird by Joe Wojtanowski) About 6 Snow Buntings were with 20+ Horned Larks this afternoon in the corn field on the east side of West Road.

SHUTESBURY (report from Kevin Weir) Had first visit by a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Shutesbury today.

Feb 2 Monday Sunny, Upper 30s
NORTHAMPTON (report from Larry Therrien) This morning I went to the series of paths near the old state hospital. Beyond the usuals I had a Northern Mockingbird and a couple Robins. The highlight here was a close up view of a juv Red-tailed Hawk perched in a large snag. While watching him, he took off and glided across a couple fields and it looked like he was going to try for a group of crows, but instead he caught a gray squirrel in the open and nailed it. The hawk sat right there and dined on the squirrel. Then in the afternoon went to Arcadia where I had a group of C. Waxwings in the fruit trees there, but no Bohemians. A large group of crows in the fields there (500). Also had alot of the usual birds you would expect down there. Also had three redtails soaring together in the area. A brief stop at the Connecticut River near the Coolidge bridge brought the usuals, plus yet another redtail feeding on some type of duck or goose right on the ice within several feet of the large congregation of geese and ducks. As far as gulls go....I had a few in the Connecticut, about a dozen near the oxbow and over 50 on Burts Pit Rd, but as usual...nothing unusual!

WESTFIELD (Voice of Audubon for Western Massachusetts for Monday, Feb. 2) An Iceland Gull was seen behind the Wal-mart store on Route 20. Two Hooded Mergansers were in the Westfield River nearby.

AGAWAM (Voice of Audubon for Western Massachusetts for Monday, Feb. 2) Hooded Mergansers, a Mute Swan and 2 Bald Eagles were on the Connecticut River.

HOLYOKE (Voice of Audubon for Western Massachusetts for Monday, Feb. 2) A Bald Eagle, 43 Common Goldeneyes, 24 Common Mergansers, and 2 Hooded Mergansers were seen above and below the dam on the Connecticut River.

CHICOPEE (Voice of Audubon for Western Massachusetts for Monday, Feb. 2) An Osprey and a Ring-necked Duck were reported on the Chicopee River.

TURNERS FALLS (Voice of Audubon for Western Massachusetts for Monday, Feb. 2) A Wood Duck, 21 Mute Swans, a Northern Pintail, and 12 Common Goldeneyes were on the Connecticut River.

HADLEY (Voice of Audubon for Western Massachusetts for Monday, Feb. 2) A Golden Eagle, a Bald Eagle, 5 Common Goldeneyes, a Rough-legged Hawk, 70 Snow Buntings, and 300 Horned Larks were reported.

SOUTHWICK (Voice of Audubon for Western Massachusetts for Monday, Feb. 2) A Purple Finch, 12 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 15 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 2 Brown Creepers, a Field Sparrow, and 15 Pine Siskins were seen.

Feb 3 Tuesday Cloudy - Snow Late
ASHFIELD (reported on Massbird by Steve Sauter) Coming home in the failing light and thickening snow just now, I saw a Barred Owl perched on the telephone wires just south of the 116-112 intersection in the village of Ashfield. He was overlooking a hay field, but managed to lock eyes with me as I slowed to check him out.

QUABBIN (report from Janice Jorgensen) I went to Quabbin to "gawk" at the Varied Thrush. It was there feeding with bluejays and moving around so I could get a better view, While I waited for it to arrive there was a spectacular pileated woodpecker. And then the red bellied woodpecker. In Hadley near my house I saw 7 robins.

Feb 4 Wednesday Sunny - Low 40s
NORTHAMPTON (report from Chris Gentes) I checked out around the airport and found 80 Horned Larks, 4 Snow Buntings, and 2 Lapland Longspurs right on the paved road at the end of the runway nearest the highway.

GREENFIELD (report from Larry Therrien) Took a trip to Greenfield and had a flock of 50+ Cedar Waxwings in downtown (no Bohemians). A stop at the canal in Turners Falls turned up 7 Common Goldeneyes, 75+ Mallards, a few Black Ducks and a handful of gulls.

Feb 5 Thursday Partly Cloudy
DEERFIELD (reported on Massbird by Rob Ranney) Wednesday morning, I saw an adult female Hoary Redpoll among a flock of Commons at a feeder in Deerfield. She has not been seen there since that one time. Sorry, the homeowners want to keep their back yard private, so I cannot be more specific on the location. Looking at Common Redpolls all month at my feeders sure helped prep for this opportunity. I saw her for over a minute in binoculars at about 20 yards. Key marks were much thinner streaks on the flanks, white edges on the lower scapulars, and overall lighter appearance. I did not get a good look at the undertail coverts The Sibley Guide has the only useful illustrations I've found. Petersons is muddy, and National Geographic is just weird. Good Birding,

Feb 6 Friday Snow, Rain, Ice

Feb 7 Saturday Big Melt Early - Cold & Wind Later
HADLEY (report from Chris Gentes) There was an American Kestrel hanging out on Mill Valley Road for much of the day, and a Peregrine Falcon was observed near Goulet Farm just up the road. The Cooper's Hawk was seen in the usual spot in North Hadley, and a few Red-tails were seen here and there.

SHUTESBURY( report from Kevin Weir) There are two Common Redpolls feeding on the ground by my feeder. First time I've seen them here.

NORTHAMPTON (report from Jonathan Gottsche) Two Coops flew in the backyard this afternoon for 20 minutes in which time a resting Red-tail was flushed from a large willow. That what downtown Hamp was like.

NORTHAMPTON (report from Tom Gagnon) There were two Iceland Gulls in with hundreds of other gulls at the Burt's Pit Road dump. Also a Raven flew overhead.

ASHFIELD (reported on Massbird by Steve Sauter) A few days ago I reported seeing a Barred Owl perched on the telephone wires just north of the intersection of 112 and 116 in the village of Ashfield. It was there again today, same time, same place. Looks like a reliable pattern to me. 5 P.M.

GRANBY (reported on Massbird by Mark Faherty ) A painfully unsuccessful day of ice fishing at a remote pond in Granby was rendered palatable by good company, hot chocolate with schnapps, and a flock of at least 120 Common Redpolls that flew over us. Before moving on they spent some time back in the woods, invisible but very audible among hemlocks and black birches. About two hundred crows also came through in waves, presumably en route to an evening roost.

Feb 8 Sunday Sunny, Windy, Freezing Cold
GILL (report from Tom Gagnon) Two probable Lesser Scaup seen on the river.

Feb 9 Monday Cloudy, Cold
ASHFIELD (reported on Massbird by Steve Sauter) During a pleasant stroll up Watson Spruce Corner Road I found a flock of 11 Evening Grosbeaks in the old sugar maples just above South Face Farm Sugarhouse. Both the farm and the house across the road have active feeders. Also on the walk were 5 Red-breasted and 3 White-breasted Nuthatches, 6 Tree Sparrows, 3 Ravens, 6 Cedar Waxwings and 60 C. Redpolls

AMHERST (reported on Massbird by Mark Faherty) A first year Iceland Gull just flew over my South Amherst yard, apparently making a beeline for the big compost pile at the back of a nearby ag field by Hampshire College. Yesterday just a single Redpoll was at my feeders. Which is fine, because I couldn't afford to feed that mammoth flock I saw the other day down the road in Granby if they showed up.

NORTHAMPTON (report from Chris Gentes) The 2 Iceland Gulls were still in with the other gulls on Burts Pit Road near the "dump".

HADLEY (Voice of Audubon for Western Massachusetts for Monday, Feb. 9) In Hadley An American Pipit was found on a manure pile along South Maple Street, just south of Mill Valley Road. A few horned Larks were seen with it.

Feb 10 Tuesday Sunny, "Mild"
ASHFIELD (reported on Massbird by Steve Sauter) I saw my new friend [Barred Owl] again today, this time I saw him at 5:30 and had my camera ready. This time he was flying across the field just west of the Hawley Road/112/116 interesection. As I pulled up he landed on the telephone wire. http://www.stevesauter.com/baow.jpg

NORTHAMPTON (report from Larry Therrien) I finally found an Iceland Gull there on Burts Pit Rd. All the gulls (250+ birds) were on the hill near the sharp corner...with some on either side of the hill. Finally found one 1st winter Iceland this morning. Also had the usual couple hundred crows plus at least 1000 Starlings.

Feb 11 Wednesday Sunny, Cold
AMHERST (report from Heather McQueen) Near Amherst College I saw a Fox Sparrow along with a big flock of 30 Chickadees, 40+ Juncos, and a dozen White-throated Sparrows.

ASHFIELD (reported on Massbird by Steve Sauter) A flock of 20 American Robins has settled in to the trees in my yard this morning, even though we still have 20" of snow on the ground. Optimism!

NEW SALEM (reported on Massbird by )Bill Lafley This morning (Wed) there was a flock of about 30 Bohemian Waxwings in the trees in our backyard. There was one Cedar Waxwing in the group. Also I have had a flock of almost 50 C. Redpolls and 10 Pine Siskins at my feeder off and on for the past few days. This is the first winter I have had a Red-bellied Woodpecker coming to the feeder almost daily. Before this year I would see one occasionally in the spring or fall.

Feb 12 Thursday Sunny
AMHERST (reported on Massbird by David Norton) I was surprised to see a Flicker at our suet feeder this morning. We had a Carolina Wren enjoying the same a couple days ago. Also had a red squirrel zipping around the yard trying his best to get at all the feeders.... he makes the gray ones look sort of sluggish.

NORTHAMPTON (report from Larry Therrien) Stopped by Burt Pit Rd...no Iceland Gull while I was there. The usual suspects were there in the usual numbers. Did see a group of 20+ Robins and 7 Eastern Bluebirds in the immediate area.

Feb 13 Friday Sunny
NORTHAMPTON (report from Jonathan Gottsche) An American Woodcock was heard 'peenting' near Stop & SHop on King Street soon after dark. Earlier in the day another was heard in West Springfield near the Conn. River. .

NORTHAMPTON (report from Chris Gentes) Walked around the airport to see what was happening. Only saw 3 Horned Larks, 2 Song Sparrows and a Crow. In the River there were some Mallards, Canada Geese and a few Common Mergansers. There was; however, a Merlin fly-by.

WESTFIELD (reported on Massbird by Rob Ranney) Today I saw a Turkey Vulture from the Mass Pike, low over the landfill just southwest of the Westfield exit ( #3) at 3:00 PM.

QUABBIN (reported on Massbird by Glenn and Linda Long) Birds seen at the Quabbin Summit today: Wild Turkey (8) Common Raven, American Crow, Blue Jay (15), Varied Thrush (Seen at 2:00,) American Robin (6), Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch (2), American Tree Sparrow (2), Dark-eyed Junco (10>).

PALMER (reported on Massbird by Glenn and Linda Long) We had a Turkey Vulture.

Feb 14 Saturday Sunny, Breezy
NORTHAMPTON (report from Chris Gentes) This was a NBWC trip. Total Species Seen: 32. Participants included Michelle Stacey, Sarah Thomsen, Heather McQueen and Chris Gentes. We started out at the Northampton Airport where a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew by and landed briefly. Our three focus birds were Horned Larks, Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings. We eventually got great looks at all three species along the north end of the runway. Other birds seen in the area included many Canada Geese and Mallards on the river, Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, several Red-tailed Hawks, Mourning Doves, Pigeons, Crows, Cardinals, and House Sparrows. After saying goodbye to Sarah we headed over to Burt's Pit Road where we were picked out at least 2 first year Iceland Gulls flying overhead with many, many other gulls. The big surprise was a low flying Turkey Vulture. New additions included Blue Jays, Ring-billed Gulls, Starlings and 2 Robins. Heather and I decided to extend the trip by travelling to Royalston in search of Bohemain Waxwings. Along the way we made a side trip to Barton's Cove where we added Mute Swan, Common Merganser, Mockingbird and Song Sparrow. In Erving a Black-capped Chickadee flew by as we drove along. In Royalston Common we soon located a large flock of 50 Bohemian Waxwings! Other birds seen in Royalston included Hairy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Tree Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Junco, and Common Redpoll.

QUABBIN (reported on Massbird by Mike Emmons) The Varied Thrush was seen between 9 and 10 a.m. this morning at the previously described location at Quabbin Reservoir. There were three Snow Buntings were also observed in same location.

Feb 15 Sunday Arctic Cold Returns - Sunny
HADLEY (report from Pete Yeskie) There was an adult Iceland Gull eating some fish I put out on the ice..

SHUTESBURY (report from Kevin Weir) We had a Merlin hunting at our feeder today. We have our old christmas tree at the base and he lost a junco under the tree. He stuck around for about 5 minutes going into the tree and sitting above, but went away without a catch.

NORTH HADLEY (report from Chris Gentes) A flock of 50+ Robins descended on some sumac bushes this morning. Other birds seen around the yard includ a few Common Redpolls, singing Carolina Wren, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and the regular crowd of titmice, sparrows, juncos and chickadees etc..

AHSFIELD (reported on Massbird by Steve Sauter) About 20 Snow Buntings are still working along Hawley Rd near Wauban Farms in Ashfield. The Evening Grosbeaks I reported earlier this week in the trees around South Face farm on Watson Spruce Corner Rd. are also still present.

Feb 16 Monday Sunny, Very Cold
NORTHAMPTON (reported on Massbird by Bob Bieda) A large flock of gulls have been gathering at a compost pile on Burts Pit Rd. in Northampton. The compost pile is on the south side of the road about .25 miles west of the closed state hospital and the community gardens. Today there were at least six Iceland Gulls ranging in plumage from imm. to full adult. In addition, I observed a gull in good scope view for many minutes that based on size, shape and plumage I think was an imm. Lesser Black-backed Gull. Tom Gagnon observed an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull here a day or so ago. I did not see this bird, but many of the gulls were out of view or in the air. If the gate to the compost area is closed you need to pull well off the road to avoid traffic. Also, on the Connecticut River just south of the Coolidge Bridge, there was an imm. Glaucous Gull with many Great Black-backed Gulls.

AMHERST (report from Heather McQueen) Today I saw 2 Downy Woodpeckers, A Hairy Woodpecker and a Pileated Woodpecker all drumming.

ASHFIELD (reported on Massbird by Steve Sauter) I saw 20 Purple Finches in the trees behind the convenience store on Main Street at 4:30 P.M. today.

NORTHAMPTON (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 16) A Northern Harrier, 70 Horned Larks, 2 Snow Buntings and 3 Lapland Longspurs were seen.

LONGMEADOW (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 16) A pair of Peregrine Falcons were seen courting on the sandbar in the river.

TURNERS FALLS/WEST SPRINGFIELD (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 16) Bald Eagle pairs are already at their nest sites.

AMHERST (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 16) Two Northern Pintails, 100 American Robins, and a Hermit Thrush were observed.

SHELBURNE (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 16) Three Eastern Bluebirds, 100 American Robins, and yet another Hermit Thrush were reported.

SOUTHWICK (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 16) A Northern Flicker, 6 Eastern Bluebirds, 35 American Robins, and 80 Cedar Waxwings were seen.

Feb 17 Tuesday Hazy and Cold - Ice Breaking up on River
HADLEY (report from Heather McQueen) This morning at a house near the intersection of Stockbridg and Knightly Road there were 10 Bohemian Waxwings in a crabapple tree. They flew off after I watched them for a few minutes.

HADLEY (report from Pete Yeskie) In front of the house on the ice [south of Coolidge Bridge] there was one Iceland Gull and 4 Glaucous Gulls.

HADLEY/NORTHAMPTON (report from Larry Therrien) At the Coolidge Bridge there were the usual Canada Geese (450+), Mallards and Common Mergansers (5) plus only a few gulls, with nothing unusual. A quick drive around the airport found among other, a small mixed flock containing a dozen Snow Buntings and two Lapland Longspurs...close looks at both species. At the Burts Pit Rd compost area, a large group of gulls (rough guess 500). The usual suspects plus 7 Iceland Gulls including one 2nd year, six 1st year one of which had some dark coloration. Also a few Red tails scattered at various locations. I heard a Fish Crow at the compost area as well.

QUABBIN (reported on Massbird by Dave Jerome ) The Varied Thrush was seen at the Quabbin Tower parking lot this morning (2/17) from about 9:15-10:15 off and on with a bunch of Blue Jays. Fortunately, I was the only person there and there were lots of birds coming to the open ground to feed, including a Red Bellied WP.

Feb 18 Wednesday A Winter's Day
AMHERST (report from Heather McQueen) Near Amherst College I saw 5 Golden-crowned Kinglets.

ASHFIELD (reported on Massbird by Steve Sauter) My first calling Saw-whet of the year, just now at 6:20 P.M. Eighteen years of this spring pleasure!

AMHERST (report from Chris Gentes) I saw 2 Turkey Vultures flying East at dusk.

Feb 19 Thursday Sunny, Breezy - River Open.
NORTHAMPTON (reported on Massbird by Hector Galbraith PhD) Today at the Northampton compost station I had 6 Iceland Gulls (1 adult and 5 immatures) - this may be an undercount since the birds were not behaving themselves and constantly flying up and swirling about. I also had a 1st winter Glaucous Gull and a bird that I am fairly sure was a 1st winter Thayer's Gull. When I first saw this latter bird it was on the ground with a 1st winter Iceland and a bunch of mixed age Herrings and Great Black-backs. Its overall body color was a sort of cafe au lait - much paler than the Herrings that were milling around but somewhat darker than the Icelands. What was noticeable, however was its primaries (extending way beyond the tail) which were a darker shade than the body (more cafe than lait!), but way less dark than a Herring's. They contrasted somewhat with the mantle, back, and wing coverts. So far as I could see the tertials were a solid beige and not notched. Its bill was a solid black and its legs dull pink and its head shape was rounded and Iceland-like. The bird then flew up and over my head and I could see that its generally pail tail had a broad beige-colored subterminal band with an inconspicuous paler terminal band. In flight from below it looked almost as pale as the Iceland juveniles and had the same translucent look to the primaries and secondaries. My guess is that this bird might be a 1st winter Thayer's Gull. However, these birds are notoriously difficult to separate from darker Icelands and also from pale Herrings. Also, I did not get a long enough look to be entirely confident in my ID. However, if anyone is visiting these gulls over the next day or so it would be worth watching out for.

NORTHAMPTON (reported on Massbird by Mark Taylor) I went down to Northampton this afternoon to check out the compost piles on Burts Pit Rd. and see what gulls were around. Tons of gulls, but sadly they swirling high above the piles, perhaps due to people activity in the dump. I picked out 1 adult Glaucous Gull overhead, but that's it. Several hundred American Crows were in attendance as well as thousands of Starlings. With the lack of decent gull roosts this winter, of which reasons I can only guess, (Barton Cove has been basically barren this year) this area in Northampton looks like the place to be if your into gulls.

Feb 20 Friday Cloudy, 'Mild'
NORTHAMPTON (reported on Massbird by Mark Faherty) God only knows how many white-winged gulls are in Northampton right now. Based on three hours careful accounting of ages and individuals, I can say with certainty that there were a minimum of 10 Iceland Gulls at the compost piles on Burt's Pit Rd. Also there was a 3rd winter Lesser Black-backed Gull and the possible Thayer's, which was easy to pick out when it was around. A 1st winter Glaucous was down river of the Coolidge Bridge, as previously reported. I digiscoped some blurry shots of the Thayer-esque gull (possibly the same one reported by Hector Galbraith), which I don't know what to do with, since I can't seem to get access to my web space here at UMass. A very wide range of flavors of 1st year Iceland Gulls were around for comparison, and the Thayer's was similar in overall color to the darkest of these, which I think would put it at the pale end of the Thayer's spectrum. It differed from the Icelands in that the primaries were much darker than the rest of the body as mentioned in the previous decription by Hector. Structurally, it was intermediate between Herring and Iceland. The problem was that the tertials were busily patterned with dark and light markings on the bird I was studying today, which is wrong for Thayer's but right for Kumlien's Iceland. If individuals in this species complex can be best represented as points along a continuum, I would put this bird mostly towards Thayer's end of the Iceland- Thayer's gradient. Maybe it's a hybrid. Frankly I'm a bit out of my league with these guys. An immature White-crowned Sparrow turned up serendipitously as a blur in the background of my scope view behind an Iceland Gull. It was in the thicket behind the left-most large compost piles. And finally, a Fish Crow carried on nasally at the compost piles for about an hour. Final tally: Iceland Gull (10+), Glaucous Gull (1, CT River), Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 3w), Ring-billed Gull (1), Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls - lots, Fish Crow (1), White-crowned Sparrow (1). Iceland Gull breakdown - I had 1 adult, 2 very different looking 2nd year birds, and various shades of 1st year ranging from ghostly pale to quite brownish.

NORTHAMPTON (report from Chris Gentes) I got to see the possible Thayer's Gull this afternoon and the thing about it that struck me was the pale edged primaries. It looked somewhat like the "paler juvenile" in Sibley to me. I never got to see the tail. I was fortunate to be on a trip with Wayne Petersen a few years ago when a Thayer's Gull was discoverd. He gave a great impromptu lecture about the bird. The field marks he was looking for were 1) "J Hooks" on the end of the primaries - ie pale edged. 2) solid dark across tail -i.e. 'banded'. He also talked about whether 'Thayer's Gull' is even a species since there is some interbreeding with Iceland/Herring in spots. He ended his lecture with 'if there is a 'Thayer's Gull' then what we are looking at is what is considered one.'

NORTHFIELD (reported on Massbird by Mark Taylor) All winter we've had daily visits of Common Redpolls and less frequently, Pine Siskins. Occasionally big numbers drop in of both; today is one of those days. Common Redpoll (100), Pine Siskin (25), American Goldfinch (36).

DEERFIELD (reported on Massbird by Bob Packard) This morning along McLellan Farm Road in Deerfield w/ Jennifer Strules and Pat Serrentino: CanGoose-15, Mallard-app 30, Black Duck-8, ComGoldeneye-9, ComMerganser-3, RBGull-app 25, HerrGull-2+, GBBGull-2+, RockPigeon-app 75, MoDove-app 10, Kingfisher-1, Red-bellyWoodpecker-2, Downy-2+, Hairy-2, Pileated-1, BlueJay-app 10, ACrow-app 15, TTitmouse-4+, BCChickadee-3+, WBNuthatch-3+, BCreeper-1, EBluebird-2, ARobin-app 60, Starling-2, Tree Sparrow-app 20, Song Sparrow-5, Whitethroat-7, WHITE-CROWNED-1 imm, DEJunco-app 30, NCardinal-2+, AGoldfinch-2+, Muskrat-1, Winter Stonefly-1.

HADLEY (report from Chris Gentes) After talking with Pete Yeskie this afternoon I learned that the sandbar south of the Coolidge Bridge may be back. The ice on the river is gone and the river is down. The gulls are standing in a few inches of water on a sandbar. This sandbar has been absent for a few years. This sandbar is always a great place for wintering gulls. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few days and weeks.

Feb 21 Saturday Cloudy, 'Mild'
HADLEY (report from Pete Yeskie) The river is so low that the huge sandbar is exposed just south of the Coolidge Bridge and there are over 500 gulls there including an Iceland and a Glaucous. Also seen were 2 Hooded Mergansers.

NORTHAMPTON (report from Tom Gagnon) The Thayer's Gull was observed today at the dump on Burt's Pit Road. Also at least 10 Iceland Gulls were observed as well as a "Kumlien's" Iceland Gull. Also seen was a Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Feb 22 Sunday Sunny, Breezy, Cold
HADLEY (report from Pete Yeskie) The river was high again, obscuring the sandbar, but I did have a Green-winged Teal and a Black Duck.

SUNDERLAND (report from Sue Emerson) This afternoon at Mt. Sugarloaf we observed both Peregrine Falcons about the same area as they nested last year. A Raven was in their nest hole and two pairs of red tail hawks were flying overhead, one pair has established a nest below in the trees, mid way between the falcons and ravens.

AMHERST (reported on Massbird by John Splaine) While visiting the campus pond in search of black ducks (found 1) I was amazed to spot a Kingfisher perched in a small tree next to the pond near the arts center.

Feb 23 Monday Sunny, Mild

NORTHAMPTON (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 23) The composting station on Burts Pit Road in Northampton was the scene all week of a feeding frenzy of gulls. Seven species have been noted, including as many as 11 Iceland Gulls, a Glaucous Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a first year Thayer's Gull. A White-crowned Sparrow was also in the area. On the East Meadows were 50 Horned Larks, 20 Snow Buntings, and a Lapland Longspur.

HOLYOKE (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 23) A Roughh-legged Hawk was seen on the edge of Interstate 91.

AMHERST (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 23) A Great Blue Heron and a Belted Kingfisher were observed in Amherst.

SOUTHWICK (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 23) A Belted Kingfisher was found along with a Wood Duck, and 150 American Robins.

AGAWAM (Western Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 23) A Glaucous Gull was seen on the Connecticut River.

Feb 24 Tuesday Cloudy, Cold
HADLEY (report from Chris Gentes) I saw a Northern Shrike teed up in a tree in the fields off Mount Warner Road today - the first time I've seen one there since Jan 10.

NORTHAMPTON (reported on Massbird by Andrew Spenser) I went down to the dump on Burts Pitt Rd. in Northampton today to look at the gull being reported as a possible Thayer’s. I saw this bird on Sunday, and came back today to study it some more and get better pictures. While there today I also saw a first basic Lesser Black-backed and somewhere around 10 or so first basic Icelands and 1 second basic Iceland. I saw the possible Thayer’s today quite well at about 45 feet, and I was able to get decent shots that I can send to anyone who wants to see them. While the bird has been reported by many as a probable or definite Thayer’s Gull, I disagree with this ID\, and tthink hat the bird is either a very dark Kumlien’s Gull, or, more likely, an intergrade Kumlien’s x Thayer’s (though closer to Kumlien's), for the following reasons: First, and foremost, the feathers on the back are the wrong pattern; they are white with a brown bar through the center instead of brown with white edges, overall giving the back of the bird a really pale look at most angles. When seen from behind, the back looks almost entirely white. The back feathers matched the back feathers of the darker Kumlien’s present perfectly. The tertials are very marked internally, with only one or two of the tertials having any significant amount of solid brown in the center of the feathers, unlike the mainly solid brown tertials of a pure Thayer’s. The tail, while banded, is not very much darker than the underside brown color on the bird, and the outer feathers are barred. I have not seen the tail closely enough to tell if the inner feathers are barred to any significant amount, but I suspect they have at least some barring in them. The bar on the upper side of the secondary feathers is quite pale, and certainly not as obvious as on Thayer’s I have seen in Colorado. The primaries show a little more than just the pale frosting around the edges when folded; instead the pale edges seem to “bleed” into the inner part of the primary tips. And, the overall bird is on the extreme pale end for Thayer’s. Marks against Kumlien’s are that the primaries are significantly darker than the body, though still on the extreme pale end of Thayer’s, in my opinion. This mark, and the presence of a pale but noticeable secondary bar, as well as the large Herring Gull like bill and sloping forehead more like Herring Gull, lead me to believe it is an intergrade. Any other opinions on this bird’s ID would be welcomed, and any comments on my notes on the bird would be as well

Feb 25 Wednesday Sunny, 30s
NORTHAMPTON (reported on Massbird by Mark Faherty) I have posted a page of gull pictures from Northampton, with some new photos and plumages. There is no text (because I created the page by writing actual html code like some sort of cyber- caveman), so you have to look at the file names (in the last part of the url) to confirm what bird you are looking at. So it's like a blurry quiz page, I suppose. http://www.people.umass.edu/mfaherty/noho_gulls.html I added photos of the 2nd winter Iceland Gull I had mentioned in a previous post since it is a relatively uncommon plumage in MA. The other 2nd winter bird from 2/20 had a completely gray mantle, and very worn, very white coverts and wing feathers, so it was probably more advanced than the bird in the photo - maybe "2nd summer" plumage. I can't find a photo of that plumage anywhere in books or online. Finally, I got a few photos of the 1st winter Lesser Black-backed Gull first reported by Bob Bieda, I think. That's another plumage you don't see too often in MA. Thanks to Andrew Spencer for expanding upon and better articulating the reasons why the Thayer's/Kumlien's Gull is not a pure Thayer's Gull. However, despite Andrew's comment, I'm not aware of any people reporting or discussing this bird on massbird as if it were a "probable or definite Thayer's", let alone "many people", so I'm not sure who he is strongly disagreeing with. Perhaps people are being more reckless off-line. Gull expert Martin Reid has provided comments on Chris Gentes' page that have confirmed my previously expressed suspicions that the gull people would call this a "Thayer's/Kumlien's intergrade". http://www.massbird.org/noho/thayers.htm In the photos I added you can better see what Andrew and Martin are talking about with the Kumlien's-like scapulars. I agree that the bird is somewhere intermediate between Kumlien's and Thayer's. I think "dark Kumlien's" would be a silly way to id this bird since overall "darkness" is not what separates it from the dark Kumlien's present; it's the structure, the dark folded primaries, and the Thayer's-like upper wing pattern. This is obviously not one of the normal Kumlien's we get in MA, and it seems logical that it might be from a more western population with a higher percentage of "Thayer's genes". Or....who knows. I've decided to give up gulls for lent.

Feb 26 Thursday Sunny, 30s
HADLEY (report from Chris Gentes) Heather and I observed a pair of Bluebirds at a birdbox this morning. The male bird was standing on the box while the female was perched nearby. The male then hovered near the entrance hole to the birdbox, as if to show the female that this would be where they could have their nest. After a bit the male flew back on top of the box and then to a nearby perch. Next the female flew over to the box and stood on it for a few minutes. The male spread his tail and fluttered his wings before flying inside the birdbox for a few minutes while the female remained outside. After the male emerged the female hovered outside the hole as if deciding whether this would be a good place to nest. She didn't go in however. The male bird then picked some small berries and placed them on a fencepost. The female went over to the berries while the male flew off thirty yards and fluttered his wings while perched on a small plant.

NORTHAMPTON (report from Chris Gentes) I only saw one Iceland Gull with the usual gulls at the dump on Burt's Pit Road. On Wednesday there were 2 Iceland Gulls. Regarding the Northampton possible Thayer's Gull --- Andrew Spencer commented a few days ago against Thayer's because the "tertials are very marked internally, with only one or two of the tertials having any significant amount of solid brown in the center of the feathers, unlike the mainly solid brown tertials of a pure Thayer’s." I found the following quote that argues that solid brown in just a few tertials can indicate Thayer's. "...a minority of Thayer's will have significant internal pale markings in the tertials but will still show at least a reduced panel of solid brown somewhere in the bunched feather group." --- Zimmer, K. J. 1991. Plumage variation in "Kumlien's" Iceland Gull. Birding 23: 254-269 I've added a photo of the Northampton Gull's tertials that clearly show panels of solid brown. http://www.massbird.org/noho/thayers.htm

NORTHAMPTON (report from Larry Therrien) Stopped by Mt Sugarloaf today and took a look from the bottom at the cliff face. No peregrines while I was there, but did see a raven. Also made a stop at the meadows of Arcadia...had ten eastern bluebirds and a coupe flickers along the roadside. Also found a couple of fresh owl pellets (1 1/2 inches) in a group of short pines...seemed like great owl habitat. Looked and looked but found no owls.

Feb 27 Friday Sunny, 30s
AMHERST (report from Heather McQueen) Saw a Turkey Vulure!

Feb 28 Saturday Sunny, 40s
HADLEY (report from Kevin Weir) I've noticed Bluebirds along 116 in Hadley by UMass stadium area and on the parallel road by the horse farms in Hadley.

Feb 29 Sunday Partly Sunny, Warm
SHUTESBURY (report from Kevin Weir) I came across our first Bluebirds here today. A male and female were just on the edge of our Pelham field by the Adams brook. They always seem to come to this spot on our place first each year. There are a lot of large mature sugar maples along that area with lots of nest holes.

NORTH HADLEY (report from Chris Gentes) A Red-winged Blackbird was calling this morning atop a tree next to the pond and 2 more were down by the river. Late i nthe afternoon there were 2 Red-wingeds chasing each other near the pond. They were soon joined by a Common Grackle. Also seen were 8 Common Redpolls eating Alder cones. On the Connecticut River there was a Horned Grebe, 2 Black Ducks, 11 Common Goldeneyes, 8 Common Mergansers, and 5 Hooded Mergansers. On a sandbar on the river were some gulls including at least one Iceland Gull.

SUNDERLAND (report from Heather McQueen) We saw 2 Peregrine Falcons at Mount Sugarloaf. One was mostly perched on a tree to the right of the cliffs and the other was perched on the cliff face. At one point the bird that had been perched on the cliff face went into a crevice that was about halfway between last years nesting spot and the built up raven stick nest. Maybe a new nesting spot? Also seen was a Rraven, and an immature & adult Bald Eagle flyby, On the river were 40 Mallards, 20 Black Ducks, 5 Common Mergansers and 3 Common Goldeneyes.

PELHAM (reported on Massbird by Mark Lynch/Sheila Carroll ) We spent an hour scoping Quabbin from the Pelham Overlook with ideal lighting and conditions: Turkey Vulture (3), Bald Eagle (at least 5 adults and very possibly more. One flew low over our heads heading apparently for the Connecticut River), Red-tailed Hawk (2), Golden Eagle (1ad), C. Raven (2)