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

February 1 - Tuesday - Sunny and Cold

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) I went for a walk at Fitzgerald Lake along Boggy Meadow trail around 2pm. Highlight would be a hooting Great Horned Owl just after 2, not far out of the parking lot...not something you expect to hear in the middle of the day on such a sunny day. Also had Golden Crowned Kinglet (2) and American Robin (2).

February 2 - Wednesday - Sunny and Cold, but less so.

HADLEY (from Deedee Minear) I saw an adult Nothern Shrike in Hadley off Mt Warner Road at 11 am.

TURNERS FALLS+ (from Harvey Allen) The Great Cormorant continues at the canal. Also a lot of Black Ducks and a "2nd" Screech Owl. Over in Montague on the Connecticut River near the Deerfield River there were 80 Common Mergansers and 20 Common Goldeneyes.

TURNERS FALLS (from Jonathan Gottsche) Shelley and I went to the turners canal. Looks like we had the same as Harvey. 1 G.Cormorant, 2 Icelands, 1 screech,.. we also had 3 ring neck ducks 1 male 2 female ( first of the year).

February 3 - Thursday - Sunny and not as Cold.

February 4 - Friday - Sunny in the 40s.

TURNERS FALLS (from Larry Therrien) Power Canal in Turners Falls: Common Goldeneye (12), Common Merganser (1), Ring Necked Duck (4), Mute Swan (3), Mallard (125+), Canada Geese (200+), Great Cormorant (1), plus the usual gulls. Also had American Robins (30+) just off the road. BARTON COVE: Bald Eagle (1) adult in nest, Mute Swan (7), Mallard (31), Canada Geese (20).

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) State Hospital Trails: American Robins (50+) all in the first field out of the parking lot. Took a trip down to the Arcadia meadows with my brother Mike this afternoon and had the following: American Robin (2), Junco (12), Red Tailed Hawk (2), Accipiter sp (1), Canada Goose (1) plus various usuals. Also had a group of 85 circling gulls. In addition had quite a few turkey tracks and a fresh kill of what appeared to be a rabbit.

February 5- Saturday - Sunny in the low 50s.

NORTH HADLEY (from Chris Gentes) A portion of the Conn. River is open and there were 2 Common Mergansers and twenty gulls (looking into the sun I couldn't ID them) on the ice edge. Also a singing Carolina Wren.

NORTHAMPTON (posted on Massbird by Bob Packard) Last night about dusk, Bruce Hart and I visited the Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area in Northampton at the North Farms Road entrance for about 20 minutes. A male and a female Great Horned Owl calling. Bruce had heard them here about a week before. Also a Swamp Sparrow next to the boat launch with a flock of Tree Sparrows.

February 6 - Sunday - Sunny in the 50s.

HADLEY (from Chris Gentes) There was a Kestrel near the Horse Farm, 6 Bluebirds in the Honeypot and 4 Bluebirds in North Hadley today.

SPRINGFIELD+ (from Casey Surprenant) Chris and I went to Forest Park where we saw 2 Red-tailed Hawks, many Mallards and Black Ducks, 1 Wood Duck, 2 Canada Geese, and about 30 Robins with a few Starlings and a couple of Juncos. LONGMEADOW We then went on to Stebbins where we saw some Song Sparrows, Tree Sparrows, and 2 cardinal pairs, a Red-bellied Woodpecker,White-breasted Nuthatch, several Titmice, and 2 White-throated Sparrows along with the highlight of the day 3 female Red-winged Blackbirds. I carried on to the new bike path along the Conn. River in AGAWAM where I saw 5 Ring-billied Ducks, Common Goldeneyes (7m, 3F), a pair of Hooded Merganser,1 female Common Merganser, Northern Mockingbird, a few Goldfinches, a Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. Also Chris saw a possible male Northern Harrier yesterday on her way to work, around George Washington Rd. in Enfield Ct. and we had a possible Broad-winged Hawk here near our house.

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) Just a couple sightings from a trip near the state hospital trails: Eastern Bluebird (3), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Carolina Wren (1), and American Robin (2).

February 7 - Monday - Sunny in the 50s.

NORTHFIELD (posted to Massbird by Mark Taylor) This afternoon at the junction of Burnham Rd. and North St. in Northfield, while I was stopped for a school bus, I was surprised to spot a Red-shouldered Hawk perched not 6 ft. over a wet drainage area between the houses here. The children were walking right by the bird and as they passed, the buteo dropped down to catch a small rodent and fly off between the houses. Veit and Petersen state that Red-shouldered Hawk is rare to uncommon in winter and I would have to believe especially so here in Western Mass. Personally this is my first winter Western Mass sighting.

SHUTESBURY (from Kevin Weir) There is a very active Great Horned Owl calling at 5 am, 12midnight and sometimes 5pm.

NORTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) I heard a Pileated near Paradise Pond today. I was searching for a 'screech owl tree' but didn't find one. Instead I observed a mass-emergence of Small Winter Stoneflies. Hundreds and hundreds of them all over the snow and climbing trees, light poles, on cement bridges and walkways. At one point I shook a shrub and dozens fell out. Would have been a heck of a feast for an ambitious Chickadee.

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) State Hospital: Went by there again today and had a Pileated flying around. Also had Eastern Bluebird (2), American Robin (6), American Tree Sparrow (2), Northern Mockingbird (1) and Golden Crowned Kinglet (3).

HADLEY (from Kevin Weir) I saw 4 bluebirds by the UMass horse farms.

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

In Agawam there were 5 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 2 HOODED MERGANSERS, and 10 COMMON GOLDENEYES. Three RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were in Longmeadow and a pair of BALD EAGLES has been spotted hanging around the south end bridge over the Connecticut River in Springfield.

In Southwick a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW has been coming to a feeder sporadically this week. Also seen in Southwick were 5 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, a COOPER’S HAWK, 12 AMERICAN ROBINS, and a singing CAROLINA WREN.

Three SNOW BUNTINGS were present on the wind swept ledges of Blueberry Hill in Granville.

In Westfield 5 TURKEY VULTURES were roosting near Stanley Park, and a HERMIT THRUSH was noted.

Two GREAT HORNED OWLS were calling in Northampton and a SWAMP SPARROW was seen on Fitzgerald Lake.

Seen in Hadley were an AMERICAN KESTREL and a NORTHERN SHRIKE.

In the canal at Turners Falls the GREAT CORMORANT is still around, along with an AMERICAN WIGEON, 5 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 40 COMMON GOLDENEYES, and an EASTERN SCREECH OWL.

Farther west in Great Barrington 2 BLACK VULTURES were found, and the RED-HEADED WOODPECKER still comes to a feeder in Tyringham.

The TUNDRA SWAN has returned to Mill Pond in Egremont, while in Sheffield there were 15 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, a COOPER’S HAWK, 7 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS, a BROWN CREEPER, and 100 AMERICAN ROBINS.

February 8 - Tuesday - Overcast and Cool.

HADLEY (from Deedee Minear) Saw two kestrels in the same tree at the horse farms.. (Harvey said he saw a kestrel on the wire there. It drove off a passing redtail.) Looks promising that there will be a nesting pair.

DEERFIELD (posted to Massbird by Al Richards) I was interested in Mark Taylor's sighting of a Red-shouldered Hawk since I too was treated to a sighting at the base of Mt. Sugarloaf in Deerfield. My bird was also quite approachable and was seen to make several flights down to the leaf litter at the edge of a parking area over the course of approximately 15 minutes. I did not observe any prey being taken despite the bird repeatedly pecking at the leaves. This bird was in an area which I pass frequently and had not been seen previously..I wonder if the warm weather of the last several days may have encouraged some premature movement of this early migrant.

TURNERS FALLS (from Shelley Parker) Jonathan and I had a nice sighting of 4 hooded mergansers (2 male, 2 female) in the river at the bridge crossing from Greenfield into Montague City. Also some black ducks and gulls. At Migratory Way, many mallards and swans, as well as gulls, and the great cormorant. Did see quite a few common goldeneye as well at the canal. The screech owl was much further out of the hole than we had seen in the past. In the area of Unity Park, we saw a good 60 cedar waxwings. Looked closely for Bohemian, but no luck there. An eagle came by and scared most of them out, so we drove over to Main Street. There we had a very interesting event as we were stopped at a corner. A cedar waxwing flew into the window of a real estate company and plummeted to the ground, floundered a few seconds and then dragged itself into a snow bank where we watched it lay very still for a minute or so. Jon got out, put the bird into a large empty yogurt container and wrapped the container in his jacket. We figured we would give it time and darkness to recover and it readily came along for the ride as it was too knocked out to do anything else. Main Street had many people and dogs walking by at the time, so we took the bird over to Unity Park and, after letting it rest a bit, Jon opened the container over the branch of the tree where we had seen the 60 earlier. The bird hopped out of the container onto the branch.

February 9 - Wednesday - Mostly Cloudy - mid 40s.

NORTHAMPTON+ (from Chris Gentes) A pair of Bluebirds hanging around below the dam at Paradise Pond. The mass emergence of Small Winter Stoneflies continues. Thousands of them all around the Pond and Mill River. I may have seen a Song Sparrow eating some off the snow under a bush but am not 100% sure. Over in Hadley on Stockbridge Road there was a Kestrel on a wire.

AGAWAM (posted to Massbird by Janice LaPointe) A glaucous gull was discovered by Eileen Rutman at Bondi's Island off Route 5 in Agawam. The bird was still present at 4 p.m. Eileen was unable to post due to problems with AOL.

February 10 - Thursday - Cold Rain during the day, Wet Snow late afternoon into night

February 11 - Friday - Sunny, Windy and Cold

TURNERS FALLS (posted to Massbird by Mark Taylor) I found a 'Nelson's' Glaucous Gull on the ice a Barton Cove this afternoon. Bi-colored bill and plumage characteristics consistent for what I believe is a 1st winter gull, but could be 2nd winter upon review of my gull books after-the-fact. The gull's large size, head, and bill shape also consistent with Glaucous Gull with darkish primaries being the exception.

NORTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) I watched the Bluebird pair that has been hanging around the foot bridge below the dam at Paradise Pond having a feast of Small Winter Stone Flies. Over the past few days there has been an emergence of thousands of them around the pond. Today the Bluebirds were standing on the rail of the foot bridge eating the stoneflies one after another.

February 12 - Saturday - Mostly cloudy and Cold

MONTAGUE (from Deedee Minear) Saw a flock of 30 snow buntings on South Ferry Road. There was a flock of 40 horned larks there also.

BARTONS COVE (from Taj Schottland) Here are some interesting birds I found today at Bartons Cove. 1 GLAUCOUS GULL, 1 ICELAND GULL, and 1 GREAT CORMORANT.

NORTHAMPTON (from Shelley Parker) Jon and I took a quick trip today and found the following: At the Northampton Community Garden 3 bluebirds 3 titmice 1 nuthatch 1 goldfinch dozen or so robins At the Meadows 5 horned larks At the HoneyPot dozen plus tree sparrows 1 junco

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) At the state hospital trails had quite a few American Robins (75+) and a few Golden Crowned Kinglets (3).

HADLEY (from Chris GEntes) There were forty Cedar Waxwings up the road from the transfer station.

February 13 - Sunday - Sunny and Cold

WESTFIELD (from Larry Therrien) I had a Turkey Vulture over Westfield this afternoon...a sure sign of spring!

HADLEY (from Chris Gentes) Up on Mount Warner there is a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. The male was in a hole in a tree and the female came over and was looking in.

TURNERS FALLS (posted to Massbird by Scott Surner) I stopped by Barton's Cove and Turners Falls Canal yesterday...Highlights Barton's Cove Great Cormorant (1) Ad Mute Swans (10) Canada Goose (82) Co.Merganser (8) Ring-billed Gull (73) Herring Gull (141) Iceland Gull (1/1w) Glaucous Gull (1/1w) Gr.Blk-Backed Gull (49) Cooper's Hawk (1 imm) Turners Falls-Canal Ring-necked Duck (4) Co.Goldeneye (9) Ring-billed Gull (80) Herring Gull (44) Iceland Gull (2/1w) Scott Surner

February 14 - Monday - Overcast and Cold - light snow late.

BARTON COVE (posted to Massbird by Mark Taylor) Gull numbers at Barton Cove in Gill appear to be building. Large groups of the three common gull species along with a good showing of 'white-winged' ones. This afternoon as the snow began to fall around 4:00, I counted 2 Glaucous Gulls (both 1W. One Nelson's, one "snow goose" white) and 3 Iceland Gulls (2,1W. 1, 2W). Good chance for a rarity to show up soon.

AMHERST (from Heather McQueen) House Finch singing this morning.

FEEDING HILLS (posted to Massbird by Cathy Lavoie) Around noon I saw at least 10 Cedar Waxwings feeding on dried berries in a bush in my back yard. I was thrilled since this was the first time that I had ever seen these birds. They didn't stay long, but I'm watching in hopes that they will return.

PALMER (posted to Massbirdby Ian Lynch) After reading about a Turkey Vulture in Andover today, I was in Palmer and saw 5 Turkey Vultures soaring near the Mass Pike toll booths (one of the first places I see them in the area every year). This species seems to be getting more aggressive in its northward expansion as this seems early, even for them.

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

Before the ice melted on the Connecticut River in Agawam there was a GLAUCOUS GULL at the Bondis boat ramp. Not far away two BALD EAGLES have been spending time in a tree on the Springfield side near the south end bridge and their newly built nest.

Elsewhere in Agawam there were 11 COMMON GOLDENEYES, 2 HOODED MERGANSERS, 15 COMMON MERGANSERS, an AMERICAN WOODCOCK, a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 2 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, 30 AMERICAN ROBINS, 6 CEDAR WAXWINGS, and a SAVANNAH SPARROW.

At the duck pond in Springfield's Forest Park a male WOOD DUCK has been vigorously courting a female mallard. Also seen at the pond was a male NORTHERN PINTAIL.

Returning RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS were seen in Deerfield and Northfield.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was observed flying from Amherst to Hadley. Also reported in Hadley were an AMERICAN KESTREL and an EASTERN SCREECH OWL.

An EASTERN SCREECH OWL was heard calling in Southwick along with two GREAT HORNED OWLS. Seen at a feeder in Southwick were a SWAMP SPARROW, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, and 21 NORTHERN CARDINALS.

Along the Connecticut River in Northampton there were a group of 40 NORTHERN CARDINALS, 40 HORNED LARKS, and 15 COMMON MERGANSERS.

Turners Falls has been a hot spot. Seen were a GREAT CORMORANT, 2 GLAUCOUS GULLS, 4 ICELAND GULLS, 4 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 9 COMMON GOLDENEYES, a SNOW GOOSE, an EASTERN SCREECH OWL, a COOPER'S HAWK, 30 SNOW BUNTINGS, and 2 BALD EAGLES mating.

In Royalston there were 8 EVENING GROSBEAKS, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, 3 PURPLE FINCHES, and 2 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES.

At a feeder in Lenox there were 20 PURPLE FINCHES and a EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH, likely an escaped bird.

February 15 - Tuesday - Sunny, Breezy and Mild - low 50s

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) Stopped by Fitzgerald Lake this morning..nothing out of the usual...very small area of open water on lake. Next went down to walk the trails near the Arcadia visitor center. Had American Tree Sparrow (5), White Throated Sparrow (6), Northern Mockingbird (1), Junco (12), Red Tailed Hawk (3) including a pair being quite vocal, plus the usual others. Finally had a group of about 15 Cedar Waxwings in Florence...tried but could not find a Bohemian with them.

NORTHAMPTON (from Bob Stevens) The past few days I have seen flocks of robins in the arcadia meadows. They seem to be eating the sumac berries and possibly bittersweet. A small hawk, I think sharp-shinned, which might be preying on them. I took some photos, but I need to take a closer look to see if any are worth forwarding along! Also: BC Chickadees, a yellowshafted flicker, Am. crows, Titmouse. More wild turkey tracks in the snow by the S-curve.

PALMER (posted to Massbird by Bill Lafley) There was a Turkey Vulture soaring over downtown Palmer this morning.

February 16 - Wednesday - Mild early, rain and cold later.

NORTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) Walked the length of the Mill River from Federal St. to Paradise Pond. Saw/heard the usuals - Cardinals singing, Titmice calling, Carolina Wrens (now common), a few creepers, 10 Black Ducks, 6 Mallards, Downy, Chickadees. A lot of bird song - felt like spring.

AMHERST (from Heather McQueen) Saw Bluebirds checking out nest boxes near the powerline cut.

February 17 - Thursday - Sunny and Cold.

HADLEY (from Deedee Minear) Saw a male red-wing blackbird today off Mt Warner road in Hadley.

DEERFIELD (posted to Massburd by Rob Ranney-Blake) Notes from the past few weeks: 12 Horned Larks, Feb. 9, Mill Village Road Deerfield 1 Raven, Feb. 16, Mill Village Road Deerfield 79 Cedar Waxwings Feb. 4 Deerfield. Not unusual, as they eat all my crabapples and holly berries at some point every winter. This year they didn't stay long, the fruit was already mostly eaten by... 14 American Robins Jan. 29-31 2 Eastern Bluebirds Jan. 19, Fountain Pond, Great Barrington Feeder regulars include: 3 American Tree Sparrows 2 White-throated Sparrows 1 Song Sparrow 2 Carolina Wrens (new this winter, last seen Feb. 4) 6 Blue Jays (about the usual number) neighborhood regulars: 2 Red-tailed Hawks (typical) 5 America Crows (typical number) 1 loud Red-bellied Woodpecker (second winter) 1 male Pileated Woodpecker And 1 possum the warmer night of Feb. 6

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) Just a quick report for today. At the state hospital trails I had American Robin (90+) and Cedar Waxwing (17), plus the other usuals.

NORTHAMPTON (from Chris Gentes) I drove around looking for birds this afternoon and didn't see much. No larks or others at the airport. Connecticut River is unfrozen - no birds seen there. No gulls at the dump on Burts Pit Road. The Oxbow was mostly frozen and nothing seen there either.

February 18 - Friday - Sunny, Cold and Breezy.

HADLEY (from Chris Gentes) On Rocky Hill Road this morning there were about 25 Turkeys eating cracked corn that was in the middle of the road. It looked as if someone may have put it there in an attempt to get people to slow down in front of their house. I've seen the turkeys in the neighborhood before. There have also been police speed traps. It is at a treacherous curve. But deliberately putting bird food in the middle of the road to get people to slow down??!? Or maybe they are just poor and are trying to get a road kill turkey for dinner.

February 19 - Saturday - Sunny and Cold - 20s.

HADLEY (from Chris Gentes) A male Harrier was hunting off Stockbridge Road. Off Mount Warner Road in a field there were 12 Bluebirds and 20 Robins.

LEVERETT (from Harvey Allen) A Red-shouldered Hawk was observed attacking a Red-tailed Hawk. He also observed some Cowbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds in Hadley. In Belchertown he observed a Turkey Vulture, and at Plum Brook he pished in a Winter Wren.

GRANBY (posted to Massbird by Lori Rogers) I had more than 80 Red-Winged Blackbirds in my yard on Saturday morning. There were 4 brown-headed cowbirds mixed in with the flock. They stayed around for a few hours and haven't been seen since. This is the earliest record I have for blackbirds showing up. I've only lived in this house for about 16 months, but kept records for nearby South Hadley for several years prior to that and my earliest record in S. Hadley was on February 23, 2002.

February 20 - Sunday - Sunny and Cold - 30s.

TURNERS FALLS+ (from Chris Gentes) Heather and I went up to Turners Falls today and here are the highlights. At the Power Canal we saw the Screech-owl along with 7 Common Goldeneyes, 3 Ring-necked Ducks and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. At Barton's Cove there were three Lesser Scaup (2f, 1m), 5 Hooded Mergansers and 15 Cedar Waxwings. On the Connecticut River in Sunderland there were 40 Black Ducks, 10 Mallards, 4 Common Mergansers and a male Hooded Merganser.

WESTFIELD (from Larry Therrien) I had a couple Turkey Vultures over Westfield this afternoon. I made a few trips to Fitzgerald Lake in the last couple days and the highlights would be an accipiter which I flushed near the gate along Boggy Meadow trail and a group of 25+ Cedar Waxwings.

February 21 - Monday - Snowed all day 4-8inches

SHUTESBURY (from Kevin Weir) sharpshinned hawk got a junco right outside my kitchen window. quite a scene.

NORTH AMHERST (from Deedee Minear) An adult bald eagle flew tree top level east (away from the Conn river) across a field in the snowstorm at noon today. Can't imagine where he/she is going. all the ponds here are frozen.

WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS This is the Western Massachusetts Voice of Audubon for Monday, February 21

Single birds and small groups of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and COMMON GRACKLES have been reported from numerous localities. The largest group reported has been a flock of 80 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and 4 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS in Granby.

The only place to find EVENING GROSBEAKS continues to be the town of Royalston, where 6 were reported this week.

Nine HOODED MERGANSERS and 38 COMMON MERGANSERS were observed on fast thawing Quaboag Lake in Brookfield.

A WINTER WREN was found in Amherst and a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK was noted in Leverett.

Seen at Turners Falls were 3 LESSER SCAUP, 5 HOODED MERGANSERS, 7 COMMON GOLDENEYES and 3 RING-NECKED DUCKS.

On the Connecticut River in Hadley were 2 WOOD DUCKS and a male NORTHERN PINTAIL. Seen elsewhere in Hadley were a NORTHERN HARRIER, an AMERICAN KESTREL, and a flock of 25 WILD TURKEYS.

Six COMMON RAVENS and 4 BALD EAGLES were seen in the south Quabbin area.

Observed along Pondside road in Longmeadow were 2 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS and a GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET

Recorded in Sheffield were 10 BLACK VULTURES, but no TURKEY VULTURES. Also seen was a PILEATED WOODPECKER.

In Southwick there was a COOPER’S HAWK and a SHARP-SHINNED HAWK trying to catch sparrows by surprise at a feeder in the snow. Among the sparrows was one CLAY-COLORED SPARROW. Seen elsewhere in Southwick were 3 TURKEY VULTURES, 10 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, and 24 AMERICAN ROBINS

February 22 - Tuesday - Mostly Cloudy

HADLEY (from Chris Gentes) Kestrel on Mill Valley Road near the storage sheds.

AMHERST (from Heather McQueen) Red-winged Blackbirds calling off South East St.

Meadows Usage Meeting: The consensus from this meeting was NO NEW DEVELOPMENT. If an existing resident or business wants to do some renovation to an existing property it should be easier for them to do so with some restrictions. If an existing business closes, conservation groups should be able to first purchase the land. In a few months a 'land use plan' based on this meeting will be presented. It will be interesting to see if what was said on this evening is conveyed accurately.

February 23 - Wednesday - Sunny and Cold.

HADLEY (from Pete Yeskie) A Rough-legged Hawk was observed from Hadley perched on the Northampton side of the river south of the Coolidge Bridge.

NORTHAMPTON (from Larry Therrien) Red-winged Blackbirds calling at the Barrett St. Marsh.

NORTHFIELD (posted to Massbird by Mark Taylor) Hello Massbirders, Our first arrival of Red-winged Blackbirds started close to a week ago with one, then two, and now four males. Our first Common Grackle of the season arrived at the feeder station this morning.

February 24 - Thursday - Partly Cloudy and Cold, Snowed a few inches overnight.

February 25 - Friday - Mostly Clear and Cold.

HADLEY (from Chris Gentes) Kestrel was on Mill Valley Road near Storage Sheds again.

BARTON COVE (from Taj Schottland) Today i birded Bartons Cove and discovered an immature Bald Eagle eating what appeared to be a Great Black-backed Gull on the ice. While i watched two adult Bald Eagles flew in but were chased off by the younger eagle. also i saw 5 Hooded Mergansers on the lake.

February 26 - Saturday - Sunny and Cold.

NORTHAMPTON (from Shelley Parker) Jon and I had a treat today. From our sunroom window we watched a sharp-shinned hawk snacking on some small bird. It was in the tree at the back of the yard and we could see the feathers of its poor prey floating down to the ground as it devoured it. Once it left, two squirrels went to the branch to see what had been going on. Very interesting to watch.

LOWER CONNECTICUT RIVER (from Chris Gentes) I looked for waterfowl in a few places today along the Connecticut River. No new arrivals were found. In HOLYOKE at the Dinosaur Footprints there were 19 Common Goldeneyes. At Jones Ferry there was 1 Common Merganser and 1 Mallard. At the Tavern there were 9 Black Ducks and 1 Common Merganser. Over in SOUTH HADLEY below the dam I counted 26 Common Goldeneyes and 2 Common Mergansers. Canal Park had 2 Mute Swans, 20 Mallards, and 1 Common Merganser. At Brunelles Marina there were 60 Canada Geese and 1 Common Merganser. In HADLEY at the cove there was a little bit of open water with an assortment of Mallards and Black Ducks. Nothing seen near the Coolidge Bridge or in the river from the Honey Pot. In the Honey Pot I counted 40 Horned Larks and 5 Snow Buntings. At North Lane there were 11 Common Mergansers. I didn't see any Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles. Here and there I located small flocks of Robins - mainly feeding on Sumac. However at North Lane I observed some Robins feeding on - you guessed it - Stoneflies! The river was down a little bit and over on the Hatfield side of the river there was a nice muddy shore. There were about 15 Robins on the mud - spaced apart by twenty feet. They stood perfectly still on the mud a few inches from the water. Every now and again one would hop a few inches or a foot and peck something off the mud. It must have been stoneflies they were getting since on my side of the river in Hadley the little Plecopteras were crawling all over the place.

February 27 - Sunday - Sunny and Cold.

UPPER CONNECTICUT RIVER (from Chris Gentes) Heather and I checked a few spots today - we saw mostly what we saw last Sunday. In Hadley we saw 1 Grackle and an adult Cooper's Hawk. At the SUNDERLAND Boat Ramp there were 21 Common Goldeneyes and Robins eating stoneflies emerging from the river. Nothing seen at the pull off and on Falls Road we counted 20 Black Ducks, 8 Mallards, 4 Common Mergansers and 2 GBB Gulls. In TURNERS FALLS at the Rod & Gun Club there were 7 Common Mergansers. At Unity Park (Barton Cove) we tallied 1 Iceland Gull, 2 Hooded Mergansers and 3 Lesser Scaup. Downtown there were 200 Cedar Waxwings. At the canal there were 3 Ring-necked Ducks, 8 Common Goldeneye, a calling Red-bellied Woodpecker, and the Screech-owl. At the Portage there were 5 Common Goldeneye. Back in SUNDERLAND on Route 47 we had 52 Horned Larks.

NORTHAMPTON (from Shelley Parker) Yes, we do have house sparrow control going on in the neighborhood. The sharp-shinned is back this afternoon swooping down in the area where house sparrows gather in the trees in the back. We didn't see the prey, but it did look like he got another one as he flew out of sight. Best back yard birdwatching we have had in downtown Northampton for awhile.

HOLYOKE (from Brian Kane via Bob Bieda) Hi, I wanted to report several interesting gulls among a large group (~450 birds) roosting yesterday afternoon near the fish ladder in Holyoke. On either side of the Rt. 116 bridge, there were groups of gulls, but the main group was close to the falls, roosting among the rocks. Among the great black-backed, ring-billed and herring gulls were: 1 glaucous gull (1B), 1 iceland gull (1B), 1 lesser black-backed gull (adult basic), 2 BLACK-HEADED GULLS (both 1B), and a gull that may have been a MEW GULL (L.c. brachyrynchus). Having studied all of the aforementioned gulls (save for mew), I am confident on their ID's--except the mew, which needs to be re-found and examined by someone with more experience. I realize, however, that descriptions will help my case, in the absence of photographic evidence.

Glaucous gull 1B: large all white gull, slightly larger than all of the nearby herring gulls, very pale, few brownish feather edgings in the mantle, scapulars, and wing coverts; remiges white; dark eye; bill was strongly bi-colored, pink base with a clearly demarcated black tip; pinkish legs; in flight no strong dark markings on tail, uppertail coverts, or underwings.

Iceland gull 1B: large all white gull--quite pale throughout mantle, scapulars, wing coverts, remiges; slightly smaller than herring gulls, obviously larger than nearby ring-billed gulls; relatively small, round head, dark eye, black bill--shorter and thinner than herring gull; bird appeared pot-bellied and chunky

Lesser black-backed Gull adult basic: large gull, obviously smaller than nearby herring and great black-backed gulls, obviously larger than ring-billed gulls; mantle, scapulars, wing coverts dark charcoal, much darker than the brown of 1B herring gulls, not as 'black' as great black-backed gull; primaries black--darker than mantle; bill all yellow with red gonydeal spot, some darkish streaking on rear of head and nape; I could not see the leg color, which I know is an important mark

Black-headed Gull 1B: both black-headed gulls were 1B plumage, 1 appeared to be farther along in molt as shown by new gray wing coverts replacing the darker coverts, otherwise the following description applies to both; small gulls, obviously smaller than nearby ring-billed gulls; bill was longer and thicker than on Bonaparte's, tipped in black, but obviously orange from 2/3 of bill length to the base of the bill; dark auriculars and darker gray feathers from auriculars over the rear of the head to the other side auriculars; in flight, black trailing edge to wing black carpal bar, extensive dark color in the inner primaries below; on 1 sitting bird, I noticed a white mirror on the underside of the longest primary; legs were pinkish/orange, eye was dark.

Mew (?) gull 1B: I observed a small gull, obviously smaller than ring-billed gulls, with a shorter and thinner bill than nearby ring-billed gulls; the bill was mostly dark, with a pinkish base that was more obvious on the lower mandible, although not clearly marked (as in 1B glaucous); eye was dark and head appeared small and round; overall, the bird had a dull brownish gray cast, the mantle was medium gray, wing coverts were brownish, although I was not close enough to notice feather edging or patterns in the scapulars and coverts; head was finely streaked with brown, although the forehead appeared cleaner; breast and belly were smudged brownish, similar to 1B herring gull; primaries were dark brown; I did not see the legs well, nor did I see the tail, and uppertail coverts in flight; the bird raised its wings once and I noticed a largely unpatterned, dusky gray/brown underwing. I am pretty familiar with variation in ring-billed gull, but not in mew gull so I would not swear by this ID. It was an interesting bird that deserves further inspection although weather today might preclude that. The birds were largely absent earlier in the day, but came to roost by 4pm.

February 28 - Sunday - Cloudy and Cold.

NORTHAMPTON (from Chris Gntes) In the trees around Paradise Pond today there were 400 Robins and 250 Cedar Waxwings.

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

Winter has returned to prevent even the braver blackbirds from staying long. Early in the week a COMMON GRACKLE and several RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS were reported in Northfield, but the only blackbirds seen recently were small flocks of red-wings in Tyringham and Pittsfield, and a grackle in Hadley.

Also found in Tyringham were 75 WILD TURKEYS, 3 PILEATED WOODPECKERS and 3 GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLETS, as well as the RED-HEADED WOODPECKER coming to a feeder.

In Royalston center EVENING GROSBEAKS continue. Also present are PILEATED WOODPECKERS, BROWN CREEPERS, and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES.

Turners Falls still has a contingent of ducks, including 3 LESSER SCAUPS, 3 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 2 HOODED MERGANSERS and 41 COMMON GOLDENEYES. Also seen was an ICELAND GULL. A flock of 200 CEDAR WAXWINGS was in the downtown area.

An ICELAND GULL was observed roosting in Holyoke below the Holyoke Dam along with a GLAUCOUS GULL, 2 BLACK-HEADED GULLS, a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL and a possible MEW GULL. Above the dam there were 45 COMMON GOLDENEYES.

A NORTHERN SHRIKE was observed in Lee, a NORTHERN GOSHAWK in Washington, and a FOX SPARROW in Great Barrington.

In Hadley there was an AMERICAN KESTREL, 5 SNOW BUNTINGS, and 40 HORNED LARKS, while across the Connecticut River in Northampton 75 HORNED LARKS and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK were reported.

A flock of 95 HORNED LARKS was seen in Sunderland. In Westfield at the Stanley Park roost there were 3 BLACK VULTURES and at least 8 TURKEY VULTURES.