August 17th, 2005. East Meadows, Northampton, MA.
| Bobolinks Dolichonyx oryzivorus
| This
morning I had a couple of nice sparrows in the East Meadows at
Northampton. The first, a LARK SPARROW, was close to the airfield,
along the first track on the right after the Skydive place on Old Ferry
Road. I saw this bird at around 09:00hrs, but it was flighty, and flew
off and landed close to the ‘cream’ colored house along the approach
road to the Red Barn. I looked for it there but couldn’t relocate it.
Could still be around though. This is just the second Lark Sparrow that
I’ve seen in New England, the first being this bird in Keene, NH on
September 4th, 2004.
The second good sparrow was a CLAY-COLORED at close range with
Bobolinks. It was past the end of the airstrip on Old Ferry Road, and the
bird was
along the first track to the right at about 10:00hrs. Unfortunately,
both birds eluded the camera and were carried away by flocks of nervous
Bobolinks, of which there many (c.110). Another bird of note was a
MERLIN in Hadley over Route 9, very close to the district courthouse.
Despite the flighty rarities, the most impressive part of the morning
was the great numbers of Bobolinks in the fields with a nice mix of
fresh juveniles and non-breeding adults. They really added an autumnal
flavor to the fields this morning.
Highlights from the East Meadows (08:50 - 12:00hrs);
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Turkey Vulture - 2
Killdeer - 22
Semi-palmated Plover - 1
Least Sandpiper - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 6 (moving east).
Chimney Swift - 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 3
Baltimore Oriole - 2
Willow Flycatcher - 1
Tree Swallow - 200
Bank Swallow - 300
Barn Swallow - 10
Cedar Waxwing - 3
Yellow Warbler - 8
Indigo Bunting - 2
Song Sparrow - 55
Savannah Sparrow - 25
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW - 1
LARK SPARROW - 1
Bobolink - c.110
| Images taken using Canon Powershot A-95 through Nikon ED 20x60 telescope.
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