August 18th, 2005. Northampton/Hadley area, MA.
| Bobolinks Dolichonyx oryzivorus, Arcadia Meadows, MA.
| Well,
today ended up being quite busy. In the morning I looked at the West
(Arcadia) Meadows in Northampton which yielded few surprises though
raptors were rather more obvious, and there was a virtual exodus of
Eastern Kingbirds after last week’s 20+ at the same location. Again,
Bobolinks featured in the meadows, often providing great views.
Later in the morning, I tried to locate yesterday’s Lark Sparrow but
without success. However, a fine adult Bald Eagle soaring over the
meadows was some compensation.
The evening saw our first attempt at a concentrated Nighthawk watch.
Susannah and I tried a spot that was brand new to both of us in the
Honey Pot, out on the Hadley floodplain. It was a great success with 108 birds recorded over
two hours, and masses of other species noted as well, mostly swallows.
Birding from a fixed position for two hours with the aid of a telescope
really gave us a true appreciation of just how many birds are out there
waiting to be discovered!
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A few notes from the day:
West (Arcadia) Meadows, Northampton (08:15 - 11:00hrs);
Double - crested Cormorant - 5 ( 2 on the Oxbow, plus 3 moving south @10:35hrs).
Great Blue Heron - 3
Turkey Vulture - 3
Canada Goose - 7
American Black Duck - 2
Mallard - 13
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
Broad-winged Hawk - 2 (one juvenile).
accipter sp. - 1 juvenile mobbing red-tail. Probably a Cooper's but I'm still looking at the pics.
American Kestrel - 1
Killdeer - 7
Solitary Sandpiper - 1 (on The Oxbow).
Ring-billed Gull - 2
Chimney Swift - 6
Belted Kingfisher - 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 4
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Great-crested Flycatcher - 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 2
Willow Flycatcher - 3
Eastern Kingbird - Only 6 around the meadow by Pynchon Meadow Road.
Baltimore Oriole - 6
Warbling Vireo - 2
Red-eyed Vireo - 1
Tree Swallow - 12
Bank Swallow - 30
Barn Swallow - 6
Gray Catbird - 6
Carolina Wren - 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 2
Cedar Waxwing - 10
Yellow Warbler - 1
Red-winged Blackbird - 400+.
Savannah Sparrow - 11
Song Sparrow - 30+
Indigo Bunting - 2
Bobolink - 17
No sign of last week’s Northern Pintail on the Oxbow.
East Meadows, Northampton (11:20 - 11:45hrs);
Turkey Vulture - 8
Bald Eagle - 1 adult soaring, moved off north.
American Kestrel - 1
Willow Flycatcher - 1
Bobolink - 40+
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 1
Indigo Bunting - 1 (female carrying food).
| Go to next page for Nighthawk evening.
| Images Taken using Nikon Coolpix 995 through Swarovski HD telescope.
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