October 14th, 2005. Oxbow Marina, Northampton, MA.
| Scarlet Tanager and Osprey.
| This
morning I visited the Oxbow Marina but immediately noticed how few
gulls were around, with no sign of the Laughing Gull seen and
photographed yesterday evening by Chris Gentes et al.
The best ‘new’ bird was a superb Scarlet Tanager in the sumac groves
bordering the playing fields and Interstate 91. This scrub also held a
Blackpoll Warbler and lots of White-throated Sparrows, and I just
couldn’t help wondering how many thousands of migrants must vaporize
into habitat like this.
Oxbow Marina, Northampton (07:45 - 09:15 hrs);
Bald Eagle - 1 juvenile.
Merlin - 1 adult male.
American Kestrel - 1
Osprey - 1 juvenile.
Greater Yellowlegs - 1
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES - 5 adults, less focused on the draining rainpool.
Scarlet Tanager - 1 non-breeding male.
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 45+
Blackpoll Warbler - 1
| Other locations today:
Behind the Hampshire Mall, Hadley.
Wilson’s Snipe - 1
Killdeer - 60+
White-crowned Sparrow - 4 (first-winters)
Common Yellowthroat - 1
UMass Playing fields (my first proper visit of the fall);
Ring-billed Gull - c.480
American Herring Gull - 15+
BONAPARTE’S GULL - 1 or 2 adults in winter plumage. Seen in two very different
sections of the playing fields and could relate to two birds, though I
never had two birds in view at once.
Savannah Sparrow - 35+.
Baker Street Yard, Amherst -
Yellow-shafted Flicker -1
Blue-headed Vireo - 1 (all day, sometimes in song).
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 35+.
Just lots of birds around everywhere!
| | Taken using Canon Powershot A-95 through Swarovski telescope and Leica 10x42 binoculars. |
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