Last Saturday a large group of owl-obsessed birders met in Williamsburg for the Birding for Everyone program's annual owl prowl. We only do one owl prowl each year because finding an owl can be a rather hit or miss event, which I explained to the the many headlamp wearing people in the parking lot before we began.

The Henhawk Trailhead was chosen this year because it is remote, has good habitat for multiple species of owls, and offers an easy to walk, flat dirt road (accessibility is a key tenet of the Birding for Everyone program)

We walked about 1/8th of a mile down to a dense stand of coniferous trees, which seemed like excellent habitat for the two smaller owls in our area, the Northern Saw-whet Owl and the Eastern Screech Owl. An owl prowl is the only time I ever use playback (we want to be the least obtrusive in nature as we can) and even then it's done in small bursts.

With everyone gathered around, we started by playing vocalizations of the smallest owl, the Northern-saw Whet Owl. You start with the smallest birds first because they do predate on each other and if a smaller owl hears a larger one it will hunker down and go silent. The track played for about thirty seconds and then we stopped and listened. 

A loud, cat-like call note called back! A bit more playback was sent out through our speaker. Another call in response, this time closer! We scanned the trees with red flashlights hoping to get the reflection of the eyes bouncing back to us. No luck.

The call notes of the Northern Saw-whet Owl and the Eastern Screech Owl, at least to my ear as I don't hear these sounds too often, can sound similar. I was leaning towards this bird being and Eastern Screech Owl, so I switched to playback sounds from that bird. 

Our owl went silent.

Playback of both of the small owls was tried a few more times but, unfortunately, no luck. However, in the distance a Barred Owl could be heard singing the traditional "who cooks for you, who cooks for you all" song, which is always a treat to hear. 

With the small owl silent we moved back towards the cars, stopping at a swampy area that seemed like decent habitat for the two larger owls, the Barred Owl and the Great Horned Owl. However, despite several attempted calls out to them we received no response. We had only the glow from the beautiful full moon that hung above us to admire.

Back at that cars I recapped what we had heard and the strategy that I had employed in the field (I could only convey so much information to everyone while we were trying to stay as quiet as possible in the field). I also answered any questions people had and did promise that I would update them all on exactly what that call note we heard was, which I did via email moments ago.

Fellow walk leader Brian Zylichhad been quick enough to record one of those cat-like call notes that we heard. He sent it around to me and Marcia Merithew, who also helped lead this walk (you need a lot of walk leaders when you have forty participants!). After further analysis by us and a few bird experts above our pay-grade, it was determined that this was, in fact, a Northern Saw-whet Owl! What a thrill!

Now I only wish I hadn't switched to the Eastern Screech Owl call when I did. Lesson learned.

So we may not have had a large number of owls show up, but we didn't get shutout (phew!) and we were all able to clearly hear the call notes of what I consider to be the most difficult owl to find in our area, the Northern Saw-whet Owl.

If you would like to hear the recording, it is posted on the eBird checklist for this walk. 

A big thank you to everyone who attended this event. We had fifty-one people register for this event, which was a record for any Birding for Everyone program. I, and the rest of the club, appreciate your interest in this program. It is wonderful to see the community that has grown around it.  

Next month we take a break to give the Christmas Bird Count space, but we will be back in January for a new year of Birding for Everyone events! 

Happy Holidays to all of you.

With almost perfect weather conditions, the monthly Birding for Everyone walk of 30+ participants met at Goodnough Dike in Quabbin Park in Ware. June can be a tricky month as many migrants have passed through, however we were all treated to a great morning.

As we were doing introductions, an American Redstart was joined by a Chestnut-sided Warbler, singing away, which, understandably paused the intros. We all tried to find the bird, but only saw it as it flew out and over the group. So, we're off to a good start.

Walking towards the dike, we hit a little patch of birds singing: White-breasted Nuthatches, an Eastern Towhee, and a Black-and-white Warbler that seemingly paused to make sure everyone could get a look. A real treat. Moments later we caught a glimpse of a small hawk pestering a larger hawk in the sky. After explaining the difference between accipiter and buteo hawks, sure enough, a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew over the group. 

I mentioned the day being almost perfect on the weather front because when we reached the dike, the wind was whipping and the reservoir had white caps rolling in the water. Though we tried, we weren't able to find a Common Loon or even a Bald Eagle.

We quickly walked the length of the dike, seeing some Tree Swallows, Red-winged Blackbirds, and a Brown-headed Cowbird on the grassy slopes.

Once we got out of the wind and into tree cover we were treated to three warblers all singing intermittently: an American Redstart, another Chestnut-sided Warbler, and a Blackburnian Warbler. We spend about fifteen minutes trying to locate the birds, in part because they would be life birds for a number of participants. We were able to locate the Chestnut-sided Warbler, which many got a look at but, being a warbler, it never quite stood still. 

For those who were unable to get eyes on the warblers, a few steps away a super cooperative Eastern Towhee calling away. Everyone in the group was able to get great looks at this bird and were able to lock in that distinct call note into their mind. 

Heading back towards the parking area we paused at the marshy area to the left where a Yellow Warbler, a Common Yellowthroat, and a Least Flycatcher were all vocalizing. Then, what I would argue was the highlight of the morning (at least on the bird front), a Black-billed Cuckoo began cooing its three note song. What a treat! For many this was the first time ever experiencing this sound.

As if this wasn't enough, the youngest birder on the walk used his pre-teen eyes to locate a Porcupine in a tree at the edge of the grassy slope. Everyone was able to get wonderful looks at this prickly fellow, even seeing those orange teeth!

Up the paved incline we went and with the wind having died down many Eastern Towhees were singing, more Chestnut-sided Warblers, and our first Brown Creeper of the day singing their full song and walking up the side of a tree. Right after that a Prairie Warbler sang away it's upward spiraling song from a clearing in the forest. Everyone was able to hear this unique song and, despite best efforts, we couldn't get eyes on this character. Warblers.

Shortly thereafter, we were back at the parking area where we ended our walk. As these walks go, this was one of the best both in terms of number of participants, but also in terms of interesting species we encountered.

Here is the full list from eBird. Thank you to everyone who came out and we'll do it again next month! Thank you to MJ Tash and Rosemary Laporte for the photos!

The annual election for the HBC board was held from May 15th through May 21st. Club members were notified via email with instructions to complete their ballot. This year, ten people ran for seven open seats. Thank you to everyone who accepted their nomination and ran. It bodes well for the club that there was such interest in these positions!

Without further ado, the seven elected to the new board were:

• Steve Winn (incumbent)
• Dave Gross (incumbent)
• Julie Blue
• Carol Fournier
• Monique Dumais
• Lisa McDaniels
• Hobie Iselin

Please welcome these newly elected members. We all look forward to working with them in the coming year, which starts at the June board meeting.

I'd also like to thank the outgoing members of the current board who have all contributed in significant ways to the success of the club over the years:

• Laura Beltran
• Donna Lee Ubertalli
• Kalpesh Krishna
• William Randolph
• Greg Brown
• Annemarie Chapdelaine

Earlier this morning, Hampshire Bird Club President, derek allard, was interviewed by Greenfield Community College Professor Emeritus, Brian Adams, on WHMP's Talk the Talk radio program. If you are looking to get your bird nerd on, take a listen from minute 54 onwards:

https://whmp.com/podcasts/talk-the-talk-not-for-the-birds/

Professional bird photographer Joe Oliverio has generously donated two lovely prints to the HBC (see images below). They are being raffled with proceeds going to the club. You can purchase raffle tickets at $5 each online or in person at the May and June club meetings. The raffle drawing will occur at the June picnic/meeting at Arcadia. (You do not have to be present to win.)

Bald Eagle

 
Prairie Warbler

Order your raffle tickets now and good luck!

Despite a temperature of ten degrees and strong winds, seven hearty souls came out to the Fannie Stebbins Wildlife Refuge in Longmeadow for the first Birding for Everyone walk of the year. Among the attendees was an eleven year old boy and his dad, the former on his first ever bird walk. 

Perhaps it was the beginners luck that the boy brought because we had great looks at a number of species. Right at the start, during introductions, a Hermit Thrush flew up as if to check out what the heck we were doing out on a day like this. We also had several sparrow species (White-throated, Song, American Tree) wondering the same thing.

As we walked down the easy, paved road an adult Red-shouldered Hawk was found perched in a tree right above the road. Everyone had great looks at the bird and the distinguishing field marks (and habitat) were pointed out while the bird scanned for prey. 

At the patch of unfrozen water a number of Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Mallards, and American Black Ducks (the latter two we were able to get a good comparison of the differences) were found. And, on the back edge sitting on ice was a female Northern Pintail. Quite a good treat! A couple minutes later, a Great Blue Heron flew across the back edge of the frozen pond. Unusual for this time of year with so much ice now formed. 

All of that was great, however the biggest thrill of the walk came near the end when a Bobcat (and a very healthy looking one at that) was spotted at the edge of some cattails and walked out so that everyone had a great view. Not a bird, but still pretty darn cool.

Here is the eBird checklist from the walk (most of it done from memory as we didn't want to lose fingers!)

Thank you to everyone who came out for this walk. I'd be willing to bet next month will be warmer!

This fall, the club made a donation to support the work Mary McKitrick, Theresa Gessing took on, along with the help of former HBC Board Member, Jim Lafley (and others) to clean out the gourds at Fort River. 

You may recall that in 2022 Purple Martins visited these gourds, however they were far less present in 2023. Many of the gourds were filled with nesting material from other birds, which was likely a contributing factor to the lack of Purple Martin visits.

The work that Mary and Theresa initiated to clean should make these gourds far more inviting to the Purple Martins in 2024. The hope is that we might see a breeding pair at the gourds in the coming year!

Thank you to everyone involved for the work you did!

It’s right around the corner! The Northampton (MANO) Christmas Bird Count (our 89^th) will be held on Sunday, December 17. Plans are well underway, and we’re hoping for another great count this year! We’ve developed strong COVID-workarounds, so we’ll stick with the protocols that have kept everyone healthy over the last few years. Feel free to discuss this with your team leaders if you have any questions.

Speaking of safety, did you know that we notify the Police Departments in all 14 towns within the count circle? They appreciate knowing what all those folks walking and driving around with binoculars hanging from their necks are up to!

If you haven’t yet joined a team, or signed up to be a feeder watcher or a yard watcher, it’s not too late. The CBC is one the world’s largest community science projects, and the MANO count is the fifth largest in North America. And it’s fun!

Let us know if you’d like to participate by sending us an email. Even if you don’t join one of the count groups or don’t have feeders, you can still count birds in your yard or take a walk around your neighborhood. We’re delighted to welcome feeder-watchers and yard watchers along with new count participants, to explain how the CBC works, and to answer all your questions. As in years past, we’ll have Zoom orientation meetings (how it all works, including filling out the forms) along with a Zoom compilation wrap up (information and links below in the Education Committee section).

Oh, no!!! Bears!!!! Don't worry if you don’t dare put up feeders. You can be a yard birder. How to be a yard birder? First, be sure your yard is in our count circle (Go to the CBC page on the HBC website and click on the Google map link under the Northampton (MANO) Maps header. Then type your address in the magnifying glass at the top left. The small red dot is your location. You might need to make the map smaller to see if you are inside or outside the count circle.)

To be a yard watcher

• Look out your windows for a minimum of 15 minutes three times on the 17^th.
• Count and record the number and kind of birds you see each time.
• Submit to the CBC the highest number of birds seen at any one time.
• Submit the total time your household spent checking your yard.

Please feel free to contact the MANO team to sign up or with questions at CBC@hampshirebirdclub.org .

On a cold and windy day, a small group of dedicated birdwatchers braved the elements to visit Barton Cove, Turners Falls Rod and Gun Club, and the Power Canal. A scope was definitely necessary to see the distant birds, which were few and far between.

At Barton Cove we saw a Bald Eagle trying to feed in the flotsam and jetsam trapped against the barrels while it was being harassed by American Crows. Canada Geese, Mute Swans, and Mallards drifted along the far edge feeding causally. A large raft of Ring-necked Ducks contained some Buffleheads as well as a Pied-billed Grebe on the perimeter of the group.

We moved on to the Rod & Gun Club where we saw a similar mix of geese, swans, Mallards, and a pair of Buffleheads, but were surprised by a Long-tailed Duck. A group of Dark-eyed Juncos were along the edge of the woods with an Eastern Bluebird, while a flock of House Finches and Goldfinches were hiding and feeding in the shoreline weeds.

At the Power Canal the only new birds we saw were a female Common Goldeneye and a Great Blue Heron.

Jim Lafley

It has been a phenomenal year of birding in Massachusetts, with a number of vagrants spotted in some of our favorite birding hotspots. But as the woods and fields grow increasingly quiet this fall, it’s a reminder that these birds are not to be taken for granted. Nationwide, birds are in trouble. And in Massachusetts, a state with great bird diversity, a whopping 22 birds are in decline and many more are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It is a frightening prospect that the excitement of our favorite birding pastime might wane as birds disappear.

Fueled by an interest in bird conservation, the HBC re-established the Conservation Committee last spring to provide additional focus to the growing needs of birds in our area. The conservation challenge is daunting because of the many social, political, and economic factors that must be navigated to get meaningful conservation projects off the ground. However, the committee has identified several conservation opportunities that are within reach and that could produce conservation dividends. Here’s an update on a few of our leading opportunities.

Working on a Motus tower. Photo credit: Bob Zimmermann. Motus Wildlife Tracking System—Miniature radio transmitters, called nanotags, are revolutionizing our understanding of bird, bat, and even insect movement. One might think that placing a tag on a bird could interfere with flight, but these tags are incredibly lightweight. There are fifteen receiver towers that pick up the signal of these nanotags in Massachusetts. That might sound like a lot, but their detection range is limited to roughly ten miles and there are gaps right here in our area. In collaboration with the Northeast Motus Collaborative, the committee is investigating the potential for sponsoring the construction of a receiver in the hilltowns between the Connecticut River Valley and the Berkshires so that bird movement and habitat usage can be more readily understood. Two committee members observed the installation of a tower at October Mountain State Forest last month to get a sense of what is involved.

 

Chimney Swift Nesting Tower—One of the great spectacles in a summer evening is the swirling flock of nesting Chimney Swifts returning to their roost. New England has an abundance of old mills and brick buildings which often serve as Chimney Swift roosting or nesting habitat. But as these structures age, it isn’t uncommon for communities to remove the buildings and repurpose the land, thereby eliminating the Chimney Swift colony. As a result, and because of old growth forest loss, Chimney Swifts are on the decline and are on a list of birds that could one day go extinct. Intervention is necessary. Designs for nesting towers are readily available, and Bruce Hart is looking into the construction of a tower in Williamsburg to replace a roosting site in the chimney of an old school building that has recently been demolished. While finding suitable locations and willing recipients of a tower is challenging, several locations have been suggested for consideration and the discussion is ongoing.

Bees at work. Photo credit: Bob Zimmermann. Pollinator Gardens—A vast majority of the world’s flowering plants rely on pollinators (insects, bats, and birds) for reproduction. Many birds in our area rely on those very same insects for food. Unfortunately, key pollinators such as wild bees and some butterflies are on the decline owing to habitat loss, climate change, and the indiscriminate use of herbicides, creating concerns for the persistence of our insectivorous birds and natural communities. One option to help reduce this decline, promoted by state and federal agencies and conservation groups, is the expansion of pollinator gardens. Not only do flowering milkweed, sunflowers, coneflower, and lavender produce pollinator benefits, they are colorful and easy to maintain. The committee is promoting the use of pollinator gardens as an affordable and effective conservation tool in our area. Several committee members have registered their pollinator gardens with HomeGrownNationalPark.org and have eliminated their lawns in favor of low maintenance pollinator gardens.

Male Bobolink. Image credit: Creative Commons, photo by JanetandPhil. Grassland bird monitoring—Isabel Bronson, Land Stewardship Coordinator with the Trustees of Reservations, joined the Conservation Committee to discuss the plight of grassland birds and opportunities to assist in monitoring them on Trustees’ properties. Point count surveys during the breeding season on these properties are helping managers and scientists answer key unknowns such as whether timing of migration is changing due to climate change, whether grassland bird arrival coincides with food availability, and what are effective management regimes. The program expanded to include 28 properties this year, and several committee members assisted with point counts on four of them in western Massachusetts. We aim to have the HBC be part of the larger effort to conserve grassland birds such as the Bobolink, which has experienced a significant decline due to habitat loss, and stands to benefit from this program.

If you have an interest in making a difference to birds in our area by participating in any of these activities, we welcome you to join the HBC Conservation Committee. Please contact Bob Zimmermann at raz@umass.edu.

Contributed by Will Duncan, HBC Conservation Committee Member.