2023 Fall Migration Has Been Fabulous!

2023 Fall Migration Has Been Fabulous!

Hi everyone! I have been SO busy birding this fall. Many of us were missing our feathered (and furry) friends this fall. Our local feeders were deserted because the birds were eating the abundant wild seed crops available this year. Yet, Pine Siskins were here because their pine cone crop up north wasn’t great. I saw many birds migrating in my yard and through our local hot spots here in Western Massachusetts. I also visited Bestie and took a road trip to migrate south with the birds for a bit! Now that fall migration is winding down, I am taking a breather to share my birds with you! Since I waited SO long to share, I needed to make 2 posts! I will share my shorebirds, wading birds, and songbirds today. Next week, I will show you my raptors, waterfowl, rare sightings, and trips!

Shorebirds are long-distance travelers and started moving through our area in August. My favorite local hotspot, Fannie Stebbins Wildlife Refuge in Longmeadow, did not disappoint. I saw SO many different species of shorebirds in the “Flats”-the fields behind Fannie. Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs foraged in the mud daily. I watched the Killdeer run around frantically and even got to see a male putting on a show for his lady friend. I loved watching the adorable Semi-palmated Plovers hop around. Lots of different sandpipers stopped by to fuel up for their long journeys south. I find these little birds very tricky to identify. Their appearance changes based on species, gender, breeding status and molting. I swear that they look different to me on different days of the week LOL! I saw Semi-palmated, Least, Pectoral, Solitary, and Spotted Sandpipers. Next week, I will share a rare sandpiper I saw too! The wading birds are always so beautiful and elegant looking. I watched many Great Egrets soar over the flats in Fannie in search of prey. I saw quite a few Green Herons as well. Some were in the trees near the flats or the sandbar while others perched on deadwood in the marshes. Great Blue Herons were everywhere I went and some of these birds will stay here and brave the winter!  

Songbird migration is always amazing locally in the Autumn months. However, I was surprised to learn that some of the hotspots that I visited in the spring had cooled off significantly for the fall. For instance, on May 11^th, I saw 52 species, including 12 different warblers, in Stony Brook Wetlands in Ludlow. But when I returned there on September 17^th, I only logged 11 common birds in TOTAL! Clearly, they take a different route south in the fall. My neighborhood jaunts produced a beautiful male Prairie Warbler near Soule Rd. School (see Wilbraham page) and a gorgeous male Indigo Bunting in the tree across from Hillside Cemetery in Monson! Both birds were singing their hearts out which is how I found them! Common Yellowthroats were everywhere I birded this fall. Fannie had lots of different sparrows and American Pipits! I stalked my own trees to see the beautiful Scarlet Tanagers, Vireos, Flycatchers, Kinglets, and different warblers stopping by for berries too!

Well, I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of my Autumn birds. Locally, now, we are all enjoying the antics of our returning snowbirds, the Dark-eyed Juncos! The White-throated Sparrows are also back, and some are still singing which is not common now. There are some late Ospreys hanging out at the Ashley Reservoir and you can still hear some straggling Golden-crowned Kinglets in your local trees! The Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles flocking and leaving now. You can hear a group below. Get out there and bird! Be sure you check out my sites to see and hear many of the birds I shared today. Thank you to my followers and as always, I appreciate ALL your feedback! Please share this blog with friends and family. You can find my links to my social media pages on the Contact Me page. Watch for Part 2! Happy birding, Robin. 😊