Longmeadow & Agawam

Eleven members of the Allen Bird Club gathered at Pynchon Point Park to scan the confluence of the Connecticut and Westfield River.  At this first stop we found a Spotted Sandpiper, a Great Blue Heron, and a Great Egret.  There were also a couple of Carolina Wrens belting out their morning songs.  A perched up Bald Eagle to the north, four Mallards, and the expected robins, starlings, mourning doves, and two young cardinals were added to the list.

We moved on along River Road to the parking area for the bike path, seeing a mockingbird along the way.  Scoping the river and the Longmeadow Sandbar, we a spotted a Belted Kingfisher and another Great Blue Heron.  Only four Ring-billed Gulls were counted.

Our next stop was the dike off Circuit Rd near the Big E grounds.  Two Least Sandpipers were the only migrating shore birds we found for the trip.  A Fish Crow was heard as we passed by McDonald's on our way to the dike.  Once there, we had 10 American Crows fly over.  Here we added a Red-tailed Hawk and another Great Blue Heron, and heard the only Black-capped Chickadee of the morning.  Other new species seen here were Downy Woodpecker, House Finch, House Sparrow, and many pigeons.

We then moved on to Longmeadow and birded along Pondside Road for the remainder of the time.  The recently reported Northern Shovelers eluded us, but we did have several Wood Ducks - the males starting to regain their colorful attire.  A Warbling Vireo sang over our heads, and catbirds were complaining in the thickets.  Red-bellied Woodpeckers announced their presence several times as we moved along.  It was exciting to find five Scarlet Tanagers moving about in the higher foliage.  There must have been good berries or grapes nearby.

When we reached the viewing platform, we found 3 more Great Blue Herons, another Spotted Sandpiper, a Double-crested Cormorant, another Great Egret, and a Mute Swan.  An Osprey circled overhead while a female Red-winged Blackbird walked on lily pads seeking insects.  Cedar Waxwings were also seeking insects over the water.

Perhaps our most memorable sighting for the morning was four juvenile Green Herons perched in a line on the narrow branch of a dead tree midway down the pond.  A short time later an adult Green Heron flew in almost in front of us allowing a much closer view of this species.

Near the end of the trip, a Piliated Woodpecker flew across the water in front of us, much to the delight of Maryann, one of our new members.  As we were getting into our cars at the end of the walk, a Goldfinch sang a goodbye and a phoebe sat on a post bobbing its tail.   So we did see shorebirds, herons, and egrets - and totaled 40 species.