The gulls told me the eagle was coming. I was watching two Black-capped Chickadees forage at the edge of Pulaski Park when about a dozen gulls burst over the treetops. They seemed worried. A few seconds later, an immature Bald Eagle swept into view, following the train tracks upstream. Here’s one more frame:
Sunday sightings in Holyoke: Merlin in Lyman Terrace; Hawk v. Kestrel; an odd duck
After giving a brief talk about hawk migration at the Hawks at Mt. Tom event today, I took an afternoon walk that found several raptors out and about in downtown Holyoke.
Fall migration: Solitary Sandpiper along the Connecticut River
As we head into the heart of the fall migration, I’ve been seeing numerous reports in the area of assorted shorebirds moving through the region, with many spotted in the popular “Honey Pot” section of Connecticut River farmland in Hadley. With a short window for birding this evening, I took a walk along the river in Holyoke to see if…
Flocking Flickers, warblers and more in Holyoke’s Pulaski Park
There’s a skateboard park under construction at one end of Pulaski Park in an area where I’ve seen Common Yellowthroats, Baltimore Orioles, and Savannah Sparrows. I was curious to see what sort of impact all the activity might be having on the birding potential of that corner of the park — and, based on a recent short visit, it looks…
Juvenile hawks beating the heat at Open Square
It has been hot in the city, and even the hawks are looking for new ways to cool off. I’d been observing one of the juvenile Red-tailed Hawks from this year’s brood in Heritage State Park the other morning when I lost track of it. Minutes later my girlfriend, walking to a yoga class at Open Square, called to…
Recent photos: Juvenile hawks, growing up in downtown Holyoke
The fledgling Red-tailed Hawks are still a fixture here in downtown Holyoke, continuing to hone their flying and hunting skills as they prepare to go their separate ways.
Early observations at Solid Sound 2013
I’m out in North Adams this weekend, where I’ll be guiding urban birding walks Saturday and Sunday for Wilco’s 2013 Solid Sound Festival. I hadn’t even finished checking in at the festival’s Solid Ground campsite at the edge of town when I saw a pair of Common Grackles chasing a Cooper’s Hawk across the grounds.
The Birds Downtown at Solid Sound
Next weekend, I’ll be bringing a dose of the urban birding philosophy to the Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA with two guided birding walks and an interactive photo installation. The festival, curated by the band Wilco, runs Friday through Sunday, June 21 to 23. Three-day passes and one-day tickets for Friday and Sunday are available here. My urban birding…
Fledgling Red-tailed Hawks blend into the architecture at Open Square
With all of this year’s brood out of the nest now, it’s getting more difficult to spot the young Red-tailed Hawks born in downtown Holyoke this spring. At least one is following the same pattern as last year’s fledglings — staying on various high points at Open Square and waiting for food drops from the two adults. Yesterday afternoon, I…
Final chick fledges at downtown Holyoke’s hawk nest
Checks of the Red-tailed Hawk nest yesterday morning and afternoon found no young hawks at either visit. In the morning, at least one of the fledglings was perched on a high roof at Open Square (shown above), and I watched as one of the adults brought in breakfast. The other siblings weren’t in sight. Last year, the fledglings all but…