Quabbin Gate 10, July 3 2015

Ruffed Grouse, Moose tracks and Bear scat

 

Brown Creeper

 

Glenn has been leading this trip for both the SSBC and Brookline Bird Club many times. Over the years he has seen it all; sweltering heat and cool rain. We got lucky this year as the temps were in the seventies and there was no humidity to speak of. This was one of those perfect sunny summer days, and no better place to be than out in the beautiful woods around Quabbin. Nine birders thought the same and met at 7 am to walk the 6 mile loop from Gate 10 in Pelham.

Besides enjoying the long walk and diverse woodlands and great birding, we also found fresh Moose tracks and Bear scat. While seeing Moose bathing in a pond would have been nice, the bear sightings I prefer are from a car – so this was just fine by me!

A  birding highlight for me was encountering two broods of Ruffed Grouse flushed on or just off the path. One hen was obliging enough to hang around and perch on a branch for everyone to get a short look - rather than just a glimpse at rear ends.

From the website of the ruffed grouse society I learn that “The Ruffed Grouse is a hearty, snow-loving, bud-eating native which thrives during severe winters that decimate flocks of partridges, quail, pheasants and turkeys.” http://www.ruffedgrousesociety.org/grouse-facts#.VZgsQ43bLIU.  We’ve certainly had a hard winter and I loved being compensated by this sighting of so many Ruffed Grouse!

 

Moths, butterflies, dragonflies and amphibians were also observed and we all broadened our knowledge of nature. For those interested, a partial list and some of Steven’s photos of the butterflies and dragonflies as well as the full lists of birds seen (or heard!) can be found below.

Green frog                                                          red Eft (terrestrial stage of the Red spotted Newt)

 

Some of us weren’t quite birded out after we returned to the cars and we carried on to Belchertown in search of the recent sighting of a Common Gallinule. No luck with that bird, but we did add a few species to our day list and discovered a pretty new place to end the day.

 

Many thanks to Glenn D’Entremont for leading this trip, Vin Zollo for his help with the Dragonfly ID and Steven Whitebread for the photos.

 

Christine Whitebread

 

 

List of some of the Butterflies seen:

Red spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis), Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton), Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta), Northern Pearlyeye (Enodia anthedon), Little Wood-Satyr (Megisto cymela), Great Spangled Fritillary Speyeria cybele, Silver spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Little Glassywing (Pompeius verna), Large Laceborder Moth (Scopula limboundata)

 

     

Silver spotted Skipper                                    Baltimore Checkerspot                  Large Laceborder Moth

 

 

List of some of the Dragonflies seen:

White Corporal (Ladona exusta), Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea), Spreadwing sp., Chalk-Fronted Corporal (Ladona Julia, ), Bluet sp.

 

  

White Corporal                                                 Spangled Skimmer                                       Bluet sp.

 

E-bird lists:

 

Quabbin Reservoir--Gate 10, Hampshire, Massachusetts, US
Jul 3, 2015 7:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.5 mile(s)
Comments:     BBC/SSBC trip
49 species

Ruffed Grouse  11
Broad-winged Hawk  3
Mourning Dove  1
Barred Owl  1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  14
Downy Woodpecker  4
Hairy Woodpecker  6
Pileated Woodpecker  2
Eastern Wood-Pewee  11
Eastern Phoebe  2
Great Crested Flycatcher  1
Eastern Kingbird  2
Blue-headed Vireo  3
Red-eyed Vireo  71
Blue Jay  7
American Crow  2
Black-capped Chickadee  16
Tufted Titmouse  3
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  9
Brown Creeper  3
Veery  21
Hermit Thrush  8
Wood Thrush  13
American Robin  5
Gray Catbird  16
Cedar Waxwing  5
Ovenbird  47
Northern Waterthrush  1
Black-and-white Warbler  5
Common Yellowthroat  34
American Redstart  4
Magnolia Warbler  1
Blackburnian Warbler  8
Chestnut-sided Warbler  18
Black-throated Blue Warbler  28
Pine Warbler  16
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  5
Black-throated Green Warbler  11
Eastern Towhee  33
Chipping Sparrow  6
Scarlet Tanager  15
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  3
Red-winged Blackbird  2
Common Grackle  2
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Baltimore Oriole  1
American Goldfinch  1

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24189137

 

Belchertown, Hampshire, Massachusetts, US
Jul 3, 2015 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     BBC/SSBC trip
17 species

Canada Goose  18
Wood Duck  6
Hooded Merganser  9     1 female, 8 young
Green Heron  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  3
Eastern Kingbird  2
Warbling Vireo  1
Tree Swallow  10
House Wren  1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  3
Eastern Bluebird  1
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  X
Cedar Waxwing  10
Song Sparrow  2
Red-winged Blackbird  5

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S24189131

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)