Date: 5/20/25 7:16 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] May 20, 2025 Skinner State Park, Hadley: A few ceruleans, a few worm-eaters, a couple cuckoos. LOTS of vireos and redstarts
May 20, 2025 Skinner State Park
I took my now annual trip to Skinner State Park today. I love the ride out
there, I’m from Western Massachusetts originally and visited this area a
lot. The forests and fields and farms feel familiar in ways that ones
around Boston or up in New Hampshire do not. Perhaps folks here will
understand what I mean; they still feel like “my” forests or fields, or
whatever, so many memories of them from childhood.
Last year when I took this trip it hit 90 degrees and I was exhausted by
the end; today was literally 30-35 degrees cooler the whole way and I felt
fine afterward. The trip was productive, as always. Right off the bat I
had a worm-eating warbler by the gate, which was surprising to me to find
one that low. All the way up the main road red-eyed vireos and redstarts
were singing, pewees called here and there, along with several veery and
wood thrushes, including a pair that appeared to be associating. For the
lower portion of the road I did not hear any more worm-eating warblers,
which seemed odd, maybe the cooler weather kept them relatively calm.
Yellow-Throated vireos were also present in lower numbers than last year
too. Blackburnians, black-and-white, and blackpoll warblers were also
present in low numbers on the way up too.
As I reached the upper-reaches of the road and closed in on the Skinner
House, I finally heard my first Cerulean, they were not present in great
numbers. I heard them only today, and only 3, all relatively close to the
summit. One other bird I was not expecting was a black-billed cuckoo, I
had one as I ascended, and then another at the top. The “highlight” was
when I heard something odd, somewhat like a redstart, but different than
the ones around it. I thought it sounded prothonotaryish, and Merlin
actually came up with that several times, both at the time I was ascending,
and then descending along Dry Brook Trail, all in the same area. I have a
hard time isolating song really well in the field if there is a lot of
noise, but I got some good recordings. Back home when I cleaned them up
they sounded much more like a redstart, just not like the ones it was
associating with. Close but no warbling cigar.
On the way down along the Dry Brook I picked up several species, including
a quartet of Louisiana Waterthrushes, a bunch of black-throated-greens, and
near the end of the trail a couple of bay-breasted warblers.
Overall numbers were lower this year, aside from the redstarts, red-eyed
vireos, pewees and veeries, at least in my opinion. Everything was there,
just not in as high numbers as I’ve seen in the past. Still, what a
wonderful walk. Getting out of your car at the base of the mountain and
seeing that big road going up ahead of you and all those dense trees, then
getting further up and seeing the rolling hills and farm fields all around
the area from hundreds of feet up. Everyone going about their lives in the
rural area below as you wander in the woods. I make audio notes on trips,
and this time one thing I said was that when I was a child there was
something about nature that seemed to hint that there was something just
beyond our perception. Like there was this additional “sense” or part of
life that we comprehend or feel poking through the ether and almost
touching us when we immerse ourselves in nature, whether through direct
experience or learning about it. It felt electric to me then. It still
does in a way, but as I grew older I got used to the feeling almost. But
when I go to Skinner in the spring, and then some days at Rock Meadow in
late summer, or Mount Auburn particularly in the Autumn, I feel it again,
full force. It is almost like smelling something familiar from your
childhood, and even if you are 80 now, you immediately remember what it
felt like at that exact moment from your youth. I see the forest
completely encompassing me and wrapping me up, I see the breaks in the
trees and the farm fields below, I see the stone around me looking almost
primordial. Just like that, I am transported back in time, and I remember
the belief that nature was almost supernatural, and wanting to know
everything about the lives of the animals and plants around me so I could
unlock what were surely fantastic secrets. I remember being that child of
maybe 8 or 9 that would wake up at midnight in the summer, press my nose
and lips to my window screen so hard to see what was out there that I can
still smell and taste the metal even now. I would watch the opossum or
skunks or bats or who knows what come in from the woods near our apartment
and I wanted nothing more than to run in the darkness with them. That’s
how I feel when I am way out in nature somewhere, to this day, no matter
how old I am.
That's all for now,
Matt s.
Newton, NH
<Accipiter22...>
Skinner SP, Hampshire, Massachusetts, US
May 20, 2025 7:50 AM - 12:27 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.04 mile(s)
47 species
Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) 2 Singing just beyond
Taylor's Notch
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 1
Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 7 All over main road then dry
brook trail. Only counted after great distance since last
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) 3
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 1
Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons) 4
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 22
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 3
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 4
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 7
White-breasted Nuthatch (Eastern) (Sitta carolinensis carolinensis) 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea) 1
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 4
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) 1
Veery (Catharus fuscescens) 7
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 2
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) 1
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) 6
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 12
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 15
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) 2
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 1
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 3
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 6
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) 26 Careful count along main road and
dry brook trail. Counted birds ahead of me only.
Worm-eating Warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) 5
Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) 4
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 9
Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) 1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 28 See below, initially
thought Prothonotary for one of the Redstarts. Good cautionary tale on
Merlin.
!! Along Taylor's Notch. Heard something different. Thought it sounded
somewhat like a Protho, then Merlin popped up with it...heard it one more
time. Came back later after checking out the top by the Skinner House, and
as I was down on Dry Brook trail, I heard whatever it was again, and got
more recordings. Merlin again came up with Protho. Odd habitat, top part
of trees, not mucky area below. Dense foliage, couldn't pin it down with a
photo. Will post sound files later.
Sound files attached. The main non-vireo sounds were from redstarts, and
the sonograms don't look like the redstart ones I've looked at on Macauley
(at least not on my sound editor, let's see what they look like once
uploaded here).
Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) 3
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) 2
Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) 2
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) 8
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) 4
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) 4
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) 3
