Less than a year after Berkshire County recorded its first record of Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, the second record came along. Last year’s single bird was a one-day wonder. This year, Jonathan Pierce found a flock of 11 Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks that stuck around from May 6 through May 9. Photograph by Joseph Sefter.
On April 22 near Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton, Matthew Ekerson was tracking a swallow with his binoculars, when the swallow flew past a Franklin’s Gull. The gull disappeared just after his brother Joel arrived and saw it. The next day, Valerie Burdette found a Franklin’s Gull near the northern shore of Wachusett Reservoir. Birders in the area enjoyed that one through the following day. Photograph by Jim Guion.
White-faced Ibises occur annually in the Ipswich and Newburyport vicinity, but Concord does not usually get a piece of that action. William Martens encountered one at French Meadow by the Sudbury River. It remained in the Concord area for almost a week. Another ibis showed up in Newbury later in the spring. Photograph by Cristine Van Dyke.
Three birders found a male Golden-winged Warbler at Heald Orchard, Pepperell, on May 10. This individual showed no trace of hybridization with Blue-winged Warbler. There may have been two Golden-winged Warblers in the area because a second group of birders reported seeing one 0.25-mile away at approximately the same time. Photograph by Tom Murray.
Swallow-tailed Kites have been seen in Massachusetts more frequently in recent years, the majority south and east of Boston. This year the Pioneer Valley had three sightings that may have been of the same bird: one just south of the state line in Enfield, Connecticut, on May 4; the second over Southampton on May 6; and the third in Northampton on May 7. These were sandwiched between a kite at Marblehead Neck on April 15 and another at Santuit Pond near Mashpee on May 12. Photograph by Mary McKitrick.