ML636016986

Observation details

🟠 First record this breeding season for the Concord River (and all of Middlesex County). Only the third PROW in Massachusetts this May. Please, no playback! This is a very rare breeder in the county and even the state. No playback really is critical, as this bird is on territory. It also sings spontaneously, so if you just wait it out you will hear it. And please stay on the trail! First heard it here: (42.4832141, -71.3243580). Then heard it again from here: (42.4835363, -71.3275190). My impression, then, is that the bird's territory is roughly here: (42.4828915,-71.3286806) I got to this spot (south side of Dakins Hill) at 8:22 am and immediately heard the PROW singing. It sang a few times every 5-10 minutes, songs fairly widely spaced from each other. After listening for a few minutes and getting a recording, I did the Holden Hill loop, returning back to the spot at 9:06 am and the bird was still singing, a little bit more frequently even. In Massachusetts, the first Breeding Bird Atlas (1974-1979) found no blocks with any Prothonotary Warblers, and the second Breeding Bird Atlas (2007-2011) recorded only two blocks with Prothonotary Warblers, both confirmed breeding. There are several records from Concord, MA, going back to the 1800s, but the records are very intermittent. In the last few years, though, this species has been recorded here annually, suggesting this could be the start of a possible stable group here.