Berkshire Birding in Washington, the County’s Premier Location

We set out at 7 am on a morning in early May. It was sunny and cold. Longtime resident and expert birder, Ed Neumuth, agreed to take me, an amateur, on several early morning expeditions. I wanted to learn what makes Washington such an exceptional place for birding.

We have the premier spot in all the Berkshires, according to Ed. “We have the habitats for a wide variety of species. We needn’t go anywhere else…

“Good birding is all about the habitats. We have elevation, and we have wetlands. What we lack are grasslands; they have diminished over the years.” Ed explained that birds come for the habitats they prefer for breeding; we get as many as 17 species of warblers, for instance, who come to nest and raise their young. Last year, Ed compiled a list of 156 species of birds in our town. He’s hoping to break his record this year.

Birding starts early. For some it can be as early as midnight. We began on a sunny morning, an hour or so after dawn, to make our way to the State Forest. Our three-hour expedition took us along West Branch Road to the Four Corners and right on to Lenox–Whitney Place Road to Schermerhorn, across the plateau and down the hill to Felton Lake.

Ed drove slowly, stopping often. Then we’d get out of the car to look and listen. We saw Mallards mating in a black marsh pool on the left of West Branch and in the evergreens across the way, a Magnolia Warbler darting in a spruce tree. Ed could hear the “treadle” sound of the Swamp Sparrow and then the ethereal fluting sounds of the Hermit Thrush. But it was the Common Yellow Throat we got to see, and the Black-throated Green Warbler that likes nesting in hemlocks.

Further along, Ed spotted the Blue-headed Vireo with a yellow wash to its sides, its white breast, and its telltale white spectacles. Moving on, we see a beautiful Red-breasted Nuthatch, another Common Yellow Throat, and a Black- throated Blue Warbler. The Chestnut-sided Warbler in a beach tree against the sky took my breath away.

Down at Felton Lake we watch a White-throated Sparrow hop along a log in the brush. It stops, staying perfectly still, watching us. Ed is sure it is guarding its nest.

As we walk toward the lake, an Osprey, with its broad angled wings, glides slowly to a limb in a tree across the water. The Osprey wouldn’t nest here, according to Ed; it is probably migrating to its breeding ground further north or east.

Aside from the birds that winter here, like the Chickadees, Juncos, and Titmice, we get two types of migrants who come here to breed, Ed tells me: the Neotropical Migrants and the Weather Migrants. At this time of year, we also see migrants that stop here on their way to their breeding grounds, like the Osprey.

Neotropical Migrants winter in places like Mexico, and South and Central America. Our Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanagers, the Wood Thrush, and the Ruby- throated Hummingbird are examples. They arrive predictably with the changes of light, often to the day. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is usually spotted around the 4th of May, and the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, around April 30th.

Weather Migrants, who winter in States south of us, come when the weather is favorable. This year with the wet and the cold winds, weather migrants were late to arrive. With the warmer weather in the second week of May, birds like the tiny House Wren could finally be spotted. And a week later, the Scarlet Tanagers.

It is not just the State Forest that offers exemplary avian habitats in Washington. Wending around the roads in town with Ed, I quickly learn there are birding opportunities everywhere. The hills, swamps, and flowing streams hold many secrets.

Driving down Frost Road with the windows open on another chilly morning, it dawns on me that hearing is as vital to birding as seeing. I had thought you held up your binoculars and searched. But it is the birdsong that tells you where to look!

As we pass the Transfer Station, Ed remarks that it’s the only place in town to see pigeons. We are heading to Cross Place Road and then will make our way to the swamp alongside Upper Valley Road.

Opposite the blue 441 marker on Cross Place Road, we pull into a spot overlooking a vast wetland meadow. In the distance Blackbirds cavort in the trees. Behind us, in the evergreen woods, Ed hears the Oven Bird. We turn and spot instead a stunning Yellow Warbler, so vivid in the sunlight it is easy to see its characteristic red streaks on its yellow breast. We follow it with binoculars flying back and forth among the pine boughs.

Then Ed follows another bird song—the weesee, weesee, weesee of the Black and White Warbler. We are able to spot it too as it darts among the evergreens not far from the Yellow Warbler.

I hear what sounds to me like a lilting series of whistles. We turn toward the swamp and there at the top of a bare tree over the road are the blazing black and orange feathers of the Baltimore Oriole against the clear blue sky.

High above the wide marsh at Upper Valley Road, a Broad-winged Hawk soars in a thermal. But what we have come to see, if we are lucky, is the secretive Virginia Rail that lives in the thick grasses here. We follow the curve of the road to the north side of the marsh, stop, and listen. The grass barely moves when, as if tiptoeing, out it comes: a long-legged, plump, rust-colored water bird with a startling, long, red-streaked bill. Never would I have thought such a creature lived here!

We are so fortunate to have such avian treasures in our beautiful landscape, if we care to look and listen, day or night.

To get started birding, Ed Neumuth suggests:

A pair of binoculars, a field guide, a pencil and notebook and a good sense of curiosity.

"Birding," he says, "is one avenue for exploring the extraordinary natural beauty of Washington."

Joining a bird club can also be helpful and fun. In the Berkshires we have Hoffmann Bird Club established in 1940 to promote the study of birds in Berkshire County. Meetings are held in September through May and are open to anyone interested in birds or birding. Field trips are led by experienced birders and beginners are welcome.

Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to Eastern Birds is a good pocket size field guide. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds is a good reference as well. There are also several apps to help with bird identification. The Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab, and the Audubon app. Both are free and have images of birds as well as bird songs.