Quabbin gates and shorebirds in the East Meadows

White throated Sparrow, Gate 29

Red Squirrel, Quabbin Gate 29

Another night of north winds continued to carry out the birds of summer and replace them with the birds of fall and winter. The morning started off quite chilly with a couple of small patches of scattered frost. Once the sun rose the temps increased a bit but today certainly had a true feel of fall with the temperature topping out in the high 50's with a breeze. I debated on where to go this morning. I had thoughts of trying for the shorebirds seen yesterday in the East Meadows or try Arcadia again to give a more thorough check of the area. I was afraid the meadows may be flooded and I figured the shorebirds would have gone last night so I decided on a trip to the western gates of Quabbin visiting Gate 22, 29 and 16. The highlight of these stops included a group of eight Rusty Blackbirds at Gate 29. Upon arriving at home I had a message saying the shorebirds including Dunlin, Pectoral, White rumped and Semipalmated Plovers were still in the East Meadows as of 9:45. It was now 11:30 but I figured I would give it a try. I missed on some but did find a few including White rumped and Pectoral. In addition there were many Yellow rumped Warblers, various sparrows and a handful of American Pipits. I will add more of the day later when I have some time.