Red Crossbills

Red Crossbill, Quabbin Park, October 17,2010

Red Crossbill, Quabbin Park, October 17, 2010

Bald Eagle, Quabbin Park, October 17, 2010

I spent the last couple days exploring areas at Quabbin including Quabbin Park, Gate 4 and Gate 16. Yesterday was quite breezy and cool following a nor'easter. The highlights of yesterday included a late Red eyed Vireo at Gate 4 and four Horned Grebes at Quabbin Park.

Today I started at Quabbin Park at dawn and had a handful of waterfowl including five Horned Grebe, four Common Loons, a lone Common Mergansers plus Wood Ducks, Mallards and Canada Geese. In addition the juncos continued to increase in number with a minimum of 108 counted this morning. Also had a Eastern Towhee and a Chipping Sparrow still hanging out near Quabbin Tower. The best birds by far here were not waterfowl but a group of three Red Crossbills seen and heard feeding in pines in roughly the same area I had White winged Crossbills last week. I managed a couple of record shots but I was very happy just to get these photos as the birds fed at the tops of the pines. I also had my first of season Pine Siskins today.