Winsor Dam waterfowl in late afternoon

Common Loon, only bird that was fairly close in, Quabbin Park, Nov 5, 2011

A distant, cropped shot that barely shows some of the birds, Buffleheads (right and middle), Surf Scoters (middle), Long tailed Ducks (left), Horned Grebes (far left) and Common Loon (far out middle) visible.   You can click on the photo to enlarge.

I stopped briefly at Winsor Dam this morning and the winds were strong out of the north which made viewing birds difficult.  I found a half dozen Bufflehead but little else.  I then tried the marsh on Route 9 and had a Wood Duck pair.  The road around Quabbin Park remains closed due to extensive tree damage following last Saturdays snow storm.  I then spent the remainder of the day clearing up debris left in the yard from the storm.  I built some fairly large piles of brush that will hopefully provide some coverage for birds this winter.  The area around continues to feel the effects of the storm with some 20% of the town still in the dark at the end of the day.  I'm certainly happy to be one of the lucky ones to have power back on. 

Once I finished clearing the yard it was late afternoon and with the winds having subsided I decided to make a return trip to Winsor Dam and I was glad I did.  I immediately noticed some birds on the calm surface of the water and set up the scope to get some good looks.  I found a nice assortment of waterfowl scattered across the reservoir here.  Given the large numbers and variety in this very small portion of the reservoir it makes me wonder what else is out there in areas that cannot be accessed.  I included the highlights of a half hour of watching at the dam.

American Black Duck 8 together
Surf Scoter 3 two males, stayed near the long tailed ducks
Long-tailed Duck 18 together
Bufflehead 44 in a few groups plus a few pairs
Wild Turkey 1
Red-throated Loon 2 together near one of the Common Loons
Common Loon 6 scattered around, one close
Horned Grebe 4
Red-necked Grebe 6 together in one group
Double-crested Cormorant 1
A great way to get back to birding after spending five days in the dark and cleaning up the damage.  I will be very interested to see what I find there tomorrow morning.