Gadwall and Greater White fronted Goose (and others) in the valley

Greater White fronted Goose, Hadley Cove, Hadley, MA, Mar 25, 2013

Greater White fronted Goose, Hadley Cove, Hadley, MA, Mar 25, 2013

I birded this morning with Ian visiting a variety of areas in Amherst, Hadley, Northampton and Easthampton.  I was running a little early to pick up Ian so I briefly stopped at Orchard Hill at UMASS and had at least eight American Woodcocks calling and displaying.  Our first stop for the morning was Hadley Cove which held quite a few less waterfowl then the previous several mornings but what it lacked it quantity it made up for in quality.  We had a likely Cackling Goose from the car but then could not relocate it (not counted as it was not confirmed).  The Greater White fronted Goose was showing quite well and allowed great looks as it swam among the 120 Canada Geese present.  Other waterfowl included a Northern Pintail, a Ring necked Duck, a Green winged Teal, 15 Wood Ducks, 14 Black Ducks, ten Common Mergansers and 45+ Mallards.  We also had three Great Blue Herons come in and land in the trees near the cove.

Gadwall, Mill River, Northampton, MA, Mar 25, 2013

Gadwall, Mill River, Northampton, MA, Mar 25, 2013

Gadwall, Mill River, Northampton, MA, Mar 25, 2013

We then headed across the river with our first stop being the Mill River where we had a male Gadwall which became species #106 for my county year.  Gadwall can be quite tough to find inland so I was happy to run across this individual.  Other waterfowl here included nearly 100 Mallards, 25 Black Ducks and a couple Wood Ducks plus Canada Geese.

American Wigeon, River St, Easthampton, MA, Mar 25, 2013

American Wigeon, River St, Easthampton, MA, Mar 25, 2013

American Wigeon, River St, Easthampton, MA, Mar 25, 2013

The various areas of the Oxbow had a nice show of Common Mergansers with at least 218 present.  The oxbow also held 25 Hooded Mergansers,   Also present were four Ring necked Ducks, a couple each of Black Duck and Wood Duck, around 70 Canada Geese and a few Mallards.  A couple Bald Eagles kept watch over all the waterfowl present.  We took a ride down River Street in Easthampton to try to get a better view of the oxbow but the real treat here was a male American Wigeon in a small puddle in one the fields.  At nearby Arcadia we had small numbers of the expected species of waterfowl but nothing too noteworthy.  As we walked back to the car we had a Barred Owl fly over head and perch in a tree.

We headed back across the river with stops at North Lane, Lake Warner, Meadow Street fields, Mill Valley Road and finishing up at the UMASS pond.  North Lane and Lake Warner were very quiet with the only waterfowl being geese heading north.  The Meadow Street fields held some geese as well as at least 9 Killdeer.  The area looks great for shorebirds as the season moves on.  Mill Valley again held a nice selection of geese with at least 1090 Canada Geese but nothing unusual that we could pick out.  The area also had 24 Mallards, a few Killdeer and at least 19 Horned Larks working the eastern fields.  The campus pond held only a small number of Mallards and Canada Geese.

I then headed for home but made a quick stop at Winsor Dam in hopes of finding something good but only had a couple Common Mergansers.  The winds continued to pick up and waves started to build a bit.  The rest of the morning and midday I spent walking with Wilson along Jabish Canal and Piper Farm.  Jabish Canal turned up another Winter Wren as well as a Red shouldered Hawk, a few Red tailed Hawks, a few Turkey Vultures and a Cooper's Hawk. 

I heard late in the afternoon that the Greater White fronted Goose was refound at the campus pond.  It will be interesting to see how long the bird sticks around before heading back to breed in Greenland.