Morning birding in Hadley/Amherst and afternoon at Quabbin Park

Greater Scaup, Winsor Dam, Mar 11, 2013

Although not as sunny as the last few days today still turned out to be warmer than average with a high around 50.  I started off predawn at Orchard Hill where I wanted to catch up with an American Woodcock.  I had success right away with at least nine individuals present, with a few seen quite close.  The woodcock makes species #97 for the county this year.  I met up with Ian Davies here and we did an early morning sky watch attempting to find migrants moving north.  We didn't have much luck after about an hour so we headed out seeking waterfowl.  We drove through parts of Amherst and Hadley with stops at various farm fields, UMASS campus pond, Lake Warner, Hadley Cove, North Lane and the Honeypot.  Highlights included two Hooded Mergansers at the campus pond (unusual there), eleven Killdeer at the UMASS horse farm, three Wood Ducks and five Ring necked Ducks at Lake Warner, over a thousand Canada Geese at various locations with the best spots being Mill Valley Road and fields in North Hadley.  We ran across other species of waterfowl including Mallard, Common Merganser and Black Duck plus Killdeer at a few other locations and a number of blackbirds and grackles. 

Greater Scaup, Winsor Dam, Mar 11, 2013

On my way home I stopped at Winsor Dam and had a Greater Scaup and Bufflehead plus a push of at least half a dozen Turkey Vultures moving northeast.  Other migrants moving north included Sharp shinned Hawk, blackbirds and crows.

Greater Scaup, Winsor Dam, Mar 11, 2013

Greater Scaup, Winsor Dam, Mar 11, 2013

Greater Scaup, Winsor Dam, Mar 11, 2013

Common Goldeneyes (10 of 14), Quabbin Park, Mar 11, 2013

Pied billed Grebe, Quabbin Park, Mar 11, 2013

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Mar 11, 2013

After taking Wilson for a walk I headed back over to Quabbin Park where the Greater Scaup continued close into the dam at Winsor Dam.  I had a Common Loon and a couple flyby Bufflehead there as well.  In Quabbin Park itself I had 14 Common Goldeneye, 14 Common Mergansers, two Hooded Mergansers, a Bufflehead and a Pied billed Grebe.  Overall I had dozen species of waterfowl throughout the day.  With continued south winds tonight and tomorrow, some rain plus temperatures in the 50's, it will be interesting to see what else shows up.