Quabbin Park area

Eastern Bluebird, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 24, 2013

Wood Ducks (and Mallards), Route 9 marsh, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 24, 2013

Hooded Mergansers, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 24, 2013

I decided to spend the day around the local area visiting Quabbin Park, Covey WMA and Lake Wallace.  The weather started off cold with temperatures in the 20's but eventually warmed into the 40's but the wind kicked up again from the northwest.  With the cold weather and northerly winds migration continues to be stalled with little movement obvious and this is unlikely to change through the next week.  Perhaps by next weekend the conditions will improve and the migration will pick up.

At Quabbin Park I had the following waterfowl (with almost all at Winsor Dam or Route 9 marsh):  13 Common Mergansers, four Hooded Mergansers, 16 Wood Ducks, three Ring necked Ducks, three Black Ducks, 20 Mallards and 11 Canada Geese.  I tried to find a Pine Warbler (which should have arrived by now) but couldn't find a one.  No other new bird species for the day at all.

Lake Wallace had 27 Hooded Mergansers, a Common Merganser, four Wood Ducks, nine Mallards and 15 Canada Geese.  Also present were at least four Tree Swallows, a few Eastern Bluebirds prospecting nest holes and a singing Winter Wren.

Covey had a little raptor activity happening with four Red tailed Hawks, a pair of Cooper's Hawks in courtship flight and a couple Turkey Vultures but little else.