Winsor Dam in the morning and evening produces again (species #232)...plus the anniversary of a couple storms

Red necked Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2013

Red necked Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2013

Red necked Grebes, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2013

Brant (really...I include these blurry distant photos as they are the best I got), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2013

Brant (really...I include these blurry distant photos as they are the best I got), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2013

With the northerly winds last night and the echo’s on the radar showing some decent movement last night (especially for late in the season) I decided to spend what little time I had this morning at Winsor Dam.  I arrived before dawn to a chilly and windy spot with sustained winds around 20MPH and the temperature in the high 20’s.  Approximately  ten minutes after I arrived the winds slackened up a bit but then the fog started rising off the water but luckily the fog didn’t completely disrupt viewing.  I had a Killdeer flying around calling before dawn and a Greater Yellowlegs come out of the west cove just before the sun came up (no luck with a Dunlin there today!).  The first waterfowl species I found was a grebe that kept drifting in and out of the fog but finally showed itself well enough to be identified.  It turned out to be a Red necked Grebe and became the first of three of the species there this morning.  I added three Common Loons as well as a flyby Long tailed Duck plus a Black Duck and several Canada Geese.  The best waterfowl by far arrived right around 7am when I had a group of birds moving north to south over the water that turned out to be a group of a dozen Brant.  The group passed by quickly to the south without stopping at the reservoir.  I attempted a few photos with my iPhone and a few came out but the light was not great and they are not exactly identifiable in the shots.  This time of year is the prime time to see this unusual species inland in Massachusetts and I have spent many hours specifically looking for them.  The Brant became species #232 for Hampshire County this year (two new birds in as many day in late October is great!).  I really have no idea what the next species might be (or if there will be any more species). 

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2013

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2013

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2013

A brief stop on my way home still produced some waterfowl despite the anti gull patrol.  I had a group of ten Bufflehead together, two Red necked Grebes, three Common Loons and four Black Ducks.  I can only imagine how much would have been around if there were not boats running at high speed back and forth.

Today marks the one year anniversary of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy: http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-birding.html. Overall Sandy didn't have a huge impact here but areas further south were devastated. Bird wise the main impact here was the arrival of large numbers of waterfowl such as scoters and long tailed ducks among others. The best bird here showed up several days after the storm when I found a Black legged Kittiwake at Winsor Dam:

http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2012/11/black-legged-kittiwake-at-quabbin-and.html
More info on the birding associated can be found at these links....needless to say some decent birding did occur due to the storm.

http://blog.aba.org/2012/10/abarare-hurricane-sandy-report-1-northern-lapwing-rosss-gull-and-more.html
http://blog.aba.org/2012/10/abarare-hurricane-sandy-report-2.html
http://blog.aba.org/2012/11/abarare-hurricane-sandy-report-3.html
http://www.nemesisbird.com/birding/bird-sightings/hurricane-sandy-storm-birding-at-bald-eagle-sp-pa/

Today also marks the two year anniversary of the start of an early season snowstorm that crippled the local area and resulted in extensive tree damage and loss of power for several days:
http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2011/10/waterfowl-at-quabbin-park-before-storm.html

Thankfully this October 29 is shaping up to nice and quiet. I for one am grateful we will not be dealing with a third year of extreme weather on this date.