Quabbin birding and beyond: November 2013

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Winsor Dam on a very cold morning

Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 30, 2013

Black Duck (all dark, with dark bill), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 30, 2013

Winsor Dam with continued fog, Nov 30, 2013

Winsor Dam at dawn, Nov 30, 2013

Winsor Dam before dawn, Nov 30, 2013

With only a little time before having to get back home this very cold morning (around 10 degrees) I went over to Winsor Dam. With the very cold air low level fog was a bit of a problem as it obscured the water from time to time. I stayed at the dam for about 45 minutes and was joined by a few members of the Hampshire Bird Club who were meeting there before heading up the east side of Quabbin on the annual trip there. Hopefully they had good luck finding some waterfowl despite the cold weather. I made a quick trip over to Beaver Lake in Ware but the lake was nearly completely frozen over so I headed back to Winsor Dam for a short time before heading home. Nothing too exciting this morning but did have the following waterfowl: 171 Canada Geese, 17 Black Ducks (including a overall dark individual with a dark bill), 19 Mallards, a Common Goldeneye (hanging out with a few Common Mergansers), nine Common Mergansers, nine Hooded Mergansers and a Common Loon. Once again the vast majority of birds were flying by. Lots of gulls around with hundreds present including at least 222 Ring billed Gulls and half a dozen Herring Gulls and lots more too far out to ID.

Today also marks the end of hurricane season which turned out to be quite lackluster despite predictions early in the year pointing toward an above average season. A total of 13 named storms with only two becoming hurricanes and neither of this major hurricanes. The potential was certainly there for an active season but a few other variables just didn't come together for an active season. We had no direct impact from a tropical system this year which broke our two year streak. We shall see what next year brings.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Quabbin Park produces species #235 for Hampshire County this year

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

Common Merganser, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

Hanks Meadow, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

Red necked Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

Black Ducks and Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

Black Ducks Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

Canada Geese, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

I was going to spend the morning chasing Black Friday sales and fighting with people over the latest 'got to have' item but instead decided to head out birding..it was a tough decision to make bit I think I made the right one. Certainly a nicer morning today compared to yesterday as the winds were no longer an issue. I spent most the morning at Quabbin Park with the vast majority of the time at Winsor Dam. Some good stuff around and I managed to add another species to my Hampshire County list for the year which certainly made my morning. This morning was also the first one in weeks I didn't wake up with a headache following another concussion so it was a doubly good day. The main focus this late in the year is certainly on waterfowl and any irruptive species. I had a good show of waterfowl which included the following: 532 Canada Geese (several flocks of varying sizes...a couple stopped briefly on the water before continuing southwest...checked each flock for something unusual but found nothing), 38 Black Ducks, 30 Mallards, nine Hooded Mergansers, 90 Common Mergansers (vast majority flying by), seven Common Loons, six Horned Grebes, a Red necked Grebe (looking a lot like a possible western grebe when seen at a distance when the throat gleamed white and bill showed bright yellow in the morning sun...I had to watch the bird for awhile before I could make out other details) and, best of all, a female Northern Shoveler which became species #235 for me this year in Hampshire County. I was really not expecting this species this morning but you never know what will show up. It was quite distant but the scope revealed the large bill. I attempted some digiscoped shots but the distance was just too great to get any decent enough shots. Northern Shoveler is not easy to get in the county and I have had just a handful with a few at Winsor Dam. Besides the waterfowl I had four Bald Eagles, a kingfisher, five Snow Buntings and 29 Cedar Waxwings (no Bohemian Waxwings in among them) plus hundreds of gulls with almost all Ring billed Gulls. I'm sure something odd was mixed in among them but the distance was too far to ID many of them.

Red necked Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

I have also included a few photos from today of the Red necked Grebe when seen from a distance in bright sun. With a view like this you could mistake the bird for a Western/Clarks Grebe. Only after studying the bird at high power through the scope (and allowing it to drift a little closer) could I see the details of a Red necked Grebe. Compare these with the photos taken a little later (earlier in post).

Northern Shoveler, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 29, 2013

The best shots I could get of the Northern Shoveler...not much to look at but the best I got.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thanksgiving birding

Wild Turkey, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 28, 2013

Wild Turkey sitting in crab apple tree, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 28, 2013

Black Ducks and Mallards, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 28, 2013

Long tailed Duck, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 28, 2013

Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 28, 2013

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 28, 2013

Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 28, 2013

Another winter like day today as the temperature struggled to get near freezing and the strong northwest winds stayed up all day. I only had a few hours this morning so stayed close to home with trips to Quabbin Park and Beaver Lake. Although I had high hopes of something unusual showing up (as I always do) today did not turn out to be the day. I only made a couple stops within Quabbin Park including Gate 52 and Goodnough Dike. The wind and waves made spotting waterfowl on the water rather difficult and I only ended up with a single Common Loon, four Black Ducks and a pair of Hooded Mergansers. I spent more time (about 90 minutes) at Winsor Dam and managed to have a few species of waterfowl flyby heading in a southerly direction including a Long tailed Duck, a male Hooded Merganser, five Black Ducks, a dozen Mallards and 26 Canada Geese. Winsor Dam also produced at least seven Bald Eagles, a couple flyover Snow Buntings and the continued group of 13 Wild Turkeys (appropriate for Thanksgiving).

Hooded Mergansers, Beaver Lake, Ware, MA, Nov 28, 2013

Ruddy Duck, Beaver Lake, Ware, MA, Nov 28, 2013

Hooded Merganser, Beaver Lake, Ware, MA, Nov 28, 2013

A rather brief stop at Beaver Lake in Ware produced the continuing Ruddy Duck, a single female Ring necked Duck, 24 Hooded Mergansers, ten Common Mergansers and three Mallards.

In another milestone this post becomes my 700th post here....hopefully people have enjoyed the journey so far.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

A rainy late fall day

Winsor Dam during a brief lull in the rain, Nov 27, 2013

Ring billed Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 27, 2013 (trying to look like a Snowy Owl!)

I made a brief stop after midday at Winsor Dam as the rain continued to fall (totally a few inches today). The predicted strong winds for the day had not yet shown up so the water was quite calm but contained no birds. The group of 13 Wild Turkeys were feeding in and around the crab apple trees. I scanned the water a few times and then the dam and noticed a white bird perched on the wall of the dam. I set up the scope on it and unfortunately it was just a Ring billed Gull and not a Snowy Owl! Damn!

Ring necked Ducks, Beaver Lake, Ware, MA, Nov 27, 2013

Ring necked Pheasant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 27, 2013

Although the rain continued through most of the afternoon I still managed to a get in a few birding stops in and turned up some birds. A few more stops at Winsor Dam didn't turn up any waterfowl but I did find my second Ring necked Pheasant I have ever had at Quabbin. A stop at Beaver Lake in Ware turned up some waterfowl including a Ruddy Duck, 57 Ring necked Ducks (mostly males), 27 Hooded Mergansers, 14 Common Mergansers, a couple Mallards and 16 Canada Geese plus a kingfisher. Most of the waterfowl were fairly distant but still viewable. A really 'ring' type of afternoon with Ring necked Pheasant, Ring necked Duck and Ring billed Gull.

A few snow showers could arrive overnight and tomorrow is forecast to be another windy and cold day with strong winds out of the northwest. I will be out looking to see if I can find anything of interest brought in by these winds. Hopefully a Snowy Owl will finally turn up as more and more are being found in the northeast. One bird seen on the Massachusetts coast is a tagged bird that was captured this year out near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Winsor Dam before the rain, Quabbin Park, Nov 26, 2013

Yesterday I did a quick ride through the East Meadows in search of a Snowy Owl but came up empty, again. The meadows did hold a very nice show of Horned Larks with a huge flock containing at least 425 individuals as well as 24 Snow Buntings and a Lapland Longspur.

Quabbin birding and beyond