Huge influx of waterfowl at Quabbin Park...loads of scoters and long tailed ducks

Black Scoters (with White winged Scoters and Bufflhead), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Black Scoters (with White winged Scoters and Bufflhead), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

 

Black Scoters (with White winged Scoters), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Black Scoters (with White winged Scoters), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Greater Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Red throated Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Red throated Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Long tailed Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Long tailed Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Long tailed Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Red breasted Merganser, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Nov 3, 2013

Despite the cold temperatures today and strong winds out of the north I stayed at Quabbin Park the entire morning and amassed a fabulous list of waterfowl.  I started out in Quabbin Park at gate 52 trying to stay out of the wind and after just a few minutes noticed flocks of Black Scoters and Long tailed Ducks moving by.  I decided to head to Winsor Dam as I figured that would be a great spot to see what appeared to be a big influx of sea ducks.  I spent over four and a half hours there and had great numbers and variety.  I really wish I had some other people with me early on as the birds were coming by fast and furious and I certainly missed some stuff.  I have included the lists for the day below.  A very memorable day at Quabbin indeed! Most birds listed below were seen at Winsor Dam but a few were seen elsewhere.


Canada Goose  264    Moving sw
Wood Duck    5
American Black Duck  62     Oddly most moving north
Mallard  16
Northern Pintail  8     Females
Greater Scaup  3
Ring necked Duck        8
Surf Scoter  1
White-winged Scoter  43     Minimum
Black Scoter  597     Flocks moving by all morning. Minimum count
Long-tailed Duck  76    Minimum, flocks moving by as well as a few birds on water
Bufflehead  8
Common Goldeneye  3     Females
Hooded Merganser     14
Common Merganser  21
Red-breasted Merganser  1
duck sp.  13
Red-throated Loon  1     flyby
Common Loon  5
Horned Grebe     3
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1
Cooper's Hawk  2
Bald Eagle  9
Red-tailed Hawk  14
Ring-billed Gull  29
Herring Gull  2
Peregrine Falcon  1
Blue Jay  4
American Crow  184   most moving southeast
Black-capped Chickadee  2
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
American Robin  4
Snow Bunting  1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)  12
House Sparrow  4