No luck finding the King Eider this morning...but did find a Snow Goose at Hadley Cove

Snow Goose, Hadley Cove, Nov 12, 2013

Snow Goose, Hadley Cove, Nov 12, 2013

Mallards and Canada Geese, Hadley Cove, Nov 12, 2013

Despite the windy and snowy conditions I headed over to Winsor Dam at first light in an attempt to relocate the King Eider seen there throughout yesterday.  The viewing conditions were horrible so I was unable to see very far at all so I could not tell if the bird left or was still hanging around.  Without having any luck at the dam I headed toward work making a brief stop at Hadley Cove to check for waterfowl.  Among the 100+ Mallards, several Black Ducks and a handful of Canada Geese I found a Snow Goose….the first one of this species I have found this fall.  I have not heard any positive reports (or negative) of sightings from today of the King Eider.  Given the fact that the anti gull patrol is back on for the week the bird has almost certainly moved on to other locales.  It was great while it was here and a bird I will never forget!

 

Trying to find new birds to add to my Hampshire County list for the year becomes more and more difficult as fall turns to early winter and I have picked up most of the expected species already. I still have a few possibilities but the chances of finding them is quite low. Here is a list of species I have seen in previous years in the county but have not yet found this year and still have a chance of seeing (I have excluded species that have gone to warmer climes by now). As you can see from the list below my best chance of adding to my current total of 234 would be a species of waterfowl or gull. I really have no idea if new species will show up but given the appearance of a King Eider yesterday I guess anything is possible!

Waterfowl: Tundra Swan, Trumpeter Swan, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Redhead, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Great Cormorant

Marsh birds: Common Gallinule, American Coot

Shorebirds: Hudsonian Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Baird’s Sandpiper, Wilson’s Phalarope, Red Phalarope

Gulls and Terns: Black legged Kittiwake, Lesser Black backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Caspian Tern, Black Tern, Parasitic Jaegar

Owls: Long eared Owl

Hummingbirds: Rufous Hummingbird, Allen’s Hummingbird

Flycatchers: Western Kingbird

Wrens: Sedge Wren

Thrushes: Varied Thrush

Irruptives: Bohemian Waxwing, Boreal Chickadee

Sparrows: Nelson’s Sparrow

Blackbirds:Yellow headed Blackbird

Other vagrant species are also possible and anything is possible as the year comes to an end...if anyone sees any of the above species (or any really odd bird) let me know.