Quabbin Park again

Common Loon, Quabbin Park, Nov 2, 2013

Common Loon, Quabbin Park, Nov 2, 2013

Northern Harrier, Quabbin Park, Nov 2, 2013

Northern Harrier, Quabbin Park, Nov 2, 2013

Double crested Cormorant, Quabbin Park, Nov 2, 2013

Quabbin at dawn, Quabbin Park, Nov 2, 2013

Hooded Merganser, Quabbin Park, Nov 2, 2013

Hooded Merganser, Quabbin Park, Nov 2, 2013

I spent a few hours this morning at Quabbin Park trying in vain to find something unusual brought in by all the strong south winds. I started and finished at Winsor Dam plus hit Goodnough Dike and the Route 9 marsh. I didn't stop at Hanks Meadow as the annual disabled hunters hunt was taking place so I may have missed some stuff there. Waterfowl numbers and variety were quite low with the following seen in Quabbin Park itself: 5 Common Loons, a Double crested Cormorant, 5 Hooded Mergansers, 4 Wood Ducks, 4 Black Ducks, a couple Mallard and a dozen Canada Geese. The vast majority of these birds were at the marsh with only the loons, cormorant and a few geese on the reservoir. Other notable birds in the park in included my first Snow Buntings of the season, a couple of Pine Siskins among the goldfinches.  I decided my best chance of turning up something of note would be with a vigil at Winsor Dam which I stayed at for just over an hour and half. The vast majority of the time the only waterfowl on the water were three Common Loons. A few Mallards and a Black Duck flew by but never landed. Late in the watch a male Surf Scoter flew in and eventually landed way out and was joined by a male Bufflehead. Other flyover birds included a male Northern Harrier (following the same flight line all the harriers I have seen there this year have flown), a Ruby crowned Kinglet, an American Pipit, two Horned Larks.   The other notable show this morning was a strong movement of American Crows moving northeast to southwest.  I noticed a few groups moving while I was in the park but I had the vast majority while watching at Winsor Dam.  The total came to a conservative 815 individuals although I'm sure I missed some while scanning elsewhere.  I would assume the birds were migrating as they were still moving (in lesser numbers) as I was leaving at 10AM.  I would assume if the birds were leaving a roost they would have moved earlier.

A walk later in the morning along the land trust trail in Belchertown turned up a somewhat late Common Yellowthroat but not too much else of note.

Today was the last nice day with temperatures above average (highs today in the mid 60's and sunny). Tomorrow is forecast to have a high of 45 with a wind out of the northwest with lows tomorrow night in the low 20's. There is still the chance of something unusual associated with all the south winds to show itself tomorrow or Monday and I will be out looking (and freezing)