A cold morning around south Quabbin

Fox Sparrow, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 21, 2014

Fox Sparrow, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 21, 2014

Fox Sparrow, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Nov 21, 2014

Hooded Mergansers, Beaver Lake, Ware, MA, Nov 21, 2014

Porcupine climbing a stone wall, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 21, 2014

Another winter like morning with temperatures around 20 with a breeze out of the northwest. I stuck around the south Quabbin area with stops at Winsor Dam, Hank's Meadow, Beaver Lake and Gate 5. The edges of Beaver Lake and almost all of the Route 9 marsh had ice already forming. Winsor Dam had only a smattering of waterfowl with two Long tailed Ducks, a flyby Common Merganser and a Common Loon. Hank's Meadow had a flyby group of 48 Canada Geese, three Common Loons, four Horned Grebes and three Bald Eagles.  As I was driving out of Quabbin Park I ran across a Porcupine crossing the road.  Beaver Lake was actually the most productive spot for a change this morning with a Bufflehead, 46 Hooded Mergasners, three Common Mergansers and 36 Canada Geese.  Quabbin Gate 5 produced a Common Loon and a Horned Grebe for waterfowl plus some flyover Pine Siskins and close up looks at a Fox Sparrow.  Overall a fairly quiet morning which I guess is not surprising given how cold it was.  Really looking forward to some warmer weather forecast for the end of the weekend.

 

A walk with Wilson along the Jabish Canal produced almost forty American Robins feeding on Winterberry plus a close look at a Winter Wren.

 

A stop back at Winsor Dam around midday produced a couple more Common Mergansers flying south but not much else.  The winds increased quite a bit from early in the morning and continued out of the west/northwest making for some really cold wind chills.