Early Thanksgiving birding

Mallards and a few Black Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 27, 2014

Canada Geese (two small individuals among flock), Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 27, 2014

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 27, 2014

Bald Eagle with long central tail feathers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 27, 2014

Bald Eagles, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 27, 2014

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Nov 27, 2014

I managed to make it out briefly this morning before returning home to clean up a bit more from the snow storm that ended overnight and then on to a Thanksgiving gathering.  As always following storms I had my mind on finding something unusual blown in from the storm but it was not to be today.  Thankfully the roads were cleared fairly well so I had no trouble making it over to Winsor Dam (Quabbin Park itself was still closed as the roads had not yet been plowed there).  I arrived there around 6:30 and stayed just over a half hour during which I had a nice flight of ducks coming out of a roost with at least 32 Black Ducks and 143 Mallards.  I also had a couple groups of Canada Geese heading southwest totalling 30 birds including two much smaller individuals (not quite right for Cackling but certainly runt Canada Geese) plus a couple Common Loons, three Bald Eagles (including one with some oddly long central tail feathers) and four Snow Buntings.  I then made a quick ride over to Beaver Lake where I found a couple Mallards, 61 Hooded Mergansers and five Common Mergansers.  Hopefully the next few days I have off will produce something noteworthy...I will certainly be out there looking.