Arcadia and the CT river in the morning plus south Quabbin

Northern Harrier, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 4, 2015

House Finch, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 4, 2015

Canada Goose with dark cheek, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Dec 4, 2015

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Dec 4, 2015

I spent a good portion of the morning today out exploring various areas primarily in search of waterfowl.  I started off along the Connecticut River where I stopped at Arcadia as well as a few spots in Hadley.  Arcadia had a decent number of Canada Geese (380+) including an individual with a dark cheek on both sides of its face...no sign of any Cackling Geese this morning.  Arcadia also had a smattering of Black Ducks, Mallards and three Green winged Teal.  The meadows featured at least three Northern Harriers plus other more expected species.  The river in Hadley had some Canada Geese, Mallards and Black Ducks but nothing more unusual.  None of the fields in the area featured any geese but not really surprising given the hunting pressure.  Quabbin Park produced a Common Goldeneye, a couple Horned Grebes and a Common Loon on the reservoir plus a few Black Ducks on the route 9 marsh.  Nearby Beaver Lake had just a couple each of Hooded Merganser and Canada Geese.  Overall a fairly quiet morning but at least it was not unbearably cold.