Terns finally arrive at Quabbin including Forster's Tern and Common Terns! A cool, rainy, great day.

Forster's Tern, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Forster's Tern, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Bonaparte's Gull trying to land amid the terns, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Common Terns (one showing wing pattern), Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Common Terns and small sterna sp, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Common Terns and small stern sp (3rd bird from left), Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Common Terns and small stern sp (2nd bird from left), Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Common Terns in flight, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Common Tern in flight (showing grayer wings and body), Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Bonaparte's Gulls, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Bonaparte's Gulls, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

After lots of looking over the last couple days I finally got a big payoff when I found some terns at south Quabbin.  I initially saw a group of terns very distantly from Winsor Dam as they perched on a small platform.  I could not identify the birds from such a great distance so I decided to make a run over to Gate 5 which I knew would provide a better view (provided the birds didn't leave in the time it took me to get there).  Once I got down to the end of the Gate 5 road I quickly scanned and noticed a single tern moving north, feeding low over the water in typical tern fashion.  I got decent views of the bird and noticed an overall white bird with no gray on the belly and apparently clean white wings which led me to a field ID of Forster's Tern.  The bird continued to feed as I scanned around to find the platform and found the birds I viewed from the dam still present with five birds standing on platform.  Four appeared to be Common Terns but the fifth appeared noticeably smaller but otherwise similar in overall look.  The viewing conditions were far from ideal due to distance and occasional drizzle.  I then tried to relocate the tern that had been in flight but it had disappeared to the north.  I then went back to studying the terns on the platform and a few birds stretched a few times allowing views (and photos) of the wings.  As I watched the terns a group of three Bonaparte's Gulls came in and one tried to land on the platform but the terns would have nothing to do with that so the gulls continued a bit further north before settling on the water.  I checked out the gulls fairly closely and while I did so the terns eventually took off and I caught them in flight as they headed north over the gulls.  I noted grayish bellies on the individuals I could get decent looks at but the distance was fairly far and I did not get a good enough look at them to say for certain if one was different among them.  (I have sent the photos of the small sterna species to a few people more knowledgeable concerning terns to see what they think). Depending on the final determination on the identification of the terns I added perhaps three species to the county list this year but as of now I can say with certainty that I added at least two, Common Tern (#170) and Forster's Tern (#171).  The Forster's Tern was not only another new Quabbin species (bringing that total to 242) but a new Hampshire County bird for me as well bringing the county total to 289.
More photos can be found at this album on Flickr:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/albums/72157667854192506

Elsewhere in the area several terns continue out in Berkshires and a Caspian Tern showed up at the Oxbow this evening...hopefully it will still be there tomorrow.

Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, May 3, 2016

I also had the continued Lesser Scaup at Winsor Dam and continued large numbers of swallows (100's) and a few swifts feeding over the reservoir.

Wood Duck with ducklings, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Great Blue Herons on nest, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Great Blue Herons at near complete nest, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2016

Besides the tern and gull show at Quabbin I also ran across my first Wood Duck ducklings of the season as well as a growing Great Blue Heron rookery at Lake Wallace which is now up to three nests with two appearing to already have eggs in them with a bird sitting on the nest and a third nest nearly complete.  I had a single successful nest there a couple years ago but this is the first time I have had multiple nests there.  Otherwise it was fairly quiet for land birds especially given the fact that it is early May...the cool, rainy weather is tough on insectivores for sure and conditions are not optimal for new arrivals.