October comes to an end with some more waterfowl

Long tailed Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 31, 2016

Long tailed Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 31, 2016

Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 31, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 31, 2016

I headed right to Winsor Dam after work this morning in search of waterfowl being blown in by the northerly winds and managed to find a flock of Long tailed Ducks on the water and occasionally flying around.  The flock eventually grew to 29 individuals which is a fairly high count for the area.  The only other waterfowl I had there were five Common Loons and a single Mallard (a brief stop later in the morning produced two Black Scoters).  The other notable sighting was a large migration of American Crows which was underway when I arrived just after eight and was still going (but reduced) an hour later when I left.  I counted at least 1100 crows all moving off to the southwest....my biggest count of the species so far this season.  There were also a few raptors moving but nothing unusual.

Cackling Goose with Canada Geese, Northampton, MA, Oct 30, 2016

Canada Goose with white on neck, Northampton, MA, Oct 30, 2016

On Sunday morning I managed to catch up with one of the two Cackling Geese that Keenan found in Northampton in among a flock of Canada Geese.  I attempted to get some photos of the bird but the light was terrible and by the time it got light enough I could not relocate the bird in the among the tight flock of geese and I quickly ran out of time.  I did have one Canada Goose with extensive white on its neck and managed to get a photo of that bird.

As October comes to an end I now stand at 234 species for Hampshire County for the year which is just three short of my best year.  At this point there are no easy species yet to find and I will have to luck out with a few irruptives and/or rarities to push me over the old record.

Another Brant and our first bit of snow

Brant, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Oct 29, 2016

Brant, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Oct 29, 2016

Brant, UMASS campus pond, Amherst, MA, Oct 29, 2016

Hooded Mergansers, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2016

Red headed Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 29, 2016

Red headed Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 29, 2016

Red tailed Hawk, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 29, 2016

Bonaparte's Gulls, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2016

Snow Bunting, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 29, 2016

After seeing a report from Keenan regarding a Brant that showed up at the UMASS campus pond on Friday, I headed over there right after work today and the bird was still present and provided the best views I have ever had of this species in the county (they are usually flybys or sitting distantly on the water at Quabbin).  I also checked several fields in Hadley and Amherst for other geese and ran across just a few groups with the largest numbering a couple hundred.  I then made a stop at Winsor Dam where I had two adult Bonaparte's Gulls flyby heading southeast as well as five Snow Buntings flying around and calling.  In addition there was an obvious migration of American Crows heading southeast with 500+ counted in less than 45 minutes...I imagine a longer stationary count would have produced thousands.  I also made a brief stop over to Lake Wallace to see if the Red headed Woodpecker was still around and it was once again busy stashing acorns.

Wilson eating as much snow as possible, Oct 27, 2016

Wilson taking in the first snow, Oct 27, 2016

Wilson enjoying a walk without snow, Oct 29, 2016

We had a little snow Thursday afternoon into the evening and we ended up with about an inch or so before it changed to heavy rain thus avoiding a repeat of five years ago when we got nailed with heavy snow around the same time of year and lost power for a week.  We really just narrowly avoided a repeat as areas nearby that stayed snow just a couple hours longer ended up with a few more inches which resulted in lots of limbs and trees coming down (but still not as bad as four years ago).  Wilson certainly enjoyed the arrival of some early season snow!

More northwest winds bring in more Brant

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 26, 2016

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 26, 2016

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 26, 2016

Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 26, 2016

Horned Grebe, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 26, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 26, 2016

Another day of northwest winds and cooler than normal temperatures brought in some more good stuff including more Brant. I once again had limited time to get out during the day and made a brief run through Quabbin Park at first light and then made a couple quick stops at Winsor Dam later in the day. My early visit to Quabbin Park produced nine species of waterfowl but overall numbers were lower than yesterday but I didn't make it there until a little later than yesterday. I had a brief look at a small grebe that may have been something unusual but it disappeared around a corner near Gate 52 before I could get a good look....wish I had a better look but not today. My stops later in the day at Winsor Dam were more productive as the northerly winds really cranked up again. I once again thought the conditions looked good to produce a Golden Eagle but I didn't have any luck (and not enough time). I did however have some good stuff right away when I had a flock of eighteen Brant flying around the reservoir. The birds never came in very close and would occasionally settle on the water way out in among the waves. Thankfully the Brant made an appearance for Devin when he arrived. My stop late in the day turned up one Brant still sitting on the water way out plus two Black Scoters. The northerly winds also had a number of raptors moving as well as several large groups of migrating crows.  Tonight looks to feature record low temperatures which will bottom out in the low 20's and then we could see a little snow/rain mix midday tomorrow with accumulating snow possible in the hills.

Strong west and northwest winds bring in more cold weather and a few Brant today (among other stuff)

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2016

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2016

Mallards, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2016

White winged Scoter, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2016

Brant (really), Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2016

Brant (really), Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2016

I only had a limited time to go out this morning before I had to be back to meet a contractor at the house to get some work done.  Despite having limited time I made the most of it by concentrating my time at Quabbin, beginning before dawn at Hank's Meadow and then hitting the Route 9 marsh before spending about 45 minutes at Winsor Dam.  As is typical this time of year (once the evening anti gull boat patrols have started) the best waterfowl numbers very early on is at a roost spot at Hank's Meadow which featured over three hundred individuals composed of the following: a half dozen Brant that took off to the south calling just as it was getting light (managed a few blurry shots but just too dark for the iPhone to work well), 40+ Black Ducks, 220+ Mallards, 32 Ring necked Ducks, 18 Hooded Mergansers, 5 Horned Grebes and a Common Loon plus some other unidentified ducks.  The Brant were new for the year for Hampshire County and they became species #234.  Other notables at Hank's Meadow included two calling American Woodcock.  The marsh added more Black Ducks and a number of Canada Geese.  My stationary count at Winsor Dam produced a male White winged Scoter with a Long tailed Duck plus more Canada Geese, Black Ducks, Mallards, loons and Double crested Cormorants.  The wind was just starting to pick up when I left around eight.  The wind increased (out of the northwest) during the day and I made a brief stop late in the afternoon before the boats went out on the water but the reservoir itself was devoid of waterfowl but they could easily have been lost from view in the waves.  The conditions looked perfect for a Golden Eagle to come sailing by but I had no luck during the time I was there.  A cold day with highs never making it out of the 40's with a strong wind...a late fall like feel.  The forecast calls for continued cooler than normal weather with even the chance of snow by the end of the week...I call bullshit on that.

Rusty Blackbirds, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 24, 2016

Red breasted Merganser, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Oct 24, 2016

Looking toward Winsor Dam, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Oct 24, 2016

Turkey Vulture, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 24, 2016

Red headed Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 24, 2016

Yesterday I had more time on what also turned into a breezy and cool day.  I stayed in the local area with stops at Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, Quabbin Gate 5 and Lake Wallace.  Highlights included three American Wigeons, a flyby Northern Shoveler (with a group of Mallards and Black Ducks) and a small loon that I just could not pin an ID on beyond being certain it was not a Common Loon.  It may have been a Red throated Loon but I could not be certain.  Quabbin park had a flock of 38 Rusty Blackbirds at the marsh but nothing else too unusual.  The best bird at gate 5 was a Red breasted Merganser.  The Red headed Woodpecker continued to show well at Lake Wallace and the Rusty Blackbird flock there continued with a dozen birds present.

The last few days including our last warm days for awhile

Red tailed Hawk, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 23, 2016

Bald Eagles, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 23, 2016

Greater Scaup and Surf Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 23, 2016

Greater Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 23, 2016

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 23, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 23, 2016

Once I got out of work today I headed right to Winsor Dam to try to catch up with some birds being blown in by the strong west winds.  I stayed for about an hour and a half before heading home and I managed to find a number of notable birds including 3 Greater Scaup, 10 Surf Scoter, a Black Scoter, 3 Bufflehead, 2 Red breasted Mergansers and a Northern Goshawk (as well as seven other species of raptors).  The Northern Goshawk was the biggest surprise of the morning as I had it interacting with a Red tailed Hawk over the hills of Quabbin Park.  Always a tough bird to get around here and one that always impresses even if seen at a distance through the scope.  The size and bulk of the goshawk is quite impressive as it easily was a match for the nearby Red tailed Hawk.  I wish the bird had come in closer but I guess I'm happy to have seen this unusual species at all around here.  The Northern Goshawk becomes species #232 for Hampshire County this year. I was joined for part of my time at the dam by Devin, Aidan and Scott.

I managed to check just one spot for geese before work on Saturday and found a group of 420+ Canada Geese plus 37 Wood Ducks but nothing else of note....still hoping for an unusual goose to show itself this fall.

Ring necked Ducks, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 21, 2016

Ruddy Duck, Beaver Lake, Ware, MA, Oct 21, 2016

Ruddy Duck, Beaver Lake, Ware, MA, Oct 21, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 21, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 21, 2016

The weather for Friday featured another warm day for October when a new batch of southerly winds pushed the temps into the upper 70's despite no sun. Although the forecast called for rain on and off through the day the vast majority of the day was rain free. I headed straight for Winsor Dam after work and didn't find much there initially but the low clouds and drizzle made viewing difficult. I then headed into Quabbin Park and checked Hank's Meadow and Goodnough Dike before heading to the Route 9 marsh. Not much for waterfowl on the reservoir but did find a few Black Ducks, four Horned Grebes and eight Common Loons. The biggest surprise at Hank's Meadow was a couple of Evening Grosbeaks that flew over heading southwest. A stop a little later at Winsor Dam turned up another Evening Grosbeak plus another five Common Loons. I had to run a few errands over in Ware so I made a quick stop at Beaver Lake and turned up a distant Ruddy Duck and a flyby Greater Yellowlegs.

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 20, 2016

I stopped briefly at Winsor Dam on Thursday morning before work but didn't find anything unusual with just Black Ducks and Mallard leaving their roost and the largest group of gulls I have had there in awhile (50+) which means the anti gull boat patrols can't be too far off.

Opossum, home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 20, 2016

Although the number and variety of birds coming into the water feature continues to dwindle (just Blue Jays and White throated Sparrows) a new mammal showed up on Thursday night when a Opossum showed up.