Black legged Kittiwakes (and other stuff) during a strong Nor'easter

Black legged Kittiwake, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Black legged Kittiwake, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Black legged Kittiwake, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Black legged Kittiwake, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Double crested Cormorants, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Ring billed Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Bufflehead, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

White winged Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

A powerful nor'easter hit the area starting very late on Monday into Tuesday and lasting through today.  We were lucky to escape of the worst of the rain and wind but we still had plenty of both (the coast and the cape got hit hard with hurricane force winds resulting in widespread power outages).  I had to work yesterday so was not able to check Winsor Dam when I'm sure some stuff showed up but I did immediately head in that direction this morning.  Strong nor'easters during this time of year can produce some good birds as the rain force some migrants down and displace birds from the coast inland.  A similar type of storm back in mid October of 2005 produced a record number of Black legged Kittiwakes (up to nine) in the valley and that species was high on my list of potential rarities with this storm (more of kittiwake records in the county below).  As I was just about to Winsor Dam I got both a text and email about two Black legged Kittiwakes being found by Ted and Scott.  I arrived a few minutes later and immediately got to see and distantly photograph the birds.  This was only the third time I had ever seen the species in Hampshire County with my previous records being up to five back in October 2005 and a single seen Winsor Dam in November of 2012 in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  The kittiwakes today would fly around for a bit and then settle on the water only to fly up again.  Most of the time they were fairly distant and tough to keep track of due to the wind and rain.  They were joined for a time by at least two Bonaparte's Gulls.  Eventually the kittiwakes flew up along with a few other gulls and gained altitude before being propelled south by the strong north winds and they did not return (a review of photos later showed that there were at least three unique kittiwakes present and possibly even four).  Thankfully they stuck around long enough for a number of other birders to arrive and see them.  During the nearly three hours I stayed at the dam there was a noticeable movement of both Canada Geese and Double crested Cormorants.  The low clouds and low visibility hid the birds occasionally and many likely went by undetected.  As expected other waterfowl was also moving or grounded by the weather with seven other species beyond the Canada Geese but nothing unexpected given the date.  Overall a great morning at the dam and one I was glad to be a part of.

Double crested Cormorants, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

After taking Wilson for a walk I returned to Winsor Dam where the wind, low clouds and drizzle continued but was slightly reduced from the morning.  The overall activity was lower but there was still some stuff to be seen including a group of 16 White winged Scoters and another large group of Double crested Cormorants moving rapidly off to the southwest (a great count of cormorants overall for the day at the dam with at least 150 individuals).  A very unexpected Blue headed Vireo showed briefly in one of the large pine trees and then quickly moved off...one of the few passerines at the dam all day.  It will be interesting to see what others turned up both nearby and at the coast due to the storm.  There is still the chance of stuff being seen in the wake of the storm over the next day or two so certainly worth getting out to look if you have the chance.

Surf Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Winsor Dam (view when I arrived), Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Winsor Dam (view when I left), Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

Rainbows at Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2021

I made a final trip over the dam late in the afternoon in the hopes of finding some additional birds at the end of the storm (a report of 15 Common Eiders at Wachusett Reservoir inspired me to try again...I unfortunately did not find any eiders).  I arrived to the winds still cranking and the the visibility poor due to ongoing rain.  I started scanning and quickly found all three species of scoters (including my first Surf Scoters of the day).  There were a few flocks of Canada Geese both flying over and on the water.  Other notables included three Red breasted Mergansers that joined up with some of the scoters.  As the light of the day was coming to an end the wind suddenly slackened a lot and the rain came to an end for the most part.  The calmer conditions allowed me to find more groups of birds out on the water but most were too far out to identify.  The best bird of the stop came in around 5:30 and settled way out on the water...a Ruddy Duck.  My stop was capped off by a beautiful double rainbow.  I wish I could be at the dam again at first light to see what else settled in over night but I will have to leave that effort up to others.  With the sightings of the Black legged Kittiwakes and the Ruddy Duck today I added two new species to my Hampshire County list for the year (species #246 and #247) which now brings me to just one shy of my previous best year (which was last year) with two months left in the year.

Just a taste of what the coast got with this epic storm...a list from First Encounter Beach on the cape on the 28th as the storm was pulling away:  First Encounter Beach on October 28th

Red breasted Merganser with Common Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2021

Red breasted Merganser, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2021

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2021

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 25, 2021

Wilson resting after his appointment, Home, Oct 25, 2021

On Monday before the arrival of the big nor'easter but following overnight rain I made it to Winsor Dam before dawn.  The rain was still coming down but eventually it let up a bit and then changed to just occasional drizzle for most of the rest of the day.  I was joined by Ted and eventually Joe before I had to leave to pick up Wilson for an appointment at Tufts.  The overnight rain had downed a few birds with four White winged Scoters and at least 8 Common Loons.  Other waterfowl was moving but nothing unexpected although a close look at a Red breasted Merganser that flew in with a few Common Mergansers was nice.  I made a couple more stops back to the dam later in the day but didn't find anything noteworthy.  I then headed home to pick up Wilson to head down to an appointment at Tufts late in the morning.