Waterfowl before and after work including a neck tagged Canada Goose and a group of six Red breasted Mergansers

Canada Goose with neck tag, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 31, 2015

Canada Goose with neck tag, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 31, 2015

East Meadows at dawn, Northampton, MA, Mar 31, 2015

I was up early so took the extra time this morning to try to catch up with some unusual waterfowl in the Connecticut River. I hoped the Greater White fronted Geese and the Cackling Goose seen yesterday around UMASS would turn up roosting on the river. I checked the river from a few locations and turned up a total of 1600+ Canada Geese (including one necked tagged individual), 11 Wood Ducks, 9 Black Ducks, 116 Mallards, 4 Ring necked Ducks, 3 Hooded Mergansers and half a dozen Common Mergansers plus a few others just too far away to ID. The odd geese may have been in the strung out bunch in the river but the morning lighting and distance made it impossible to see everything well. Other highlights included a Fish Crow and flyby Killdeers.
****update on tagged goose**** The necked tagged individual "Y1X9" ws tagged on 6/29/2010 in Varennes, Quebec as a young bird in the nest.

Red breasted Mergansers, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Mar 31, 2015

Red breasted Mergansers, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Mar 31, 2015

Red breasted Mergansers, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Mar 31, 2015

Canada Geese flock, Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 31, 2015

On my way home I also made a few stops for waterfowl.  The Connecticut River in Hadley was fairly quiet with just a few Canada Geese and Mallards, 8 Green winged Teal and a couple Common Mergansers.  I then headed over to Mill Valley Road in Hadley where I found a large group of geese scattered through the cornfields and around the solar farm.  I worked through the flock but didn't come up with anything unusual but many birds were hidden from view.  They only became visible when the entire group lifted off together heading out in various directions.  A rough count at that point turned up a minimum 1950 Canada Geese...likely more.  A handful of mallards rounded out the waterfowl.  A few minutes before the geese lifted off Jacob and Keenan stopped and mentioned they had a group of half a dozen Red breasted Mergansers in the Connecticut River off of North Lane in Hadley.  Although I hate to drive back through Hadley at this time of day I figured I would work my way over, checking a few fields on the way for geese (only found a few hundred Canada Geese off Farm Lane).  Once I arrived at North Lane the six Red breasted Mergansers were easy to find as they fished right along the river bank.  An unusual species inland here, especially in such a large number.  This group beat my previous high count of this species for the county by a couple individuals (previous high of four at Quabbin in October several years ago).  Other waterfowl here included 8 Mallards, 5 Ring necked Ducks, two Common Mergansers and at least 92 distant ducks that were just too far away to identify. 

Lesser Black backed Gull among many other species in the valley this morning

Lesser Black backed Gull (R), Hadley DPW, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Lesser Black backed Gull (L) with four Herring Gulls and a Ring billed Gull (R), Hadley DPW, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Lesser Black backed Gull (with Herring Gulls), Hadley DPW, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Lesser Black backed Gull (with Herring Gull), Hadley DPW, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

I spent the morning with Jacob exploring various spots in search of arriving waterfowl and despite the morning starting off rather slow it picked up nicely and ended the day with a dozen species of waterfowl.  We started off checking a few spots along the Connecticut River below the Coolidge Bridge with the highlights including 360 Canada Geese, 28 Mallards, four Wood Ducks, 3 Ring necked Ducks, 3 Common Mergansers and a pair of Peregrine Falcons on the bridge.

Northern Pintail, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Lesser Scaup with Ring necked Ducks, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Lesser Scaup with Ring necked Ducks, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Great Blue Heron, North Lane, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

As we continued north along the river we stopped at the Honey Pot and then North Lane in Hadley. The Honey Pot was very quiet but North Lane was more active and we had the following : 10 Wood Ducks, two Black Ducks, two Mallards, 3 Northern Pintails, 7 Ring necked Ducks, a Lesser Scaup, a Bufflehead, 14 Common Goldeneyes, 10 Hooded Mergansers, 11 Common Mergansers and a Great Blue Heron.  We then stopped at the mainly ice covered Lake Warner but still managed to turn up some waterfowl including a dozen Canada Geese (flybys) and 18 Common Mergansers.

Snow Goose, Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Snow Goose, Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Merlin, Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

The fields in North Hadley and nearby Amherst were very quiet so we then headed back south and we then came across a couple of flocks of geese feeding in some fields along Mill Valley Road which included a juvenile Snow Goose in among the 726 Canada Geese. Other notable there included a Merlin that zipped through heading south and a nervous flock of 35+ Horned Larks.

Snow Geese (really!), East Hadley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

As the activity continued to improve we decided to head back over toward the river to see if any new birds had arrived. Before and after our stop back by the river we checked out East Hadley Road and had some decent stuff including a very distant flock of 43 Snow Geese heading north and hundreds of blackbirds, grackles and cowbirds.

Iceland Gull, Hadley DPW, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Lesser Black backed Gull (with Herring Gull), Hadley DPW, Hadley, MA, Mar 29, 2015

Once we arrived near the river we noticed a group of gulls milling around a field near the Hadley DPW so we headed over in the hopes of finding something unusual and we were rewarded for our effort. We picked up a couple Iceland Gulls fairly quickly in among the sixty or so gulls present. After scanning for a few minutes I said "it looks like a perfect spot for a Lesser Black backed Gull" and almost immediately Jacob said "I think I have right now" and indeed he did....now if only I could always suggest a species and have it show up right away! Lesser Black backed Gulls is very rare to find in the county and is missed most years (this is only my second record for the county and my last one was in the East Meadows back in mid April 2005). It was neat to watch it interacting with the Herring Gulls and a couple Ring billed Gulls. Always nice to have close views of unusual gulls in among a manageable size flock of more ordinary gulls. It has been a spectacular year for gulls in Hampshire County so far with six species.

The waterfowl have started to show up at home too with Canada Geese, Mallards and Wood Ducks enjoying the somewhat ice free Jabish Brook. 

Spring starts to arrive on a rainy morning

American Wigeons, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2015

Northern Pintails, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2015

Wood Ducks, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2015

I went out in search of waterfowl (and anything else that migh be around) this morning in a steady rain with temperatures around 40.  I had some good stuff as the rain and warmer temperatures continue to open up more and more formerly iced in areas.  The ice in the Connecticut River is finally starting to break up and the waterfowl have certainly responded.  I found a total of 13 species of waterfowl with one (American Wigeon) being new for the year.  I actually found four new species for the year today which is a sure sign spring migration is getting underway.  I started the morning along the Connecticut River in Hadley and had 425 Canada Geese (heading off to the southeast), 29 Wood Ducks, a pair of American Wigeon, 23 Black Ducks, 470 Mallards, two pairs of Northern Pintails, a Green winged Teal and 8 Hooded Mergansers.

Great Blue Herons, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2015

I then headed north along the river and had four Wood Ducks off North Lane in Hadley and 170 Canada Geese along Mill Valley Road but I was never able to find the field where all the geese heading out from the river set down.  I then made a swing through the Honey Pot (staying on the paved portion as the dirt roads are a muddy mess).  Highlights there included two Great Blue Herons flying east, half a dozen Killdeer, a Wilson's Snipe and a Fish Crow.

Ring necked Ducks, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2015

Ring necked Ducks, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2015

Common Goldeneyes, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2015

Bufflehead, Holyoke Dam, South Hadley, MA, Mar 27, 2015

I then headed south checking various locations on my way to the Holyoke Dam area.  The river is starting to open up north of the dam but still largely frozen.  The area of the dam (both above and below) were quite active with the following seen:  Half a dozen Canada Geese, 3 Mute Swans, four Wood Ducks, four Black Ducks, half a dozen Ring necked Ducks, a Bufflehead, 41 Common Goldeneyes, 13 Hooded Mergansers, 5 Common Mergansers and a dozen Tree Swallows.  Overall a wet but very productive morning along the river.

Tree Swallows, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2015

Tree Swallows, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2015

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2015

I also hit a few spots closer to home including the Swift River, the state fish hatchery and Winsor Dam.  The Swift River area held 10 Hooded Mergansers, four Common Mergansers, four Bald Eagles and a single Tree Swallow.  The fish hatchery featured a single Great Blue Heron and four Killdeer.  Although the reservoir is still frozen solid it still produced some good birds including a single Killdeer and 18 Tree Swallows.

At home I also had some notable birds including my second yard record of Black Vulture plus half a dozen Pine Siskins.

More and more birds have started to sing (including Brown Creepers, Song Sparrow and White throated Sparrows) so it is starting to sound like spring....also more and more blackbirds, grackles and cowbirds continue to arrive.

Stops along the river this week

Greater Scaup, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 25, 2015

Greater Scaup, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 25, 2015

Greater Scaup, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 25, 2015

Greater Scaup, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 25, 2015

Glaucous Gull, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 25, 2015

Glaucous Gull, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 25, 2015

Canada Goose with ice on bill, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 24, 2015

Mallards, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 26, 2015

I stopped most mornings this week to check out the ice free portion of the river below the Coolidge Bridge and managed to find some decent birds but still nothing extremely unusual or unexpected.  On Monday the species below the bridge included 778 Canada Geese, two Wood Ducks, two Black Ducks, 11 Mallards and two Common Mergansers plus around 140 gulls of the three expected species.  Tuesday found 794 Canada Geese, six Wood Ducks, three Mallards, 230+ gulls of the three usual species (still mainly Herring Gulls) and a Peregrine Falcon.  My stop on Wednesday turned up 533 Canada Geese, three Mallards, a Ring necked Duck and a Greater Scaup (species #100 for the county so far this year) for waterfowl and a Glaucous Gull among the 250+ gulls (38 Ring billed, 212 Herring and 2 Great Black backed).  Today I stopped by the Connecticut River on my to and from work and had 32 Canada Geese, 16 Black Ducks, 465+ Mallards, a Green winged Teal, two Ring necked Ducks, two Hooded Mergansers and 3 Common Mergansers.  At home in the evening I had a Belted Kingfisher rattling away in the rapidly opening Jabish Brook as well as a Winter Wren.  It does appear that waterfowl are finally able to start pushing into the area.

The middle and end of the week continued to be cold with high temperatures a bit above freezing and lows a night in the single digits to teens.  A slight moderation in temperatures started on Wednesday into today with rain late Wednesday continued into today.  Still no big warm up but at least it is above freezing today.

Another cold morning in the valley

Cedar Waxwing, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 22, 2015

Cedar Waxwing, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 22, 2015

Canada Goose with extensive white on head, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 22, 2015

Wild Turkeys, Mill Valley Rd, Hadley, MA, Mar 22, 2015

Bald Eagles at deer carcass, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 22, 2015

Despite the calendar saying it is now spring the weather continues to feel more like winter with temperatures in the 20's today with a strong northwest wind with wind chills down in the single digits.  I needed to run some errands over in Hadley so I took the opportunity to make a few stops over that way this morning.  I started out long the still nearly frozen solid Connecticut River where I found the following waterfowl- 931 Canada Geese (the individual with an extensive amount of white on its head in among them), 3 Black Duck, 7 Mallard, 8 Ring necked Ducks plus around 160 gulls including one Iceland Gull (no Great Black backed Gulls this morning...almost all gulls were Herring Gulls with just a few Ring billed Gulls) plus a vocal Peregrine Falcon.  The nearby Honey Pot area was quiet as were the fields though Hadley into North Hadley except for Mill Valley Road were I had 121 Canada Geese, 43 Wild Turkeys in one flock plus some flyby Horned Larks.  The fields near the mall had a small group of Horned Larks plus a single Snow Bunting in among them.  The UMASS campus pond held four Canada Geese and 78 Mallards.  Overall very slow for waterfowl in the valley for this date in March but given the still large snow pack and extensive ice on most every body of water it is not too surprising.

A small example of what could (or should be here) be here this time of year can be found in some posts from last year: 
March 21st - http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2014/03/first-full-day-of-spring.html
March 24th - http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2014/03/pink-footed-goose-another-epic-day-of.html

March 22, of 2013 http://quabbinbirdingandbeyond.blogspot.com/2013/03/another-greater-white-fronted-goose-and.html

Hopefully the waterfowl activity picks up in the next week or two.

On my way back home I stopped at Winsor Dam in hopes of finding some Bohemian Waxwings feeding there but only managed to find 32 Cedar Waxwings.  In addition I had four Bald Eagles (and a number of crows) feeding on a deer carcass way out on the frozen reservoir.

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 21, 2015

Yesterday I spent a short time out in the morning despite the continued light snow with stops along the Swift River and Winsor Dam.  Highlights along the Swift Rive included 7 Black Ducks, 31 Hooded Mergansers, a pair of Bald Eagles (possibly will nest here?), a flyby raven and 27 Red winged Blackbirds (mostly flybys).  Winsor Dam was quiet but the snow made visibility low so could not see much.

Last day of winter/first day of spring features cold weather and snow

Wild Turkeys (part of flock of 63), Mill Valley Road, Hadley, MA, Mar 20, 2015

Wild Turkeys (part of flock of 63), Mill Valley Road, Hadley, MA, Mar 20, 2015

Waterfowl and gulls, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 20, 2015

Ring necked Duck, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 20, 2015

Iceland Gull, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 20, 2015

Eastern Coyotes and Common Ravens at distant kill, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 20, 2015

The last day of winter/first day of spring certainly felt a lot more like the middle of winter with temperatures this morning a toasty ten degrees and some late day snow.  One final big f*!# you from winter I guess.  At least this morning was snow free and relatively calm.  I spent most of the morning out and about and found some decent birds including lingering birds as well as early migrants.  Today featured my biggest groups of geese so far this season...just the beginning of what is to come hopefully.  Nothing too unusual overall but still good stuff with just over fifty species and nine species of waterfowl.   Here are the highlights:

Coolidge Bridge-858 Canada Geese, 8 Wood Ducks, 9 Black Ducks, 21 Mallards, a Ring necked Duck, 7 Common Mergansers, a Peregrine Falcon, a Iceland Gulls, a Glaucous Gull plus another 200 or so other gulls of the three expected species.

Aqua Vitae Road- a flyby Snow Bunting

North Lane, Hadley- Rusty Blackbird with Red winged Blackbirds

Mill Valley Road fields- 720 Canada Geese, 63 Wild Turkeys (all in one flock with lots of displaying), 105 American Crows and a single Fish Crow

Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River- Eastern Meadowlark

Holyoke Dam- Four Canada Geese, 3 Mute Swans, 4 Ring necked Ducks, 36 Common Goldeneyes, two Hooded Mergansers and four Common Mergansers

Winsor Dam- American Kestrel hunting along dam

Swift River - 3 Black Ducks, 26 Mallards, 17 Hooded Mergansers and two Common Mergansers

Lots of Red winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles at several locations.

Iceland Gull, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 19, 2015

Iceland Gull, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 19, 2015

Ring necked Ducks, Connecticut River, Hadley, MA, Mar 19, 2015

Yesterday was another damn cold morning with a temperature around ten but thankfully a light wind early on.  I had a limited amount of time so I stopped briefly at the Coolidge Bridge and found a decent selection of gulls and waterfowl including 559 Canada Geese, two Black Ducks, 9 Mallards, four Ringed necked Ducks, three Hooded Mergansers plus just over 200 of the typical three species of gulls plus three Iceland Gulls.