Loon survey at Quabbin

Common Loon with chick on its back, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loon (with distinct white mark on head) with chick on its back, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loon with chick, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Pale juvenile with regular juvenile Common Loon, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Pale juvenile with regular juvenile Common Loon, Quabbin, July 11, 2014



Pale juvenile Common Loon, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loon, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loons with chick, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loons with chick, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Common Loon egg (abandoned), Quabbin, July 11, 2014

Loon nesting raft, Quabbin, July 11, 2014

I spent the morning through midday assisting with a loon survey at Quabbin along with one of the biologist there.  I have come along on this survey for several years now and it never gets old seeing the breeding loons here.  We managed to find a total of 26 Common Loons with four of them being young of various ages including a tiny individual that spent most of its time under the wing of an adult and then up on one of the adults back.  Of the 22 adult loons only two were not in full breeding plumage and one of those was the palest individual I think I have ever seen.  It was a striking bird that I'm very happy to have gotten a close look at as from a distance it could easily have been mistaken for something more unusual.  More photos of the pale bird can be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54277284@N05/sets/72157645221662167/
We also picked up two unhatched eggs from a couple of the loon rafts.  Both of these rafts did produce a single chick but the second egg never hatched.  I have included the list for the survey at the bottom.

Before starting the loon survey I spent a little time on Prescott Peninsula checking a few fields for birds and hoping to find Red Crossbills again...no luck this time.


Loon survey-boat launch area 2 south along Prescott and then back north past shaft 12

Canada Goose  16
Common Loon  26     Four young, two juv (one very pale), remainder adults
Double-crested Cormorant  3
Turkey Vulture  4
Bald Eagle  2
Spotted Sandpiper  2
Ring-billed Gull  17
Belted Kingfisher  2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Eastern Phoebe  2
Great Crested Flycatcher  1
Eastern Kingbird  7
Blue-headed Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  8
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  2
Tree Swallow  16
Barn Swallow  2
Black-capped Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  2
Veery  4
Hermit Thrush  2
American Robin  1
Gray Catbird  3
Cedar Waxwing  5
Ovenbird  3
Common Yellowthroat  3
Black-throated Blue Warbler  2
Pine Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)  2
Black-throated Green Warbler  3
Eastern Towhee  2
Song Sparrow  2
Scarlet Tanager  3
Red-winged Blackbird  3
Common Grackle  2

Loon survey and Prescott Peninsula

Common Loon on nest, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Common Loon, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Common Loon, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Common Loon with leg bands, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Common Loons, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Osprey, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Osprey, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Double crested Cormorant, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

View toward phragmite island, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Today I spent a few hours out on Quabbin assisting DCR staff with an ongoing loon census.  I met up with them around 9am at boat area 2 up in New Salem and we headed south visiting several areas and making it down to boat launch area 3 before heading back north. Some great views of various birds including at least two loons on nests and a total of twelve individual Common Loons (most paired). Other notable birds included at least one (possibly two) Osprey (which is an unusual species inland in July), three Spotted Sandpipers, a few Killdeer, three Double crested Cormorants, and at least 150 swallows over the phargmite island with the vast majority being Tree Swallows with a handful of Barn, Bank and Northern rough-winged Swallows. Although I hoped to find an unusual gull or a tern I was only able to find a few Ring billed Gulls.  I also got a report that a Forester's Tern was seen in this area in mid June and I will be getting a photo soon to check it out...an unusual bird for the area.

Bald Eagle at nest, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Bald Eagle, Quabbin, July 15, 2013

Among the total of five Bald Eagles seen this morning were two juveniles hanging around a new Bald Eagle nest that we ran across on one of the islands on the reservoir. We found the previously unknown nest and it appears that at least two birds have recently fledged from it. Overall a great day to be out on the water despite the warm temperatures.

Indigo Bunting, Prescott Peninsula, July 15, 2013

Wild Turkey, Prescott Peninsula, July 15, 2013

I spent a couple of  hours this morning checking out a few spots on Prescott Peninsula before meeting up for the loon survey. Prescott was active again and I ran across at least three Red Crossbills (two together and a single). I was not able to get a recording of them this morning but the birds were all in the same area as I had a couple of Type 1's a week ago and I suspect they are the same type today. Yet again lots of birds around with lots of evidence of breeding.

Wilson and a Painted Turtle, Belchertown Land Trust trail, Belchertown, MA, July 15, 2013

By the time I got home a bit after midday the temperature already topped 90 and continued to climb a bit more. Wilson and I took a walk along the land trust trail were we had 25+ species but nothing unusual. Wilson had a close encounter with a Painted Turtle and he didn't know what to make of a creature that can make its arms, legs and head disappear.

The next several days should feature temperatures above 90 with high humidity as we enter our fourth heat wave of the season. This one will likely last through Friday, making a six day heat wave.     

Loon survey and other stuff including Bonaparte's Gulls

Common Loon, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loon, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loon with chick, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loons with chick, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loon with mark on back of head, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Common Loon with leg tags, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Today the wife and I joined a Quabbin biologist at the northern end of Quabbin to assist in conducting a loon survey.  We started out at 8:55 AM and spent the morning out on the water covering a large portion of the upper and middle part of the reservoir.  We saw a total of 29 Common Loons with four of those being young of the season.  Most of the rest of the loons were singles or pairs without young plus one group of seven together in the northern part of the reservoir.  The day was just perfect as far as the weather is concerned.  Sunny skies with some AM fog with a very light breeze.  The day started out in the high 50's and warmed into the 80's with low humidity. 

Bonaparte's Gull, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Bonaparte's Gull, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Bonaparte's Gulls, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

One of the best birds of the day turned up near the end of the morning as we headed back.  I noticed a group of gulls and cormorants on a sand spit and noticed a few that were smaller.  I got a distant look and saw back hoods on them.  We came in for a closer look and found four breeding plumage Bonaparte's Gulls.  A very nice find inland here in late July. 

Osprey, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Ring-billed Gull, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Double-crested Cormorant,  northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Bald Eagle on osprey nest platform, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

Black Ducks and Mallard, northern Quabbin, July 30, 2012

 Northern Quabbin looking toward phragmite island, July 30, 2012

 Northern Quabbin early morning, July 30, 2012

Other birds of note included Greater Yellowlegs, Osprey (unusual inland here in July), several Spotted Sandpipers, 19 Double-crested Cormorants, five American Black Ducks and others.

Lake Wallace at dawn, Belchertown, MA, July 30, 2012

Green Heron, Great Egret and Great Blue Heron, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 30, 2012

Mallard with recent young, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, July 30, 2012

Before heading up to Quabbin I made it over to Lake Wallace at dawn to see if anything new was around.  Although I have a feeling something unusual will show up there some time today was not that day.  Still a good number of Wood Ducks (98) and Mallards (158) with some very young Mallards included in this total.  There was also a Great Egret, half a dozen Green Herons and four Great Blue Herons.  I managed to have all three species close together for a quick digiscope shot.

In addition to the trips this morning at home I had a Louisiana Waterthrush singing as well as a Yellow Warbler.  I had not heard either in a few weeks but both were calling today.  The Alder Flycatcher was also quite vocal today which has not been the case for a few weeks either.