Huge numbers of Horned Grebes today plus loads of other stuff put down by the weather

Red necked Grebes, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

Long tailed Ducks, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

Horned Grebes, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

Red breatsed Mergasners, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

View toward Quabbin tower, Quabbin Gate 5, Belchertown, MA, Apr 11, 2025

After a dusting of snow overnight I had hopes that the precipitation that came in overnight might have put down some migrant waterfowl (and perhaps others) so I headed to Winsor Dam at first light and started scanning the water.  I came across three Long tailed Ducks right away as well as a smattering of other species including dozens of birds that were just too far away to ID.  I decided to leave the dam and head to Gate 5 and see if I could get a better look at some of the birds from there.  I made the walk down to the water as quick as I could and started scanning and immediately started coming across noteworthy birds with many highlights including my highest count ever in the county for Horned Grebes with an amazing 114 individuals, blowing away my previous high count of 26 that I set back in December 2009.  I also had at least eight Red necked Grebes, two Ruddy Ducks, two White winged Scoters and 62 Long tailed Ducks as well as other more common species.  After about an hour at gate 5 I returned to Winsor Dam and could view some of the species from there although the numbers and diversity continued to drop as the day brightened up a bit and the precipitation lifted.  

Horned Grebes, Ware, MA, Apr 11, 2025

Red necked Grebes, Ware, MA, Apr 11, 2025

I tried a few other nearby areas for waterfowl and a small lake in Ware produced another ten Horned Grebes and four Red necked Grebes.  A really spectacular day for both species and not one I'm likely to repeat again.  I ended the morning with an impressive 18 species of waterfowl.

Canadian Rockies -June 23-27

Peyto Lake, Banff NP, Alberta, Canada, Jun 24, 2024

Back from a recent trip to Canada with two legs to the trip to celebrate our 20th anniversary. The first leg of the trip was to the Canadian Rockies with a flight into Calgary and then a drive northwest to Banff NP, Yoho NP and Kootenay NP plus a few other nearby areas. The second leg was a trip to Vancouver Island. I will cover each stop with a separate post. This was my fifth trip to Canada and the longest by a long shot. I briefly visited Quebec back in 1990 and then stopped in British Columbia on a cruise in 2004 (our our honeymoon trip) and then did two cruises to Atlantic Canada (with stops in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) in 2005 and 2008. The trip out to Calgary was a bit of a stressful one. First the airline (WestJet) we were booked on had a looming strike that had the potential to cancel our flight plus I had a very busy shift at work with no sleep at all with high temps and humidity and a fire. Once I got out of work I headed home to do some last minute prep for vacation and then it was onward to Boston to make the flight out. Thunderstorms and possible tornadoes were in the forecast and it was tough to leave Wilson with those possibilities. Nonetheless we headed out and arrived to find our flight was a bit delayed (thankfully the possible airline strike was averted at the last minute). Eventually we got out of Boston an hour plus late and arrived in Calgary later than anticipated...thankfully the flight was smooth. We crashed out and tried to catch up on sleep before we would make the long trip west and north to the national parks in the Rockies  

Wilson's Warbler, Moose Meadows, Banff NP, Alberta, Canada, Jun 24, 2024

Townsend's Warbler, Moose Meadows, Banff NP, Alberta, Canada, Jun 24, 2024

Mountains, Castle Junction, Banff NP, Alberta, Canada, Jun 24, 2024

Waterfall, Castle Junction, Banff NP, Alberta, Canada, Jun 24, 2024

Mountain to the north, Peyto Lake, Banff NP, Alberta, Canada, Jun 24, 2024

Peyto Lake, Banff NP, Alberta, Canada, Jun 24, 2024

Dark eyed Junco 'oregon', Yoho NP, Alberta, Canada, Jun 24, 2024

We started the drive out of Calgary a bit after 7:30AM and took our first walk in Banff NP around 10AM at Moose Meadows. Before arriving in Banff I added a number of species along the way.  Moose Meadows was an uncrowded hike with some typical western forest birds along the way. Another walk at Castle Junction featured many of the same species. We then stopped off for lunch in a very busy Lake Louise before continuing north along the Icefields Parkway toward Jasper. We gained elevation steadily and by the time we got up to our northernmost stop at Peyto Lake it was actually snow flurrying a bit and there was still snow in the woods. The area was very crowded but we wanted to see the lake so made the relatively short walk out and the view did not disappoint despite the myriad of people around. The stop also provided my first life bird of the trip with a couple of Gray crowned Rosy Finches that flew over.  We then started the long drive toward our lodging in Radium Hot Springs with several stops along the way including Bow Lake, the Hoodoo Trail in Yoho NP plus a few pull offs along the road. By the time we made the drive and got groceries it was after 6:30PM. We got settled in and had a late dinner and then headed off to bed. The first day in Canada produced 36 species…21 new for Canada for me including species #100 for my Canada list with a Cassin’s Vireo. 

Red necked Grebe, Saw Mill Pond, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

MacGillivray's Warbler, Sinclair Trail, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

Striped Skunk, Sinclair Trail, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

Saw Mill Pond, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

After so much driving on Monday we decided to do less driving on Tuesday and stay somewhat local. I got up before dawn and headed to nearby Sinclair canyon to walk along the creek and had a bunch of birds singing, although the rushing river drowned out the songs at times. I added more species for the trip with some close looks at a few species. I also made a brief stop at a nearby pond and added several more species for the trip including a great close up look at a Red necked Grebe plus other marsh related species. 

Black Bear, Kootenay NP, BC, Canada

Kootenay Valley Viewpoint, Kootenay NP, BC, Canada

Cassin's Vireo, Old Coach Trail, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

Vesper Sparrow, Old Coach Trail, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

Mountain views from kayak, Columbia Wetlands, Invermere, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

Columbia Wetlands, Wilmer, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

White Common Loon, Columbia Wetlands, Wilmer, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

White Common Loon, Columbia Wetlands, Wilmer, BC, Canada, Jun 25, 2024

I then headed back to the lodging for a short time and headed up in elevation a bit to the south part of Kootenay NP where we stopped at Olive Lake and then an overlook of the Kootenay Valley. To keep travel to a minimum for the day we then came back down the mountain into the valley to take a walk along the Old Coach Trail, where the highlight was a distantly calling Dusky Grouse. We wanted to get some kayaking in for the trip so we headed back to the house to change and then travelled south to Invermere to the Columbia River wetlands where we paddled for about an hour and half. By the time we finished it had warmed up into the 70’s and we had the energy for just one more short walk and we went to an overlook of the large wetland area and had numerous Trumpeter Swans and a group of three Common Loons that included a nearly white individual. I didn’t have my good camera so had to attempt photos with phone through binoculars. A very interesting looking bird for sure. Ended the day with 65 species in total. More photos and videos of the loon at the following eBird link.

Emerald Lake, Yoho NP, BC, Canada, Jun 26, 2024

Emerald Lake, Yoho NP, BC, Canada, Jun 26, 2024

Common Loon with baby, Emerald Lake, Yoho NP, BC, Canada, Jun 26, 2024

White crowned Sparrow, Emerald Lake, Yoho NP, BC, Canada, Jun 26, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's', Emerald Lake, Yoho NP, BC, Canada, Jun 26, 2024

Takakkaw Falls, Yoho NP, BC, Canada, Jun 26, 2024

Tennessee Warbler, Boom Lake, Banff NP, Alberta, Canada, Jun 26, 2024

Black Swift, Marble Canyon, Kootenay NP, BC, Canada, Jun 26, 2024

Pine Siskin, Marble Canyon, Kootenay NP, BC, Canada, Jun 26, 2024

On the 26th we headed out again for some long drives to hit a few more areas in the various parks in the mountains. The first stop would be Emerald Lake in Yoho NP, a spot that was about a two hour drive from our lodging. We left around 5:30 and arrived to find few people and immediately headed out for a walk around the lake. There were many species around the lake including a few Common Loons with one carrying a chick on its back. The lake was indeed impressive with fantastic photo opportunities as the conditions were calm. We ran across very few people until the end of the walk and it was a very relaxing walk. After nearly two hours at Emerald Lake we hit a few other spots in Yoho NP including Takakkaw Falls. Bird activity was fairly low but the views were impressive for sure. We then drove through the upper portion of Banff NP with a stop at Boom Lake before making our way into Kootenay NP as we slowly worked our way back to our lodging. We made stops at Marble Canyon and Numa Falls. These stops produced a few more species for the trip including my first Tennessee Warbler and Black Swifts. We finally arrived back in Radium Hot Springs in mid afternoon. Overall for the day with 48 species. 

Yellow Warbler, Saw Mill Pond, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 27, 2024

Cedar Waxwings, Saw Mill Pond, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 27, 2024

Lazuli Bunting, Sinclair Trail, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 27, 2024

Low clouds in AM, Saw Mill Pond, Radium Hot Springs, BC, Canada, Jun 27, 2024

American Coot with young, Calgary Airport, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Jun 27, 2024

Swainson's Hawk, Calgary Airport, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Jun 27, 2024

On our last day in the Rockies I was out early with the hope I would beat the forecasted rain showers. It was sprinkling a little when I drove down to nearby Saw Mill Pond and it slowly picked up in intensity with a little thunder. The pond was quite productive with a few new species. I waited out the rain for a while and it finally slowed down. I made a few more short stops before headed back to the lodging. Not long after I got back the rain stopped so I headed out again to Saw Mill Pond and the Sinclair Trail. I then headed back to start packing up. At this point the threat of a strike with Westjet came back up again and threatened our flight over to Victoria the following morning. We had to come up with some contingency plans if our flight got canceled and none of the options were good. After some thought we stayed with our plan of heading to the airport and if the flight got canceled we would try to get out on another airline. With the continued prospect of on and off rain for the rest of the day in the forecast we decided to make the three hour drive toward the airport in Calgary where we would be taking a morning flight out on Friday. We wanted to split the drive up a little so we decided on a stop near the town of Banff where we walked the Ferland Trail. Despite the light rain at times the location was quite productive although most everything was heard and not seen. We thought of making another stop but the rain was just too much. We finally made it to Calgary around three and checked in to our hotel for the night. The small pond across from the hotel proved to be a great spot for waterfowl and I had ten species of waterfowl with eight of those being new for the trip. Although the rain was annoying at times and kept me from spending as much time outside as I would have liked the various habitats I did visit throughout the day led to the highest species total for a single day with 83 species. 

By the end of our time in the Rockies I had a total of 108 species with 76 of those being new for me in Canada and two being life birds (Gray crowned Rosy Finch and Dusky Grouse).

Full post on warblers from the trip at the following link: warblers on trip to western Canada

Back home after another trip to the south with waterfowl at various locations and eggs in duck boxes today

Pied billed Grebe, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2022

Red necked Grebes, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 25, 2022

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 25, 2022

Finally back home after a trip to Colombia and then to Florida (much more on those trips in upcoming posts).  After getting home late yesterday due to delays I was out the door before dawn to hit a few nearby spots including Lake Wallace and Quabbin Park.  Lake Wallace had a scattering of waterfowl including a couple Blue winged Teal and a couple Pied billed Grebes plus a few Tree Swallows.  Winsor Dam produced two each of Red necked Grebes and Horned Grebes and a flyover Red Crossbill.  I tried to relocate the crossbill in Quabbin Park itself but had no luck.  Although a little cool in the morning it eventually warmed to around 60. 

Eggs in duck box #3, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2022

Eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2022

Wilson helping check the duck boxes, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2022

I also finally got to check the duck boxes at home and found eggs in box #2 and #3 and evidence that a bird had visited box #1.  No idea what species yet but if past history is any indication then Hooded Mergansers are a good bet.

The end of March and the beginning of April amid the pandemic

Red shouldered Hawk, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2020

Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 31, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 28, 2020

The last week or so has been quite a roller coaster on so many levels.  The world as a whole has really been turned upside down by the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic and my little slice of it has been impacted.  Work has been crazier and crazier with each passing shift with more and more sick people and ever changing protocols.  The numbers of people infected (or likely infected) has grown exponentially and the official numbers are still way below what is actually occurring (mainly due to lack of available testing).  I got to experience the rather unpleasant test on Wednesday when I started developing symptoms (headache and sore throat to start).  The next few days the symptoms continued and I developed an occasional cough and chest tightness.  After getting the test done late on Wednesday afternoon I was told I should hear back with results in 2-5 days.  I finally got the results back after a week and lots and lots of phone calls to try to track down the results.  In the end I tested negative for the virus but that result is both good and bad.  It is nice to not have to isolate as much and be able to go back to work but it is pretty much inevitable I'll get it and it would have been nice if I had gotten and had mild symptoms.   During the last several days I have kept myself isolated at home most of the day with just some short morning trips to nearby Quabbin early in the morning to enjoy the solitude of a warm car while I checked out the area for waterfowl mainly.  I would have loved to stay out longer and walk a bit but I didn't feel up to it most of the time and I didn't want to be near anyone.

Being stuck around the house has allowed me to see some good stuff including multiple days with a pair of Red shouldered Hawks (which have a decent chance of nesting here) plus multiple days with up to half a dozen Rusty Blackbirds.  More on the duck boxes and what the game cameras have caught at the bottom of the post.

Red necked Grebe, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Wood Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Friday I stuck close to home again with just a few early morning stops including Quabbin Park and Winsor Dam.  It was certainly a nice morning with temperatures in the mid 40's and dead calm conditions early on.  The highlights included a Virginia Rail at Quabbin Park and a Red throated Loon and three Red necked Grebes at Winsor Dam.  The temperatures eventually made it up to the low 60's and I managed to get the water feature up and running at the house before I ran out of energy (some photos of the first captures at the end of the post).

Northern Shoveler, Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Mar 25, 2020

Green winged Teal, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 25, 2020

Common Mergansers, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Mar 25, 2020

Wednesday I headed over to Williamsburg early to see if I could find the reported Red Crossbills in the area of Nash Hill Road.  I took a short walk and managed to get a brief view of at least four Red Crossbills as well as a recording before I headed back to the car (confirmed as Type 1 Red Crossbills).  I also made a brief run through Arcadia where I found some waterfowl including a Northern Shoveler.  It is likely the same bird that has been reported in Ned's Ditch but I saw it in a completely different area.  No luck finding any Yellow rumped Warblers but I was not able to hit all the areas they have been in recently.  There is a chance they have moved on as the weather has warmed up.  I was starting to feel bad as the morning moved along so I headed for home.

After getting out of work on Tuesday morning I hit a few spots before going home to sleep.  The best stop was to Beaver Lake in Ware where I had three Lesser Scaup in among a large group of Ring necked Ducks.  The entire group lifted off and headed north back toward Quabbin Park but the park was closed due to clean up from the snow storm the night before so I was never able to relocate the group.

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 19, 2020

Black capped Chickadee with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 19, 2020

Black capped Chickadees with leg bands, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 19, 2020

Eggs in duck box #1, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 26, 2020

Eggs in duck box #2, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 26, 2020

Black Bear at empty feeders, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2020

Tufted Titmouse, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 27, 2020

Black Bear, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 29, 2020

Eggs in duck box #1, Home, Belchertown, MA, Mar 31, 2020

Drak eyed Junco, Home, Belchertown, MA, Apr 1, 2020

Meanwhile at home the cameras have continued to capture two of my banded Black capped Chickadees.  In addition two of the three duck boxes now have eggs in them.  I have also had a Black Bear visit on multiple nights but he has only found empty suet feeders (thankfully he has not broken the feeders in anger)