Quabbin birding and beyond

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Record warmth in mid October...lots of waterfowl today despite the southerly winds

Long tailed Ducks and Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 19, 2016

Surf Scoters, Black Scoters and Greater Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 19, 2016

Surf Scoters and Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 19, 2016

Greater Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 19, 2016

Surf Scoters, Red breasted Mergansers, Black Scoters and Mallards, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 19, 2016

Red breasted Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 19, 2016

Red headed Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 19, 2016

River Otter, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 19, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 19, 2016

Sunrise, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 19, 2016

Another warm morning starting out at 64, which is warmer than the typical high this time of year and it only warmed up from there to near 80 with an increasing southerly wind. I did not have high expectations in finding much in the way of waterfowl but I figured I would try any way. I stayed around the Quabbin Park/Winsor Dam area plus made a visit over to Lake Wallace (where the Red headed Woodpecker continues). I started at Hank's Meadow where I turned up a number of species of waterfowl including a Surf Scoter, some Hooded Mergansers, Horned Grebes and Common Loons plus Black Ducks and Mallards. Goodnough Dike had some more loons but nothing else I could see. With the decent number of waterfowl within the park I wanted to make it back over to Winsor Dam but made a stop at the Route 9 marsh and once again found the Pectoral Sandpiper there as well as a large flock of Rusty Blackbirds (at least 56 individuals!) I also ran across my second group of River Otters for the morning there and they were fairly photogenic. There were also a few more species of waterfowl there but nothing unusual. I then made it over to Winsor Dam and immediately started seeing unusual waterfowl as a pair of Greater Scaup flew in to join the Mallards and several loons. I then caught sight of another group of birds coming in and the group contained Surf Scoters and Black Scoters, Lesser Scaup and Long tailed Ducks. The scoters landed in fairly close (at least for Winsor Dam!) and the other settled way out on the reservoir. A few minutes after that three Red breasted Mergansers joined the group of ducks and then a Green winged Teal popped in. There were also a number of Black Ducks around too but they also didn't come in very close. Another surprise for the morning was two fly by Snow Buntings which seems a little early for the species. I called Devin and he was able to make it over to check out most of the waterfowl. A total of 14 species of waterfowl was exceptional given the poor migration conditions. I stopped by again midday to check on the birds but unfortunately with the nice weather the state decided it would be a great day to go boating so a couple of packed boats were zooming around the reservoir.

Full lists with additional photos:

Quabbin Park: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S32110771

Winsor Dam: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S32110774

Lake Wallace: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S32110776

Common Yellowthroat, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Oct 18, 2016

Pectoral Sandpiper, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 18, 2016

American Pipit, Hadley, MA, Oct 18, 2016

Surf Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 18, 2016

Yesterday was even warmer than today despite some early morning fog that just would not burn off until later in the morning. It eventually warmed into the mid 80's with a strong southerly wind. I spent the foggy part of the morning exploring the Honey Pot and then went looking for geese (without much luck) through Hadley and Amherst before making a run back to Winsor Dam/Quabbin Park. The Honey Pot had nine species of sparrow but nothing unexpected and the overall numbers of sparrows were down quite a bit. Winsor Dam had four Surf Scoters and a couple loons and Quabbin Park (Goodnough Dike and the marsh) had half a dozen species of waterfowl with almost all of them on the marsh. The Pectoral Sandpiper I found Monday at the marsh continued for another day. Not much else noteworthy but it was a rare treat to be able to enjoy summer like temps in mid October.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Pectoral Sandpiper at Quabbin Park and Red headed Woodpecker continues

Pectoral Sandpiper, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2016

Rusty Blackbirds, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2016

Horned Grebes, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2016

Looking north toward baffle dams and shaft 12, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2016

It looks like Indian Summer has arrived with the temperatures today reaching into the 70's (with an early morning temp of 55). The next two days should be even warmer with record setting highs in the 80's courtesy of some strong southerly winds. It will be interesting to see if the winds bring any unusual birds along with the unusually warm temperatures. I decided to stick around the local area today with stops at Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park and Lake Wallace. Winsor Dam featured just a couple loons and not much else. I hit just a few spots at Quabbin Park including Hank's Meadow, the area between Gate 52 and Goodnough Dike and the Route 9 marsh. Hank's Meadow held nine Horned Grebes as well as a trilling Eastern Screech Owl. The area near Goodnough Dike held a Ruffed Grouse, a few more loons and some mixed species flocks. The level of the reservoir continues to drop with our ongoing drought and I have never seen the water level so low (the reservoir was at 82.5% as of October 1st). Although I almost just drove past the marsh I decided to make a quick stop and I was certainly glad I did as I quickly found a Pectoral Sandpiper working the muddy edge. The Pectoral Sandpiper became species #232 for the county this year. As I watched the sandpiper I noticed a few Rusty Blackbirds along the same muddy edge and I eventually counted at least 38....one of the larger flocks I have ever had of this rapidly declining species. Full list from Quabbin Park: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S32081171

Red headed Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2016

Marsh where Red headed Woodpecker has been caching acorns, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2016

Solitary Sandpiper, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2016

Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2016

I then made my way over to Lake Wallace where I once again caught up with the continued Red headed Woodpecker. I spent a bit of time trying to get some in flight photos as it went back and forth between the oaks and and he dead trees it is stashing acorns in. A few other were around enjoying the bird and it did not disappoint. I also had a Solitary Sandpiper and a few more Rusty Blackbirds among the other expected species. Between all my stops this morning I ended up with a total of seven woodpecker species for the morning...something I don't think I have ever done in the county before. Full list with more photos at following link: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S32082215

Black capped Chickadee, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 16, 2016

Field Sparrow, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 16, 2016

Bobolink, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 16, 2016

Yesterday I birded a bit with Keenan and Isabel at Arcadia and although we didn't turn up anything too unusual it was a pleasant morning with a decent number of birds around. List from the morning there: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S32061543

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Red headed Woodpecker at Lake Wallace

Red headed Woodpecker, Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Oct 15, 2016

After getting out of work this morning I didn't have much energy to go birding so I headed straight for home with a very brief at Winsor Dam (which was very quiet). After doing some stuff around the house while waiting for it to warm up a bit, Wilson and I finally headed out for a walk. Although I was going to head elsewhere, at the last minute I decided to head to Lake Wallace. We arrived there and started walking around the fields and checking out the marsh. Just a few ducks around but with hunting season ongoing it was not too surprising to find very few of them. Yellow rumped Warblers were present in large numbers working their way along the tree line and through the marsh. After some distant gunshots we almost left but decided to stay a bit longer and take a walk through some of the woods there. We ran across a women taking some photos of the marsh and I asked her if she had seen anything interesting and she responded 'I have been taking photos of a Red headed Woodpecker'. Almost every time someone has mentioned seeing this species in the past around here it ends up being something else. She then mentioned it was chasing Pileated Woodpeckers and kept collecting acorns and stashing them in some dead trees. I was immediately intrigued as this is behavior one would expect from a Red headed Woodpecker. She then showed me a photo from her camera and she had indeed been taking photos of an adult Red headed Woodpecker! The bird then flew in and continued to stash acorns. I watched it for quite awhile before walking back to get the spotting scope to getting better looks (and better photos). It remained active the entire time I was there and would occasionally call. Only my second Red headed Woodpecker I have seen in the county (the other was a very brief look earlier this year of another adult in Amherst that didn't stick around too long). The bird this morning showed very well and appears to be settling into the area. I managed to contact a few other people who also got to see the bird. Glad I decided to head over to Lake Wallace!

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Orange crowned Warbler and homing pigeon at home

Rock Pigeon (homing pigeon), home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 11, 2016

Yellow rumped Warbler, home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 5, 2016

Blue Jay, home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 4, 2016

White throated Sparrow, home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 8, 2016

A little excitement at home on Tuesday when I had an Orange crowned Warbler pop up out of a brushy area along the driveway as I was walking back after getting the mail. It was within just a few feet of me but I had no camera or binoculars but no question on the ID. I ran back to get a camera but when I returned I could not relocate it. Just my second yard record for the species. After striking out on finding the Orange crowned Warbler, Wilson and I were walking back to the house when I noticed a pigeon walking along the edge of one of the sheds (an unusual species at home). I got Wilson inside and then I went out to get a better look and noticed it was a homing pigeon with leg bands and it was quite tame. It stayed around the rest of the day and was still there the following morning. I got a message from a friend that one of her friends was missing a pigeon and it turns out it was the bird in the yard. They tried to capture it in the afternoon on Wednesday but it was gone by then, hopefully it made its way home. The motion camera has captured a few birds in the past several days including a Yellow rumped Warbler, White throated Sparrows and Blue Jays. It is much less active in the fall compared to spring and summer but at least a few birds are still using the water feature.

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 13, 2016

Made a few stops at Winsor Dam over the course of the day today and the best sighting was a dozen Common Loons there late in the day.

Meanwhile in the tropics Hurricane Nicole strengthen to a category 4 storm and made a direct hit on Bermuda today as a category 3 storm. Elsewhere in the tropics it is quiet for now but some long range forecast show another storm in the Caribbean in a week plus from now but model runs out that far have to be taken with a grain of salt but it is worth keeping tabs on as several models point towards it.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Strong north winds bring in three scoter species and Long tailed Ducks (plus other waterfowl)

Black Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 10, 2016

White winged Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 10, 2016

Ruddy Duck, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 10, 2016

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 10, 2016

Bald Eagle, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 10, 2016

As expected the strong north winds brought in some great stuff this morning at Winsor Dam including four new species for the county this year...White winged Scoter (#228), Black Scoter (#229), Surf Scoter (#230) and Long tailed Duck (#231). I arrived at the dam before sunrise and there were already a few cormorants and loons around flying south. The winds were around 20 MPH sustained with gusts at least to 35 MPH giving the look and feel of later fall at the ocean with lots of whitecaps on the reservoir. Almost all the waterfowl were picked up in flight as picking anything out on the water was tough although I did manage to find a Ruddy Duck on the water. The first scoters were a couple White winged Scoters which were then joined by the first flock of Black Scoters (29 birds). A small group of Surf Scoters showed up a little while later as well as additional White winged and flocks of Black Scoters. I'm sure my total for Black Scoters is low as they were up and off the water a lot and at times additional birds seemed to join the flocks and then disappear. I only counted birds that flew off to the south and the largest flock I had flying around and landing out in front of the HQ building. One of the bigger surprises of the morning was a flock of four Long tailed Ducks (two adult males) that flew around before settling on the water way out toward the boat launch area...certainly early for this species but the conditions were perfect to get waterfowl moving. Aidan and Devin showed up a little later in the morning and they got to see some of the scoter action as well as other waterfowl and great looks at gulls and eagles enjoying the windy weather. Overall for the morning I had ten species of waterfowl and five species of raptors with Bald Eagles putting on the best show. It was a very pleasurable day to be at Winsor Dam despite the cold conditions. Full lists with additional photos at following link: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31974259