Cooler day with north winds brings in more waterfowl at Winsor Dam

Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2026

Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2026

Long tailed Ducks, Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2026

Bonaparte's Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2026

Red breasted Mergansers, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2026

Our sunny weather continues although today we cooled down on the heals of some stronger northerly winds and with the winds came more waterfowl.  I spent about two hours at Winsor Dam with Ted, Jack and Scott (plus another birder that showed up at the tail end of the time).  It stayed active throughout the time although the busiest (and windiest) time was early on.  We had 14 species of waterfowl including at least one Gadwall, a small mixed group of Greater and Lesser Scaup, lots of Black Scoters, a few White winged Scoters, Long tailed Ducks and all three merganser species.  In addition to the waterfowl I had at least one Pine Warbler in with a mixed flock of mainly Dark eyed Juncos and Eastern Bluebirds plus a couple Bonaparte's Gulls and some raptors.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2026

American Black Ducks, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 27, 2026

After making a short trip elsewhere to get out of the wind for a bit I returned to the dam to try to get photos of the Pine Warbler with no luck in relocating it.  Waterfowl continued to move a bit while I walked around the area and a number of Black Scoters continued way out.

In the midst of a long period of sunny weather with a few interesting species

Orange crowned Warbler, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Oct 23, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Oct 23, 2026

Turkey Vulture, Hickory Ridge Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Oct 23, 2026

Eastern Towhee, Belchertown, MA, Oct 23, 2026

Mourning Dove, Belchertown, MA, Oct 22, 2026

Ring necked Duck, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 22, 2026

White tailed Deer, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 22, 2026

Very low water at Gate 52, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 22, 2026

Dark eyed Junco, Ware, MA, Oct 21, 2026

House Finch, Ware, MA, Oct 21, 2026

Porcupine, Belchertown, MA, Oct 21, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Belchertown, MA, Oct 20, 2026

Savannah Sparrows, Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Oct 20, 2026

Dickcissel, East Meadows, Northampton, MA, Oct 20, 2026

Cape May Warbler with unusual bicolored bill, Belchertown, MA, Oct 19, 2026

Cape May Warbler with unusual bicolored bill, Belchertown, MA, Oct 19, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Belchertown, MA, Oct 19, 2026

Red breasted Nuthatch, Belchertown, MA, Oct 19, 2026

Black Scoter, Amherst, MA, Oct 19, 2026

We are the midst of a week long plus period of sunny weather thanks to multiple high pressure systems.  Some days have been fairly breezy with temps around normal to above normal.  Migration conditions have largely been very good and lots of late season migrants have arrived and many species have largely headed south until next spring.  I have gotten out every day for at least a bit and have found a few late species including a few warblers with the most unusual being a Cape May Warbler with a bicolored bill plus some rarities including a few Dickcissel.  The number of Purple Finches and Red breasted Nuthatches continue to increase and Red Crossbills are still around at multiple locations.  I have also had some close encounters with a few mammals as well as a very close Black Scoter on a small pond (usually I see the species at great distance at Quabbin).  Waterfowl continues to increase and sparrow migration has peaked as we make the slide toward late fall and eventually winter.  It will continue to be largely sunny until at least the middle of next week with most lows overnight at or below freezing.  The chances of rarities from out west showing up will continue to increase as November rapidly approaches.  Certainly glad to have finalized plans to get away from this arctic wasteland for the majority of winter.

Strong north winds brings in waterfowl including Brant and three species of scoter

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Brant, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Common Loon, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

White winged Scoters, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Northern Pintails, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Bald Eagle getting harassed by Ring billed Gull, Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Winsor Dam, Quabbin Park, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Yellow billed Cuckoo, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Yellow billed Cuckoo, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Turkey Vulture, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Belchertown, MA, Oct 17, 2026

After the passage of a cold front yesterday evening the winds switched around to the north and continued strong through the morning of today.  In the middle of October conditions like that are likely to cause waterfowl to move into the area and they cooperated this morning with three new species for me for the year in the county during the just less than three hours I spent at Winsor Dam in the company of Ted, Jack and Mary for a bit.  It was a bit cold at times with the strong north winds but nothing like it will be in the upcoming weeks when the temps continue to drop.  We had a dozen species of waterfowl with the highlights including 25 Brant (in two flocks early), 36 American Black Ducks, 10 Northern Pintails, a single male Surf Scoter, 21 White winged Scoters and 65 Black Scoters.  There were also a few raptors around including one Bald Eagle getting harassed by a gull.  Away from the dam the winds were not nearly as strong and I took a few short walks before a brief return to the dam before heading home.  A very productive morning thanks to the north winds.

October Big Day yesterday

Dawn, Amherst, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Magnolia Warbler, Amherst, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Northern Flicker, Amherst, MA, Oct 10, 2026

White throated Sparrow, Amherst, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Amherst, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Blackpoll Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Black throated Green Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Ruby crowned Kinglet, Belchertown, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Nashville Warbler, Belchertown Land Trust Trail,, Belchertown, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Black Bear, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Northern Water Snake, Belchertown Land Trust Trail, Belchertown, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Woodchuck, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 10, 2026

Yesterday was the annual October Big Day (as well as the one month mark from losing Wilson) and with fantastic weather (despite a cold start in the 40's) I spent all morning out tracking down birds (focusing on warblers but checking out everything).  I covered areas from Amherst back to Belchertown and found a total of 63 species with the notable species being a couple late warbler species (Magnolia Warbler and Cape May Warbler).  It was a stunningly beautiful morning with a fantastic sunrise and loads of sunshine with little wind until later in the morning.  Beyond the birds I had some mammal and reptile sightings along the way.