Trip Highlights

The usual leaders of this weekend trip were in Africa, but ten intrepid members headed north to Dead Creek in Addison Vermont.  Day 1 was a cool but windless morning that made the 2-3 thousand Snow Geese at the refuge a real treat as they rose with a clamor many times, especially when a Bald Eagle perched nearby turned its head.  Dozens of Green-winged Teal were in the nearby marsh and we got spectacular views of raptors.  Three Rough-legged Hawks hunted the meadows, a male Harrier joined them, and a Peregrine Falcon perched close by for several minutes before steaming its way across the meadows and spooking up a flock of Snow Buntings.  Even a Cooper’s Hawk appeared, then dove inside an abandoned barn.  We made our way over to Lake Champlain, where the water birds were scarce on the lake shore, but we managed close looks at Common Loons and Horned Grebes.  The coves sheltered a few Bufflehead, a Black Scoter, and some Hooded and Common Mergansers.

The weather turned nasty the morning of Day 2, with strong, cold winds following a night of rain.  We still found flocks of ducks on the inland side of Sandbar Park and some Black-bellied Plovers on the lake side.  South Hero Island had only a few loons, a Black Scoter and a White-winged Scoter.  At Isle La Motte, we found a few more loons on the water, but then lifted our eyes and looked west toward northern New York.  The sky was full of thousands of Snow Geese rising from the lowlands.  They first looked dark, but then glowed fiercely white as they rose higher into the sunlight against the distant backdrop of dark clouds.  Some descended after circling for several minutes, but many skeins headed south.  We returned to the eastern shore of the lake to find a flock of Dunlins and Plovers on the mudflats exposed by the low water level.  There were more flocks of Buffleheads and Black Scoters here as well as farther south at St. Albans Bay.  Also in the bay were hundreds of Ring-billed and Bonaparte’s Gulls loafing on the mudflats.  Then we noticed the water farther out was covered with Common Loons, at least 120 of these regal birds.

Clouds and comfortable conditions greeted the eight members for the first fall trip to Berkshire Lakes.  It was a slow start at Laurel Lake with only Mallards in view, but Stockbridge Bowl had 6 Green-winged Teal and a Great Blue Heron in the marsh.  We rode over Stockbridge Mountain to find 10 more Green-winged Teal in Fairfield Pond.  Richmond had 3 Ravens and a Coot, in the marsh , while on the pond was a Red-breasted Merganser.  Going overhead we noted a flock of a hundred Cedar Waxwings and four flocks of Bluebirds totaling about 50.  The count of Ring-necked Ducks at Mud pond was a cool 1100.  The south end of Onota Lake had a Common Loon and a Bonaparte’s Gull while the north end had 20 Hooded Mergansers, 8 Green-winged Teal, a Pied-billed Grebe, and another lone Coot.  The northwest corner of Pontoosuc had small groups of Common and Hooded Mergansers, along with another Red-breasted Merganser.  We were welcomed to Ann Connors house for views of a young White-crowned Sparrow and a Fox Sparrow.  Northeast Pontoosuc had another Common Loon and a third Red-breasted Merganser, this one a young male.

Eight participants turned out for the trip through Quabbin Park, where we tallied 16 species on a clear, cool but blustery day.  The only woodpecker was a Flicker and the only sparrows were a few flocks of Juncos.  Whatever was there seemed to stay in the shelter of the bushes.  We had a few Crows but no Ravens, the reverse of what we usually get at Quabbin.  Goodnough Dike was the best spot for waterbirds - two Common Loons, four Surf Scoters and two close Horned Grebes around the corner at Gate 32.  The water here didn't have the whitecaps that were on the rest of the reservoir and the wind didn't blow us over.  We had three Bald Eagles, one adult right over us at Windsor Park and two just floating above us at Goodnough (an adult and a 4th year bird).  These two seemed to kettle with five gulls, enjoying the wind.  We had a nice look at an adult Red-tailed Hawk which landed about 100 feet away, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet also gave us a close view.  The few birds we found were very nice and the scenery was great, bright multicolored trees and a blue sky with fast moving cotton ball clouds.  The company was great too!

The frigid, freezing weather kept numbers down to 7 people for this venture.  At the main gate, the first of many Wood Ducks were studied in the thick lily pads that covered the shallow cove.  Just across the road, beneath a high canopy of pines, was a hidden pond that held a big surprise, two ducks of different sizes, the smaller one a female Green-winged Teal and the other a female Northern Shoveler. They stuck together as if mated, but they were only temporary mates. The large coves farther along held mostly Wood Ducks and Mallards, but a little patient searching revealed a pair of Ring-necked Ducks, a Pintail, and a Pied-billed Grebe. A large flock of Yellowrumps and some Palm Warblers gathered seed at the edges of the pond and a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds stalked the muddy edges and the exposed lily pads.  A Bald Eagle arrived as the fog finally cleared, and later it caught and ate a fish before our eyes.  Other birds at the far end of the main pond were a single Rusty Blackbird, a lone Phoebe, a Merlin mobbed by a flock of crows, and a calling Killdeer.

Five members joined me for the walk on the bike trail and we found 19 species, including the pair of resident Common Loons.  Three Double-crested Cormorants were also on the water and a Belted Kingfisher was fishing the edges.  The birds were not too active so soon after first light and fog hampered us at well.  When the sun came up we noted some Golden-crowned Kinglets in the pines and four Phoebes in the brush along the shore.