Saturday, January 12, 2008

Female Barrow's Goldeneye, Turner's Falls, MA.





A quick drive up to Turner's Falls on a gorgeous, almost spring-like afternoon produced this close female Barrow's Goldeneye on the power canal. Presumably the regular wintering female, but having it this close seemed to make the bill look brighter orange and cleaner than usual. On most of my recent visits to Turner's the female Barrow's has flown in late with Common Goldeneyes, usually after sunset.

The gull situation at Barton Cove was quite nice with a couple of Lesser Black-backeds (1 adult and one 3rd-cycle), but somewhat surprisingly, no pale-winged gulls. Scott Surner was already there when I arrived, and Tom Pirro rolled up a little later and together we enjoyed a calling fly-over Snow Bunting as we watched the gulls. Plenty of Bald Eagle activity too. I saw three adults together over Turner's Falls town, and a juvenile over Barton Cove. The latter bird managed flush all the gulls present putting an end to our evening.

On the passerine front, the sounds of American Robins, Redpolls, Pine Grosbeaks and Pine Siskins can still be heard daily around High Street and North Whitney Street in Amherst, but the Cedar Waxwings seem to have moved on.



JPS.

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