MA - frigid day and a Red-necked Grebe 11/19

It really was cold today, temperatures at freezing or below almost all of the day along with a savage westerly wind creating wind chills that made it feel even colder. It felt much more like a day in mid-winter rather than mid-November. I checked a couple of areas for waterbirds finding impressive numbers of Hooded Mergansers (64) at Barton Cove along with a drake Bufflehead. Then onto Gate 35 at the North end of the Quabbin, my first visit this fall. The highlight was a Red-necked Grebe still retaining much of its juvenile head pattern. Though it wasn't especially close, I did manage to get a record shot. Otherwise, three Common Loons and three Hooded Mergansers were the only waterbirds present though the brutal conditions hampered more thorough checking. 

Red-necked Grebe - juvenile, Gate 35, North Quabbin, Franklin Co., MA. November 19th, 2014.
Distant but evidently still retaining juvenile head pattern well into November.

Common Loon - juvenile, Gate 35, North Quabbin, Franklin Co., MA. November 19th, 2014.
Distant, and as with the grebe above, quite tough to get to close to water birds at the Quabbin.

Sharp-shinned Hawk - juvenile male, Gate 35, North Quabbin, Franklin Co., MA. November 19th, 2014.
Flicked across the powerline cut with rapid, passerine-like wingbeats. Tiny male.



Hooded Mergansers - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 19th, 2014.
Impressive gatherings at Barton Cove lately, peaking with 64 birds today.....along with a drake Bufflehead.