MA - another drake Barrow's

This morning I made a quick check of the Connecticut River at Montague City, that's just a couple of miles downstream from Turner's Falls and its well birded locations. A former railroad bridge now forms part of the local bike path off Greenfield Road and offers good views of the Connecticut especially downstream though a scope is essential to get the best out of a visit.

Conditions were frigid today with great chunks of ice flowing down the river and a blustery NW wind keeping temperatures well below freezing. I was hopeful of seeing Goldeneyes and wasn't disappointed with about 45 Common Goldeneyes present. Among them was a fine drake Barrow's Goldeneye which I was tempted to call "the" drake Barrow's. However, this bird did look different to the male that I last saw at Turner's Falls power canal on January 10th, showing a giant white blaze of a facial crescent which (to me at least) looked quite different to the modest facial crescent of the Turner's male - food for thought!

Barrow's Goldeneye - adult male, Montague City, Franklin Co., MA. January 13th, 2015.