MA - Redhead and more in Gill

Redhead - female, Barton cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2018.

The first day of March brought a further increase to the flock of Ring-necked Ducks already gathered off Riverview Drive in Gill with around 60 birds present. A female Redhead had likely arrived with them and gave excellent views as it fed unobtrusively among the Ring-necked Ducks. Also of note, an obvious increase among American Black Ducks with around 25 present. Good numbers of gulls continued at Barton Cove thought I could only detect two Iceland Gulls at the evening roost.

March 2nd brought an early spring nor'easter with a typical mix of snow, sleet and rain. New arrivals among the diving ducks off Riverview Drive included 4 Greater Scaup and 2 Bufflehead with the female Redhead still present. A new Glaucous Gull arrived too, initially being seen at the power canal before transferring to Barton Cove to join a number of other large gulls including a relatively high proportion  of Great Black-backed Gulls. By late afternoon. some 600+ gulls had settled on the ice and included 4 Iceland Gulls (3 first-cycle and 1 second-cycle) and the Glaucous Gull seen earlier in the morning. Waterfowl numbers remained about the same late in the day and offered nice views despite the squally rain showers.

Redhead - female, with Ring-necked Ducks, Barton cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 1st, 2018.

Redhead (left) - female, with Ring-necked Ducks and Greater Scaup, Barton cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 2nd, 

2018.

Glaucous Gull - first-cycle, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. March 2nd. 

Glaucous Gull - first-cycle, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. March 2nd. 

MA - Redheads and a Red-throated Loon in Gill

 Redheads - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2017.

 Yet another fascinating day for migration in northern Franklin County, a day which really began the previous evening as warm, moist air brought fog and heavy rain showers all night resulting quite a few birds. The previous evening brought the first major arrival of gulls to Turner's Falls as a single flock of 15+ Ring-billed and 45+ Herring Gulls suddenly appeared out of the gloom and settled at the power canal. 

This morning (11/06) I did my run in the darkness and finished with enough time to get down to Barton Cove for first light. It looked quite barren at first but an American Coot suddenly appeared next to the boat ramp and 3 Redheads looked nervous as they hung around with the Canada Geese. At the Rod & Gun club good numbers of Canada Geese were already departing by the time I arrived and there was no sign of the previous day's Pink-footed Goose seen by just two lucky observers mid-morning. But I did find 16 Green-winged Teal, 2 American Wigeon, a Bufflehead, a Common Goldeneye, 2 Ring-necked Ducks and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers among other things whilst I was there. 

Red-throated Loon - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2017.

By 8am I was back home and back into our daily routine but sneaked out just before noon amid yet more heavy showers. The Redheads remained on Barton Cove but as attractive as they were, the bird that really captured my imagination was a Red-throated Loon way out on the cove. Since I was some distance away, I decided to move over to the boat ramp for better views, proceeded to lose it and never saw the bird again! It disappeared just as mysteriously as it had appeared. Despite watching the Gill/Turner's Falls area regularly during spring and fall migration I couldn't recall ever seeing a Red-throated Loon in the area before and for some reason it looked unexpectedly out of place on Barton Cove!

American Coot - Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2017.

The balmy, wet southerlies continued for much of the day, grounding the Redheads for the whole day and bringing a nice male Long-tailed Duck to the Rod & Club in late afternoon. On the other hand, 8 Common Goldeneye at the power canal looked more like returning winterers than actual migrants. As if the day wasn't complete enough, the White-eyed Vireo once again showed up in its sheltered nook by the Connecticut River in Turner's Falls.

White-eyed Vireo - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. November 6th, 2017.

MA - Canvasback again plus Redhead

Thinking that I'd already had my luck for the week with yesterday's drake Canvasback, I very nearly skipped another morning check of Barton Cove but I was definitely curious to see if the Canvasback had moved on overnight. I found him settled and sleeping with an apparently growing raft of Ring-necked Ducks and Greater Scaup. My first binocular views were brief and as I scanned through the flock I was astonished to find a drake Redhead instead! Fortunately both birds lingered for images but the Redhead took off upriver and looked very flighty. I didn't see it return. A few minutes later the Canvasback decided to flex its wings taking off with Greater Scaup only to return to the same spot after doing a circuit of the cove. As if that wasn't enough, a fine drake Red-breasted Merganser was roosting in the channel closer to the Unity Park side of the cove - not too shabby for a morning in Gill!

This little collection was perhaps the best diving duck diversity I've come across locally in the last few years. Present this morning were; 35+ Ring-necked Duck, 15+ Greater Scaup, 3 Lesser Scaup, 12 Common Merganser, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 4 Hooded Merganser, 7 Bufflehead, 1 Canvasback and 1 Redhead. By comparison, Turner's Falls power canal was rather quiet (again) though 35 Canada Geese looked like newly arrived migrants.

Redhead - male in breeding plumage, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 14th, 2014.

Overall similar color fields to Canvasback but much grayer with rounded head and blue-gray bill. 

 Canvasback - male in breeding plumage, Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 14th, 2014.

Much whiter overall than Redhead with sloping head/bill profile and long, all-dark bill. 

Notably flighty this morning perhaps warming up to continue migration?

Red-breasted Merganser - male (right) with Common Merganser (male), Barton Cove, Gill, Franklin Co., MA. March 14th, 2014.

MA - Redheads and other wildfowl - 10/14-15

Redhead - drake with female Mallard, Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 15th, 2010.

Redheads - with female-type Lesser Scaup (center), Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 15th, 2010.

Redheads - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 15th, 2010.

Northern Shoveler with drake Mallard - Turner's Falls, Franklin Co., MA. October 14th, 2010.

Late afternoon visits to Barton Cove and Turner's Falls found most birds on the power canal once again, though curiously some of the Canada Goose flock (c.400) have been hanging out off Riverview Drive in Gill. The six Redheads were again present on the power canal and have been joined by a female-type Lesser Scaup (my first of the fall here). Indeed, the power canal was packed with ducks with a distinct improvement in diversity including; Wood Duck (6), Northern Pintail (3 plus 2 more at Barton Cove), Green-winged Teal (2 plus 1 at Barton Cove), Northern Shoveler (1 and my first of the fall here), American Wigeon (6), Redhead (6), Lesser Scaup (1) and plenty of Mallard and American Black Duck.

The overnight North-easterly storm with rain on the 15th seemed to produce little (if any) change with the exception being the departure of the Northern Pintail and the Green-winged Teal. Surprisingly, no obvious storm driven birds could be found.

Also of note on the 15th, a beautiful adult White-crowned Sparrow in the yard with the White-throats and juncos.

JPS.

MA - Turner's Redheads - 10/12

Redheads - party of six, Turner's Falls power canal, Franklin Co., MA. October 12th, 2010.

Had a short but enjoyable trip down to Barton Cove and Turner's Falls this evening. Barton Cove was relatively quiet except for a nice tally of five Pied-billed Grebes, but the Turner's Falls power canal was better with nearly 600 Canada Geese, 3 American Wigeon, 2 Wood Duck, and a party of no less than 6 Redheads. This was presumably the same party of Redheads reported by Mark Fairbrother at Barton Cove on the evening of the 11th when the flock contained five birds at that time - seems like they picked up a straggler overnight.

As the sun began to set, most of the Canada Geese departed Northward from the power canal and so did the Redheads, taking one of the American Wigeons with them.

And here, six Redheads with an American Wigeon in the foreground.

Redhead, Fountain Hills - 01/25

This lone drake Redhead was a nice surprise on Fountain Hills Lake this morning, although many of the diving ducks and grebes appeared to have moved on from since my last visits here in late December. Still good numbers of American Wigeons grazing with American Coots on the banks of the lake. A Tree Swallow, my first of the year, was hawking over the water for a short time in the chill of the morning. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher feeding along a wash in Sun City was one of the better birds of this morning's point counts.


Drake Redhead - keeping his distance out in the middle of Fountain Lake.


Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - digibin shot from one of the point counts.




JPS.