Forbush Bird Club-Quabbin Reservoir

The Forbush Bird Club had a trip today at Quabbin Reservoir which started in New Salem and ended in Petersham and equated to a little over six miles on foot round trip. The weather was perfect and was led by Tom Pirro, who did a great job in finding us birds including unexpected shore birds which you will see below!

One of the first notable birds of the day were two Bald Eagles including the one above. Both of these eagles were perched up on trees on separate islands and remained there for a while which gave everyone a chance to get a good look at them.
Tom led us to a little island near the shore and we were thrilled to see some shorebirds including the Greater Yellowlegs above.

Such a cool bird to see mixed in with the fallen colorful leaves.
And this bird wasn't alone either. Mixed in with it were two Dunlin (left) and some Black-bellied Plover (right). A November treat to say the least and it was really nice to see them in non-breeding plumage and be able to get a record shot of them no less.
There were also more than a few Horned Grebes like the one above. The digiscoped picture is over exposed, but I was able to capture this birds gorgeous red eye.
These birds are not at all shy which allowed for some good views when ever they decided to stay above water for more than a few seconds. This is a life bird for me and my new favorite bird for the month of November! So handsome even in non-breeding plumage.
We also saw some Red-breasted Mergansers like the one above. This is the first of the season for me and they were fairly close which allowed for some good views of these birds too.
While I am dreading the winter, it is so nice to finally have all of the Mergansers back.
Tom also spotted out two deer for us on the point of an island as you can see in the picture above. They went to the edge of the water for a drink before returning back to the land. Another highlight of the day.
All in all it was a great trip with weather that was perfect for November. The majority of the birds were also fairly close up which was nice for a change.

Take care everyone.