Common Loons have been found on the following smaller bodies of water in the North Central Mass. area this summer, each of these lakes has had nesting or territorial loons over the past several years. In addition to the Leominster birds, from my 7/19 post, I observed pairs in the following bodies of water:
On 7/20
Bickford Pond (Hubbardston, Ma.) : 2 adult with a single chick
Mare Meadow Reservoir (Westminster, Ma.): 2 adults NO chicks
Wachusett Lake (Westminster, Ma.): 2 adults with a single chick
7/31
Upper Naukeg Lake (Ashburnham): 2 or 3 adults and NO young observed
Lake Wompanoag (Ashurnham/Gardner): 1 adult No Young observed
(these should be checked again, as additional loons could've been out of my sight-line.)
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| Common Loon stretching its wings on Upper Naukeg Lake |
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| Belted Kingfisher (female) at Upper Naukeg Lake |
Water levels have dropped on some area lakes and ponds, most noteably Whitmanville Resevoir in Westminster, were I was able to find a few Least Sandpipers, a Solitary Sandpiper and Semipalmated Plover. Muddy Pond (aka Sterling Peat) is very low as of 8/4, were Killdeer (31), Spotted Sandpiper (3), Solitary Sandpiper (9) and a minimum of 36 Least Sandpipers. A Great Egret, Great Blue Herons, Green Heron, Hooded Mergansers (3) and Green-winged Teal (2) were also noteable.
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| A Juv. Green Heron at Muddy Pond |
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| A Juv. Least Sandpiper at Muddy Pond |
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| Great Egret at Muddy Pond |
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| Great Egret (Same as above) alighting on a mud flat |
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Exposed shoreline should continue to attract shorebirds during August and Sept.
Should waterlevel remain low. |
1 comment:
Nice to see some loons having nesting success.
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