Saturday morning, at the Fitchburg Airport, I was rewarded by closeup sighting of a small group of snow buntings near the main parking area. Also present were 25 Horned Larks.
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| 2 of 12 Snow Bunting at the Fitchburg AP |
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| A little closer view |
Later in the day I stopped by Crystal Lake in Gardner, which was 95% frozen over a week ago, but had since opened up a bit. The lake was about 40% open and 3 scaup-like ducks were near a small group of Common Goldeneyes some 800+ meters away. Upon zooming the scope to 40X, 2 drake and 1 hen Redhead Ducks could be discerned, the males clearly showing bluish bills, black "bow and stern", gray mid body (sides and back) and of course redheads. This was only my 2nd sighting of this species in the North Worcester County area, the last being in late Oct. of 2005, also on Crystal Lake (3 males).
Later in the Birch Hill Wildlife Management Area I was fortunate to see a Northern Shrike just NW of Lake Dennison.
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| A wintery scene near Lake Dennison |
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| A "poorish" digi-bin shot of the Northern Shrike |
