Ducks, sandpipers, Black-backed Woodpecker and Canada Jays at Umbagog
raqb...@aol.com
A three-night/four-day paddle trip on gorgeous Lake Umbagog in Errol NH this past week had these highlights.
Wood Duck- 30+
Black Duck- 60+
BLUE-WINGED TEAL- eleven
Green-winged Teal- 20
Northern Pintail- three
RING-NECKED DUCK- one flock estimated at 450 birds!
scaup species- at least seven
Common Goldeneye- two
[Common Merganser- zero!]
Common Loon- at least 15
Double-crested Cormorant- two
Bald Eagle- easily 10-12
Greater Yellowlegs- one
Pectoral Sandpiper- five (regular at Umbagog when there are some mudflats)
Snipe- four
Black-backed Woodpecker- one along the Magalloway River and another on the Maine side of the Lake
Canada Jay- at least six in two different spots
NOTES: These totals are on the low side, except for the Ring-necked Ducks, due to strong N and E winds limiting my time on the water the first two days and to a lesser extent because of the beginning of the waterfowl hunting season on day 3 of my visit. Somewhat ironically, I discovered the big flock of Ring-necks etc. at the far end of Black Island Cove where there were no hunters. BIC is a bit out of the way.
The water was low enough to have hundreds of exposed rocks but not much in the way of mudflats. The shorebirds were in one backwater of the Magalloway River and there were undoubtedly others I did not reach.
Sunrises and sunsets on the Lake were stunning, serene, and sublime. Until next time…
Bob
Quinn, Webster,
NH
"Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons and daughters of the earth." Chief Seattle