Waterfowl Roost - Hinsdale

As the ice goes out of the Connecticut River, the waterfowl move north. A favorite roosting place is just north of the Vernon Dam. Best viewing is from the NH side in Hinsdale - about a twenty minute walk in. Its a place where the hard core birders gather every mid-March. When I was there yesterday, there were five other birders; I knew them all.

Thousands of Canada Geese are using the roost, and at times the racket can be heard at a distance. They are feeding on farms in Vernon just south of the dam. Ducks are just beginning to show up. There have been a few (max 2 dozen) Common Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, pintails, woodies, blacks, Mallards, Ring-necks, 1 Cackling, 2 Snow Geese, Common & Hooded Merganser. Last week I saw Canvasback drake & Red-breasted Merganser at Turners Fall, and Green-winged Teal have been reported grazing the farmland. Ross' Geese have been reported in Northhampton, and were watched for yesterday. But the Canadas predominanted yesterday. This photo shows but a tiny fraction of the geese. The ice edge is still quite far from the bluff.


A single Greater White-fronted Goose was present. This cropped digiscoped photo is not very good, but the goose is identifiable in the center.


The Hinsdale eagles lost their nest last year. They may have taken over an old Red-tailed Hawk nest, but they haven't done much, if any, work on it. In previous years, they have been incubating for a week at this point in March. The nest tree (if that is where they eventually settle) is a white pine (cropped out) close to where this photo was taken.

Good birding!