Lake Cochichewick (MWT)

 

Lake Cochichewick, North Andover, Massachusetts 11-30-2010

On a cold and cloudy day in November I drive down a country road and park across the street…

… from geese and ducks who scramble quickly into the water in unnecessary fear of me.

I am parked near the tangle of a wooded area where the small birds thrive, searching for seeds in the forest,  or berries clinging to the bushes and tree, or insect larvae hidden in bark and rotted wood…

…while tree bones lean against trees on this quiet autumn day…

…I continue my journey around the lake to the North shore where the deep water lies and the white-caps play in the wind…

..held back by the dam of rocks, a fortress against the waves …which sparkle in the hazy sunlight and blind my eyes with brightness, …while buffleheads swim in the deep far from the shore and me, a beautiful pair and then I see…

…a flock of four on the distant shore…

…mere dots in this watery landscape, but I do see them and I smile knowing  they are there.

Autumn Contentment for

My World Tuesday 

Gus and I discovered Lake Cochichewick about a week ago on Sunday and of course I had to count the birds. I was so thrilled by what I had seen that I went back the following Tuesday to take photos and count again. I was amazed at the difference in the bird counts in just those 2 days. I will be birding here more often, now that I know it is here. I birded the south end of the lake first and then drove around to the northside. I also discovered another access point to be revealed at a later date! I have some more exploring to do!

Be sure to check out I and the Bird Edition #139 Hosted by TR Ryan From the Faraway, Nearby.

Birds seen at Lake Cochichewick 11-28-10 South End

Location: Lake Cochichewick-South end
Observation date: 11/28/10
Notes: My first time here. W/Gus. Parked along Pleasant st. So excited! Sunny, clear, cold!
Number of species: 6
 
Canada Goose 2
Mallard 120
Bufflehead 2
Hooded Merganser 20
Great Blue Heron 1
American Robin 1
 
Birds seen at Lake Cochichewick 11-28-10 North End

Location: Lake Cochichewick-North End
Observation date: 11/28/10
Notes: North end of lake. Gus stayed in car while I crossed street to look for birds. Windy across the lake.
Number of species: 2
 
Bufflehead 10
gull sp. 1
American Crow 6

Birds seen at Lake Cochichewick 11-30-10 South End

Location: Lake Cochichewick-South end
Observation date: 11/30/10
Notes: Also saw some sort of raptor fly into the trees at the edge of the lake. All I saw was it's white fluffy undertail coverts and its wings in a flash before it disappeared into the trees.
Number of species: 15

Canada Goose 6
Mallard 10
Hooded Merganser 2
Ring-billed Gull 1 yellow-green legs, gray back, black wingtips, white belly, black ring on tip of beak
Herring Gull 1 pink legs, red spot on beak
Great Black-backed Gull 1 large gull with black back, yellow beak with red spot, pink legs
Downy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 150 flying in a stream across the lake
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Song Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 2
American Goldfinch 2

Birds seen at Lake Cochichewick 11-30-10 North End

Location: Lake Cochichewick-North End
Observation date: 11/30/10
Notes: Watched from the dam/causeway area. Cold and windy, overcast, 47F.
Number of species: 4
Mallard 14 flying overhead
Bufflehead 6 in water
gull sp. 12 some flying overhead and some just skimming the water
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 1

These reports were generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)