Fall Ducks: Divers and Dabblers

What's the difference between a diver and a dabbler—and why does it matter? Develop skills and learn some tips for identifying the duck species that appear on western Massachusetts waterways each October.

Starting with an indoor presentation on field marks and behaviors, you'll learn to tell species apart before heading to Arcadia's wetlands to look for ducks in action. October brings a productive mix of resident ducks and early arrivals moving south, giving birders a wider variety of species to work with than at almost any other time of year. We hope to see ducks such as mergansers, Wood Ducks, Blue-winged Teal, and maybe some rarities such as Northern Shovelers or Gadwall.