Monthly Archives: July 2020

Wood Ducks are very colorful and very shy. So it was a good morning for me back in April when a brightly colored male swam across a narrow channel in the Ash Street Swamp (West Newbury MA) under decent light conditions. These are all pretty much the same pose but I can’t decide which oneContinue reading “Wood Duck”

The newly fledged Least Terns have “graduated”. Here’s a an egg-to-flight album.

The local birds have finished their breeding season and things are quieter. Tree Swallows have started gathering into flocks before they head south. There were a couple of hundred gathered on the phragmites along a pond. The flocks will number in the thousands later in the summer. There will be lots of opportunities for catchingContinue reading “More Mid-July Birds”

Shorebirds start to migrate through our coastal area this time of year. And new duck families appear. I photographed some of the new arrivals in the past week. Semi-palmated Sandpipers are common: The Killdeers (left) breed here. The Least Sandpiper in the foreground on the right is somewhat common. These photos of a Sanderling inContinue reading “Mid-July: On the Water”

We are in the middle of a heat wave so it is a good time to avoid hiking around with my camera. So instead of gathering some new material, I’ll post some photos from a cooler time not too long ago. I was at the Ash Street Swamp in West Newbury, Massachusetts near the endContinue reading “Mobbing a Hawk”

This is a one bird show for a change. We got a good look at a Green Heron that not only perched in full view, but also flew several loops around us. He wasn’t distressed by our presence in the area so we knew we weren’t close to a nesting area. And we were standingContinue reading “Green Heron on the Wing”

July can be a quiet time for birding, especially with heat and humidity we are experiencing this summer. But a buddy and I got together for an early start on Plum Island, hoping to avoid the Greenheads (Google them) and see what was out and about. First stop was Sandy Point on the southern endContinue reading “Plum Island – July 13”

I went to the Martin Burns Wildlife Management Area in Byfield MA this morning (7/9). It was a hot and humid morning, 77F (25C) rising to 85F (29C) while I was out. The birds were pretty sparse and stayed in the brush and deep in the canopy for the most part. The flies were plentifulContinue reading “July Heat at Martin Burns WMA”

More photos from the lazy photographer sitting on his porch. These are the larger birds that visit the feeders. Two of the most colorful are Northern Cardinals and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. I have two pairs of each in the area. I know because there is a kerfuffle when the two males show up at the sameContinue reading “Bird Feeders – The Bigger Birds”

Sometimes I get lazy and sit on the porch, open a window, grab my camera and let the birds come to me. Now that it is summer, I am getting local residents and their offspring. The smaller visitors are the most fun to watch. Here’s a sampling of the little guys that visit the feeders.Continue reading “Bird Feeders – The Little Guys”