Monthly Archives: August 2020

I watched two Ospreys fishing last week. They were unsuccessful but I took some photos before they moved on to better fishing grounds. They were about 600 meters (660 yards) away, if I read the Google map correctly, when I took these shots: The Double-crested Cormorants in the last shot seemed to be interested. TheContinue reading “Ospreys”

Here are some Heron photos from the same outing that produced the Sanderling photos in the previous post. First up is a Great Blue Heron that flew across a pool, making its croaking call all the way, in order to join a flock of Lesser Yellowlegs. I photographed these Night Herons later in the morning.Continue reading “Herons”

Sanderlings are those little birds you see running along the edge of the water, chasing the incoming waves on almost any sandy coast in the world. They breed in the arctic but winter along the coasts of every continent. I got these photos on the south end of Plum Island, Massachusetts. These birds may beContinue reading “Sanderlings”

I mentioned in a previous post that there are two species of Yellowlegs. They are a bit hard to tell apart but the differences are more obvious when they are together. This is a photo of a Greater Yellowlegs walking behind a Lesser Yellowlegs. The Greater is a larger bird and its beak is muchContinue reading “Yellowlegs Buffet”

Birds in flight are always interesting subjects. Here’s a Mallard flying in to join the flock. This Osprey hovered over the Merrimack River and did a quick dive. But it aborted at the last second and headed back up for another try.

The number of Tree Swallows has diminished greatly in the past week but there are still plenty around. These two juveniles were taking a break and kindly posed for pictures. There was one little sandpiper at the Main Pannes on the refuge just sitting by himself. The yellowish legs mark it as a Least Sandpiper.Continue reading “Some Close-ups”

Migration does indeed continue here in northeastern Massachusetts. Swallows are gathering to fuel up and start their long migration. Shorebirds are moving through from further north. The swallows are flocking together in the thousands. I caught another Tree Swallow grabbing a drink of water on the fly. And a Tree Swallow photo bombed a shotContinue reading “Migration Continues”

Gold seemed to be a theme yesterday. First, there were many Snowy Egrets with their “golden slippers”; those bright yellow feet being one of their field marks. Yellow Warbler. The caption for the second photo could be “Hey! No photos!” And an American Goldfinch rounded out the bright gold on display. Posing on a thistleContinue reading “A Study in Gold”

Tree Swallows are gathering in huge numbers as they get ready to head south. This is just part of one flock. I was able to capture a few birds in the smaller flocks flying past me on their way to join up with the big flock. These birds were swooping down to grab a drinkContinue reading “Tree Swallow Migration”

Shorebirds are beginning to migrate through the area as they move from their breeding grounds further north. Plum Island, at the mouth of the Merrimack River, is a popular stopover. This Whimbrel was foraging at the southern shore of the island when I spotted him. They are not a rare bird but sightings are notContinue reading “Shorebird Migration”