Backup Lens at Work

My number one lens decided it needs some R&R after four years of hard work. So its backup is stepping up while it gets some well deserved “spa treatment”. I don’t use the backup very often so it feels a bit strange in my hand but I think it did well, as evidenced by these photos.

Three Northern Harriers were hunting over the marsh at the entrance to the Salisbury (MA) State Reservation. Here’s two of them flying past each other.

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Long-tailed Ducks were everywhere. The following shots were taken at the Parker River NWR, the mouth of the Merrimack River at the north end of Plum Island and the boat ramp at the State Reservation on the opposite side of the river.

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Taking off…

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Some in flight photos, including one with a pair of Long-tails flying past a gull kerfuffle.

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And landing…

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I think he had better surfing form than the human just up the beach from us. (It was 28F/-2C with a stiff wind, by the way.)

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Scoters continue to crowd the river.

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This was a really nice surprise at the end of the morning. A Snowy Owl was snoozing near the rocks at the base of the breakwater at the river mouth. It attracted a fair number of birders and photographers. We were able to position ourselves on the beach below and were screened by a sand dune at the high tide mark. This allowed us to get some really good looks without disturbing the bird. That is the goal when photographing birds or any animal.

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The last picture looks like me after I had a nice big bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup when I got home from a cold morning on the water.