View from the Rocks

I like to go to the shore, get close to the water, and then just let the birds do the work. There can be quite of variety of subjects that swim, float or fly by. These photographs are from Halibut Point in Rockport, Massachusetts.

You need to pick a spot that is just beyond where the largest waves reach and then add a little bit of distance depending on how high the spray goes when the waves hit the rocks. You don’t wat to get swept away and it is not a good idea to get hit with a lot of spray when the temperatures are below freezing! These are some shots of the various passersby one recent morning.

Many Harlequins were apparently just resting and floating around with the waves and currents. They dive close to the rocks when they are actively feeding.

And a pair of Long-tailed Ducks swam nearby.

There was a large number of Black Scoters that slowly moved by, occasionally diving for food. The males could be heard across the water making their quiet whistling call. That’s and adult male and a juvenile male in the second photo.

One of the flybys was this female Surf Scoter. She has white patches on her head similar to the female White-winged Scoter, but has no white wing patch.

A few Red-breasted Mergansers floated by, but the best look was this male that flew in front of me.

And last, but not least, a large flock of over 100 Purple Sandpipers flew by. This is just a small part of the flock.

This was not a bad morning’s work. But the birds did all the work. The photographer was pretty lazy and didn’t do all that much except enjoy the fresh air and view!