Monthly Archives: April 2023

I spotted a duck flying across a pond and began photographing it as it flew toward and past me. I could see in the viewfinder that it had something large in its bill as I was tracking it. I was surprised by what I was seeing when I checked the photographs on my camera display.Continue reading “Puzzling Photos”

The Red-tailed Hawk is a large buteo that is common in the United States and Mexico where it is a permanent resident. It expands into Canada during the summer as well. Buteos are robust soaring hawks with broad wings and relatively short tails. They will prey on any small animal but they prefer mammals likeContinue reading “Red-tailed Hawk”

The American Kestrel is a fairly common falcon in North and South America. It is also our smallest falcon, measuring 9-12 inches (22-31 cm). For comparison, the ubiquitous Rock Pigeon found in cities all over the world measures 12-14 inches (30-36 cm). They are found near open areas where they hunt grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, andContinue reading “American Kestrel”

The weather was exceptionally nice for an early spring day at the coast on an Audubon group walk. The wind was nearly dead calm and that is a very rare situation when less than 400 meters of trees and dunes is between you and the Atlantic Ocean. The salt pannes were as smooth as glassContinue reading “Shorebird Mix”

The Cooper’s Hawk is a fast and agile bird hunting raptor. They are common woodland hawks in the United States and are year round residents in most states. Some will only spend the summer along in the northernmost part of the US and the southern part of the western Canadian provinces. Some will migrate intoContinue reading “Cooper’s Hawk”

The Green-winged Teal is the smallest dabbling duck in North America. They breed in Canada and along the US side of the border with Canada. They are also known to breed here in Massachusetts. We see them in larger numbers when they move closer to the coast in the winter. Most spend the winter inContinue reading “Green-winged Teal”

My focus is birds, but I occasionally photograph non-feathered subjects. I was standing on a trail listening for birds when three White-tailed Deer appeared in the trees and scrub a little further along. They stopped when they realized I was only a short distance away and seemed to be deciding if I was dangerous orContinue reading “Non-avian Guest Post”

A sure sign of spring is the onset of courtship among the birds. Males sing, display and even feed their prospective mates to win their partner. I captured the following sequence of a Bufflehead showing off his moves for the nearby females. He did a run across the water, followed by a very short flight.Continue reading “More Signs of Spring”

It’s a little colder than usual after a fairly mild winter but the birds don’t go by the temperatures. It’s the longer days that trigger mating, migration and changes in plumage. And I can see such sure signs of spring right outside my window. This is an American Goldfinch that has nearly finished changing fromContinue reading “Signs of Spring at the Feeders”

I am starting to see a few of the birds that reside here in the summer returning from their winter “vacations”. One early returnee is the Tree Swallow. They arrive fairly early, which is odd since they are primarily insectivores. But they are also able to dine on fruit and seeds so they can makeContinue reading “Summer Residents – Tree Swallow”