Monthly Archives: July 2025

I very rarely use my phone to take bird photos but it was necessary in this case. Cooper’s Hawks have been nesting near my home for several years and have come to view my yard as a hunting ground for birds and chipmunks. They occasionally use the railings of my front porch as a perchContinue reading “Snapshot: Cooper’s Hawk”

My last post (“Feathered Action: Tern vs Gull”) was about terns chasing gulls away from their nesting area. Terns also chase people. This Least Tern made a few dives at me after a beachgoer inadvertently wandered too close to a nesting spot. The terns in the vicinity took the air and buzzed everyone in theContinue reading “Feathered Action: Tern vs Photographer”

My last post was about two of our summer resident birds peacefully sharing a beach breeding area. Not all is peaceful on the beach though. Least Terns (and Plovers) do not like having Great Black-backed Gulls in the area. The terns will harass any gull flying over the nesting grounds. Great Black-backed Gulls and otherContinue reading “Feathered Action: Tern v. Gull”

The southern tip of Plum Island is a Massachusetts State Reservation. A large area above the high tide line is protected for nesting Least Terns and Piping Plovers. They peacefully share the beach like summer tourists enjoying vacation. It helps that the Terns are fishermen and the Plovers are beachcombers. No competition for food, onlyContinue reading “Snapshot: Summer Residents”

Piping Plovers have been nesting in the usual spots near me and the chicks are out and about. They have a high cuteness rating and look like cotton balls with legs. Their coloration blends in with the sand when they are still. But they aren’t still very often. They are precocial and can walk withinContinue reading “Piping Plover”

These swallows live in colonies, often using man-made bird houses. The males appear to be all black unless the lighting highlights their deep purple body. The wings and tail are black though. This one was photographed at a Parker River NWR where a colony annually nests in gourd-shaped nest boxes clustered on tall poles.

This is another occasional non-bird guest appearance on my site. Although it is referred to here in Massachusetts as the Short-tailed Weasel, it is more commonly known as the Stoat or Ermine in most of its worldwide range. These small predators, less that 12 inches (30cm) long, are found throughout Eurasia, Greenland and northern NorthContinue reading “Non-Avian Guest: Short-tailed Weasel”

These two young Downy Woodpeckers are squabbling over who gets to use the suet feeder first. No injuries occurred other than to the loser’s pride.