Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

I went to the Merrimack River for a walk and photographed some of the ducks enjoying the ice-free waters. Buffleheads seem to be found where there is open water and today was no exception. The males appear to be black and white but there are hints of iridescent color on their heads in the rightContinue reading “Down by the River”

More ducks that visit me in the winter. These were photographed the same morning as those in the previous post. These are two the three types of Scoters, a type of sea duck, that winter on our shores. First is a pair of White-winged Scoters. The adult male has the brighter beak and white markContinue reading “Winter Ducks II”

A visit to Gloucester Massachusetts was rewarded by sightings of several of our winter ducks. Many types of ducks breed further north and then winter along the coast where there is less ice to deal with. It is easy to see where the Common Goldeneye gets its name. We spotted them close to shore andContinue reading “Winter Ducks I”

A visit to the coast of Maine on the first sunny day in many days seemed like a good idea. My visit to the Nubble Lighthouse in York, Maine was productive for birding, photography and mood enhancement. This is the lighthouse. There were several duck species around. These are a male (top) and female HarlequinContinue reading “Maine Coast Visit”

I couldn’t get out this week due to other commitments and rainy weather. I did take advantage of the break to continue cleaning up the files from 2022. This provided a chance to revisit some nice finds. These photos were taken last March and a couple of the pictures appeared in a post back then.Continue reading “Winter Resident – Purple Sandpiper”

Horned Grebes are another winter visitor that breeds in northern inland areas but inhabits our shores during the winter season. In the summer they live in interior Alaska, Yukon and Northwest Territories, as well as eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and western Manitoba. They migrate to the coasts in the winter and are found onContinue reading “Winter Visitor – Horned Grebe”

Three varieties of sea ducks called scoters winter along our coast. The Surf Scoter is the most colorful of the three. These are photos taken of a raft of about 3 dozen Surf Scoters feeding just off the shore. They were appropriately riding the surf and regularly dove to look for shellfish and crabs. TheContinue reading “Winter Visitor – Surf Scoter”

My previous post was about American Black Ducks landing on ice. This one is about takeoffs. Ducks use a running start to take to the air. They need to get enough forward speed to generate the necessary lift. This is a Long-tailed Duck that I photographed as it took to the air. And off sheContinue reading “Long-tailed Duck Takeoff Run”

I’m cleaning up photos from before the holidays and working on posts that were postponed. I hope followers and casual readers are having healthy and happy holidays! American Black Ducks use the same landing technique whether the water is open or frozen. I photographed some Black Ducks landing on a frozen-over panne and noticed thatContinue reading “Ice Landings”

This is an Eastern Screech Owl sleeping after a night’s hunting. It has found a nice hole in an old tree to nestle into for safety and protection from the wind. Eastern Screech Owls are a small owl, less than 10 inches (25 cm) long. That’s about the size of an American Robin or aContinue reading “Eastern Screech Owl”