Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

The American Oystercatcher is somewhat rare in Massachusetts but its numbers have been increasing in recent years. It is typically seen at a few specific areas of the coast, but not at Plum Island where we visit most often. So when one made an extended appearance, it attracted a lot of attention. We found itContinue reading “American Oystercatcher”

Spotted Sandpipers occur all over Canada and the US during the summer breeding season. In the winter they move south to the southern edge of US all the way down into the Caribbean and the upper two thirds of South America. They are common and have those distinctive spots for easy identification. Their numbers haveContinue reading “Snapshot: Spotted Sandpiper”

What do I do when the birds do a no-show? I photograph some of the other local residents. I am not sure but I think this little grasshopper is smiling for the camera.

A Great Blue Heron has caught an eel and is trying to maneuver it into position to swallow. There is a backstory for this photo. I was playing around with a teleconverter to bump my lens up to 630mm and shot this handheld. The distance was about 200 yards (180 meters) according to Google Earth.Continue reading “Snapshot: Great Blue Heron”

This young deer still has his/her “baby spots”. It’s flashing that namesake tail as it bounds off into the fields after watching us for a few minutes and then deciding that it would rather be looking at us from further away.

Least Sandpipers are the smallest sandpiper in the world. This 1 ounce (28 gram) bird is thought to fly non-stop for 1800-2500 miles (2900-4000 km) over the Atlantic from eastern Canada and New England to northeastern South America. Look for the yellow-green legs to help identify it.

Common Terns in action. Easy to spot with their black cap and orange bill, Common Terns do their fishing off our coast every summer. Terns typically fish by diving onto to their prey. However, this Common Tern is skimming for small fish in very shallow water. Diving would be fatal!

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”