Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

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.

Look closely and you can spot the Eastern Kingbird’s target. I’ll take credit for capturing the bird in flight but the fly is just plain luck!

This young Downy Woodpecker can still get dad to give him a snack from the suet feeder. It won’t be long before junior won’t be able to coax his parents into feeding him though. Fluttering his wings and begging won’t spark parental interest so he’ll have to use the feeder on his own.

The Cedar Waxwing is a bird of many colors and this photo shows all of them. The base coloration is a tan head, crest and chest with a pale yellow belly, a gray-brown back and white under the tail. Accessories include a black mask, yellow tail tip and waxy red tips on some of theContinue reading “Snapshot: Cedar Waxwing”

Bobolinks nest in open fields like meadows and hayfields. They are long distance migrants that breed in the northern US and in Canada along the US border. They winter in southern Brazil. The males have a color pattern that has been described as a reverse tuxedo with white patches on the back and a yellowContinue reading “Bobolink”