Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

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”

The late spring snow has finally melted and the weather, although unsettled as usual for March in New England, has cooperated a bit to let us get out and explore. These photographs are from a recent visit to Gloucester, Massachusetts. We spotted several large flocks of Canada Geese on the move and one smaller flockContinue reading “Gloucester”

I saw several other bird species while photographing the Black Guillemot (see previous post). Here’s a few of them. The ocean was pretty rough with the nor’easter having just moved off our coast. People on the Pacific Coast would probably consider this just a little rough though! Black Scoters were riding the swells close toContinue reading “More Sightings”

The Black Guillemot is a fairly common alcid in areas where it breeds. This includes Maine in the US, eastern Canada, Greenland, Scotland and Scandinavia. The alcids include Murres, Razorbills, Dovekies and the well-known Puffins. The Guillemot ventures a bit further south in the winter and we sometimes get to see it here in Massachusetts.Continue reading “Black Guillemot”

We seem to be in a quiet time for bird sightings. And the weather has been unsettled after a relatively mild winter. In fact, I worked on this post during our latest nor’easter that is turning out to be the biggest snowfall of the winter. So I haven’t had as many photography opportunities as IContinue reading “Chickadee and Nuthatch”

The Merlin is a small falcon. They are smaller than a Crow, about 9.5-12 inches (24-30cm) long. They have a very streaky chest, white bands in the tail and a stocky build. They lack the strong “mustache” marking that other falcons possess. They are fast, agile fliers and fierce hunters, taking small birds in flight.Continue reading “Merlin”

I took some time during the recent snow storms to photograph the visitors to my feeders. Here are a few of them adding a little color to a snowy day. The most colorful was this Eastern Bluebird. They only visit my home in the winter but nest less than a mile away at a townContinue reading “Snow Birds”

Okay. Just one quick final ducks landing post before I work on something new while sitting out a snow storm tomorrow. This is a Common Eider demonstrating the proper technique. So graceful. And then there is this guy. Needs a little practice.

Here are a few more ducks doing their landing maneuvers starting with three Long-tailed Ducks doing a group landing. This Long-tailed Duck bounced. A Harlequin does his belly surf and ends with a smile for the camera.

Is it for efficiency, fun or both? I have noticed that most sea ducks use a similar landing technique that involves belly surfing. They touch down feet first but quickly lunge forward to skid to a stop. I suspect it is done to minimize the jolt of hitting the water but it is easy toContinue reading “Landing Technique”