Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

It’s been a hot and very dry autumn in New England. But winter will come eventually. That will bring alcid visitors like this Razorbill to the New England coast. Notice how far back the legs are on the body. This combined with wings just barely big enough for flight make it nearly impossible for theseContinue reading “Found in the Clutter: Razorbill”

Flocks that include multiple shorebird species stop to rest and feed along the Massachusetts coast as the birds migrate from their northern breeding grounds to their warmer winter homes. This photograph of a group of birds flying across a salt panne has four different shorebirds together. On the left are a Semipalmated Sandpiper (the smallerContinue reading “Snapshot: Mixed Flock”

This long distance migrant stops in our area as it moves from breeding grounds along Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean in Canada and Alaska to its winter home along the east and west coasts of the southern US, Mexico and Central America.

These are the two most common egrets that visit our area each summer. It’s easy to tell them apart when they are standing next to each other as the Great Egret towers over the smaller Snowy Egret. When they aren’t standing together, the beaks and feet are used to identify them. Heavy yellow beak andContinue reading “Snapshot: Egrets”

This is a much longer post than usual but I like the action sequence. Hopefully it will be worth your scrolling. A Double-crested Cormorant caught an eel and had a quite a time getting it subdued. It struggled for a few minutes to get its catch in the proper position to swallow it. The eelContinue reading “Feathered Action: Cormorant vs Eel”

Remembered these photos while looking through some old folders. According to the Cornell Lab, the total population of Whooping Cranes is 600. There were only 21 in 1941. This adult (right) and juvenile were photographed in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near Corpus Christi, Texas. This is only self-sustaining population of Whooping Cranes in existenceContinue reading “Found in the Clutter: Whooping Crane”

A Tricolored Heron is a fairly uncommon sight near me. They first appeared to extend their breeding range up the Atlantic Coast into Massachusetts in the 1960s but are still relatively few in number. This individual has been residing at the Parker River NWR all summer. Here it is stalking and catching small fish, neckContinue reading “Tricolored Heron”

This is a young Eastern Bluebird. It has almost attained the adult blue, chestnut and white plumage, but it still has some juvenile spotting. Bluebirds are a member of the Thrush family, most of whom have abundant spotting on their fronts. Bluebirds and another Thrush family member, the American Robin, only have spots when theyContinue reading “Snapshot: Eastern Bluebird”

People who have been on my site before may not notice the new photograph on my home page. It is from the series of photos that included my previous post of the Northern Harrier. I thought I would share it here so you don’t miss it!

Northern Harriers breed a bit further north than my location but they begin to return to the marshes to hunt voles and mice as the summer ends. They hunt by flying low over the marsh while watching and listening for their prey.