Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

Green-winged Teals are the smallest dabbling ducks in North America. They have small bills and a short neck. This adds to their petite look. Their breeding range is Canada and the very northern US. There is also a small breeding area here in northeastern Massachusetts so we see them in the summer. But they areContinue reading “Migrants – Green-winged Teal”

Many shorebirds migrate through our area. Black-bellied Plovers breed along the Arctic Ocean and then migrate to as far south as the Caribbean and South America. We in Massachusetts live just a bit north of their most northerly wintering area so seeing one after late autumn is a rare sight. This is a young PloverContinue reading “Migrants – Black-bellied Plover”

Sometimes things just come together for a nice photograph. I like to catch birds in action but it is difficult when small birds are actively flitting around in the trees and shrubs as they search for food. The majority of the photographs are partially visible birds, a feathery blur or an empty branch. Most ofContinue reading “Serendipity”

In my previous post I said that I watched two birds fishing close to shore and put up some photos of Northern Gannets diving for fish.. The second sighting was of two Caspian Terns. Caspian Terns migrate through our area and are not common. These were the first I have seen other than on theContinue reading “Gone Fishin’ (Part II)”

I had a chance to watch and photograph two different seabirds fishing while on the south end of Plum Island, Massachusetts. The first were Northern Gannets. These birds are usually far off shore and we identify them by their shape and fishing technique. This day there were dozens of them fishing fairly close to shore.Continue reading “Gone Fishin’ (Part I)”

Sharp-shinned Hawks are an Accipiter, a large group of hawks generally called “sparrowhawks” in Eurasia and includes goshawks. They have short, broad wings and a long tail that make them highly maneuverable. The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a forest hunter and uses this maneuverability to hunt down small birds. They are a small hawk. The malesContinue reading “Sharp-shinned Hawk”

I was with a small group of birdwatchers and photographers on a cool but sunny fall morning recently. We had a number of nice sightings, including what was a first time bird for many of us. There are two species of Kinglet, a tiny bird that summers to our north and winters just south ofContinue reading “Sunny Fall Morning”

My walks are becoming even more interesting as more birds migrate through the area. These photographs are from a pleasant walk on a cool early fall morning. We are on the very northernmost edge of the winter range of the Yellow-rumped Warbler and may see a few even in the winter. These photographs are ofContinue reading “Migrants – A Variety”

It has been a quiet few weeks but Wood Warblers and other passerines are starting to come through our area in greater numbers. Spring and fall migration are quite different. The birds are in breeding plumage in the spring and arrive in bursts of big mixed flocks. They are heading for their breeding areas andContinue reading “Migrants – Warblers”

It’s not just warblers, hummingbirds and shorebirds that we observe migrating. Hawks, eagles and falcons migrate into, out of and through eastern Massachusetts as well. These are some photographs of recent sightings. Peregrine Falcons are long distance migrants, although a few do reside here year round. But those are the exception as most migrate fromContinue reading “Migrants – Raptors”