Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

Birds in flight are always interesting subjects. Here’s a Mallard flying in to join the flock. This Osprey hovered over the Merrimack River and did a quick dive. But it aborted at the last second and headed back up for another try.

The number of Tree Swallows has diminished greatly in the past week but there are still plenty around. These two juveniles were taking a break and kindly posed for pictures. There was one little sandpiper at the Main Pannes on the refuge just sitting by himself. The yellowish legs mark it as a Least Sandpiper.Continue reading “Some Close-ups”

Migration does indeed continue here in northeastern Massachusetts. Swallows are gathering to fuel up and start their long migration. Shorebirds are moving through from further north. The swallows are flocking together in the thousands. I caught another Tree Swallow grabbing a drink of water on the fly. And a Tree Swallow photo bombed a shotContinue reading “Migration Continues”

Gold seemed to be a theme yesterday. First, there were many Snowy Egrets with their “golden slippers”; those bright yellow feet being one of their field marks. Yellow Warbler. The caption for the second photo could be “Hey! No photos!” And an American Goldfinch rounded out the bright gold on display. Posing on a thistleContinue reading “A Study in Gold”

Tree Swallows are gathering in huge numbers as they get ready to head south. This is just part of one flock. I was able to capture a few birds in the smaller flocks flying past me on their way to join up with the big flock. These birds were swooping down to grab a drinkContinue reading “Tree Swallow Migration”

Shorebirds are beginning to migrate through the area as they move from their breeding grounds further north. Plum Island, at the mouth of the Merrimack River, is a popular stopover. This Whimbrel was foraging at the southern shore of the island when I spotted him. They are not a rare bird but sightings are notContinue reading “Shorebird Migration”

Wood Ducks are very colorful and very shy. So it was a good morning for me back in April when a brightly colored male swam across a narrow channel in the Ash Street Swamp (West Newbury MA) under decent light conditions. These are all pretty much the same pose but I can’t decide which oneContinue reading “Wood Duck”

The newly fledged Least Terns have “graduated”. Here’s a an egg-to-flight album.

The local birds have finished their breeding season and things are quieter. Tree Swallows have started gathering into flocks before they head south. There were a couple of hundred gathered on the phragmites along a pond. The flocks will number in the thousands later in the summer. There will be lots of opportunities for catchingContinue reading “More Mid-July Birds”

Shorebirds start to migrate through our coastal area this time of year. And new duck families appear. I photographed some of the new arrivals in the past week. Semi-palmated Sandpipers are common: The Killdeers (left) breed here. The Least Sandpiper in the foreground on the right is somewhat common. These photos of a Sanderling inContinue reading “Mid-July: On the Water”