Author Archives: birdsinmyviewfinder

My last several posts were from Florida. Now it’s back to the colder January New England coast and my usual locales. This male Surf Scoter was photographed at Cape Neddick in Maine.

A Sandwich Tern drops in to join a large group of birds relaxing on a sandbar. The group includes Royal Terns, Black Skimmers and Laughing Gulls.

A White Ibis joins a small flock of Glossy Ibis.

Anhingas are a common sight in the American southeast. They are often seen in trees or on the shore drying their feathers like this male. They chase fish while submerged and their bodies are always low in the water. The serpentine head and neck are all that is visible at a distance when they areContinue reading “Snapshot: Anhinga”

The largest woodpecker in North America. This is a female. Males have a red “moustache”.

It may resemble a chicken but the Common Gallinule is a member of the Rail family. It swims like a duck and can walk on lily pads using those extra long toes to spread its weight. It was formerly called the Common Moorhen due to its resemblance to the Old World moorhens.

Brown Pelicans perform crazy dives to grab fish. This Pelican is diving at a fairly high speed into the shallow waters of a mangrove estuary. It surfaces undamaged despite the impact.

Snail Kites are a Central and South American raptor that are only found in North America in Florida. That long hooked upper beak allows them to dine on the large apple snails that almost exclusively make up their diet.

The resident Ospreys in Florida are nesting at this time of year so they are often spotted carrying material to a nesting site. This is a surprise! Not a material I expected to see. Time for a lunch break. All that work makes a bird hungry.