Category Archives: Uncategorized

Mallards, like all ducks, are meticulous in taking care of their feathers. The female in these photos is using her head and bill to spread the oil from glands near her tail that provides waterproofing and insulation. Both are vital for survival in the cold waters of winter. Fluffing everything up at the end.

Champion fisherman.

Is this Peregrine Falcon looking me over as it flies by? Maybe it likes posing.

Two very different birds using the same hunting technique. They use one foot to stir up the muck and flush out small fish and invertebrates.

The male American Goldfinches are still decked out in their bright gold and black plumage. They will change to their much duller winter plumage later in the fall. The appearance of the bright gold plumage is one of our signs of spring.

Our smallest bird, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, has a bold nature. The one below flew up next to me while I was photographing some wrens and hovered 2-3 feet (less than a meter) away to look over my shoulder. It was too close for my long lens to focus on it! After a bit, it flewContinue reading “Snapshot: Tiny, but Bold”

Another photograph of a Peregrine Falcon escorting an Osprey from its hunting grounds. Part I was posted previously.

This is what I assume to be a territorial issue between two birds of prey. An Osprey flew over a large pool with a fish that it had caught somewhere else. Suddenly, a Peregrine Falcon that had been hunting shorebirds at the pool started chasing the Osprey. The Osprey is too large to be preyContinue reading “Feathered Action: Falcon and Osprey”

The American Oystercatcher is somewhat rare in Massachusetts but its numbers have been increasing in recent years. It is typically seen at a few specific areas of the coast, but not at Plum Island where we visit most often. So when one made an extended appearance, it attracted a lot of attention. We found itContinue reading “American Oystercatcher”

Spotted Sandpipers occur all over Canada and the US during the summer breeding season. In the winter they move south to the southern edge of US all the way down into the Caribbean and the upper two thirds of South America. They are common and have those distinctive spots for easy identification. Their numbers haveContinue reading “Snapshot: Spotted Sandpiper”