Category Archives: Uncategorized

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”

What do I do when the birds do a no-show? I photograph some of the other local residents. I am not sure but I think this little grasshopper is smiling for the camera.

A Great Blue Heron has caught an eel and is trying to maneuver it into position to swallow. There is a backstory for this photo. I was playing around with a teleconverter to bump my lens up to 630mm and shot this handheld. The distance was about 200 yards (180 meters) according to Google Earth.Continue reading “Snapshot: Great Blue Heron”

This young deer still has his/her “baby spots”. It’s flashing that namesake tail as it bounds off into the fields after watching us for a few minutes and then deciding that it would rather be looking at us from further away.

Least Sandpipers are the smallest sandpiper in the world. This 1 ounce (28 gram) bird is thought to fly non-stop for 1800-2500 miles (2900-4000 km) over the Atlantic from eastern Canada and New England to northeastern South America. Look for the yellow-green legs to help identify it.

Common Terns in action. Easy to spot with their black cap and orange bill, Common Terns do their fishing off our coast every summer. Terns typically fish by diving onto to their prey. However, this Common Tern is skimming for small fish in very shallow water. Diving would be fatal!