Birding Salisbury and Plum Island

Alan and I decided to do some birding along the coast today and it was a tossup between the South Shore and the Plum Island area and we finally decided on Plum for this week as we really wanted to get a look at the reported Snowy Owl as it was on my target list for this year and was one of the first birds I ever wanted when I started birding last November. Our first stop was at the Salisbury State Reservation where we drove along the paths, looking in trees hoping for some birds and were dismayed to see the area was devoid of birds, except for the occasional gull that would fly by. We searched and searched when suddenly I spotted a raptor and did my usual STOP!! call which means I have a really cool bird! Out came the binoculars to get a better look at the bird.
And there right before our eyes was this very handsome Merlin that was soaking in the rays and looking for a little breakfast.
We carefully got out of the car and Alan set up his scope to get a better look at the bird so I decided to get some pictures as one can never have enough close up shots of a Merlin!
He continued to look around for breakfast but would occasionally look our way to see what we were up to.
The bird didn't seem at all disturbed by our presence and it soon became clear why the trees were bare as all of the birds were either in hiding or decided to venture off somewhere else!
Last shot that I got while we were driving away on the other side. Sigh, such a gorgeous bird.
We got our scopes out and decided to scan the waters and were thrilled to get this Red-throated Loon above. Lifer! Notice the grainy neck as well as the white face and undersides. Also notice the loon appears to have something in its bill, but don't know what it is. Very interesting and a great bird to get for the year.
The next notable birds we saw where the Snow Buntings like the one above.
We decided to head to the Warden's Station to see if we could spot the Snowy Owl and I could spot two birds that blended in very well with their surroundings which of course were the Snow Buntings. Not really a lifer per say, but I didn't put them on my list until now as I saw them vaguely the last time I was at Plum and didn't get the look I wanted to get them on my list until now.
There were also scores of Northern Harriers where ever we went at both Salisbury and Plum Island like the one above.
LOVE this shots as it really shows how long the harriers slim wings and tail are.
We soon ran into Tom W and asked him if the Snowy had been spotted today and sure enough it was so off we went in search for it. We search trees, brush, and everything else around us and all we can see are remaining snow banks and ice forms along the frozen marshes like the one above.
Or at least that's what it looked like to me with my binoculars until Alan tells me that the owl is in fact in with the snow banks as his eyes were sharp enough to spot it with his scope which by no means was an easy task!!! Check it out all! My first lousy photo of a Snowy Owl! Pictures came out real lousy due to many factors including the distance of the bird to us, a camera that is really not made for digiscoping and the fact that the bird is all white so unless you have a real fancy camera, contrast can be a challenge.
After that we headed to the beach to search for waterfowl and saw many including Black Scoters, White-winged Scoters and tons of Common Eiders. We also came across this hut above. I'm thinking it's the official Plum Island Dog House where many birders have spent a night or two due to spouses fed up with all of their Plum Island birding ! Looks rather comfy though if I do say so myself for all of you in that situation!
On our way back from the beach we ran into raptor expert Paul Roberts who told us of a Rough- legged Hawk he and two other gentlemen had spotted. My pulse quickened as excitement took over as this bird was on my target list for the year. Yes I know I say that about all of the birds but this one was on the high priority target list which trumps all other target lists you see. We went off to search for the hawk where we met up with Paul and the other two again as they had re-spotted the hawk! Out came the scopes in an attempt to get a look at it as well as a record shot before venturing further trying to get a little closer just in case we may spook it away.
The hawk decided to take off just as we all were making our way a little closer and while this was discouraging we were able to witness what appeared to be hover hunting or kiting which was a thrill for me as I had never seen it before. Both photos are poor but am glad I got record shots including the one above as you all know my fondness for lousy raptor flight photos because this is often how you see birds when hawkwatching! Special thanks to Paul and his two friends as this bird made my day besides the Snowy Owl of course!
While leaving we could see a photographer we had met up with earlier at Hellcat and we could tell he was onto something as he appeared to be "in the zone". If you look to the left of the two signs to the right you will see a tiny white form which was again the Snowy Owl!
Another lousy shot but was happy to see this bird again as it is a beauty. All in all, a fantastic day with 4 new life birds to add to my list!

Will be getting up in the wee hours tomorrow for my first Christmas Bird Count which is the Sturbridge one. Very excited to do this and am very happy the Dunkin Donuts in town is open 24 hours as I have a feeling I will need a lot of coffee for some intense birding. Take care all!

Plum Island-Gulls

Yeseree folks, another gull post. But this time it's not the Herring or Ring-billed, it's the Great Black-backed gull which I haven't posted about in well over two months now!

We saw quite a few gulls while at Plum Island including the regulars but it was a welcome site to see the various Great Black-backed Gulls in all of their various stages of plumage (dependent upon their age). This is what I believe to be a second summer (or second cycle) gull based on the fact that there is not that much streaking on it's breast like the first summer gull. I also noticed in the close up picture above that it's bill is not as dark as the first summer in one of the pictures I googled to compare it to.

Anyhow, onto the pictures. This gull was in the midst of quite a few other gulls and we were fortunate enough to be around while it was having its breakfast. I have put the photos in the order in which the bird was eating the fish. Check out the deep concentration in its face!
The second one cracks me up. Seriously! Gulls are not at all graceful when eating like raptors are. A hawk will inhale its meal but it does so in swift and continuous bites. Not this bird though! He has to make sure he gets it down really quickly before one of the adult Great Black-backed Gulls comes and takes it away from him. It's a tough life being a gull on Plum Island so you have to defend your meal at all costs!


Different angle which will show you the size of the fish compared to the gull!

And then what I think is the impossible. It is able to get most of the body down and all that is left is a fin of some sort?? Love how its looking into the camera. Almost looks as if it's saying "you didn't think I could do it, did you?"

Hmmmmmm. Now to try and figure out how to go about eating it now without choking! Probably wondering if the fin is edible or something to be left for the various Herring Gulls that were scattered about the area.
We left before we could see if the gull was finally able to polish off the fish whole, but let me tell you it was very interesting to see. I am so used to seeing the gulls at Target, Price Chopper, PetSmart, Building 19, Trader Joes, Barnes and Noble, Stop & Shop and Burger King on Grafton Street, etc and they are living the good life compared to these ones. The lazy gulls at Burger King just live off the fries in the dumpster and unsuspecting children, these ones have to work for their meal!

That's it for Plum Island pictures. Take care.

Plum Island-Part Two

More pictures from the trip to Plum Island this past Sunday. The picture above is of a male Common Eider in eclipse plumage.

An Eastern Meadowlark singing from the top of a twig. Several birders were there to get glimpses of this all with various scopes and fancy camera equipment. The two photos here were digiscoped. Although not crystal clear, I was happy with these photos as they are the best Eastern Meadowlark photos I have taken to date. For some reason it has been hard for me to highlight that gorgeous yellow they have in their plumage.

One of the most stunning birds of the summer and it has one of the prettiest songs of all of the song birds in my opinion.

A lone Killdeer on top of a rock pile. I was very happy I was able to pick up the red in its eye. This was a welcome site as I haven't seen one of these birds in over a month now. I have heard them from time to time, but wherever they have been, they have been good and hidden!

A male American Goldfinch on top of some thistle. I am guessing it's for nest building! There were three other males in or around the same location doing the same exact thing. They were so engrossed in their task at hand that they didn't even notice me taking pictures at a close range.

Digiscoped Gadwall. There were quite a few of these ducks in one location and was one of the last birds we saw for the day.

One of several Great Egrets spotted throughout the day.

And one of my favorite egrets (second to the Cattle Egret, because I am dying to see it), which is the Snowy Egret. There were several of these birds all over Plum including what I presume to be a family who were flying around various locations throughout the reserve.

Here are some pictures I took of a lone Snowy Egret. Such a good looking bird.

This was the first time I had ever really seen one with its neck stretched out like in the photo above. They don't look as stocky as they normally do when in this position (at least to me anyways).

Last one I promise. ;o)

And a picture of what I am presuming to be a juvie Yellow Warbler. Check out how fluffy its feathers still are. So cute and came right out once it heard some pishing! I am telling your juvie birds can't resist the sound of pishing because they are still so curious about everything, which I totally appreciate. ;o)

A couple of pictures of a flock on birds in flight. I have no idea what they are, but it was interesting to see them all flying around and thought it made an interesting picture.

If anyone knows what they are, please let me know via email or comments (that is if you can tell from the lousy pictures!).

And last but by no means the least, another picture of a Song Sparrow! I just can't seem to help myself when it comes to these birds. Talk about billboard advertising here! Out of all of the birds I have seen this spring and summer, I believe this bird is the most territorial and vocal about defending it.

Tomorrow will be a gull post and I know how much you all look forward to seeing those. ;o).

Plum Island - Part One

I went to Plum Island today and took a ton of pictures so am going to be doing this in installments as there is so much to see and write about. Let's just say the trip was well worth it as you will see by the photos! All of the birds on my blog today are "lifers".

My birding buddy Alan and I decided to head to Plum today, to see if we could get some shorebirds and the Purple Martins I have been anxious to see.

Sure enough, once we arrived we could see the 10 or so Purple Martins all in their various condos. If you check out the photo above you will see a House Sparrow appears to live in on of the complexes too! Very odd. I was so looking forward to seeing these birds and they didn't disappoint either with their serious spunk and cute little chatter.

My favorite picture of them is the one above. So cute!

Next it was onto I think one of my favorite birds of the day (and the month of July) which was the Least Tern. The photos came out lousy but let me tell you these birds are so entertaining to watch. I love how they flutter in the air looking for fish and then dive straight into the water and vanish, only to come out seconds later with dinner in hand! I could spend the day watching this as it's fascinating but we had to move on as there was way too much to see in one short day.

A picture of one scratching itself. Wish the picture came out better but it was digiscoped the the lighting conditions would not cooperate with me.

Picture of one flying in the air and getting ready for breakfast!

Next it was onto another target bird for the day which was the Piping Plover (another favorite bird for me today and for the month of July). Such a wonderful bird to see and even more special because these birds are endangered but the folks and volunteers at Plum have done everything they can to ensure breeding success for these precious birds. We did not see any young, but we did run into another birder who said he some there yesterday!

These birds are not that shy and I was able to get close enough for a half way decent shot without digiscoping.

This was about 1 of 8 or so that we saw all in the same area.

Next it was onto get the Short-billed Dowitcher. Why they call it short-billed is beyond me as it doesn't look short to me, but if I spent all of my time trying to figure out how birds got their name as some don't make any sense, I wouldn't have any time left for birding! ;o). I loved watching them hunt for food. They are very methodical in their approach and it is often compared to a sewing machine needle when sewing thread which is a very good comparison.

Next it was onto see the Willet's we had seen flying around various places of the refuge. We were hoping we could get some standing still and sure enough there they were!

They look rather plan when on the ground, but once in flight they have gorgeous black and white pattern to their wings that makes identifying them rather easy compared to other shorebirds.

And I saved the best shot for last. Check out the Willet going after the Great Egret!! The egret was most likely going over the Willet's nesting territory which the bird didn't like one bit as evidenced by the photo above. So funny to watch these birds and they were definately one of my favorite birds of the day and for the month of July.

Ready for more? Okay, then let's continue. ;o). My birding friend Alan had seen a Least Bittern when we were looking at the Willet's. Sure enough this secretive bird went into hiding before we could get a good look at it. We had met up with other Central MA birders near a pool of water and they were trying to find a White-rumped Sandpiper mixed in with quite a few other sandpipers when suddenly I looked over to a small pool of water and saw a bird. Being a typical newbie, I call out to the others "what's that?". Suddenly all optics are on the bird and excitement fills the air as they are able to confirm that it is indeed a Least Bittern!!

I get nervous at this point because I know I only have a few seconds for a record shot and sure enough after two lousy shots off it goes into thick marsh!! The photos do not do this bird justice as it is absolutely gorgeous! The most special bird of the day.

And last but not least, a Snow Goose. I had seen this bird all by itself out of total luck. Sure enough we were able to confirm it was indeed the Snow Goose people had reported seeing on the Island.

It was all by itself which was kind of depressing to see. Perhaps it was sick or something and had to stay behind. I hope it get well soon so it can be with its own kind!

Have a lot more photos that I will be posting in the next day or so. Take care all.