Franklin Gull No

Atlantic Brant in flight

There have been reported on the East Coast numbers of Franklin Gulls.  Friday they were reported at Nelson Beach and around Plymouth Rock.  Decided on Saturday morning to start out at Nelson Beach.  Hopefully, to find this rare gull for the East Coast.  We joined a number of people who were scoping out all the goals on the beach.  We stayed there around an hour and a half and then also searched out Plymouth Harbor in the waters near Plymouth Rock.  No Franklin gulls.  However did see Bonaparte's gulls and obtained a number of flight pictures and some other interesting species.

Bonaparte gull, Ring-billed gulls, and Herring gulls

American Black duck in flight

Atlantic Brant in flight

Common Raven

black-backed gull first winter feeding on a dead gull

hybrid Mallard

Mallard

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Finally, a Day Birding

Sun Dog Present at Sunrise

Finally, after a number of postponements due either to the weather or illness, my friend Doug and I went out birding yesterday.  I picked them up before sunrise and in the eastern sky we could see Venus, Jupiter and Mars.  Since reports have been showing a number of sea ducks around the area.  We decided to go down to Sachuest to see what we could find.  I have to say it was a great day birding, there was a large number of different passerines around.  Most of them were very skittish, but we were able to get enough of binocular views to ID them.  Some of the birds we saw were the usual song sparrows, yellow-rumped warblers along with a palm warbler, Eastern towhee white-throated sparrow and dark-eyed junco.

Dark-eyed Junco

 The only sea ducks that we saw were some eiders.  There was a Peregrine falcon in northern harrier sweeping the fields.  White-tailed deer wise, scattered all through the fields a large number of does and yearlings.

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

As we were returning toward the visitor center, in the distance, on the other side of the parking lot.  A nice buck white-tailed deer ran quickly through the field jump the fences and disappeared behind the visitor center.  If I was near the car on the visitor center.  I would have been able to get a picture, but I was too far away to even try. However, it was finally nice to see a good looking buck.

Interesting Rock Formation Lit up by the Morning Sun

Ash Berries

Ring-billed Gulls and Sanderlings, Feeding in the Wrack

American Black Ducks in Flight

While we were driving pass Norman Bird Sanctuary, there was a Peregrine falcon sitting on the wires.  I slow down stopped and slowly backed up, hoping to get a photograph up close of this Peregrine.  No lock it decided to fly away and disappear into the tree line

A Morning at Plymouth, Massachusetts

Finally, God out photographing, after a few days with a cold.  Travel down to Plymouth early in the morning to be the rain.  First stop was Nelson's Beach, at low tide, where we photographed the Osprey pair.  The male was hanging out on a post, and then flew around carrying what was left of of fish that he was eating.  He flew to the nest that I thought he was going to land, but he continue flying and went into the trees in the background.  I was hoping for some shorebirds, however, there were a few people walking the dogs on the beach, and even the gulls were few and far between.

We then checked out the parking lot behind East Bay Grill, where we found the first laughing gull of the year.

We finished the day at Jenney Pond, where there was the usual subjects, plus black-crowned night-herons and double-crested cormorants.  I spent most of the time watching a Canada goose adjusting the material on what I consider to be her nest and the interesting part, it is located just off the shore at a location where it is very visible to visitors.

An American black duck entertained us with preening.  As the weather gods started spitting at us.  We call the morning quits, packed up and headed home.  But the day photographing is better than any work.

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Female Mallard vs. American Black Duck.

Flock of Mallards and an American Black Duck

Mallards and American Black Ducks can be very hard to tell apart, except for male Mallard in breeding plumage. Otherwise the females and male mallards in eclipse plumage, a very similar in appearance. One item that helps separate them is the colors that border of the blue speculum. Mallards speculum is boarded in the front and back by white while American black duck speculum has no white borders. Also, the female Mallard tail feathers are strongly edged in white. I hope this helps you in the field, to identify the differences in these species.

Flock of Mallards and an American Black Duck with ID Marks

American Black Duck

Hen Mallard

Waterfowl at Jenney Pond Plymouth Massachusetts

American Black Duck

Yesterday after I dropped my grandson off at work , I Traveled down to Plymouth to Jenney Pond because there was a pair of common mergansers reported at that location. Since the weather has been below freezing most of the pond was frozen over which concentrates the waterfall into a smaller area. Because usually they are swimming along the father shore I utilized the to ask convertor on my 500 mm lens so I could get larger images into my pictures. However, at times I had too much lens because some of the action was taken place close to me and so I had to move backwards to try to get the entire duck in the picture.

There was a lot of mating action going on with the mallards. The Drake Mallard would climb on the back of the Hen Mallard, grab her head with his bill and complete the copulation. Afterwards the Drake would swim around with its head extended at the water line. Both of them would then preen and then flap their wings.

Mallards Mating

Drake Mallard Swimming after Mating

Hen Mallard Came on the Ice to Preen

Hen Mallard Flapping after Preening

A pair of Gadwalls were feeding and the Drake Gadwall really showed off its cinnamon-edged scapular's.

Gadwalls Feeding

Notice the Nice Cinnamon Brown on the Drake Gadwall

Both the Drake Ring-Necked Duck and the Drake Bufflehead was showing off their iridescent colors.

Drake Bufflehead

Hen Bufflehead

Drake Bufflehead Showing Its Iridescence

Drake Bufflehead Up-Right and Hooting

Ring-necked Duck

Ring-necked Duck

Well, the common mergansers were not there, but the action was great.