Start Them off Early

For all you parents, grandparents, with children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  The earlier you start them enjoying the outdoors, the better it is.  Take them hiking, teach them birding and photography so that they enjoy the natural world around us.  Put away the cell phones during this time, except if you need an app to help find a location or some settings.

I have gotten my kids, grandkids and my great-granddaughter interested in photography and birding.  Although my great-granddaughter is under 10 years old.  She has learned how to use back button focusing on the camera.  Yes, either her father or I do set the settings and we will soon start teaching or how to use those settings herself.

Grandson and great-granddaughter photographing and viewing a red-tailed hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

When we do beach rambles.  I find that the children with their sharper eye find more objects to discuss and are very interested in learning.

Holding seaweed Dead Mans Fingers

Watching a diamondback terrapin returning to the wild

So, get the youngsters away from cell phones, television, and computer games and out into the world.

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Annual Beach Ramble 2016

Beach Ramble

For the sixth year in a row, I participated in the annual New Year's day beach ramble at Allens Pond. The only thing missing was my compadre and leader Doug who buggered his knee and could not participate.  I led the ramble, and the only photography that I did was mainly a few scenics, but we will get into that later.  We had eight participants plus my son Aaron, Jenna and Don.  The day was cloudy, the temperature in the 40s and minimal wind, with everybody dressed appropriately.  It was very comfortable.  We started off at the field station and after introduction to Allens pond and what was available.  We headed down to the beach.  One of the participants had a spotting scope, which made it easier to see the birds that were at a distance.  There were the usual gulls and a number of different species of ducks.  The beach itself was really clean of wrack, but we did find enough shells to talk about the ecology of the area.  At times, the sun would break through the clouds and give us sun rays over the landscape.  At one point, the clouds broke in the blue skies gave the impression of a face looking down at us.

Taking turns to look to the spotting scope at the sea ducks and cormorants

Sunrays

The Face in the Sky

The Group along the Beach, Rambling

We had another successful ramble and everybody enjoyed it.  Prior to the ramble, the kids and I did stop at Gooseberry and then the photographing a group of very cooperative sanderlings who were busy feeding.  Normally, sanderlings will run out as the tide retreats and run back in as the tide comes in.  This group spent it's time out in the water, picking up food.

Sanderling

I hope everybody has a great New Year's and continue to enjoy our natural world around us.

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Labor Day Beach Ramble

Because my good buddy in the normal leader of the beach ramble injured his knee, I led the beach ramble on Labor Day.  Prior to the ramble.  Jenner and I went to Allens Pond early where I did some macro photography, which included photographing a very cooperative Clearwing Moth.

Sulfur Butterfly

Sulfur Butterfly

Snowberry Clearwing Moth

Besides Jenner and I we had six adults and two children for the walk.  One of the adults was part of my meet up group and another adult brought her friend because the last time she was on a brambles.  She enjoyed it so much.  All the pictures of the ramble were taken by Jenna.  As we walked down to the beach loop, I explained about the refuge and showed the people butterflies, flowers and other interesting facts.  When we reached the culvert there was a blue crab feeding.  The Osprey was flying overhead and then was sitting on its nest.  Great Egret's flew by, as well as double crested cormorants.

Blue Crab

Double-Crested Cormorant in Flight

The biggest surprises when we arrived on the beach a portion to our right was filled with cobbles and the sand to the left as we walked down was basically clean.  There was no rack or seaweed and I had a hard time finding shells to talk about.  Slipper shells were rare and jingle shows were even rarer.  Sanderlings were running on the beach.  We did talk about a number of different the things as we walked slowly back on the road toward the field station.

Sanderling

Sanderling

Then, we were involved in a fantastic event.  The swallows were swarming and probably thousands of them were surrounding us landing in the trees and the bushes, calling taking off returning, which gave everyone a real feeling of nature.  This event probably made the whole ramble worthwhile.

Swallow Swarming

Swallow Swarming

If you check on the Allens Pond site and view the calendar you can find out when the next ramble will be and what other great events that the Allens Pond sponsor.  Http://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/allens-pond

Upcoming Beach Ramble and Upcoming Trip.

Beach Loop at Allens Pond

Monday, September 7 at 10 AM I will be leading a beach ramble at Allens Pond Sanctuary 1280 Horseneck Rd., Westport, MA.  The addresses in Westport, but the sanctuary is in Dartmouth because the line runs right down along the side of the road.  This event is free and invite all my blog readers to attend if they are able.  It will be a great way to learn about the sanctuary and it chance also to add to your portfolio if you are a photographer.

Sulphur butterfly Allens Pond

Lady Crab on the Beach at Allens Pond

Meanwhile, I have been taking care of business since it is the first of the month by working on Excel spreadsheets.  Also, I am getting ready for my fourth trip to Costa Rica.  I will leave on Wednesday, September 9 and will be back on Sunday, September 20.  I again will be joining Greg Bosco and Foto Verde tours.  This trip is to discover the biodiversity of the Caribbean coast.  Last year I did the biodiversity of the Atlantic coast.  We will be staying at two locations that I have never stayed before and one Bosque de Paz, where I have been twice before and it is a gorgeous place in the cloud forest of Costa Rica.

View from my hotel room In San Jose

Setting up at Bosque De Paz for Hummingbird Photography

Violet Saber Wing

In preparation for this trip, I am cleaning my camera equipment, recheck in the focus calibration of my lenses and making sure all my batteries are charged prior to leaving.  Even though I am bringing chargers with me.  For any of my trips.  I have a gear list that I use to decide what I bringing.  For this trip, I will bring two camera bodies, four lenses; wide-angle, 28-75 mm, 70-200, 80-400.  Plus with telly extenders.  It will give me all the reach that I will need.  I take plenty of cards for the cameras and camera and lens repair equipment and cleaning equipment.  Bag wise I am going to use my Small Think Tank Roller and the Trifecta 10.  I will bring my laptop and to external hard drives to back up my photographs.  In the camera bags I insert silica gel decreased the moisture which is present in the jungle areas of Costa Rica.

Trifecta 10

If you have never been to Costa Rica, I recommend you plan a trip there, it is a eco--friendly country with a large number of national parks and private bio reserves plus a great variety of fauna and flora.  If you are interested in going, I recommend highly Foto Verde Tours http://www.fotoverdetours.com/

Because Internet connections are not always present in areas of Costa Rica, my blogs may be delayed until I return.

Beach Ramble, and Upcoming Duck Derby

Doug Explaining a Finding to the Group
Saturday, at Allens Pond.  Doug let another interesting beach ramble.  It was a small group, but there were many subjects to see ranging from a rabbit, shorebirds, flowers and berries and the usual interesting items that are found along a beach.  Additionally at the culvert a lady crab was swimming around and as the lady crab swam past the drainage pipes a blue crab appeared out the drainage pipe.

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Cottontail Rabbit

Greater Yellowlegs in Flight

Turks-cap Iris photographed from underneath

Rose Hip

American Oystercatcher

Rocks and Water

Least Sandpipers

Lady Crab

Blue Crab

Great Egret in Flight

I want to remind people that Allens Pond annual Duck Derby will take place on August 15th...get your ducks today - it's safe, it's online and then it's ON! https://secure2.convio.net/mas/site/Donation2… Remember first prize is dinner for two anywhere in the world.  So by your ducks today and enter the race.

Allens Pond Beach Ramble

On the Ramble

Saturday, June 27 was another beautiful day at Allens Pond Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary.  It was the date of another Beach Ramble, led by Doug and a family of four traveled down from Newton to go on the ramble.  The whole family was very interested, found a number of objects and asked very appropriate questions.  One of the boys had studied about the beach and marine animals in school and knew a lot of answers.  Everybody had an enjoyable day and at the end of the ramble.  The boys got out their Massachusetts Audubon Passports and stamped it with the Allen Pond stamp.

Doug Explaining

There Was a Number of Lady Crab Exoskeletons on the Beach

Searching

In the water right off the beach, common terns were fishing for small baitfish.

Common Tern with Fish in Its Beak

As we were walking in the field back up toward the field station, a newly hatched brood of Baltimore Checkerspots were flying around and landed to give us a good view of them before their wings got beat up.

Baltimore Checkerspot

For an enjoyable instructive day. Please join us for the next Beach Ramble on Saturday, July 11 at 10 AM starting at the field station on Horseneck Road.  Hope to see you there.

Using the coupon code mborn you will receive a 15% discount on any or all of the Topaz plug-ins.



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