Birding along with Bufflehead Courtship

Today I traveled back to Jenney Pond with my colleague Doug for both of us to do birding and, of course, I will do some photography.  Because of illnesses and other events, Doug and I have not been out since probably late last year.

Besides getting a nice photograph of a Great Blue Heron with its reflection in the blue tone water because the sky was overcast.

Great Blue Heron with Reflection

I spent a lot of my time photographing the courtship behavior of the Bufflehead. The hen would fly down the pond and land and the drakes would follow behind and try to get the hen interested in themselves. The drakes would also chase other drakes to keep them away from the hen.  There was a lot of activity on the water and in the air with the Bufflehead's flying.

Drake Bufflehead, Chasing a Hen Bufflehead

Drake Bufflehead, Chasing a Hen Bufflehead

Drake Bufflehead Running Take off

Drake Bufflehead Landing

Drake Bufflehead, Chasing a Drake Bufflehead

Drake Bufflehead Flapping

Hen Bufflehead in Flight

Two Pairs of Bufflehead, Swimming Quietly

We also birded besides Jenny Pond, Plymouth Harbor, Nelson Beach, Long Beach, and Manomet Point.  At those places, the majority of birds were too far out to take photographs.  In total, we came up with about 35 different species, which for around two hours was not bad.  The weather temperature was in the mid-30s, the sky, clouded up and the wind picked up, especially when we were out and Manomet Point, probably brought the wind chill down into the 20s.

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Plymouth, Massachusetts Bird Photography

Hooded Merganser and Gadwall

It was a beautiful morning and the kids and I return to Plymouth first starting at Jenney Pond.  As usual, most of the pond was iced but there was enough open water and the usual species of ducks were present.  Most of the fun were watching the interaction between ducks.  drake bufflehead chasing drake bufflehead or hen bufflehead listening to hooting call of the drake hooded mergansers and watching the hooded mergansers puff out their throats and open the mouth and call.

Drake Bufflehead Being Chased by Another Drake Bufflehead

Drake Bufflehead Being Chased by Another Drake Bufflehead

Drake Bufflehead Flapping

Drake Bufflehead chasing a hen

Hooded Mergansers Calling

You Can Look Right down the Throat of This Hooded Merganser

At Jenney's Pond, normally, a lot of people of feeding the ducks bread, which we know is not good nourishment for him.  So when we come we always bring some crack corn so at least it will get some better food plus it makes for some interesting the photos as the birds fly in and as they all gather around to eat.  The drake mallards were frisky today and fighting with one another.

Incoming Mallard

Mallard Fight

The pair of swans left and then came flying back in given us another opportunity for some bird in flight shots.

Mute Swans Landing

I finished my shooting at the harbor where I was able to capture the Icelandic gull by itself, and in flight.

Icelandic Gull

Icelandic Gull

My Meetup group NANPA Meetup group of Eastern Massachusetts will be photographing the waterfowl at Jenney's Pond on February 14 starting at 7 AM.  Any of my readers is welcome to join by signing up on the Meetup page http://www.meetup.com/NANPA-Nature-Photography-Group_of_Eastern-Massachusetts/

Sunday morning at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge

"I see you."

It is Sunday, the day after the Patriots win, I woke up early and traveled down to Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown, Rhode Island.  The hope was to see raptors and owls along with sea ducks.  The temperature was around the freezing mark with only a slight wind, and it was comfortable out.  There were a large number of common crows flying all over the place.  In the fields, there were many deer feeding.  You can tell it has not been on harsh winter so far since the deer all looked healthy and well fed.

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer

Travel down to the Flint rocks, hoping to see a snowy owl and sea ducks, but all I visualized was one out in the distance.  I watched the waves crashing on the rocks and I am sure this will pick up as the storm goes by later today and tonight.

Waves Coming in

I did meet a fellow photographer and we talked about sightings he was going to look for the owl, however, is knowledge of the last sighting was about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks ago.  The other day around 7 AM.  He did see an owl cruising the fields.  It was probably a short-eared owl.  I did not see any raptors or owls while I was there.

I finished off the morning at third beach, looking over the salt marsh.  The water was filled with Canada geese and some Brant, a pair of Bufflehead, and a group of black ducks and looking closely at the picture on the computer.  You can see that there are some hybrid black duck/mallards in this flock.

Pair of Bufflehead, you can see the brilliant colors on the Drake

Pair of Bufflehead, you can see the brilliant colors on the Drake

Flock of American Black duck with hybrid Black/Mallard

Finishing up and heading home.  I checked out some of the spots where there have been cackling geese and some other key species hanging out with the Canada geese.  All the fields I checked were empty so the geese had not left their night roosting area to come out feeding.  Black/mallards

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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Westport Harbor

Mute swan sitting on the ice

Sunday, after the snow stopped and the sun came out.  We traveled down to Westport Harbor hopefully to to do some photographing of ducks and gulls.  When we arrived, the sky was still overcast.  The tide was outgoing and there was still a lot of ice surrounding the docks.  We were able to see a number of different species of ducks, plus the gulls.  What I did was set the camera on manual, set my speed and aperture and went to auto ISO so I could obtain the correct exposure.

Greater black-back gulls be an opportunistic feeder were trying to get into the bait barrels on the dock to get a free meal.  Herring gulls, however, found snails and scallops to feed on.

Greater black-backed gull getting a skate from the bait bucket

Herring gull with a snail

Herring gull flying with a scallop in its beak

A Drake Bufflehead flew by and I was happy to capture one sharp image out of my series.  For tiny bird, they fly extremely fast.  We identified and photographed at the harbor and across on the other side near the Back Eddy and identified many species including Canada geese, common eiders, Bullhead, red-breasted merganser, hooded merganser, American Widgeon, scaup, common goldeneye and a horned Grebe.

Drake Bufflehead in flight

American Widgeon, feeding

and Bufflehead

Drake hooded merganser and hen red-breasted merganser

Canada goose landing over a scaup

Drake red breasted merganser

If the cold weather keeps up and all the ponds and habits freeze we should see more concentrations of ducks and other birds at locations that have open water, where there is food available.

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A Morning in Plymouth, Massachusetts

Drake Mallard After Bathing

The weather has been still cold, but today the weather was into the low 30s.  I traveled out to Plymouth and went initially to Cordage Park, because the other day, my son was out there and told me that there was in the pond, an area of open water with decent birds.  There was a small area of open water filled with mallards and mainly ring-billed gulls along with some hen bufflehead's, drake and hen ring-necked ducks, along with a pair of mute swans.

Ring-billed Gull Coming in for Landing

Ring-billed Gull Various Years

Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gull Bathing

"two guys and a gal" Ringed-Necked Ducks

Drake ringed-Necked Duck With Two Hen Bufflehead

I needed to step into the snow up to almost my knees to get close to the fence so I could photograph the birds.  When the mallards first saw you approaching the fence, the mallards all swam toward you expecting to be fed.

Mallards looking for food

After finishing photographing the avian life at Cordage Park, I then drove down and to the big parking lot at Plymouth Harbor.  All this winter, every time I've been traveling down to this area.  I have been looking for the Iceland gull, which returns every year.  I have been shut out until today when I was able to capture the Iceland gull in flight.

Iceland Gull in Flight

The tide was way up and if the harbor wasn't frozen and if there was waves, we would've been flooded.  The reason for this is that today is a new Moon, plus the new Moon is a super-moon leading to astronomically high tides.

Because of all the snow we had, when I went to Jenny Pond.  It was hard getting close to where it was easy to photograph the ducks in the pond because of the height of the drips which were up to my waist.  Hopefully, as they start clearing the snow way will be the easier to photograph the ducks in the open area of Jenney Pond.

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