Birds in Flight at Oliver Mill

Group of Great Black-back Gulls

My son and I travel down to Oliver Mill Park in Middleborough, Massachusetts to check on the Herring run.  My son was there in March and there was a huge amount of Herring streaming up the water toward Lake Assawompset when they breed.  Today, not only us but some other people were down checking on the Herring did not see any.  In fact, tomorrow and's Sunday, April 9 and 10th is the annual Herring run Festival at Oliver Mill Park.  That should be a good time.  Even if there are no Heron in the river.

We spent most of the time photographing gulls and Red-tailed Hawks flying.  The majority of the gulls were great black-back gulls with a scattering of Herring gulls.  A good number of the gulls were sitting on the riverbanks looking in the water for some Herring that they could catch.  But they were out of luck.

The third year Great-back Gull Flying

Great Black-back Gull In Flight

Great Black-backed Gull Coming in for a Landing and Chasing Another Gull off the Rock

Red-tailed Hawks Riding the Thermals

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Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

First Sighting of the Great Blue Heron

Saturday, I photographed at two locations in the morning, and the sun, at Allens Pond wildlife refuge and in the afternoon when it became very overcast from the approaching edge of the remnants of hurricane Bill, I was at Oliver Mill Park in Middleborough.  There I was planning on doing some macro photography, and was utilizing my Tamron 180 mm macro lens.  I had walked down past the old Stone wall of the mill to the edge of the grass where out in front of me at the side of the river was a Great Blue Heron.  I photographed the great blue heron at that point and then I walked back and crossed over to the main portion of the park and slowly made my way down the side of the river, taking photographs of the heron.  Normally great blue herons, here in the north of very skittish and will take off, even if you only look like you are approaching them.  However, this great blue Heron has been around Oliver Mill, probably for many years and has gotten use to people, especially in the spring when the herring are running.  Across from where the great blue heron was standing on a rock, there is a granite bench.  I was able to walk solar there, observe and photograph this great blue Heron while it was preening and occasionally catching some food.  Photography wise, my equipment was the macro lens on my Nikon D810, because of the thick clouds, I had to increase my ISO to 1000 and opened my f-stop to F/5.6 in order to get enough speed to keep from blur in the pictures.  The photographs of me photographing the great blue Heron were taken by my son Aaron

Photograph As I Slowly Approached the Great Blue Heron

Even Closer to the Great Blue Heron

Sitting on the Bench Photographing the Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias Looking for Food

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

The Bench

Me Sitting on the Bench Photographing the Great Blue Heron

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The First Annual Middleborough-Lakeville Herring Run Festival

This is the weekend of the Middleborough-Lakeville Herring Run Festival at Oliver Mills Park. On Saturday it ran from 10 AM to 4 PM and on Sunday it will be open from 11 AM to 4 PM. At the town hall in Middleborough tonight from 7 o'clock on their will be a magic show and music at a cost of $10 per adult and $25 per family up to six.

I arrived in the morning while I was setting up and got to talk with a number of the vendors and exhibitors which included community and government vendors and exhibitors, food vendors, and all of the mill business vendors and exhibitors. There was something for everyone. There was music in talks for the adults, face painting for the children and of course the herring running up the Nemasket River. The children were having a great time trying to capture a herring.

Nature Conservatory

Town of Middleborough

Jellies for sale

Natural Dough

Facepainting

watching the herring

Children trying to catch herring

Children trying to catch herring

Children trying to catch herring

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Lecture about the history of Oliver Mill

Paul and Judy singers

If you get a chance tomorrow go and visit the festival and have a great time. The weather should be great in the food and drinks that are available wonderful.

Ebony Jewelwing - Caloptryx maculata

Ebony Jewelwing - male, notice how the body color seems mainly green

Ebony Jewelwing - Caloptryx maculata is unique in that it is the only damselfly in the Northeast are entirely black wings.  Ebony Jewelwing are one of the hundred and 66 North American damselflies and dragonflies that are found in Massachusetts.  Starting in June every year, I find the Ebony Jewelwing hovering around the waters of the Nemasket River at Oliver Mill Park in Middleborough, Massachusetts.  Ebony Jewelwings flutter like a butterfly and show brilliant flashes of colors.  It size ranges between 1.5 to 2.5 inches.  The male of the species has a brilliant blue-green color and black wings with the female being a dull, a Brown body and smokey wings, which have glistening white spots near the tip of the wings.  They are normally found near wooded streams and rivers, though occasionally they can be found in the middle of the woods.  Ebony Jewelwings will prey on many species mosquitoes, Beatles, and even of the dragonflies and damselflies, and they in turn are prey to other types insects, frogs fish and birds.  The males are territorial, driving other males away, and there will flutter in a courtship display for females.

So the next time you are out, keep your eyes open for this easily identified damselfly.

Ebony Jewelwing - male, notice how the body color as it is back lit seems mainly blue

Ebony Jewelwing - female, fluttering her wings, noticed the white spots at the tip of the wings

Ebony Jewelwing - female, notice that the wings are wings, not black as in the male

Kayaking down the Nemasket River at Oliver Mill Park

I visited Oliver Mill Park in Middleborough, Massachusetts, with the intention of making a video of the interactions of our only black wing damselfly, the Ebony Jewelwing.  The other day when I was there, there was at least 20 to 30 Jewelwings flying around over the water.  Well, on my visit this time I only observed two Jewelw
ings flitting about and they would disappear for long periods of time.  While I was waiting, hopefully, for more Jewelwings to appear, a gentleman in a kayak came paddling through under the bridge and came over to me and we were talking, and he was asking into how he could get from where he was pass the dams.  I showed him to the left of where we were standing there was a passage, where only some short falls and rapids.  He thanked me and travel down the the river without any difficulty, and then pulled into shore to take a breather.  Since I was having no action with the damselflies.  I walked down to speak to the gentlemen, introduce myself and found out his name was Bob.  I told him that I should've gone down and photograph them coming down the rapids.  He then replied to me that he be happy to do it again.  I said really and he said sure.  He then walked with us kayak and relaunched the above the rapids and I set up to photograph them coming down.  He came under the little walk bridge, and then was turned sideways, where his kayak was swamped and he ended up in the water.  The water was very deep.  Then he pulled himself out and walked down, but the kayak got caught in the current, and was pools across the river and landed on the other side.  Bob then swam across to the other side, rescued the kayak and swam back with the kayak.  I told him oh sorry I made him get so wet and he replied it was fun and I'm going to try it again cause I can't let the river beat me.  So again, he took the kayak up to the top, relaunched and came down the rapids again, this time without any problem.

Kayak broached

Recovering the kayak

Starting the good run