Plum Island to Rye New Hampshire

Sunrise at Plum Island

This weekend I joined my friend John Slonina on his one day photo tour, where we started at sunrise at Plum Island and the day finished at sunset at Salisbury Beach. John knows the area very well and works with the photographers to get them thinking out of the box. He helps everybody with composition, settings, and given freely of his knowledge. I also will help them with the participants.

After sunrise, we traveled down through Parker River National Wildlife Sanctuary all the way to the very end, which is Sandy Point State Reservation. We stopped at different locations for landscape photography. We did see a Snowy Owl and Bald Eagles in flight.

Boardwalk at Parker River

Sand Abstracts on the Dunes

Landscape

Colored Rock at Sandy Point

Next stop was Salisbury Beach State Reservation, where we searched for birds and stopped and photographed at one location along the Merrimack River, which gave a number of subjects for close-ups and landscapes. Ice floating in the river had some interesting shapes.

Ice Flow

We continued into New Hampshire, where it was lunch time so we stopped at the Castaways and had a good lunch, plus a lot of interesting discussion about photography, equipment, settings and post processing.

Continuing along route 1A, we searched Hampton State Park, looking for snowy owls, but there were none so we continued up to Rye State Park. At Rye there was a snowy owl present on a log that was on the rocks and was very comfortable with people in front of it and behind it. After photographing it for around the half-hour or more, the snowy owl defecated and then flew off into the wind right at us, my problem was that I lost focus in the flight shots were blurry. Going back to the parking lot, the snowy owl was perched on an electric pole and allowed a lot more photography.

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl Preparing to Fly

Snowy Owl on Electric Post

The group went back to Salisbury to photograph the sunset, however, I stayed and worked the snowy owl for a a while.

John has two more plum island-right New Hampshire tours scheduled for January 17 and January 31. You can contact John at http://www.sphotography.com/new-england-one-day-photo-tours-and-workshops/

Also, he has a number of other day trips scheduled plus a number of longer workshops, including one to Downeast Maine that I co-lead with John.

Snowy Owl Quest Part Two

Sunrise at Plum Island Beach

On Sunday, I again join John Slonina on a Snowy Owl Quest along the Massachusetts and New Hampshire coast. Partly, I was there to help John and and obtain additional pictures for myself. We had five other participants and we started out the day with sunrise on the beach at Plum Island. I will include a sample of the pictures from the day.

The day was warmer then the last time we were up here and there was not the strong wind blowing. The people set themselves up and started taking pictures of the sunrise the water and the rocks.

The Group Photographing the Sunrise at Plum Island Beach

John instructing one of the participants in the workshop

After setting up our car pooling we slowly drove down the refuge drive at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge looking for owls and what ever else we could find. The road was closed beyond Hellcat. At Hellcat we walked out to the dike and search the area for owls but we could not find any. There was still a lot of snow on the ground.

Just after we left Hellcat, we came across four wild turkeys, two toms and two hens which allowed us close encounter and gave us a good opportunity for photographing these beautiful birds.

Wild Turkey Tom Reaching for a Berry on a Branch

Leaving the turkeys, we went and parked our cars at parking lot two and then walked out to the beach where the participants were instructed on how to think out of the box by varying their position that they were using in taking a picture and observing the different scenery around them.

Our next stop, was Salisbury Beach State Reservation where just outside the entrance to the drive sitting on one of the electric wire poles was a snowy owl. We pulled over and took photographs of this owl. It then took off and flew onto the snow on the marsh at the beginning of the drive into the reservation. We were able to get a very decent number of pictures of this beautiful owl.

Snowy Owl Surrounded by Electrical Connections

Snowy Owl Sitting on the Snow

Because the tide was down we drove around to an area across from the campground way you could walk down to the beach where we could photograph the harbor seals laying out on the rocks.

Harbor Seals Resting on the Rocks

Harbor Seal Resting on the Rocks

After checking around other areas at the reservation looking for owls and not finding any other owls. We drove up to Hampton Beach State Park, where we got skunked with no owls present. Since it was getting close to noon time, we stopped and had lunch at a great restaurant, the Castaways in Seabrook.

After lunch, we continued up into Rye where driving around the harbor we noticed a good number of common loons swimming. We all decided that we will continue up to Rye Beach State Park to look for the usually cooperative snowy owl that has been hanging around there for a few months. Everybody split up and searched all a rocks and side areas in the park and there was not any sign of the snowy owl. We checked out all the houses in the marsh on the other side of the road from the park and still no owl.

We then continued back to Rye Harbor, where the common loons were showing a change change into breeding plumage along with feeding on crabs that they were catching by diving near the dock. They came so close it was very easy to get full frame pictures of the loons. A drake common eider also put on a show by diving and catching crabs. The water was clear enough that we could follow the eiders dive down into deeper water. Both the loons and the eider did bathe and preen, then gave us some great wing flaps. We also had Horned Grebes, Buffleheads and Red-breasted Mergansers. Part of the time I stopped taking pictures and watch the activities of always birds in order to help me learn better their behavior. One interesting event was a great black-backed gull trying to catch a red-breasted merganser. As the gull would come down onto the merganser the merganser dove and came up some distance away and then the gull took off and didn't the event again and continued until the merganser was able to shake the gull away.

Common Loon Flapping

Common Loon

Common Eider Drake eating a Crab

A gentleman arrived at the dock and told us the day before the snowy owl at Rye State Park was sitting on a log for around five hours. However, today he was also unable to find the owl. Oh well, that is nature nothing is guaranteed.

We then did go back and rechecked the Rye State Park again to no avail. We then traveled back to Salisbury, with a snowy owl was sitting on a post in the marsh. After a while it flew across this street to the marsh on the other side. Part of the group went over to see where it was. Two of us stayed on the reservation drive because it was getting close to sunset and we wanted to capture the the tree against the sunset like I did the Sunday before. The sky had thicker clouds but a small area near the horizon there was clear and we did get color in that location. The pictures were much different than the week before.

Sunset at Salisbury Beach

Everybody did arrive before sunset and take the pictures of the tree with the sunset. We all at the end talked at all were very happy with the day's events.

John is having one more Snowy Owl Quest on Sunday, March 9, 2014 starting at 6 AM, if you are interested you can sign up on John's website at http://www.meetup.com/Nature-Photographers-New-England/events/168032922/?a=ea1_grp&rv=ea1

Landscapes and Other Pictures from the Snowy Owl Quest

Sunrise at Plum Island Beach

No matter where you are there is always something to photograph and it really doesn't matter what camera lens you have with you. I have photographed close-ups with my 70-200 and even my 500 mm lens. These pictures in this blog were taken with variety of lenses depending on where I was and which lens I had on my camera body.

Snow Being Blown around Grasses on the Dunes

Beaver Lodge Covered with Snow at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Snow and Sand Blowing in the Wind

wind blowing the snow up  at sunrise

Ice Flows on the Marsh at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Cattails in the Snow

Isles of Shoals from Rye Beach New Hampshire State Park

Rainbow in the Spray of the Waves Caused by the High Wind in the Photo Was Taken with the Sun behind Me

Patterns in the Snow Caused by the Wind

Patterns in the Snow Caused by the Wind

Receding Water at Sunrise

Waves Hitting the Rocks in the Spray Illuminated by the Sun

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Snowy Owl Quest

Sunrise at Plum Island Beach

On Sunday, February 16 I joined six other enthusiasts plus our leader John Slonina on a Snowy Owl Quest along the Massachusetts and the New Hampshire coast. The previous week on John's trip they saw 11 snowy owls.

Sunday was the day after the big snowstorm, the skies were clear, temperature in the 20s with a stiff wind blowing. We were going to start at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, but the gate was closed. We ended up photographing the sunrise at the beach on Plum Island. The snow was blowing as well as the sand and waves were crashing into the rocks.

We then carpooled, after leaving some of the cars in the parking lot in Newburyport, up to Salisbury State Reservation where there was a group of people viewing and photographing a snowy owl on the ground. For a number of our participants it was the first time that they ever saw or a snowy owl and John help them obtain their photographs. We could not explore further into the reservation because the gate was closed in the road had not been plowed yet.

Snowy Owl in the Snow

Continuing up along Route 1A into New Hampshire, we stopped at Hampton Beach State Park to search for snowy owls, but none was seen. Also the parking lot was not plowed. We continued along Route 1A up to Rye, continuing to look for owls, because there have been at least two present since November. Today however they could not be found.

We then backtrack stopping again at the local "hotspots" where again we were skunked. We ended up again at Salisbury where there was again a snowy owl among the snow and ice drifts. We stopped and photographed the owl and then continued into the reservation since the roads were plowed searching for additional subjects to photograph. At the boat ramp, white wing scoters were in the water and able to be photographed.

Snowy Owl among Ice Flows

We then broke for lunch and had a great meal and great discussions waiting for the sun to get lower in the sky. We traced the way back up into New Hampshire rechecking out the hotspots. At Hampton Beach, searching with a binoculars, it appeared that there was a snowy owl at the base of the dune, so we tramped through the snow hopefully to get a picture, however when we got there what appeared to be a snowy owl moving was a rock covered with snow with grass in front of it that was blowing in the wind that gave the appearance of movement. So back to the cars and on to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, where again we search for snowy owls and again none were found. We did photograph the landscape and the patterns in the snow. I will have those pictures in the next blog.

We did want to capture the sunset and decided to do it back at Salisbury where prior until sunset there was again another snowy owl present on the opposite side of the road. We photograph this beautiful bird again, it then took off, and I was able to capture some flight pictures and then it landed in a tree looking at us with its golden eyes wide open.

Snowy Owl and the Snow during the Golden Hour

Snowy Owl in Flight

Snowy Owl Landing in a Tree

We finished off the day photographing a tree against the sunset. A great time was held by all even though there was not a huge number of snowy owls. Of course, the question is: was this three different snowy owls on the same one in different locations. Really doesn't matter, we found the snowy owl and was able to photograph it.

Sunset at Salisbury with a Tree Silhouette

On Sunday, February 23, 2014 John is holding another Snowy Owl Quest in the same locations and hopefully there will not be another snowstorm the block most of the parking lots and more snowy owls will be found. Of course in nature nothing is guaranteed. If you're interested in signing up you can go to http://www.meetup.com/Nature-Photographers-New-England/events/165753512/?a=me1_grp&rv=me1. The cost is $95 per person. You should have an enjoyable time and learn how to improve your photography.

More Pictures from Plum Island

Today, I thought I would show you some additional pictures from Saturday. These pictures were all post-processed in Lightroom and Topaz Clarity. I used the Topaz clarity cause it gives me complete control over my image.

Here is another picture of the ducks taking off after a second year Bald Eagle circled overhead.There are black ducks and northern pintails in the photograph

Northern Mockingbird in the berries and eating berries.

Rough-legged Hawk above the tree line.

The Canada goose.

The Peregrine Falcon eating. Notice on its legs there bird bands and I have reported the sighting to USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/bblretrv/index.cfm   The Center will research the band and if they can identify it will send you a confirmation of where and when it was banded.

A full frame photo of the snowy owl in the marsh across from the boat ramp at Salisbury Beach State Park. All the photo shows is that a snowy owl was there.

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