Showing posts with label Plymouth County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plymouth County. Show all posts

Friday, January 23, 2015

Thursday Morning Birding and a King Eider

King Eider
Although my friend and colleague Doug and I did the new year beach ramble, this is the first day and a long time that we went out birding.  We started off at Jenney Pond in Plymouth where the usual's species were there and I decided to try some flight shots.  The mallets are acclimatized to people feeding them, but they usually fed only bread which is not the best food for them.  I utilized a technique that Artie Morris showed me of using crack corn, which is a lot more nutritious for the ducks, dug through some out on the ice where the ducks all evil walk swam or flew to to eat the corn.  I utilized my Nikon 70-200 with a telly converter and station myself on the bridge.  Doug came up to the bridge and we dropped the corner to the water and many of the mallards flew from the ice to the water, giving me a chance for flight shots.
Mallards Flying
Our next stop was Plymouth Harbor where I photographed red breasted merganser preening and flapping its wings.  I also was able to photograph a white-wing scoter close to the shore.  Normally these scoters are further out and if they see you, the scoters usually will swim away.  The scoter was very nice by staying in close to shore.

Red-breasted Merganser Flapping
White-winged Scoter
We made a couple more stops on the way to the Cape Cod Canal, because I had heard that a king eider was present among a large flock of common eiders around the Herring Run on the canal.  Arriving at the Herring Run information area.  We saw a large flock of eiders located near the opening of the Herring run.  We walked over there and search and searched which at first without seeing the king eider.  The common eiders was splashing and preening and after I photographed a drake common eider, I looked up as a group of eiders was swimming by and in the middle was the king eider.  I got a few pictures and then called to Doug so he could identify the bird also.  Then we follow the bird as it swam around and was able to get more pictures of this beautiful bird.

Drake Common Eider Flapping Its Wings
Hen Common Eider Taking off
King Eider in the Flock of Common Eiders
Swimming, along with the flock of eiders was a common loon who allowed a very decent portrait.  So ended a good morning, with a total of 39 different species of birds identified.

Common Loon



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Friday, March 30, 2012

Thursday Morning Birding

It is Thursday morning, the day that Doug and I usually go out birding and I do some photography.  This morning, the weather was overcast cloudy with some drizzle.  Our plan for the day was to meet at my house and then travel into Middleborough, Massachusetts to bird around Cumberland Fields, which is an IBA (Important Bird Area).  Our first stop on the way to the Cumberland fields was Oliver Mills Park.  The area was loaded with gulls mainly Great-Back Gulls,- _DSC6254 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000 and Herring Gulls along with Great Blue Heron's, who were there to feed on the migrating Herring.


Around the edge of the Cumberland fields, there was a group of Wild Turkeys foraging, and what was interesting, it was a group of 3 males without any females. - _DSC6268 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000 Walking the fields one of the most interesting sites was the large number of black birds that were present, sitting in the trees and flying around and making a huge racket, that had to be over 1000 blackbirds present. 

- _DSC6296 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000Most of the  passerines that we observed were extremely skittish and did not stay still long enough to obtain pictures.  A flight of 3 great blue Heron's flew overhead and gave an opportunity to photograph them.  - _DSC6308-Edit March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000The area, which is usually its wet was almost dried up and, except for Killdeers there were no other shorebirds present.
Our next location was the pond at Jenney's Mill in Plymouth.  The mute swans were already nesting. - _DSC6466 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000There were 4-5 Great Blue Herons present, including one in beautiful breeding plumage.- _DSC6456 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000  Also present at scattered throughout the pond were Double-crested Cormorant, who were displaying their dark nuptial crests which gave them their name. - dcco_DSC6477 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000 Some of the subspecies will have white nuptial crests.  The male Ring-neck Duck that has been present during the winter was still present, and also developing breeding plumage. - _DSC6510 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000 Also present was the Lesser Black-backed Gull, who has been a regular winter visitor, and it's plumage has changed into the summer plumage. - _DSC6385-Edit March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000 A magnolia tree was coming into full-bloom.- _DSC6394 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000






Finally at the parking lot on the harbor at the boat ramp, the Iceland Gull was still present, and allowing great views of it.- _DSC6539 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000- _DSC6542 March 29, 2012 NIKON D7000

Monday, November 21, 2011

Rufous Hummingbird in Wareham Massachusetts

On Saturday, I received an e-mail from my good friend Paul, who is the volunteer ornithologist at Allens Pond Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary that there was a Rufous Hummingbird- Rufous 2 November 20, 2011 NIKON D3S in Wareham, Massachusetts asking me if I wanted to go to photograph it.  Of course I said yes, and that evening I got a telephone call, and we arranged to meet the next morning to travel down to observe photograph and be with the people that were going to capture and band this Hummingbird.
The Rufous Hummingbird normal range is in western North America from southern Alaska to California, which makes this Hummingbird the most northern nesting Hummingbird.  They migrate down through the Rocky Mountains to winter in Mexico and straight over to the East Coast to winter in Florida.  They have been found in Massachusetts, usually one to two birds at the most occurring in October and have been identified as late as February.  These birds are extremely hardy and able to tolerate temperatures as low as -20°C.  They can't survive if they have shelter and available sufficient food.
This bird has been present since October, and is been around its location, because the homeowner kept up their Hummingbird feeders.  First, I cannot tell you the location of this bird, because the homeowner wants privacy.  The reason that we got to see it is that the homeowner called up the Audubon sanctuary for help in identification of the bird.  She was agreeable for us to come down to id it, photograph the bird and band it to help in future studies, if it is caught at a banding stations.

- D7K_9194 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000The homeowner stated that the bird was very skittish and would fly away if people were around.  The banding capture cage was set up with the feeder inside - D7K_9188 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000- D7K_9200 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000and we stood outside the fence, looking in.  The person  
Sue spent around 1.5 hours holding the wire

 had a wire that would let down the door and trap the Hummingbird.- D7K_9184 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000
The Hummingbird at first would go to where the feeder was originally fly around and then fly away.  One of the times when it did was to land on the bush to the right of where we were standing, and stayed there so that I could capture a large number of photographs on it.- Rufous HummingbirdROT_9386-Edit November 20, 2011 NIKON D3S- Rufous HummingbirdROT_9395 November 20, 2011 NIKON D3S- Rufous ROT_9377 November 20, 2011 NIKON D3S
- D7K_9206 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000
Paul Holding the Hummingbird in the Bag
- D7K_9209 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000
Banding Tools

- D7K_9215 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000
Wrapping the hummingbird so it would not get injured

- D7K_9220 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000
Measuring the wing
- D7K_9240 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000
Photgraphing for the record
- D7K_9245 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000
Photgraphing for the record
Finally, the Hummingbird went into feed and was captured, banded, measured and released with no harm to it.- D7K_9212 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000- D7K_9232 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000

I want to thank first the homeowner for allowing us the privilege of seeing, photographing, and banding this bird, then to Paul for notifying me of the event, and to Sue for allowing me to photograph the banding episode.

- D7K_9261 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000
Feeding prior to release

- Rufous in Hand D7K_9275 November 20, 2011 NIKON D7000
In Hand prior to Release