Plymouth Massachusetts

Bufflehead

I decided today to visit Plymouth Massachusetts since I haven't photograph the birded that area in a while. I started at Jenney Pond, where most of the pond was frozen. In the open area there were a number of Buffleheads, either female or first year males, Greater Scaup, a couple of Gadwall pairs and a pair of Mute Swans. In the small creek that leads into the pond were mostly mallards. Most of the birds were either feeding or preening. The only passerines that I saw were a few juncos and house sparrows.

Greater Scaup

Greater Scaup

House Sparrow

Mute Swan preening

I then went down to the harbor and stopped at the Pilgrim Monument State Park where there were Red-breasted Mergansers, a Ruddy Duck a single female Common Eider. As I was searching around to see if there was anything else I noticed a pair of small white birds on the rocks. When I got closer I recognized a pair of Snow Buntings, whole obligingly allowed me to photograph them.

Ruddy Duck

Female Common eider flapping her wings

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Pair of Snow Buntings

I then traveled to the harbor itself to see if there were any unusual gulls present but nothing but the usual. Since the tide was partly out I decided then to travel to Plymouth Beach to see if there were any unusual gulls there and to walk out toward the tip of the beach to look for snowy owls. However, when I got to the entrance to the beach, it was closed due to laying down of new sand on top of the rocks. It looks like that part of the roadway got washed out during the last storm.

However all in all it was a good morning.

St. Mary's Pond and Birding

Yesterday, I went birding with my good colleague Doug and we started out at a new location that we had not birded before.  We went to St. Mary's Pond in Middletown, Rhode Island.  St. Mary's Pond Is a part of the City of Newport Water Division.  It is located off at Union Street in Middletown, Rhode Island.  There is parking on the street near the gate that leads into the pond.
Walking down the path toward the pond, we looked at a good number of passerines, which not only included the most common birds, but there were American Tree Sparrows present.

American Tree Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow

Male Ruddy Ducks

On arriving at the pond and walking up to the embankment overlooking the pond, what really surprised us was the number of Ruddy Ducks that were present on the pond.  There were at least 150 or more Ruddy Ducks, in flocks, scattered throughout the lake.

Ruddy Duck Flock

Female Ruddy Duck

Canada Geese

We also walked the path over to Sisson Pond, where there were even more Ruddy Ducks and some Northern Shovelers present.  The list of ducks and geese that we saw included Canada Geese, Gadwall, American Widgeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Bufflehead , and Hooded Merganser.

Song Sparrow

For photography, I had a couple of problems; the first it was bright and sunny and the sun was shining toward me, and the second problem was that the embankment was mostly open and the docs, etc. could see you and would swim away.  When there was concealment from trees and bushes on the edge of the pond.  It was difficult to photograph the birds through the thickets.
What I would do for my next photo outing to the pond is utilize my Eckla Beach Rolly Gear Cart to carry my photo gear, a seat and camouflage to place over myself and the camera and lens.  I also would hope for and try to plan on a bright, overcast day and that I would want to arrive prior to sunrise, so I could be set up and then hope for the best.

Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis

I finally was able to photograph a duck that has been eluding my capturing its picture.  My first sighting of the Ruddy Duck was and Yellowstone National Park, but I did not obtain any photographs of it.  It is mainly a Western bird and is found on the East Coast during the winter.  In its summer plumage, the male Ruddy Duck is quite beautiful with a dock, large white cheek patches, the bill blue or bluish, and when it's in breeding plumage, the body is a cinnamon red.  It is a member of the "stiff-tailed ducks" and often holds its spiky tail straight up in display.  In the winter.  The male ducks resemble the females with a grayish-brown neck and body plumage, but still have a large white patch on the sides of their head.  This winter the ducks have been in Plymouth Harbor, and the one I found was on Spooner Pond.

Ruddy Ducks are a diving duck and they dive to feed on pond weeds, algae and the seeds of other grasses.  They also will eat aquatic insects shell fish and crustaceans.