The Morning at Plymouth

Killdeer

Waking up to a thunderstorm this morning, I checked the weather forecast and found that Plymouth would not have any rain until about 11 AM.  The gang piled into the car and we went to Plymouth's starting at Nelson's Beach.  The tide was out and there were many shorebirds running around.  We were able to photograph semipalmated plovers, semipalmated sandpipers, greater yellowlegs, plus seeing and photographing herring gull, Ring-billed gull, laughing gull and great black-backed gull.  Most of the semipalmated sandpipers that we saw were this year's hatching, since their colors and feathers were so bright.

Least Sandpiper

Ring-Billed Gull

Laughing Gull

Semipalmated Plovers in Flight

Also, on the Osprey nest was one Osprey which finally took off and flew around and then came back and landed on the nest, giving us some good flight pictures.  I second Osprey came in and circled around and then went back out into Plymouth Bay.

Osprey Landing on Nest

After finishing up at Nelson's.  We traveled over to Jenny pond and besides the usual docs, we photographed Great Blue Heron, and Black-capped Night-Heron.  Standing on the bridge, first hoping that the belted Kingfisher would come back so we did get some photographs.  We turned our attention beneath us, and there were a number of painted turtles swimming in the pond.  Although we photographed the painted turtles without a polarizer, In LightRoom by utilizing the dehaze filter.  We were able to take away the reflections on the top of the water.

Great Blue Heron

Juvenile Black-Crowd Night Heron in Flight

Painted Turtles Swimming Underwater

We then stopped at the Lobster Pound to pick up some lobster bisque and I searched the rocks for birds, there were double-crested Cormorants, herring gulls, great black back gulls, common loon, tree swallows, but swallows northern rough-winged swallows and cliff swallows.  Leaving Manomet Point, we started to hit some rain and headed home having a great morning.

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Shorebirds and Lepidoptera

Sandeling

Although I still have a number of pictures from the Downeast Maine trip to review and process, I went out yesterday morning and visited Horseneck Beach State Reservation, and then went to Allens Pond.

The surf at Horseneck was rough.  In fact, there were two people surfing.

Surfer

Surfer

The tide was incoming and there was a number of shorebirds running around.  We picked a portion of the beach that was not inundated with water ye to sit down to photograph the shorebirds running back and forth.  The only problem came as people decided to walk in the edge of the water along the beach, which cause the shorebirds to fly.

Great Black-backed Gull

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Semipalmated Plover

Sanderling

At least the shorebirds flew back and walked right by us..  As more people were arriving at the beach.  The birds were flying away to unoccupied areas.  Packing up, we drove to Allen Pond and prior to the beach ramble, we photographed around the butterfly garden.  I saw my first Monarch of the year and finally was able to obtain photos of a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth.

Monarch Butterfly

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth

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Revisiting Nelson Park, Plymouth, Massachusetts

Osprey Family in Nest

This morning, before the sun broke through the clouds and even though it was humid, we traveled down again to Nelson's Beach in Plymouth to observe the ospreys had to see what else there was along the shore.  The tide was out, all the usual gulls were either resting on the beach or swimming around.  When we arrived all five of the ospreys were in the nest and then the adults Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton took off and flew around.  Lady Hamilton flew when and landed on the nest, where she started to feed one of the Osprey youngsters.  Lord Nelson flew around and finally landed on the top of a tree.  In the meantime, a great blue Heron was in the water and then took off flew around and came back in and landed a couple of times.  A number of shorebirds flew when and and by getting low to the ground were able to capture images of both semipalmated plovers and semipalmated sandpipers.  I was hoping that we would get other shorebirds, but nothing showed up or could be found on searching the shoreline.

Osprey Feeding a Young Osprey

Osprey in Flight

Osprey Coming in for a Landing

Great Blue Heron Coming in for a Landing

Semipalmated Sandpipers, Feeding

Semipalmated Plover Eating a Warm

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World Shorebird Day

September 6 is World Shorebird Day https://www.facebook.com/worldshorebirdsday .  Counting actually can be done September fifth, sixth or seventh. I counted today because I will be out on the Atlantic ocean for two different trips on the sixth and seventh.  I had selected the beach loop at Allens Pond for the location where I would count.

Shorebird wise, there were not a lot of different species and a number of shorebirds, which is flying overhead.  There were a number of shorebirds feeding up and down the shoreline, so I just sat myself down with my big lens in front of me and waited till the shorebirds came to me.  This way, instead of me chasing them, and the shorebirds flying off.  I had a better chance at photographing.  There were a number of semipalmated plovers, in fact, one of them walked up to within 3 feet of me and stared right at me.

Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Plover, Looking at Me

The main bird feeding on the shore were sandelings, most of them were juvenile and they could be distinguished from the few adults by their nice clean feathers.

Sandeling Hiding in the Wrack Line

Sandeling Adult Changing into Winter Plumage

Juvenile Sandeling With Food in Its Mouth

Walking back to the field station, by the culvert a green Heron jumped up and then posed on a branch allowing some great pictures.

Green Heron

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Plymouth Long Beach, Black Skimmer, and Laughing Gull

Today was another beautiful morning at Plymouth Long Beach that was organized by Mike Milica.  At dark zero 500, we left by water taxi from Plymouth harbor out to the tip of Plymouth Long Beach.  The sky was clear and the bright, almost full moon was  getting ready to set over Plymouth.

Moon Setting over Plymouth

As we walked out to go on to the East side of the beach, the air was filled with gulls calling.  Waiting for the sun to come up over the horizon and illuminate the beach, we did see some semipalmated sandpipers and a black skimmer on the beach with the gulls.  Sunrise created some beautiful Golden light for us to do some photography.

photographing the sunrise

The main subject that was interest to everybody was the family of black skimmers, which consisted of two adults and two chicks.

skimmer flying by a photographer

Male and female black skimmers

Black skimmer chicks

Black skimmer with chicks

After I had taken numerous pictures of these skimmers, I noticed a little further down the beach to my right a young laughing gull calling in approach and an adult warning to get fed.  I moved down to watch the antics of this immature gull.  The adult laughing gull for a while appeared to be ignoring the little one and it seemed that it's only activity was chasing other laughing gulls away.  Finally, it apparently took pity on its young one and fed it.  Laughing Gulls feed their chicks by regurgitating up food that they are a already eaten in the chick will then eat the regurgitated food.  After the young one ate, it still kept on begging for more food.

Juvenile laughing gull begging for food

Adult Laughing Gull regurgitating food

Both laughing gulls eating the regurgitated food

Juvenile laughing gull begging for more food

Finishing off the morning as we slowly made our way back to the pickup area, there were a number of different varieties of shorebirds present to photograph.

Arriving back at Plymouth harbor, the whole area was booming with visitors compared when we first arrived and we were almost the only people at the harbor.

So ended another beautiful morning photographing the birds on Plymouth Long Beach


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Photographs from Tuesday's Birding

Semipalmated Sandpiper and Semipalmated Plover

On Tuesday, Doug and I got together for a usual day of birding.  The plan was to bird Horseneck Beach (of course I was photographing as usual) looking for shorebirds and to finish up at Gooseberry Neck.  The morning was foggy, but the temperature was comfortable.  At Horseneck Beach, there were a large number of shorebirds, but nothing unusual.  We observed sanderlings, semipalmated plovers, and semipalmated sandpipers.  I was hoping for some Dowichers or Whimbrils, but none were to be had.

Semipalmated Sandpipers

Semipalmated Plover

Gooseberry had a number of birds, but only a few were photographable.  One of the more interesting photographs was that of Laughing Gulls, one in winter plumage, one in summer plumage and one in juvenile plumage.  With all three in the same frame, it gives a good comparison of the differences.

Laughing Gulls in Three Plumages

American Goldfinch Feeding

Female Common Yellowthroat

Ruddy Turnstone on a Rock

Once we finished Gooseberry, we drove over to the field station of Allens Pond, because I had a leave some photographs off.  Doug was surveying the marsh and noticed a number of Glossy Ibis mixed in with Snowy and Great Egret's.  We walked down to the culvert and despite trying to sneak quietly and slowly the glossy Ibis flew.  We then went up on the rise overlooking the pannes, and the glossy Ibis again took off, but I was able to capture some photographs of the glossy Ibis flying.

Glossy Ibis in Flight

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egrets