A Morning in Plymouth, Massachusetts

Drake Mallard After Bathing

The weather has been still cold, but today the weather was into the low 30s.  I traveled out to Plymouth and went initially to Cordage Park, because the other day, my son was out there and told me that there was in the pond, an area of open water with decent birds.  There was a small area of open water filled with mallards and mainly ring-billed gulls along with some hen bufflehead's, drake and hen ring-necked ducks, along with a pair of mute swans.

Ring-billed Gull Coming in for Landing

Ring-billed Gull Various Years

Ring-billed Gull

Ring-billed Gull Bathing

"two guys and a gal" Ringed-Necked Ducks

Drake ringed-Necked Duck With Two Hen Bufflehead

I needed to step into the snow up to almost my knees to get close to the fence so I could photograph the birds.  When the mallards first saw you approaching the fence, the mallards all swam toward you expecting to be fed.

Mallards looking for food

After finishing photographing the avian life at Cordage Park, I then drove down and to the big parking lot at Plymouth Harbor.  All this winter, every time I've been traveling down to this area.  I have been looking for the Iceland gull, which returns every year.  I have been shut out until today when I was able to capture the Iceland gull in flight.

Iceland Gull in Flight

The tide was way up and if the harbor wasn't frozen and if there was waves, we would've been flooded.  The reason for this is that today is a new Moon, plus the new Moon is a super-moon leading to astronomically high tides.

Because of all the snow we had, when I went to Jenny Pond.  It was hard getting close to where it was easy to photograph the ducks in the pond because of the height of the drips which were up to my waist.  Hopefully, as they start clearing the snow way will be the easier to photograph the ducks in the open area of Jenney Pond.

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Plymouth Massachusetts

Ring-necked Duck Hen flapping after preening

It is Tuesday, March 25, 2014, Doug and I went birding and I as usual photographed some of the findings  in Plymouth Massachusetts. The morning was cold but there was no wind and with the sun shining it was comfortable. We were dressed in appropriate clothing and really did not need most of the time heavy gloves. Besides photographs to determine and prove what species we seen I also looked for activity rather than just confirmation photographs. I obtained a number of photographs showing many waterfowl preening and diving for food.

Mute Swan preening

Three Bufflehead drakes in various stages of preening

Bufflehead Drake

Northern Cardinal Singing in the sun

Brown-headed Cowbirds

Great Blue Heron

Beaver feeding at the shoreline of Jenney Pond

Approximately a year ago at Plymouth Pilgrim State Park we had a canvasback way out in the bay. This year the canvasback was feeding right around the Mayflower II. At one point I was hoping to get it in the reflection of the Mayflower, however, it was halfway into the reflection when the canvasback dove and then came up in the blue water rather in the brownish reflection.

Canvasback half and half

Canvasback

 It was a great morning and now we are preparing far the winter storm that is supposed to occur tomorrow. However by the weekend the temperatures post arise and probably all the snow will be gone by then. Remember this is New England and the weather changes very frequently. It is interesting this year I was warmer in Alberta Canada than the temperature was back home in Massachusetts. Remember spring is here and enjoy the change of season and the beginning of new life.

Here is an interesting hybrid, a american black duck and a gadwall. this duck was swimming with an american black duck

Hybrid Duck

Waterfowl at Jenney Pond Plymouth Massachusetts

American Black Duck

Yesterday after I dropped my grandson off at work , I Traveled down to Plymouth to Jenney Pond because there was a pair of common mergansers reported at that location. Since the weather has been below freezing most of the pond was frozen over which concentrates the waterfall into a smaller area. Because usually they are swimming along the father shore I utilized the to ask convertor on my 500 mm lens so I could get larger images into my pictures. However, at times I had too much lens because some of the action was taken place close to me and so I had to move backwards to try to get the entire duck in the picture.

There was a lot of mating action going on with the mallards. The Drake Mallard would climb on the back of the Hen Mallard, grab her head with his bill and complete the copulation. Afterwards the Drake would swim around with its head extended at the water line. Both of them would then preen and then flap their wings.

Mallards Mating

Drake Mallard Swimming after Mating

Hen Mallard Came on the Ice to Preen

Hen Mallard Flapping after Preening

A pair of Gadwalls were feeding and the Drake Gadwall really showed off its cinnamon-edged scapular's.

Gadwalls Feeding

Notice the Nice Cinnamon Brown on the Drake Gadwall

Both the Drake Ring-Necked Duck and the Drake Bufflehead was showing off their iridescent colors.

Drake Bufflehead

Hen Bufflehead

Drake Bufflehead Showing Its Iridescence

Drake Bufflehead Up-Right and Hooting

Ring-necked Duck

Ring-necked Duck

Well, the common mergansers were not there, but the action was great.

Thursdays Ducks

Male Common Eider swimming in the Cape Cod Canal

Thursday, besides obtaining the photographs of the screech owl and the canvasback's, I did obtained photographs of some more of our common species. After we've saw the screech owl we traveled down to the Cape Cod Canal, which at high tide was higher than I have ever seen it due to astronomical conditions and looking toward what will occurred during the upcoming blizzard and continuing astronomical high tides and Gail Ted hurricane force winds, I worry about beach erosion and the people who live along the coast. All that aside,

Including the canal and Jenney Pond, I obtained some nice photographs of common eiders, red-breasted mergansers, gadwalls, hooded mergansers, common goldeneye and ring-neck ducks.

Female Common Goldeneye, has been present at Jenney Pond for a number of weeks

Pair of Hooded Mergansers and a pair of Gadwalls illustrating size differences in the ducks

Male Gadwall walking on the ice at Jenney Pond

Male Red-Breasted Merganser which has been hanging out on Jenney Pond also for a number weeks. The reason it's breast seem so large is its crop is filled with a very large perch.

Male Ring-necked Duck at Jenney Pond

Juvenile Common Eider swimming in the Cape Cod Canal

Female Red-breasted Merganser swimming in the Cape Cod Canal

A Visit to Jenney Pond, Plymouth Massachusetts

Front portion of Jenney Pond with open water

Female Ring-necked Duck

Male Ringed Neck Duck

I visited Jenney Pond in Plymouth Massachusetts today because it has been freezing over the past few days and I know when that happens the pond starts to freeze and concentrates the ducks and gulls into a smaller area.

Back portion of Jenney pond with ice

The weather today was overcast with the temperature around 32°F but no wind and the birds were plentiful on the pond. The mallards and swans spent most of their time resting on the ice. Otherwise, the other species were swimming and feeding. I was able to photograph male and female ring-neck ducks, male and female hooded mergansers, male and female gadwalls, a female goldeneye, a male red-breasted merganser and the yearly ever present lesser black-backed gull.

Female Common Goldeneye

Male Gadwall

Male Hooded Merganser

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Female Hooded Merganser and Male Ring-necked Duck

Red-breasted Merganser

Female Gadwall