Oh Christmas Tree!

The City of Salem’s Christmas Tree.

 

A Bird in the Hand

The Black-capped Chick-a-dees at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary know if you have a stash of sunflower seeds in your pocket!

 

Calm Before the Storm

At Salisbury Beach State Reservation looking south as Hurricane Sandy makes its way up the east coast!

 

Labor Day Beach Walk

 Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation

 

Sunflower Fields Forever

This amazing sunflower field is located at the Colby Farm, 297 Scotland Road in Newburyport, Massachusetts.  If you are ever in the area during the month of August, then try to make a trip to see this beautiful sunflower field - and then visit the farm stand!

 

Mountain Moonrise/Sunset

 After a long day of birding and hiking the Rangeley Lakes Region of Maine, there is nothing like being at the cabin watching a beautiful moonrise and a spectacular sunset to top off the day!

Dew Drops on Daisy

An early morning walk along Boy Scout Road in Rangeley, Maine never disappoints.  If the birding is slow (and the weather is right) then there are always beautiful, dew-covered, wild flowers to enjoy!

Tree Swallow on Nest Box

While walking through the Hellcat Swamp Trail, at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, I came across this Tree Swallow who was checking out a nest box.  I never saw him go in but he was defiantly interested. 

 

My Eagle Haiku

I follow the editor of Wild Bird Magazine, Amy Hooper, on Twitter and every once in a while she Tweets a contest to write a poem or haiku.  For today’s haiku contest you had to use the word “eagle” … so I wrote this:

Eagles tending nest ~ in the forest by the sea.  Fledglings soon to fly!

I won the haiku contest and will be receiving the 2nd edition of the The Golden Eagle by Jeff Watson as a prize!  Thank you Amy and Wild Bird Magazine!

Ode to Timberdoodles

Timberdoodles are really neat,

especially once you hear them peent.

But when they fly up to the air,

just take a listen and don't despair.

Because as they fall back towards the ground,

their flapping wing beats make a crazy sound!

You'll hear high pitched twittering and whirring too,

yeah Timberdoodles are really cool.

It's a rite of Spring to observe this display,

and one that will no doubt make your day.

Ode to Short-eared Owls

Short-eared Owls hunt the dunes - underneath a silvery moon.
Majestic wing beats in the air - until they swoop to catch a hare.
I watch in wonder and gasp in awe -
Feeling pretty darn lucky to see what I saw.

New Year's Day Birding ~ 2012

Today, Mark and I led our 16th annual New Year's Day birding trip for the Brookline Bird Club!  We met our group at 9:00AM in Newburyport and toasted in the New Year with sparkling apple cider.   During the toast, introductions were made and folks told us where they traveled from and what their first bird of the New Year was!  (My first bird of the New Year was Northern Cardinal.)  I love leading this New Year’s Day birding trip for many reasons but the #1 reason is seeing old friends and meeting new ones!  Fifty-one birders joined us for this trip! 

The weather could not have been better for us – the temperature ranged between 32 and 52df, the sky remained clear, and it was calm.  We ended the day at 5:15PM.  We birded Cherry Hill Reservoir, Salisbury Beach State Reservation, and Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and tallied 68 species for the Club list.   Below is a list of the birds we saw: 

Cassin’s Kingbird – 1; Barnacle Goose –  1; Canada Goose – 280; Brant – 14; Mute Swan – 7; Gadwall – 25; American Black Duck – 110; Mallard – 85; Northern Pintail – 22; Canvasback – 1; Redhead – 4; Ring-necked Duck – 14; Common Eider – 210; Surf Scoter – 60; White-winged Scoter – 80; Black Scoter – 15; Long-tailed Duck - 3; Bufflehead – 42 ... 

... Common Goldeneye – 6; Hooded Merganser – 9 ; Common Merganser – 4; Red-breasted Merganser – 20; Ruddy Duck – 92; Wild Turkey – 9; Red-throated Loon – 16; Common Loon – 28; Horned Grebe - 35; Red-necked Grebe – 7; Northern Gannet – 16; Great Cormorant – 4; Great Blue Heron – 3; Northern Harrier – 3; Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1; Red-tailed Hawk – 2; Rough-legged Hawk – 1; Merlin – 2; Peregrine Falcon – 2; American Coot – 6; Sanderling – 14; Purple Sandpiper – 22; Black-legged Kittiwake – 6; Bonaparte’s Gull – 4 ...

... Ring-billed Gull – 240; Herring Gull – 510; Great Black-backed Gull – 12; Razorbill - 72;  Rock Pigeon – 35; Mourning Dove – 22; Snowy Owl – 1; Cassin’s Kingbird – 1; Northern Shrike – 1; Blue Jay – 4; American Crow - 226; Black-capped Chickadee – 6; Tufted titmouse – 1; White-breasted Nuthatch – 2; Carolina Wren – 2; Eastern Bluebird – 10; American Robin – 60; Northern Mockingbird – 8; European Starling – 52; American Tree Sparrow – 3; Song Sparrow – 5; White-throated Sparrow – 2; Dark-eyed Junco - 2; Snow Bunting – 26; Northern Cardinal – 12; American Goldfinch – 6; House Sparrow – 24.

  Wishing you all good things in 2012!