The Interstitial Spaces

New Year's Day Birding ~ 2012

2012-01-01T21:00:00.068-05:00

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!

Pat’s Diner

2011-12-26T19:00:00.016-05:00

While birding for the Newburyport Christmas Bird Count, Mark and I made our traditional stop at Pat’s Diner (formerly Ann’s Diner) in Salisbury MA for breakfast. One of the things I look forward during our annual stop is chatting with the owner, Pat. She is such a gracious woman and during our conversation, she told us that this might be her last year at the diner. At the age of 81 (you would never know it!), Pat is finally ready to retire. Knowing how much we enjoy her diner, and the food, she gave us this wonderful print that was painted by Don Sawyer of W. Brattleboro, VT! I was so honored to receive the print and will miss Pat and her diner the next time we are Christmas Bird Counting in the Salisbury area.

For you diner history buffs, I found this information on the National Register of Historic Places (NHRP) web site: Ann's Diner was added to the NHRP in 2003 (#03001264) and it’s also known as the Worcester Lunch Car Company Diner #824. Its historic significance is “event, architecture/engineering” and the architect, builder, or engineer was the Worcester Lunch Car Company. The area and period of significance is “commerce, architecture” from 1950-1974 and its historic and current function is “commerce/trade, restaurant”.

This bit of history is from the Pat’s Diner take-out menu:

Wine Making at Alfalfa Farm Winery

2011-11-11T23:11:00.055-05:00

This fall, Mark and I completed a full season of wine making at the Alfalfa Farm Winery and it has been a great experience! We learned a lot about the wine making process and met wonderful people who also share a passion for wine and community farming. As a volunteers at the winery we have:

Pruned.

Harvested.

Destemmend and Crushed.

Pressed.

Punched.

Racked.

Bottled.

Labeled.

House-kept.

And Tasted.

Wherever you may be travelling from ...

... stop by and visit the Alfalfa Farm Winery if you are in the area. Check out their web site at: http://www.alfalfafarmwinery.com/ for tasting times and event information.

Cheers!

Apples

2011-10-15T18:42:00.012-04:00

One of the things I love about autumn ... Apples and apple picking!

Sunflowers

2011-09-11T18:25:00.010-04:00

One of the things I love about late summer ... Sunflowers!

My Wing Haiku

2011-08-17T19:30:00.025-04:00

Tree Swallows staging. Flocks are ready to migrate.

On the wing they'll be.

I won and received this prize:

A Few Vacation Birds and Flowers

2011-07-11T17:00:00.063-04:00

While on our annual birding vacation with friends in northwestern Maine, I photographed a few cooperative birds - and flowers.

This Merlin flew in and landed atop of a spruce tree while we were looking for warblers below (I think he was looking for warblers too)!

A very cooperative Gray Jay stayed with us for several minutes and took food (gorp) from our hands!

These Tree Swallows perched on a wire next to a busy roadway.

This Ruby-throated Hummingbird made frequent visits to the feeder at our cabin.

White Daisies …

… with morning dew.

Hydrangea

2011-06-30T16:00:00.019-04:00

This is a Mophead Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla), which is the most popular hydrangea grown in gardens and is spectacular when in full bloom!

Lunchtime for Ospreys

2011-05-15T21:00:00.043-04:00

While birding Cape May, New Jersey this past May, Mark and I were fortunate to see several Ospreys enjoying their lunches. The first seven photos were taken near Reed’s Beach in Cape May Courthouse and the last three were taken at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), also known as Brigantine NWR.

Walk through a small New England Woodland

2011-04-30T13:30:00.034-04:00

This morning, Mark and I took a walk through the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary looking for early spring migrants. While the birding was slow, we did enjoy seeing spring wildflowers - some of which were in peak bloom:

Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquefolia) Also known as Wind Flower.

Periwinkle (Vinca minor). Also known as Myrtle.

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum). Also called Dogtooth Violet.

Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus).

Fiddleheads

Long Beech Fern (Phegopteris connectilis). Just unfurling.

Ode to Turkey Vultures

2011-03-26T21:00:00.019-04:00

Vultures soaring overhead eagerly searching for anything dead.

One spies a road kill on the grass turns and swoops and lands real fast.

It starts to peck and stuff it spews.

I watch in amazement while thinking - eeewww!

Fly Tying with Mike Martinek

2011-02-26T21:00:00.120-05:00

Today Mark and I spent the day tying streamer flies with Master Fly Tyer, Mike Martinek, Jr. Mike is internationally known for his exquisitely tied flies, especially streamers flies. He has written several books: Streamer Fly Patterns for Casting and Trolling - Originals and a Few Others Volume 1 (1993, Mordax Publishing) and Volume 2 (2000, A PP & MM Production) and has a video: Classic Maine Streamers with Mike Martinek Jr. - Hooked on Fly Tying Video Series (1999, Bennett-Watt Media).

This is the second class I have taken with Mike and today we tied Autumn Fury, Blue Aurora, Jungle Jim (no photo - just as well though - it was not pretty!), and Dave Garcia Smelt flies.

Autumn Fury

The first step of tying a fly is attaching thread to the hook.

Then you add successive layers of material to build your fly...

... Until your fly is finished.

Blue Aurora

Building the fly.

Viola!

Dave Garcia Smelt

The Master!

Here is Mike with the files he tied during the class.

His fly tying work is beautiful!

My flies do not compare to Mike's but that’s why he is the Master.

Tight Lines!

>}}}}}}}8>

New Year's Day Birding ~ 2011

2011-01-01T18:46:00.005-05:00

Mark and I led our 15th annual New Year's Day birding trip for the Brookline Bird Club on 1-1-11! Thirty other birders joined us for a full day of fantastic birding!

Visit the Brookline Bird Club Trip Report page from my trip report and a few photos I took during the day: http://tiny.cc/ojyca

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas ~ 2010

2010-12-25T18:35:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I hope your day is filled with fun,

love and laughter, and lots of cheer!

Wonderful memories that will last for years!

American Kestrel

2010-11-28T18:06:00.001-05:00

Whenever I can, I walk a 5K stretch of beach for exercise. During the winter months, I often see an American kestrel hunting the dunes for prey. My first kestrel sighting for this year was on November 7th and I have brought my camera along with me since in hopes to capture a photo or two.

Here are a few photos I took of the kestrel perched …

… and here are a few photos of it on the wing:

Seeing this American kestrel from time-to-time makes my beach walks even more special!

Autumn Waning

2010-10-31T20:47:00.002-04:00

Some leaves are still clinging on to the trees,

no matter how strong the northerly breeze.

Those flowers that linger are still warmed by the sun,

while others now dormant their growing is done.

As we transition towards winter, the snow and the cold,

we need to remember that there's much to behold.

4,000+ Tree Swallows

2010-09-29T19:06:00.000-04:00

On August 22^nd, Mark and I joined our friend Jim and his birding trip along the southern coastline of Massachusetts. One of the spots that we stopped at was Gooseberry Neck, which is part of the Horseneck Beach State Reservation in Westport. One of my favorite things about birding coastal areas during mid-to-late August is catching large flocks of staging tree swallows before they leave and migrate south to their wintering grounds. On this day, we caught a flock of 4,000+ tree swallows at Gooseberry Neck! We were able to walk right through the flock along a trail that bisects the area.

It was such a thrill to be so close to so many birds!

Bon voyage little guys!

Hawaiian Shirt Shorebird Safari 2010

2010-08-08T17:53:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, August 7th, twelve Shorebird Safarians, all clad in Hawaiian shirts and leis, joined Mark and I for our annual Hawaiian Shirt Shorebird Safari. We met the group at Morris Island at 8:00 AM and Rip Ryder had us on South Beach by 8:30. The weather could not have been any better! The temperatures were in the low 80's with no humidity, there was a slight breeze, and the sunshine was abundant.

When we first arrived on South Beach a mixed flock of shorebirds, including a beautiful Marbled Godwit, greeted us!

Our friend Dan was very excited, as this was a life bird for him.

Everyone was having a great time enjoying the beautiful day and shorebirding.

Despite the greenheads, which were bothersome if you were not wearing long pants.

We had wonderful looks at American Oystercatchers

and Ruddy Turnstones.

We tallied 39 species for the day. While the overall number of individuals were low we had wonderful looks at the shorebirds that were present. Following is our complete trip list:

Common Loon – 1 / Double-crested Cormorant – 59 / Great Blue Heron - 3
Great Egret – 1 / Snowy Egret – 4 / Canada Goose – 12
White-winged Scoter – 1 / Osprey – 9 / Black-bellied Plover – 11
Semipalmated Plover – 400 / Piping Plover – 8 / American Oystercatcher – 14
Greater Yellowlegs – 10 / Willet – 32 / Whimbrel – 9
Hudsonian Godwit – 5 / Marbled Godwit – 3 / Ruddy Turnstone – 36
Red Knot – 10 / Sanderling – 40 / Semipalmated Sandpiper – 300
Least Sandpiper – 800 / White-rumped Sandpiper – 3 / Short-billed Dowitcher – 50
Laughing Gull – 14 / Ring-billed Gull – 50 / Herring Gull – 110
Great Black-backed Gull – 35 / Roseate Tern – 42 / Common Tern – 800
Least Tern – 12 / Black Tern – 2 / Tree Swallow – 10
Bank Swallow – 3 / Barn Swallow – 7 / Cedar Waxwing – 3
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow – 22 / Seaside Sparrow (juv) – 1
Red-winged Blackbird – 3 / American Goldfinch – 2.

Aloha!

Wild Mountain Blueberry Picking

2010-07-31T11:30:00.049-04:00

One of things Mark and I like to do in late July is hike up Piper Mountain in New Hampshire to pick wild mountain blueberries! A friend introduced us to Piper Mountain a long time ago and we have been making the trek up ever since to pick blueberries.

This is the type of habitat where the blueberries grow.

Mark is hard at work picking blueberries.

We once met a seasoned Piper Mountain blueberry picker who was using a set up like this to pick her blueberries. I like using it because once draped around your neck your container is always close by, when you bend over it’s close to the ground, and it also allows you to have both hands free so you can pick more blueberries!

This year’s crop was bountiful!

When you are picking wild mountain blueberries you spend a lot time looking at the ground but in this habitat there is a lot to look at.

So as you work towards filing your container with blueberries your senses are never idle.

The fruits of my labor!

There is always a beautiful view to take in on your way up and back down the mountain.

We picked 11 cups of blueberries during this trip! I froze much of our bounty and will remember this day when we take them out during the winter to make blueberry pancakes and bake blueberry breads.

Joppa Flats ~Finished~ Tile Painting Project

2010-06-06T16:06:00.045-04:00

Back in February of this year, I wrote about Tile Painting for Joppa Flats – a project I participated in for Mass Audubon. On June 5th, the Joppa Flats Education Center unveiled the finished project and I was thrilled to see my tile on display with many others! If you are in the area its worth a visit to the center to see the tile display located on the second floor.

Here is a photo of my finished tile - not too bad for my first attempt at ceramic tile painting!

Here are several photos of all the other tiles that are on display.

Birding Parker River NWR by Bike ~ 05-01-10

2010-05-01T21:19:00.000-04:00

This morning, Mark and I led our annual spring birding by bike trip for the Brookline Bird Club at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Eight other bike and birding enthusiasts joined us at Parking Lot #1 at 6:30AM.

Weather-wise, this was one of the best days we have had for this trip - the temperature ranged between 51 and 75 df, no wind, and abundant sunshine! We birded our way south to the Hellcat Trail and back over a 5-hour period. We tallied 77 species for the Club list, of which 12 species were warblers! Following is a complete list of the birds we saw:

Common Loon - 2; Double-crested Cormorant – 4; Great-blue Heron – 4; Great Egret -7; Snowy Egret – 3; Glossy Ibis - 7; Canada Goose - 70;

Mute Swan - 4

Gadwall – 5

American Black Duck - 12; Mallard – 53; Blue-winged Teal - 3; Green-winged Teal - 2; Ring-necked Duck - 1; Osprey - 5; Northern Harrier - 2; American Kestrel - 1; Merlin - 1; Peregrine Falcon - 1

Sora – 1; Killdeer - 3; Greater Yellowlegs – 9; Willet - 11; Wilson’s Snipe – 1; Ring-billed Gull - 3; Herring Gull - 20; Great Black-backed Gull - 1; Mourning Dove – 26; Belted Kingfisher – 3; Hairy Woodpecker – 1; Northern Flicker – 1; Eastern Phoebe – 2; Eastern Kingbird – 7; Blue-headed Vireo – 12; Warbling Vireo – 1; Red-eyed Vireo - 2; Blue Jay - 5; American Crow – 42; Fish Crow - 1; Purple Martin - 5; Tree Swallow - 350; Barn Swallow – 60; Black-capped Chickadee - 8; Golden-crowned Kinglet – 4; Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 280; Hermit Thrush - 5; American Robin – 75; Gray Catbird - 3; Northern Mockingbird - 2; Brown Thrasher - 14; European Starling – 120

WARBLERS: Nashville – 10; Northern Parula – 12; Yellow - 40; Black-throated Blue – 3; Yellow-rumped - 150; Black-throated Green – 7; Prairie – 3; Palm – 16; Black-and-white – 53; Ovenbird – 2; Northern Waterthrush – 27; Common Yellowthroat – 2

Eastern Towhee - 55; Savannah Sparrow – 13; Seaside Sparrow - 2; Song Sparrow – 33; Swamp Sparrow - 6; White-throated Sparrow – 175; Northern Cardinal – 24; Red-winged Blackbird -190; Eastern Meadowlark - 1; Common Grackle - 90; Brown-headed Cowbird - 20; Purple Finch - 1; American Goldfinch – 24; House Sparrow - 10.

We had an aMAYzing morning of birding and I hope you did too.

Happy Migration!

Salem Woods Birding Hike ~ 04-24-10

2010-04-24T18:59:00.025-04:00

On April 24th, Mark and I led our joint Brookline Bird Club and Friends of Salem Woods trip to the Salem Woods. Marj and Daan joined us for the morning.

We followed the yellow blazed trail which took us around the woodland edge (about 2 miles) and through forested, scrub-shrub, and emergent wetlands; open water marsh (Thompson's Meadow); and upland habitats. After our kike through Salem Woods, we took a ride to Nahant and walked through the Heritage Trail and Thicket. The temperature was in the mid-50s, the wind was light, and the sky was clear. It was a quiet morning overall but it was nice to be outside enjoying the beautiful weather and emerging spring signs.

We tallied 38 species for the Club list:

Double-crested Cormorant - 1 overhead; Canada Goose – 12; Red-tailed Hawk - 1; Killdeer – 1; Ring-billed Gull – 6; Herring Gull – 10; Great Black-backed Gull – 3; Rock Dove – 40; Mourning Dove – 13; Downy Woodpecker – 3; Northern Flicker - 4; Eastern Phoebe -4; Blue-headed Vireo – 3; Blue Jay – 12; American Crow – 24; Tree Swallow – 2; Black-capped Chickadee – 10; Tufted Titmouse - 6; White-breasted Nuthatch – 1; Carolina Wren – 7; Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 2; American Robin – 43; Northern Mocking bird – 4; European Starling – 8; Yellow-rumped Warbler – 2; Palm Warbler - 1; Eastern Towhee – 8; Chipping Sparrow – 9; Field Sparrow – 7; Swamp Sparrow - 6; White-throated Sparrow – 3; Northern Cardinal – 18; Red-winged Blackbird - 60; Common Grackle – 25; Brown-headed Cowbird – 20; American Goldfinch - 14; House Sparrow - 15

As we were leaving Salem Woods, we met up with several members of the Friends of Salem Woods who were busy restoring a section of the main trail. Many thanks to the Friends for their hard work and dedication and keeping the Woods accessible to all who wish to visit!

Vernal Equinox Walk 2010

2010-03-20T13:32:00.002-04:00

Stop by the Brookline Bird Club 'Recent Trips' web page to see my Blog post about the Vernal Equinox Walk I led on March 20th.

Enjoy and Happy Spring!

Tile Painting for Joppa Flats

2010-02-21T20:24:00.004-05:00

This afternoon, I painted a tile for Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats Tile Project. Mass Audubon will be decorating the hallways at its Joppa Flats Education Center with ceramic tiles that have been painted by its members and supporters. The tile painting took place at the Pottery Isle Studio in Newburyport. This is a wonderful studio that offers special events, workshops, and “Pottery-to-Go” where you choose a pre-made pottered piece, select your colors (glazes), decorate the piece with your artwork, and return it for professional glazing and firing. What a novel idea!

Once I was settled at the studio, the first thing I needed to do was select artwork to paint on the tile. I flipped through my sketchbook and selected this Chrysanthemum, which I sketched on October 12, 2008.

I was given an unfinished tile to paint (left tile) and a glazed tile that would serve as my palette (right tile).

I had to transfer my Chrysanthemum sketch onto the unfinished tile. I decided to trace my sketch onto the tile to save time and then defined my lines using a Sharpie.

Once my artwork was transferred onto the unfinished tile, I needed to select my colors from an array of glazes.

I decided I wanted a sky blue background so I painted the entire tile with a light blue glaze.

Concerned that the blue would show through the flower colors, I erased some of the glaze off the flower.

I then outlined the petals with a golden yellow glaze.

I began painting the petals in with a light yellow glaze.

I filled in the rest of the flower with golden yellow, russet, and brown glazes.

It will take several days for the tile to be fired and finished.

I will have to wait until Saturday, June 5th to see what my finished tile looks like because that is the day that all of the tiles painted for the Joppa Flats Tile Project will be displayed and made public. I will be sure to update my Blog with photos of my finished tile and the other tiles painted by Mass Audubon members and supporters.

What a fun way to contribute to Mass Audubon’s decorating project! If you are in the area on or after June 5th be sure to stop by the Joppa Flats Education Center to see the Tile Project!

My Chickadee Haiku

2010-02-18T12:02:00.012-05:00

One of the people I follow on Twitter is the editor for Wild Bird Magazine. Every once in a while she Tweets a contest to write a poem and today she had a Haiku contest. You had to use the word “chickadee” in the Haiku so I wrote this:

The feeders are full. I await the chickadees ~ As I would a friend.

I won!

I’ll be receiving this prize: http://www.mainebirdingtrail.com/GuideBook.html

How cool is that!

New Year’s Day Birding ~ 2010

2010-01-02T18:01:00.003-05:00

For the past 14 years (hard to believe), Mark and I have led a New Year's Day birding trip for the Brookline Bird Club. Each year we are warmed to see our old friends who have been coming on the trip since year one and look forward to meeting new ones! As usual, we greet everyone at about 9:00AM with sparkling apple cider to toast in the New Year. As part of our introductions, I like to ask everyone to share their first bird of the year - my first bird of 2010 was a Blue Jay seen feeding at at our feeders.

We usually bird right up to sunset (weather permitting) and cover territory between Newburyport and Cape Ann. This year we birded Salisbury Beach State Reservation, Cashman Park/Merrimac River, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, and north Plum Island. Because the birding was good in the Newburyport area, we never made it to Cape Ann! We tallied 51 species for the Club list but I only saw 44. Here is the complete day list and a few photos of the group:

Red-throated Loon – 2 ; Common Loon – 12; Horned Grebe - 9
Red-necked Grebe – 1; Northern Gannet – 18 ; Great Cormorant – 4
Great-blue Heron – 1; Canada Goose – 500; Brant – 6
American Black Duck – 90; Mallard – 180; Northern Pintail – 5
Common Eider – 350; Surf Scoter – 3; White-winged Scoter – 25
Black Scoter – 2; Oldsquaw – 12; Bufflehead - 40
Common Goldeneye – 18; Red-breasted Merganser – 47
Bald Eagle -1; Northern Harrier – 3; Red-tailed Hawk - 3
Sanderling – 30; Purple Sandpiper – 12; Ring-billed Gull - 90
Herring Gull – 175; Glaucous Gull – 1; Great Black-backed Gull – 35
Razorbill – 65; Black Guillemot – 1

Rock Dove – 250; Mourning Dove – 28; Snowy Owl – 1
Downy Woodpecker – 3; Blue Jay – 37; American Crow – 52

Horned Lark - 22

Black-capped Chickadee – 18; American Robin – 400

Northern Mockingbird – 5; European Starling – 600

American Tree Sparrow – 23; Savannah Sparrow – 7 (5 = Ipswich)

Song Sparrow – 5; Dark-eyed Junco – 8; Lapland Longspur - 1

Snow Bunting – 2; Northern Cardinal – 9

American Goldfinch – 33; House Sparrow - 25

Happy New Year and Great Birding in 2010!

Christmas Bird Count 2009

2009-12-28T16:08:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Mark and I participated in the 110th Christmas Bird Count (CBC). We spent the morning in our sector of the Newburyport count circle (Salisbury) and tried to see as many birds as possible despite the wind, rain, and poor visibility.

As we were driving around the Salisbury Beach State Reservation campground, we came across this very wet Merlin perched on an abandoned dock. I was so excited to see this bird and wanted to get a photo but, as I pulled my camera out of my bag, I realized that I left the photo-chip in my computer! I was so disappointed that I would miss getting a photo of the Merlin until Mark pulled a chip out of his GPS for me to use. How lucky was I!

We continued driving around looking for birds and found this small flock of Horned Larks feeding on grasses growing in-between cracks in the parking lot pavement. They too were soaking wet.

Waves crashing in on the jetty combined with a wind-swept rain made it very difficult for us to scan for seabirds ... we did manage to find a small flock of Purple Sandpipers hunkered down among the rocks.

Backyard Winter Wonderland

2009-12-20T13:40:00.007-05:00

To a winter wonderland I did awake.

Makes me want to go and bake.

Cookies that is for you and me.

And a few to string on the Christmas tree!

First, I think I should go shovel.

And refill feeders on the double.

The birds are hungry and the seeds dropped low.

As they forage beneath the snow!

Looks like the snow is not letting up.

So now I’ll go refill my cup.

With coffee that it is to keep me warm.

As I head out into the storm.

Close Encounter of a Kestrel Kind!

2009-11-30T20:27:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I took a walk on the beach during my lunch break. It was one of those perfect fall days with a crystal-clear blue sky, brilliant sunshine, and a gentle ocean breeze. Halfway through my walk, I noticed a bird perched on sign about hundred yards away. I knew immediately that it was an American kestrel and I hoped that it would remain perched, as I got closer. I walked very quietly and slowly towards the bird and was able to get within about 25 feet of it. I could see every detail of its beautiful plumage and I was kicking myself for not having my camera with me! The photographs I could have taken would have been amazing!! I remembered that I had my cell phone with me so I took it out of my pocket and was able to take these photos.

You bet the next time I take this walk, I will have my camera with me and maybe I will be as lucky as I was a couple of weeks ago - to be within 25 feet of an American kestrel, perched on a sign, in the brilliant sunshine.

Trick or Treat!

2009-10-31T18:34:00.002-04:00

Every Halloween I put up a few decorations to celebrate the holiday. Back in 2004, Mark bought a battery operated flying bat to put outside our doorway. It is 6-inches long with an 18-inch wing span and when turned on it flies around in circles with flashing red eyes!

As we put out the flying bat tonight to greet our trick-or-treaters I am reminded of trick I played on a couple of friends when we first got the bat. I took the photos below and e-mailed them to my friends with a message that said we have this unusual bat flying around our yard!

We e-mailed each other for about an hour and I relayed field-marking descriptions and behavior observations. At one point, I realized that my friend Mike was pouring through his field guides to try to identify the bat. Yikes - he fell for the trick! I egged him on for a little while more and then finally told him that it was not a real bat but a battery operated flying bat. We had a good laugh and it is a fond Halloween memory for me to reflect on as I decorate the homestead.

Happy Halloween!

Peep-fest!

2009-09-28T18:09:00.039-04:00

This past Saturday was a perfect early fall day with a bright blue sky, light breeze, cool temperatures with a definite nip in the air, and warm sunshine. I went for a walk on the beach early Saturday morning to drink in the perfect weather and the sound of waves crashing in on the shore; the smell of a clean, cold ocean; and the sight of the last few peeps making their way south from their northern breeding grounds.

I brought my digital camera along and spent a good amount of time behind the lens taking photos of the peeps as they foraged on an array of intertidal invertebrates. You can easily lose all track of time in this type of environment and forget about everything else except the peeps, the waves, and the sunlight. I am still learning how to use my digital camera so I took the opportunity to play around with different settings and the light, and snapped a whole lot of photos.

The weather on Sunday was the complete opposite of Saturday – cool, dank, rainy, and windy. It was a perfect day to be at my computer looking at my photos and deciding which ones to post on my Blog. While using Adobe Photoshop Elements I discovered the “Filter” tab and spent time playing around with the different filters and completely changing the look of my photos! What fun! Below are several of the photos I took and a corresponding Photoshopped image. I used different Filters including patchwork, watercolor, ink outline, trace contour, stain glass, and rough pastel.

I hope you enjoy my Peep-fest photos as much as I enjoyed taking them and Photoshopping them!

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Patchwork

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Watercolor

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Ink Outline

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Trace Outline

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Stain Glass

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Rough Pastel

Wordless Wednesday ~ August 26th

2009-08-26T19:39:00.008-04:00

A picture is worth a thousand words at Wordless Wednesday.

Hawaiian Shirt Shorebird Safari 2009

2009-08-22T10:54:00.045-04:00

On Saturday, August 15th, Mark and I led 19 birders, all clad in Hawaiian shirt and leis, on a Hawaiian Shirt Shorebird Safari for the Brookline Bird Club. We met the group at Morris Island at 8:30 AM, exchanged greetings, selected the perfect leis to match Hawaiian shirts, and then we were off! Rip Ryder whisked us to the southern end of South Beach in one of their high-speed, 20 passenger ferryboats. We got to the southern end of South Beach by 9 AM and debarked with anticipation of a great day.

Mark and Susan were one of the first to get off of the boat!

Bev, Pamela, Constance, Dave, Jim, Chuck, and Brian were not far behind.

I love the bright, loud, colorful, Hawaiian shirts!

We had decent weather with temperatures in the low-to-mid 80's, little-to-moderate winds, a lot of fog during the morning, and sunshine for the rest of the day. The greenheads were bothersome if you did not have long pants on or ample amounts of bug spray. As we birded our way north, we noticed the low numbers of individuals. There were times when the beach was devoid of any shorebirds and when we saw shorebirds, they were not in the numbers that I have seen in past years! Maybe we were just there on an off day.

Christopher is getting ready to photograph something. Check out his Blog to see what!

The group takes a "birding" lunch break.

Kelly took this great photo of the group from the beach - Thanks Kelly!

We arrived back on the mainland by 4:00 PM and went to Orleans to go to the Bird Watcher's General Store to browse around and The Hot Chocolate Sparrow for ice cream and cold drinks. Not wanting the day to end just yet – a few of us went for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant where we compiled the day list and shared a few good laughs! We tallied 51 species - following is our trip list:

South Beach:Wilson's Storm-Petrel – 10
Northern Gannet – 4 / Double-crested Cormorant – 350
Great Egret – 1 / Snowy Egret – 10,
Black Scoter – 1
Black-bellied Plover – 275 / Semipalmated Plover – 300 / Piping Plover – 17
American Oystercatcher – 12
Greater Yellowlegs – 20 / Lesser Yellowlegs – 1
Willet – 24 / Whimbrel – 30
Hudsonian Godwit – 45 / Marbled Godwit – 3
Ruddy Turnstone – 150 / Red Knot – 23 / Sanderling – 450
Semipalmated Sandpiper – 60 / Least Sandpiper – 14 / White-rumped Sandpiper – 4
Short-billed Dowitcher – 104
Laughing Gull – 47 / Ring-billed Gull – 20 / Herring Gull – 100 / Great Black-backed Gull – 80
Roseate Tern – 20 / Common Tern – 1,000 / Forester’s Tern – 4 / Least Tern – 4
Horned Lark – 1
Tree Swallow – 10 / Barn Swallow – 9,
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow – 1

Off-Beach:
Osprey – 1 / Northern Harrier – 1
Northern Bobwhite – 1 heard halfway between Morris Island and the Chatham Lighthouse
Mourning Dove – 62 / Red-bellied Woodpecker – 1
Blue Jay – 2 / American crow – 10 / Black-capped Chickadee – 8
American Robin – 3 / Northern Mockingbird – 5 / European starling – 150
Cedar Waxwing – 2 / Song Sparrow – 2 / Red-winged Blackbird – 1 / American Goldfinch - 15

Many thanks to our fellow Shorebird Safarians - you made it a great day! Aloha!

Wordless Wednesday ~ August 19th

2009-08-19T20:33:00.013-04:00

A picture is worth a thousand words at Wordless Wednesday.

What I Did on My Summer 'Rain'cation

2009-07-31T21:50:00.060-04:00

Over the July 4th holiday, Mark and I took a week vacation to join our friend Eddie who was leading his 12th annual Brookline Bird Club birding trip to the Rangeley Lakes Region of Maine. We actually spent three days at Claybrook Mountain Lodge in Highland Plantation and four days in the Rangeley Lakes Area. The rainy weather pattern that has been all too familiar in the northeast this summer continued during our entire vacation. We had less than four hours (yes - 4 HOURS) of sunshine the entire time we were in Maine but we had a fantastic time anyway!

My favorite part of the trip was our stay at Claybrook Mountain Lodge, which is a sporting camp that welcomes anyone wishing to hunt, fish, bird, hike, canoe/kayak, bike, snowmobile, cross-country ski, or simply get away from it all and enjoy Maine’s beautiful western mountain region. The proprietors, Greg and Pat Drummond, are wonderful and make you feel completely at home in their rustic lodge. Pat is also the lodge chef and kept us all (12 birders in total) very well fed. We had full early morning breakfasts, bagged lunches meant for picnics but we ate at the lodge each day due to the rain, and delicious dinners complete with Pat’s warm, homemade bread! Greg was our guide for much of our stay and he took us to amazing places to bird. His local knowledge is impressive and his stories about life in the western mountain region of Maine are entertaining and riveting. While the rain kept us indoors for much of our stay at Claybrook that was OK by me. I enjoyed spending time at the lodge, getting to know others on the trip a bit more, kicking back a little, and relaxing. If you are ever in the area and can take some time, I would highly recommend a stay at Claybrook Mountain Lodge. Following are a few photos I took during the Claybrook portion of the trip.

A Fritillary Butterfly.

Wilson’s (Common) Snipe on Gilman Pond/Reed’s Road perched on a wooden fence posts!

Greg built this gorgeous, sturdy, classic wooden canoe several years ago.

Pam and I canoed Gilman Pond with Greg. This was Pam’s first time out on the water and she enjoyed every minute. Here she is watching Greg fly-fish.

Black Brook Flowage.

Blue Flag Iris at Black Brook Flowage.

While hiking the Black Brook Flowage path we found a tiny Ruby-crowned Kinglet nest. It was made of lichen and nestled in-between Balsam Fir branches.

Several of the gang birding at a logging road bridge.

We watched this Northern Parula weave its nest along side the logging road.

Joan, a birding friend and budding Mycologist, collected several mushrooms to identify.

Sally, the Drummond’s Great Dane, loved the glow-in-the-dark Frisbee.

For the Rangeley Lakes portion of the trip we shared a cabin with seven of our friends, the trip participants nearly doubled, the birding pace seemed to quicken a bit, and the rain - well it kept on raining. We birded familiar territory including Boy Scout Road along the Kennebago River, clear-cuts along Routes 16 and 17, and ski trails on Saddleback Mountain. The rain and high/fast water prevented us from paddling the Kennebago River - it was only the second time in 12 years that Eddie had to cancel this paddle! Following are a few photos I took during the Rangeley portion of the trip.

A rose shrub along the Kennebago River.

One of four cooperative Gray Jays along Boy Scout Road.

Moonrise over Saddleback Mountain as seen from our cabin on our last evening in Maine.

Northwestern Maine is one of my favorite places to visit - rain or shine – and I Thank my dear friend Eddie for leading his birding trip there each year! He puts his heart and soul into organizing and running the trip and each year is a bit of an adventure. Mark and I usually help Eddie behind the scene and we often start thinking about next year’s trip soon after the current year trip is over. Yes - we are already talking about the 2010 Rangeley Lakes and Western Mountain Region trip! Despite the weather for 2009, we had fun, saw great birds, got out in-between raindrops to hike and paddle , and enjoyed the company of old friends and new. A fine way to spend a summer 'rain'cation!

Birders who Tweet, Blog, and Chirp – Oh My!

2009-06-14T20:00:00.018-04:00

Yesterday, Mark and I spent a wonderful day birding with fellow Birders who Tweet, Blog, and Chirp (BwTBC)! My friend Christopher and Dawn, who I recently meet via Twitter, organized the BwTBC birding event after Dawn learned about a similar event that took place among Virginia Bloggers. Since Dawn and her husband Jeff were going to be in Massachusetts for a bit before continuing their amazing RV journey across the U.S., she and Christopher decided to organize a BwTBC event to bring New England Twitterers, Bloggers, and Chirp-trackers together. They started planning the event over a month ago and yesterday it all came to fruition.

We met our fellow BwTBC’ers at 8AM at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and I must say I was so thrilled to meet people who I have Tweeted with on occasion since joining Twitter on April 5th of this year. People like Bev (birdingbev), Dawn (dawnfine), Janet (hammerchick), John, (mainebirder), and Christopher (picusblog) of course – the person who introduced me to Twitter/Blogging and who is responsible for my new found distraction. I was equally thrilled to meet several new Twitterers, Bloggers, and Chirp-trackers.

Once introductions were made, which included not only our real names but also our Twitter usernames (see parenthesis above); Christopher took us to the Refuge for a great morning/afternoon of birding. We went for a late lunch at Courtyard Roast Beef and Sub in Newburyport (their roast beef sandwiches are a must try) and then headed to southern NH to look for a few specialty birds. After a full 12-hour-day of birding, a small group of us drove back to Newburyport to have dinner at Andaman Thai Restaurant where we topped-off the day with good food, drink, and more conversation.

Throughout the day, I found myself thinking how amazing it was that a group of people who only knew each other through series of Tweets, each consisting of a 140 characters or less, could get together and exhibit such warmth and camaraderie. As birders though, we inherently share bonds that could eventually bring us together at some point in time. As Birders who Tweet, Blog, and Chirp, those bonds have been expanded into the Ethernet and we find that our paths now cross with people we would otherwise have never met.

Here are a few photos I took during the BwTBC event. Enjoy!

Our first stop at Parking Lot #1 to scan the ocean and beach.

The BwTBC gang at Hellcat Swamp Trail looking at a Marsh Wren nest.

We all got great photos of this very cooperative Savannah Sparrow singing its heart out!

One our last birds of the day were two juveniles Ravens being fed by an adult. This juv was sitting on top of a dirt pile waiting for another helping.

Bird-a-thon 2009

2009-05-17T19:22:00.025-04:00

Yesterday and Friday evening, Mark and I participated in MassAudubon’s Bird-a-thon, which is a 24-hour birding competition and fundraiser held during mid-May. We have participated in Bird-a-thon since 1995 and bird for the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary team. Up until last year, we covered the Outer Cape but we wanted to bird closer to home so now our territory includes Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA and the Greater Boston area.

We started Bird-a-thon on Friday night. We had ourselves strategically situated at our first stop, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (GMNWR) in Concord, so that at the stroke of 6:00PM we would be off and birding. Our target birds at this location were Common Moorhen and Pied-billed Grebe. While we dipped on the Grebe, the Moorhen was an easier find as it called from deep in the marshes allowing us only a glimpse or two of its colorful plumage and bill.

From GMNWR we went to Hanscom Field in Bedford to search for Upland Sandpiper. While we dipped on the Sandpiper I was able to digi-scope this Bobolink pecking at something on the edge of a signpost.

We birded until 8:30PM and even though we dipped on two of our targets we tallied 36 species for the evening.

On Saturday morning, we were up at O’dark-thirty and birded a local pond and thicket before heading to Mount Auburn Cemetery. We arrived at the Cemetery at 6:30AM and met up with our good friend Mike. It was a relatively quiet morning but we wandered the many roads and paths looking and listening for birds. During our wanders, we met up with another birding friend, Leslie, who joined us for a few hours before heading north to Newmarket, NH to look for nesting Mississippi Kites! Leslie and I share the same viewpoint when it comes to cameras - we would rather be behind the lens instead of in front of the lens. She quickly dodged out of range as I took this photo.

At one point, I took a side trip along the Indian Ridge Path where I spotted this American Robin with a huge amount of nesting material in its bill! It hopped a few feet along a small cement wall, looked at me, hopped a few feet more, and looked at me again. I wondered if it would be able to fly to its nest site with all of the material it was carrying. I did not stay long enough to find out though - I felt like the robin was waiting to make its flight without any witnesses. I quietly walked away.

One cannot bird Mount Auburn Cemetery without taking time to stop smell the flowers. There are so many annuals and perennials to be admired such as this beautiful Peony.

There are also pockets of wild flowers tucked here and there such as this pocket of Trillium, Hay-scented Fern, and Violets located near The Dell.

After birding Mount Auburn, we went back to GMNWR to try again for the Grebe and to find the Moorhen for Mike – he has not seen one in over 20 years and has never seen one in the state! As we were walking toward the refuge, we found this cute juvenile Snapping Turtle trying to cross a fairly well traveled road. I snapped this photo before setting it on the other side of the road so that it could continue its journey. A face only a mother could love!

Once we were on the path to the Moorhen we saw this Least Sandpiper feeding along the edge. It did not seem to mind that it was the center of attention as it was hungrily searching for something to eat.

While we dipped again on the Grebe we were able to find the Moorhen for Mike! Definitely worth the trip back to the refuge. On our way out of the refuge we saw several patches of Lady Slippers along the Edge Trail.

After GMNWR, Mike and Leslie went their separate ways and Mark and I continued birding. We ended Bird-a-thon at the Martin Burns Wildlife Management Area in Newbury where we had our last birds of the day (Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Prairie Warbler, and Field Sparrow). By the time 6:00PM rolled around we added another 56 species to our list for a total of 92 species for Bird-a-thon 2009. I enjoy this type of birding competition because it challenges you to use your birding skills in a completely different way and allows you to help raise funds for MassAudubon so they can continue their stewardship of conservation lands and educational programs.

For more info about Bird-a-thon go to http://www.massaudubon.org/birdathon/

Birding-By-Bike

2009-05-03T18:03:00.034-04:00

One of my favorite things to do during spring and fall migration is to get on my bicycle and go birding! Birding-by-bike is truly a wonderful experience and I think it is one of the best ways to bird an area that you would otherwise drive. There are some challenges when birding-by-bike though. For example, how do you carry all of your birding gear – you know binoculars, scope, tripod, field guides, water, and a few munchies. As you can see in the photo below, I have attached an expandable bike bag on to the rear fender of my bike and I fill it with small essentials and munchies that will carry me through a ride. I then strap my scope securely on top of the bike bag and place a field guide in the back pocket so that it is handy.

I use a Cordura tripod backpack to carry my tripod. It has padded shoulder straps and a zippered pocket that allows me to carry more stuff but I do not use this pocket when birding-by-bike because I do not like having anything poking me in the back as I am peddling. Once the tripod backpack straps are adjusted and the tripod legs are fully retracted it is a comfortable set up. To complete my set up, I strap my binoculars over my shoulders and the tripod backpack so that I can use them with relative ease during the bike ride.

On my first birding-by-bike trip, I had my scope attached to the tripod, which I then carried on my back. I learned very quickly that that was not a good set up since the scope was constantly whacking the back of my head! In addition, carrying all that weight on my back while biking was taxing so the set up I use now suits me just fine.

While birding-by-bike, you hear and see so much more than you would from your car and you have greater freedom of movement to explore areas you may otherwise drive by. For example, on a birding-by-bike trip that Mark and I led just yesterday morning we were able to listen to and watch a small pocket of warblers flitting among the shrubs before moving on to our next stop.

We were also hearing and seeing birds in-between our stops that we would have otherwise missed if we birding by car. Mark and I are fortunate that some of our friends also enjoy birding-by-bike and they are eager to join us on our trips, rain or shine.

I cannot think of a better way to spend a morning in May!

Warbler-Neck

2009-04-19T23:05:00.009-04:00

Today was the first of many to come where I, and other birders, will spend countless hours looking straight up into the treetops searching for neotropical migrants - especially warblers. At some point during migration, we will develop a mild to serious condition known as “warbler-neck” - the pain resulting from neck strain after looking straight up into treetops with binoculars in hand for long periods of time.

Mark and I spent most of this afternoon visiting with family and feasting on my Dad’s delicious spaghetti dinner (he uses an old family recipe that came over from Italy with my Great-Grandmother Angelina), my Aunt’s savory baked chicken, and all kinds of sinfully delicious desserts. After our visit, I suggested that we needed to burn a few calories so we agreed to take the long way home and try to find a Townsend’s Warbler that was being seen at the Chestnut Hill Park/Reservoir in Brighton – about two thousand miles or so east of its usual migration route!

Upon our arrival, I started searching the treetops for a brightly colored bird no bigger than that of a Snickers Bar. A few minutes later I felt that old familiar twinge that I knew would develop into full-blown warbler-neck if we did not find the bird fast (I was already at a disadvantage having suffered a stiff neck the day before). The strange thing about warbler-neck though is how quickly and momentarily you can forget about it when you actually see a bird. Such was the case for me when I saw my first-of-the-year Palm Warblers, Pine Warblers, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Hermit Thrush - and then - Mark found the Townsend’s Warbler high in the treetops! The late afternoon sun lingering in a clear blue sky created perfect lighting conditions and stunning backdrop for us to watch this bird as it flitted from treetop to treetop in search of food.

For me, this marked the beginning of migration and the amazing May “Daze” that lay ahead. I will endure warbler-neck and at times not even notice its symptoms as I search for and watch these transitory birds feeding and resting before they move on to their breeding grounds. Warbler-neck … what warbler-neck!

To learn more about Townsend’s Warbler go to: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Townsends_Warbler/id

I Can't Bird 65 (but Lord knows I try)

2009-04-12T09:15:00.003-04:00

Although birding at 65 miles-per-hour is a challenge it is much easier to do when you are the passenger.

Yesterday, Mark and I drove to NY State to visit with his Mom. We usually make our visits with his Mom in one day, which means a lot time on the road, about 4 hours out and 4 hours back along the MassPike, NY State Thruway, and Taconic Parkway. While making this long trek, I am usually looking for birds soaring overhead, perched in trees, feeding on the ground, or swimming in flooded wetlands and waterbodies. My sightings are often quick but they certainly do help to pass the time while on the road.

Yesterday morning’s weather conditions (cold, dank, and drizzly) made for a quiet trek out to NY State. Our ride back home however was a bit more interesting. We saw a lone Raven and a kettle of 8 Turkey Vultures soaring over the Taconic Parkway; a flock of Wild Turkeys (with one displaying male) in a cornfield along the Berkshire portion of the NY State Thruway; and along the MassPike a few Red-tailed Hawks perched in trees and a Great-blue Heron flying westward towards the Connecticut River with nesting material ( a big stick).

As we continued our travels eastbound on the MassPike I was scanning the treetops in hopes to see an owl or two. Instead, at about milepost 101, I saw 6 to 8 Wild Turkeys roosting in treetops! Although my sighting was quick it is one that was burned in mind’s eye – those great big bodies, long square tails, and smallish heads facing eastward – and all silhouetted against the twilight sky! It looked as if they were still settling in when I saw them. I was thrilled and the sighting carried me the rest of the way home.

This was only second time I have seen Wild Turkeys in treetops and just like the first – I was caught completely by surprise!

Migration North 2009

2009-04-04T08:07:00.005-04:00

Halajuliah - migration is in full swing!

A few years ago, I found the “Journey North” website and I log into it each spring to see how migration and other spring signs are proceeding northward. If you have not been to the “Journey North” website check it out at: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/Maps.html

Also, click on the 'Weather and Climate' link on the bottom right-hand corner of the page, explore the "Journey North" website for all kinds of great information about changes in weather and climate, plants and animals, ice-out, etc.

Enjoy!

Blogging

2009-03-29T18:15:00.008-04:00

Shortly after New Year's Day, I was chatting with a friend of mine, Christopher, about Blogs, the Blog-o-sphere, and Blogging. Christopher started a Blog last year and its fantastic (Go to: Picus Blog at: http://www.picusblog.com/)

I told Christopher that I was interested in learning about Blogs and that I would like to try my hand at Blogging in hopes that it would prompt me to write more about my birding and other ventures - while keeping my computer skills sharp. On New Year’s Night ‘09, I went back through all of my e-mail post to a local birding listserve and pulled most of them into a Word document for safekeeping. As I skimmed my posts, I saw that in the early years I would write about my birding ventures, however; over the years, I stopped writing and now tend to post lists and numbers of species I see during a day out birding. I just do not journal like I used to either - pen to paper!

While I do not know a thing about the Blog-o-sphere this is one of my New Year's resolutions to tackle - so here it goes! I am not sure how often I will be able to post but I hope this will get me writing again and sharing some great photos!

I took the photo at the top this Blog in June 2008 with my cell phone at the J.A. Skinner State Park in Hadley, MA. It is of an azalea. My friend Eddie took the photo I use for my Profile in July 2004 as I was finishing a paddle on the Kennebago River. This paddle is part of an annual birding trip he leads in the Rangeley Lakes Region of ME (he has been leading this trip since 1998 for the Brookline Bird Club)!