Dickcissel Continues - Sept. 08, 2011

The female Dickcissel continues at the feeders allowing for photos & a bit of video in the continuing rain.

A closer look at the rather large bill of this wayward seed eater.

A brief video of it on several different perches around the yard and at the feeder.

Time spent at the platform feeder is not without its hazards as you can see here with a Mourning Dove giving the Dickcissel a sharp bite as it successfully muscles in.

This is nothing out of the ordinary with birds continually jostling for their place at the feeder. The Dickcissel was soon back at the feeder after spending a bit of time watching from nearby.

Before joining back in....

and nearly getting lost in the sea of House Sparrows.

Another visitor, a hatch year Northern Cardinal was molting fairly heavily around its head. That's its ear hole just below its eye, something we rarely see.

With a closer look below. For those interested, an image showing a replica of a Cardinals skull created by Bone Clones can be seen at: http://www.boneclones.com/images/bc-167-lg.jpg

Dickcissel - Sept, 06, 2011 - Essex, MA

A female Dickcissel visited the feeders during this mornings showers. I had another visit back on August 17. Hopefully the visits become a bit more frequent.

A brief video of the Dickcissel preening. The Sora calling in the middle of the video is just my phone letting me know I have a voice mail...:)

Another shot of the before it was gone for the remainder of the day.

Storm Tossed Birds - Hurricane Irene - A Week Later

The phone was abuzz on Sunday the 4th, several great birds put in an appearance in the Newburyport area and my good friend Steve Grinley of Bird Watcher's Supply & Gift (aka "Bird Central") kindly kept me in the loop as to what was being seen. The 1st of the day was a young White Ibis found by Christopher Ciccone on Plum Island and later relocated by Steve & Margo along the Plum Island Causeway. Though feeding at quite a distance the youngster was unmistakably a White Ibis, seen below feeding with a Great Egret.

While watching the Ibis Doug Chickering called from Salisbury Beach State Reservation where he had come across an American Avocet feeding in the marsh. A quick ride to the Reservation found the Avocet still there!

I headed back to Newburyport to check the harbor at low tide only to be called again by Steve. A Caspian Tern had come in to roost for a bit back at Salisbury Beach. Back in the car for the drive north and voila there was the Tern.

Easily picked out below with it's bright red bill.

Also roosting near the Tern was an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. A bit distant but the yellow legs can be clearly seen.

and a shot as it flew in to roost on the rocks.

Earlier in the morning I had stopped at Sandy Point for a brief visit. This Great Egret landed quite close by.

and yet another Common Tern coming in for a landing. All in all a fabulous day of birding!

Terns to Toads With a Few Hummers For Good Measure

A trip to Sandy Point State Reservation on August 29th found loads of  Terns

roosting at high tide. The young Forster's Tern below was nice to see.

But the Black Tern just off center in the image below was especially nice to come across.

Young Sanderling were feeding quite close at times. 

Closer to home... well... in the yard at home to be a bit more precise... the young Hummingbirds have taken over the yard. At least 5 youngsters chased each other around the yard with this one checking out the Butterfly Bush before joining back in the chase.

Another youngster checking me out from within the Trumpet Creeper

A Grasshopper managed to stumble into this Spiders web just off of the deck. That's quite a prize for a spider so small!

Another visitor to the yard today was this one eyed Toad.

But I must say.. the one eye it does have is quite spectacular!

Hawks & Hummers to come..... August 28, 2011

 A young Red-tailed Hawk that flew over the house this weekend, screaming for food from its parents. Raised in the neighborhood with its sibling that I've seen on several occasions, I hope they stick around for the winter.

A late blooming Cone Flower with its attendant Bumblebee is always a welcome subject in front of the lens

A closer look at the not so little pollen gatherer.

I'll be making a return trip to Arizona in a few weeks and am looking forward to the many Hummingbirds that I'll encounter in the southwest portion of the state.

With any luck maybe I'll run into another White-eared Hummingbird.

I'll most likely see several Magnificent Hummingbirds like the youngster below.

and with any luck a few adult males like this beauty.

Dickcissel In The Yard - August 17, 2011

A female Dickcissel sat in the Trumpet Creeper for a few minutes this morning, calling softly.

The brief video below has her calling a few times before flying out of the yard, heading south. I'm hoping she makes several return trips to the yard.

Falcon, Terns & Bugs - August 16, 2011

Some time at Sandy Point State Park in Ipswich this past Sunday found this Peregrine Falcon zipping around the point on several occasions. I reported the band data and learned that it had fledged from a building in Cambridge, MA earlier this summer.

The Least Terns appear to be weathering all of the recent rains with several recently hatched chicks stretching their wings as they wait for the next meal to arrive.

This youngster just wanted to finish its nap.

While these two were hoping for lunch to be served.

Nothing like Mom's body warmth to keep the youngsters cozy and warm.

Wait... I want to get back in!

A bit of time around the yard found several cooperative subjects for the macro lens,

This Jumping Spider held still just long enough to get all of its eyes in focus.

The Ruby Meadowhawk Dragonflys were a bit easier to approach as they waited for their next meal to fly by.

My, my Grandma..... what big eyes you have...:)

This one found a snack and it appears to be a mosquito(?)

Least Terns - Sandy Point - Ipswich, MA - August 08, 2011

Sandy Point, at the southern tip of Plum Island, is still playing host to many Least Terns at this "getting to be late" point in the breeding season with many either on eggs or brooding recently hatched young as seen below.

A brief video shows a couple of nests and their contents.

Here's a youngster much further along as it eyes the guy with the camera and decides I'm not a threat after all.

A female(?) still on eggs.

and a few shots of the adult with the chicks and a chick alongside it's sibling that's still in the egg.

Hummingbirds in the Rain - August 07, 2011

A bit of rainy day macro photography with the Hummingbirds just outside the kitchen window as the subjects.  With the rain gauge measuring 1.47" of rain today it's a wonder these birds aren't soaked through.

You can see some of the rain bouncing off this males head.

 and a white fly hitching a ride on his bill in this shot.

 The lone female that came by today didn't seem to wet for all the rain that had just stopped coming down.

and a bit of a wing shot as she drinks and runs....