Here are a few recent pictures from a few birding mornings. Between Easter and other grandchild obligations, I havn't been on the computer, plus it was at the Geek Squad for a week.  The official sightings for the April 5 Friday morning South Shore Audubon bird walk were:  Canada Goose, Brant, Mute Swan, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler (a rarity), Green-winged Teal, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Common Eider, Harlequin Duck (first for the year), Surf, White-winged and Black Scoters, Long-tailed Duck (first for the year), Bufflehead, Common Goldendeye, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Coot, Black-bellied Plover, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Wilson't Snipe, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Tree Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Robin, Starling, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Junco, Cardinal, ERd-winged Balckbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, House Sparrow.  61 species.

Female Redtail, Plum Island

Red-tail, Rt. 44, Middleblro

One of my favorite signs of Spring

Mallards, Daniel Webster Farm

Wood Duck, Daniel Webster Farm

and his mate

White-breasted Nuthatch, Daniel Webster Farm

Reb-throated Loon, Duxbury Bay

Tufted Titmouse, Daniel Webster Farm

Wilson's Snipe, Daniel Webster Farm

Female Red-breasted Merganser, Cape Cod Canal

Blue-winged Teal, Daniel Webster Farm

White-throated Sparrow, Pratt Farm, Middleboro



Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Sagamore St. Park

Red-breasted Merganser, Cape Cod Canal

Harbour Seals, Manomet Bluffs

Northern Shoveler, Daniel Webster Farm

Red-tailed Hawk on the way to Sagamore

On the Canal, Common Loon

And here he is, as beautiful as on Friday.

Imagine finding him is all of this!

First shot from a distance

From about 50 yards away. 

This morning I drove back down to the Cape Cod Canal to see if I could find the King Eider again, and aftern about 20 minutes of examining about 2000 common Eiders, found him, and he swam over closer to where I was, giving me the poses you see.  I also had heard of a Yellow-crowned Night Heron in the area, and found him on the little canal that runs under the road immediately after the circle going into Sagamore Park.  I took him from quite a distance, but drove back down to the circl, got our of the car, and walked to the eastern side of the canal, and there he was, evidently asleep.

Wilson's Snipe, Daniel Webster Farm, Marshfield

Frigid birding day, but exciting because of this wonderfull little guy.  He was on the edgo of the pond near the blind, at Daniel Webster Farm, about 8;30AM during the short period of sun, and at first was in the reeds, but then wandered out.  The last photo was of him a split second before flying off. The first one I've seen in MA.

For the first time in quite a while, I joined the Friday Birders led by David Ludlow, and I think I will try to chronicle what we see, assuming I can do a significant amount of trips this year.  We saw the usual suspects, including Canada Goose, Brant, Mute Swan, Wood Duck, Gadwall, Black Duck, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Common Eider, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Great Cormorant, Turkey Vulture, Killdeer, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Robin, Starling, Brown-headed Cowbird, Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Junco, Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Grackle, House Finch, Goldfinch, and as we came back to base, had a Bluebird. 47 species, not too bad for a really cold walk. Good selection of ducks. Few photo ops.

Phoebe, Harris Neck, Ga

Wood Stork, Harris Neck, Ga

Hooded Mergansers, Blue Heron Inn, Darien Ga



Brown Pelican, St. Marks

Blue-winged Teal, St. Marks Preserve, Fla

Wilson's Snipe, St. Marks Preserve, Fla

Brown-headed Nuthatch,  St. Marks Preserve, Fla

White Ibis, Crawfordville, Fla

Tri-coloured Heron, Harris Neck, Ga

White-eyed Vireo, Jekyl Isl. Ga

Early morn, Blue Heron Enn, Darien, Ga

Blue-headed Vireo, Crawfordville, Fla

Bobcat (!!!) St. Mark's Preserve, Fla

Sunrise, Blue Heron Inn, Darien, Ga

Alligator, Harris Neck, Ga (about 6 feet worth)




Bald Eagle, Jekyl Isl. Ga. What an experience I had in Ga and Fla, just birdwatching and photographing to my hear't content.  Thanks to the wonderful hosting of Jan and Bill Chamberlain, owners of the Blue Heron Inn, in Darien, Ga (and enormously helpful in my birding), and then my cousin Jenny and her husband Johnny Bryant of Tallahassee and Crawfordville, Fla., and fifteen minutes away from St. Mark's, one of the premier birding sights in the U.S.