Finally, a great Snowy photo!

I drove to Duxbury beach, in bright sunshine, 45 degrees, and had a remarkable morning.  I finally got a Snowy Owl shot that I can be proud of, and the morning included other good shots as well.  Here we go.


Almost immediately after crossing the bridge and turning down South on the beach, here was the Surf Scoter, almost in
Spring garb. 

And a bit later, the White-winged Scoter.  We've had all three Scoters out here
(Including the Black Scoter)

I drove all the way down to Saquish, and saw one Snowy on a pole about a mile away, took one photo, and headed back.
Passing the bridge and heading up the Marshfield side, here was another Snowy on a piling 50 yards from the road!
I took several shots, and then he flew perhaps 100 yards away to another pole out on the beach.

I parked, walked out on the beach, and approached him again.  He peeped once, but refused to move!
I approached to perhaps 40 yards away.  This the way he appeared  in my camera view, no cropping or enlarging.

This is, of course, a crop.

This is as close as I got.

He would have stayed, but a dog raced by behind me, and he took off. 
I was literally too close to photograph his flight.

To close off the day, I walked into the Duxbury Conservation land, just East or Rt. 3, off of Rt. 14,
having never walked there.  I suddenly was aware of a Great Blue Heron, standing still in the
grass about 40 yards away.

I brought my camera up as slow as possible, but that was enough, he
lumbered into the sky, one of the most spectacular lift-offs I know.

I think perhaps he is an immature bird, his color is pretty pale and
indefinite, although that may just be his winter plumage.
What a great morning of birding!

Westerly, R.I. birding

I spent Thursday through Sunday in Westerly, R.I. playing with the Westerly Chorus in their 12th Night concerts.  Bitterly cold on Thursday and Friday, snow, then heavy rain and warmer on Sat, and then really warm and sunny on Sun.  Only in N.E.
Despite the weather, I got in some good birding, including my first Bald Eagle of the year. Here are the results.

This is Jackson and Oliver at Pratt's farm last week.  About 14" of snow.

I think this is an immature Broad-Wing

Duxbury Beach last week, wind chill at about 0 degrees,

Thursday afternoon at Ninigret Wildlife Sanctuary, in Charleston, R.I.

I had the place totally to myself

Snow Buntings at the Coast Guard Lighthouse, Watch Hill
Friday AM

A flock of perhaps 40, never very still

Just North of Rt. 95, on Rt. 117, my first Bald Eagle.
(about a mile away)
Saturday AM, in the rain

This is a fishing trawler at Stonington, Conn
.

A loon right in the dock, Stonington

R-B Merganser, (f)

R-B Merganser, (m)

Harbor Seal, Stonington Harbor

At Misquamicut Beach, another Snowy!
Sunday AM

Peabody-Essex Museum visit

This morning Susan and I met my sister Barbara and her husband Bill at the Peabody-Essex Museum, principally to see the "Impressionists on the Water" which was small, but a lot of fun.  I sneaked one photo (not allowed) of my favorite painting in the exhibit by an artist I was unfamiliar with, Eugene Isabey, whose harbor scene was breath-taking.  I also visited the modern Japanese fashion exhibit, which was startling, and of course the maritime arts wing, which I have always loved. Here are some photos from the visit.

The architecture of the PEM is still striking.  It is a space you want to spend time in.

Here is the Isabey work, which showed such attention to detail.  His water technique was second to none.

Susan, either meditating, or watching many of the youngsters running around the lunch area.

Contemporary furniture, new to the museum (?)

This was titled "A chair for an important small person"

I expected more models in the main exhibit, but was disappointed. But there is no lack of
great ship models.  This was made by French prisoner, all of ivory.

I regret not writing down the artist, this is such a striking and vivid painting, titled something like
"the new ways arrive" as the fisherman gaze at the steam dragger.  The water looks as if it would wet your finger if you touched the painting.

The detail, the detail!

This was, I believe, new.  The modeler has shown a grounded freighter
being broken up by the salvagers.  This is totally different from the usual
theme of a model showing the ship in perfect condition.

Truly remarkable modeling skills.

Hercules arrives, feeder thrives

Sitting in my back room watching the feeders after Hercules arrives and dumps about 14" on Middleboro. So the feeders get lots of attention, including Red-wing Blackbirds, a rarity.   All these photos were taken in about a 30' period this morning. 
Bird count for 2014:Common Loon, Double-breasted Cormorant, Mute Swan, Brant, Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Eider, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-tailed Hawk, Wild Turkey, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Northern Cardinal, Rufous-sided Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch (27 species)

The Goldfinch, fighting for a perch on the sunflower hearts.

A flock of 12 or so Red-wing Blackbirds, not something I see very often
in the yard.  And especially in January.

Dark-eyed Junco and Cardinal discussing their "space"

We've had as many as 15 in the yard at once.

A single Starling claims the suet.

But not for long, the Red-bellied doesn't hesitate to drive him off.

One of my grandchild Oliver's favorite

A young Chipping (?) Sparrow.

Pratt Farm 2 The beginning of the "Hercules" storm

Frigid cold, wind chill factor of 10 or so, just too cold to stay out long.  I walked to the Stony Brook Pond dam, and back, very uncomfortable.  Compare the first two shots of this trip with the first two of the last blog.  And, for the fun of it, a picture of Matt and Scott when Matt came to visit with us in July of l986.

About 3 inches so far, more on the way tonight,
possible 12-14 inches.

I had the entire farm to myself, for some reason.

Stoney Brook Pond

Scott and Matthew