Migration is under way

At Winthrop Beach; both Semipalmated Plover and Sandpipers have begun to surface in small numbers, flocks of 20 -50 birds. Plum Island is holding around 2,500 birds in the Bill Forward area. Large numbers of both Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitchers which is beat to see. Also on Winthrop our last late group of PIPL have hatched. As of today only  one chick left sadly.

                                                          Semipalmated sandpiper

                                                           Semipalmated Plover

Cercropia Moth Caterpillar, I have a tank of these guys and they are HUGE...worried they are going to eat me sometime very soon.

Skimmers Winthrop Beach

A nice surprise today after Skimmer's on Sandy Point...more Skimmer's in Winthrop !!! Despite the rain I spent the day with these awesome birds. Also various peep's are starting to trickle in today Winthrop had; Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, and Least Sandpipers.

                               One of the final 3 PIPL chicks at Winthrop about to fledge soon .

                                                                  Least Tern area

                                                                Bonaparte's Gull

                                 Herring Gull, not a gull guy...but this fellow was quite hansome

            Ok...not Winthrop but this is "Tiny Tim" our last chick at Revere...and we love him dearly.

Misty Morning

Missed most of the birds I struck out to find, however the mist provided some cool early a.m. shots.
                                       

                                         
                                      
                                                                     Great Egrets

                                                                      Common Tern

Later in the day Casey & I did manage to catch up with the Skimmers on Sandy Point.          

                           Peeps flying by the Skimmer's. About 500 birds, looked like semi-palmated Sandpipers,  fall migration is underway.

Little Neck from Sandy Point 

Catching up

I've been working so much I haven't had time to process the hundreds of pictures I have taken lately. But some really amazing birds seen daily at my amazing job.

                                                        Male Bobolink - PRNWR

                                                      Breeding AMOY - Winthrop

                                                                   Oystercatcher

                                                       Oystercatcher chick

                                                            Adult Piping Plover

                                                         Piping Plover chick

                            Jack Daniels and Plover's, everyone like a cocktail once in a while.

 Due to the proximity of the birds on a small beach, you see amazing things like 12 Plovers next to each others.

                                                   Young Plover about to fledge.

                                                                    Least Tern

                                           Breeding behavior Least Terns at Winthrop

                                                                     Tern chick

        Great Horned Owlet's found by me and Steph on a owl search on Lovells Island. Steph let me come out and help with the Terns and try to locate an owl. We found a pile of owls, who will likely need to be relocated as to not disrupt the fragile Tern colony.

American Oystercatchers & fallout

Started Working for DCR as the Piping Plover Ranger, which is awesome. Today I had a visit from 2  American Oystercatcher's on Winthrop Beach, one tagged bird. ( Yellow Tags, # 2)

I nice push of Warblers through the Reserve, I had 16 species in less than an hour including highlights; Wilson's, Prairie, & Blackburnian. I Did not take many pictures, but I got a nice shot of this ComonYellow-throat.

Kingbirds, Towhee's , and Red Breasted Grosbeaks have resumed their breeding haunts. 

                                                                 Eastern  Kingdbird

Least Tern's arrived in numbers in the past two days, over 40 birds in the morning along Winthrop beach.

Early Warblers & Piping Plovers

Lots of these guys around right now. Also a good amount of Pine Warblers and Yellow-rumped.

Palm Warbler 

                                                                         Pine Warbler

                                                         Pair on nest at Sandy Point

Spring time

Lots of migrants arriving. The woods are full of Hermit Thrush, Golden Crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, and Flickers. From what I can tell there are still 6+ Snowy Owls around on the Island. One bird is definitively them same bird that has been on the causeway all winter. The others possible birds moving though on their way back to the arctic.

                                                                        H. Thrush

                                                                    Male Harrier

                                                           Beautiful Male Snowy

The meeting of spring and winter, Redwing Blackbird and Snowy Owl.

A Red Fox den at the Salisbury Reserve has received quite a bit of attention. I stopped by to see the Kits who were adorable. On my second visits to the den I found it mobbed by photographers. I went to the marsh side to view an owl I noticed, there I  found one of the fox adults trying to figure out how to reach the den through the crowd to bring in some prey. Personally I don't think I will go to the den again, clearly a lot of stress on the parents.