Bird-a-thon Birds!

A collection of our Bird-a-thon photos.  Here's a Piping Plover.  We saw a million of them during Bird-a-thon!

My favorite shorebird; an American Oystercatcher!

A gorgeous Common Tern.

A Tree Sparrow at Sandy Neck in Sandwich.

A Least Tern at Sandy Neck beach.

Terns in Love

We definitely saw a lot of courtship and even mating behavior among the terns and gulls at Plymouth Beach last month.

It was fellow blogger Hilke Breder, the brilliant author of One Jackdaw Birding, who noticed the courtship behavior displayed in this photo when I first posted it a few weeks ago.

There is evidently quite a bit of ritualized behavior involved in the courtship of Common Terns.

Along with head tossing, loud calls, and very dignified dancing, there was also what we would consider more romantic behavior. The males often bring a gift of food to their potential mate, for instance.

At first, I thought this 'piggyback' behavior was nothing more than a game. There is no potential for consummation of a sexual act in this position, after all!

But this how sex starts for terns and for other species such as Laughing Gulls. After a little twisting and 'terning', the female will probably walk away with a fertilized egg!

Unusual Terns and Common Terns in Flight

Is there anything more beautiful than a tern in flight? Not to me there isn't! Here is a gorgeous Roseate Tern in flight.


I also think the more unusual a tern is, the better I like it. Very shallow, I know! This is an Arctic Tern. Arctic Terns have the distinction of the longest migration of any birds on earth!


This tern is common around here, but its certainly not a Common Tern everywhere!


Another shot of the lovely Roseate Tern in mid air.

Best artistic (sort of) shots from Plymouth

The famous Tern Rock. (see pics from Bird-a-thon 2010!)


Lining up for a bite?


These two Common Terns look as though they are having a tea party!


Gull and tern in flight.


At the beginning and at the end of the day, we were serenaded by the melodious song of a sparrow.

IT ISN'T TOO LATE TO DONATE!

A Sampling from Bird-a-thon 2011 at Plymouth Beach

IT ISN'T TOO LATE TO DONATE!

A beautiful Common Tern battling the breezes.


Three Laughing Gulls that look like they are singing in harmony!


A tiny little Bonaparte's Gull. Named after tiny little Napolean Bonaparte.


One of my very favorite Shorebirds: the Dunlin!


The first sighting of an Arctic Tern in 2011!

Back to the Beach!

We'll see gulls galore at Plymouth Beach on Saturday.

We won't see a beautiful blue sky, though. If it's too cloudy, we won't good pictures - and if it rains, we are in deep trouble!

It was during last year's birdathon that I saw my first Brant. They are sea-going geese, and very cool.

I am DETERMINED to find Caspian Terns again. Can you see them hiding among the gulls?

Thank you  SO MUCH to Karen and Bob, Cheryl and Gene, and Linda and Rob!  If you can believe it, all of Tom's sisters have made very generous donations to our Birthathon for Broadmoor team! Sincere thanks to my St. Barts buddy, Maryann, also.

Thank you for donating to Mass Audubon!

Bird-a-thon 2011

Willet

These are some of the pictures that Pete, Tom, and I took during Birdathon last year.

Piping Plover

Birdathon is a 24 hour race to find as many bird species as possible in Massachusetts. It a big fundraiser for Mass Audubon, but it's also a way to get detailed "state of the birds" data and migration data.

Roseate and Common Terns

Birdathon is also a crazed competition between Mass Audubon sanctuaries. Different teams spread out throughout the state - climbing mountains and wading through swamps - just to find that one rare species that might win the day for their team.

Yellow Warbler

Last year we met up with my cousin Catie in Bridgewater on Friday night. (Catie's BirdingGirl blog inspired me to start blogging two years ago!)

Marbled Godwit

We were up at dawn to try our luck at Plymouth Airport, then Tom, Pete, and I walked all the way out to the very tip of the peninsula at Plymouth Beach and all the way back in.

Canada Goslings

Then Pete dragged us to the Daniel Webster sanctuary to add even more birds to the list!

Laughing Gull

Despite the endless and very tiring walk, Plymouth Beach was a blast - and a birder's delight.

Common Tern

Pete can't be here for Birdathon this year. He started a new job as a Forest Ranger in Oregon yesterday. I still haven't adjusted to not having him around, and I miss him terribly.

Common Tern

Between not having Pete to ID birds and my residual pain and vision problems from breathing in metal dust and glue fumes last winter, I was planning to skip Birdathon this year.

Semipalmated Plover

But at the very last minute I changed my mind! I might not do as well without Pete, but with Tom at my side I'm going to try. I'll probably embarrass myself - but at least it's for a good cause!

Of course, I'm really desperate for donations now because Birdathon is only two days away. If you can spare a few dollars to save The Nature of Massachusetts, I'd be eternally grateful!