Glorious Great Blue!

I shot this in a very residential neighborhood about one half mile from route 128. (Thank you, Kellie.) In addition to the GBH flying right over my head, I saw a Turkey Vulture and two Red-tailed hawks within 20 minutes.


I was looking for a leucistic robin, which I missed by seconds on two occasions. I did see some other cute robins, though.


Who could resist this guy?


Not a great shot, but the bird was magnificent!

Wet Birds

These birds are still handsome when wet! I think this American Robin is gorgeous!


A drowned looking house sparrow soaked too the bone.


All the birds look miserable in the drenching rain.


The Blue Jay is wilted from the rain. Of course, I was warm and dry inside the house!

This red, red robin is in no mood for bobbin' along.

Spring has finally arrived!

Spring really has Sprung, now!


These crocuses are for Karen, whose bulbs were all eaten by bunnies last year.


More croci from the front yard.


A Robin for my Aunt Ceel, who saw one two weeks or so ago,

Birds from Bourne

We visited the Four Ponds Conservation Area in Pocasset when we were on vacation, and we found it to be a beautiful place with a variety of habitats and lots of trails to explore. This particular pond was graced with some lovely Mute Swans.


A winsome looking Downy Woodpecker made an appearance.


Our much beloved state bird of Massachusetts, the Black-capped Chickadee, was well represented in the woods.


It seems as if everywhere you go on Cape Cod the woods are full of crying Catbirds, and this area was no exception.


I was very pleased to get a recognizable picture of a juvenile American Robin. You could say I've been waiting a whole year for this image! I saw one of these last year and suspected it was a young robin, but I couldn't be sure. This year I got a very good look.

Birding and Breakfast at Broadmoor!

I hope that every mother had a Happy Mother’s Day, and I hope that every child enjoyed celebrating Mother’s day! I had a picture-perfect Mother’s day celebration myself, and even got pictures of brand new baby ducklings with their mother.  My family took me to “Birding and Breakfast” at Broadmoor again, and this year was even better than before!

Seeing baby ducklings was a plus, but it was hardly the only  highlight of the day.  We saw Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Robins building a nest, Baltimore Orioles, Eastern Towhees, a Blue- winged Warbler, a mockingbird, a glorious Red-breasted Grosbeak in full song, a dozen red-winged blackbirds, a brown headed cowbird, a Flicker in the treetops, a Great-crested Flycatcher, and an Eastern Phoebe.  All that in addition to the big flock of ring-billed gulls (a rarity at that site), the nesting Canada Geese, and the most beautiful assortment of Painted turtles you’ll ever see.

After birding was breakfast of homemade pancakes and homemade syrup.  Yum.  Then I guilted my husband into buying me a Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas for a Mother’s day gift.  And when we arrived at home I received yet another mother’s day gift!  My lovely daughter had three gorgeous summer tops all wrapped in pretty paper and ribbons waiting for me!

I had a perfect day, despite the trauma and anxiety of the past two weeks.  A big thank you to my husband and kids, and a sincere wish that everyone else ended the day feeling wonderful, too.

Ice Sculptures in the Sudbury River

My last trip to the river (before the flu knocked me on my ass)was disappointing in that there were no birds or animals to be seen from my location. The patterns in the ice were lovely, though.


In many places, there were layers of ice floating above the water.


The reflections of trees and ice across the river were quite nice, too. Everything looks beautiful when you're alone in the woods, doesn't it?


This little Robin hidden in the brush was the only bird or animal I glimsed all day!

Robins at the River

I was lucky to catch a flock of American Robins at the Sudbury River last Saturday. In the spring and summer months you see one or two at a time, but at this time of year they gather in large groups. I think this is a great picture because it captures the "essence" of an American Robin. You can clearly see the broken white eye ring, the striped throat, and the ruddy red breast.


Most of the Robins were eating from what I think is some type of cherry tree. I recently noticed the same tree at my mothers house, but not a soul is eating those berries yet.


A good view of the black striped throats shared by both sexes.


Unlike the flock of robins I saw at my house last December, these birds looked well fed and healthy.


I got a series of shots of this vibrant individual.


Here he is vocalizing. He may have been warning me off, but I don't think he was.


A very handsome fellow!


This typical robin's pose makes the bird appear cheerful and alert. Even their call is a happy one; it is usually described as sounding like "cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up."


I think this particular bird is a female. The female American Robin has the same coloring as the male, but is slightly duller overall.


The head of a female robin is more gray than black.


Robins are abundant, but that doesn't make them common. Seen up close and personal, their striking features add up to a very beautiful bird!

Earth Day in my Backyard

This doesn't even look like a brown headed cowbird, but it is! These two are a first sighting for me. Too bad the pics are so bad!

Kissing Cowbirds!


I didn't know the males were so different from the females of this species.


Next is one of our cute little Red Squirrels:


This is not a good representation of him, but I do love my Blue Jays.


Although I have far too many cardinal images, I'm still showing more of them. This one's hiding from the Mockingbird in the thornbushes:




I like this one - too bad I chopped his head off!


Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal in the Cedar tree:




Can anyone identify this mystery bird? I was shooting for a hawk on a limb above him, and only saw him after I took the picture.


Maybe a size comparison with the hawk will help.


Actually, I'm not sure about the hawk, either. I think it is a Broad Winged Hawk, because I saw it flying and it's very small and thick. But maybe not!


This is a picture I took of a poor broken bird last fall. His face has been halfway eaten away, and I thought he was doomed.


But he survived!!! He is just fine! I saw him this winter and again in early spring. Pretty good, huh?

Finally, my flock of winter robins:



Aren't they cool? They stayed until mid-January or later.


And a little titmouse puffed up against the cold: