Duck, Duck, Goose

I went to Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick last weekend to see the Grebe that had been there all week, but I never saw him. I saw lovely mallards by the dozen, however.


The sheen of a male mallard's head is gorgeous in the sunlight. The sun speckled water was pretty, as well.


Late fall colors are far different than the riotous hues of peak foliage season, but the muted colors are lovely in their own right.


There were mallards all over the place. All the vegetation at Broadmoor provides great cover for water birds; even male mallards are hard to see. If there was any other species of duck around, I didn't see any sign of them.


One the other hand, who could complain about seeing too many mallards? They are beautiful, after all!


Canadian Geese are lovely in their own right, too. Even lovelier if they are perfectly reflected in sun dappled water, like this one.

Underwater Attack at Broadmoor

This image was taken at Broadmoor in Natick minutes before a terrible fracas began, yet the goose looks wary and alarmed, as if he knows trouble is coming. Maybe he sensed some sort of danger, or maybe he saw or heard something I didn't notice.


A very loud chorus of honks drew my attention, and I saw what looked like a torpedo heading for a pair of agitated geese. The underwater projectile was moving fast and headed straight for one goose, who panicked and tried to escape.


In his panic, the goose squawked and stumbled across the water with something in the water following at high speed.  I was trying to convince myself there were no crocodiles or alligators in Natick, even though that's what I seemed to be seeing.


By then a small crowd had gathered. I was still taking pictures of the goose, but most people were watching the wake of the still invisible assassin. Whatever it was traveled at lightening speed, and sometimes skipped along the surface like a skimming stone.


The goose finally managed to get airborne.


He was still honking at the top of his lungs as he flew.


His mate was right behind him, making quite a ruckus herself. I didn't look to see the predator until the birds were safely in the air. (I am as curious as the next person, but I also have a thing for taking pics of birds in flight.)


It turned out that the "attacker" was a pair of cavorting otters! The otters were playing - and they played a great trick. They went right underneath the goose - and I think they goosed him! The otters were adorable and agile.


I only got one blurry picture of a sleek little otter's head breaking the surface of the water, but you can clearly see that it is an otter and not a beaver or muskrat. What a show they put on for us!

Happy Thanksgiving!

These Wild Turkeys visited us last fall, only a few months after we moved in. They were one of our first encounters with The Nature of Framingham. I may have posted their pictures previously, but I find the images delightful and very appropriate for Thanksgiving day.


Today, I'm very thankful that I can look out my dining room window and see a face like this one - even if it happens only once in a great while. What marvelous creatures share this corner of the world with us!


Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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!

Woodpeckers at the Sudbury River

Saturday I went to the Tennis club on Edgell Road around 9:00 AM. There was NO ONE THERE! That has never happened before - even at dawn! I snapped a picture of a Downy Woodpecker who seems VERY INTENT on his work based on his facial expression!


How do you like the look on his face? In a human it might be interpreted as anger. Frustration? Annoyance? Or just intensity?


This is a female Downy Woodpecker. Females lack the red patch at the nape.


Males have a red nape patch. Male Hairy Woodpeckers also have the red nape, but they are larger and have bigger bills.


I also saw Red-bellied Woodpeckers on the river bank. I believed this was a female Red-bellied woodpecker, based on the lack of red on the forehead.


This is a bad photo, but the lack of a red forehead is much more noticeable here. Definitely a female.

The Many Shapes of Great Blue Herons

I love how Great Blue Herons can assume so many different shapes.


The S-curve is my very favorite.


This is a modified, angular S-curve


With his necked fully tucked, you would never know just how long this bird can get!


Sometimes, a heron can look more like an Ostrich!


And at times, Great Blue Herons actually appear more red than blue!


This heron fished from inside a boat - and caught a little something!
He looks pretty happy to me.


Most of the time, I get lousy shots of Great Blue Herons. This picture was taken the day after I went to Charles's pond.


These last two were taken from the woods near Salem End Road bridge in Framingham. In the old days, I would have been happy just to see a GBH.


This was taken last week at Amputee Veterans Park on Lake Cochituate. The Great Blue Heron and a family of Mallards took off as I approached.


This was the best I could get today, at the same location. In my defense, I have had little time for birding or photography this month. But I will keep searching for Great Blues whenever I can!

Autumn Colors in Framingham

The day after my exciting encounter with Charles's Great Blue Heron, I didn't get a single decent image in the morning. When I went to Farm Pond in the afternoon, I had a little better luck shooting pictures of gulls. I was still a little disappointed, though, because I was light-years away from taking spectacular photos like I had the day before. On the other hand it was a beautiful day, especially with the water sparkling and shimmering in every direction. These images illustrate the beautiful nature of Framingham on a late autumn day.


Late autumn colors reflected in the lily-pads at Farm Pond.


The bright yellow leaves shine like gold in the afternoon sun.


A Monet interpretation of Farm Pond in Framingham, Massachusetts.


This office building was once a factory. The golden light makes it appear magical.


Even the commuter rail looks gorgeous when reflected in the lake!


Only a couple trees are hanging onto their leaves. It was almost 70 degrees last Sunday, but winter is really only a heartbeat away!