My View of Life on the Dock
Everywhere my walk took me this morning, the color blue dominated–ceruleanĀ sky and ultramarineĀ sea, wedgwood house trim paint, marine blue-green of every hue,Ā even the turkey encountered had a face in shades of lapis lazuli!
Ten Pound Island
Eastern Wild Turkey
Female Red-breasted Merganser (left), Male Red-breasted MerganserĀ (right)
Gloucester Harbor panoroama
From an early morningĀ stop at the bottom of my hill, with a view towards the Harbor and City Hall (as well asĀ a feisty Common Loon), to the creatures abounding along the shore,Ā it was a gorgeous winter morning, and all set against a widelyĀ striped and deeply-hued winter sky backdrop.
Common Loon at the pier, swimming very close to where I was standing and seemingly equally as curious about me as I was about it.Ā
Gloucester FV Connemara Bay
Male (left) and Female Red-breasted Mergansers foraging atĀ the Harbor
The Lollygaggers
Flock of American Black Ducks
Orchestra of earth tones for a well-camouflaged female Mallard Duck
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOkW5ydDEAg/
Hello winter friends! As the herons, egrets, and plovers have departed for parts warmer, Cape Ann welcomes mergansers, buffleheads, grebes, and so many more.Ā OvercastĀ morning walk along the shores of Niles Pond –
Male and Female Red-breasted Mergansers
Juvenile Pied-billed Grebe
Male Buffleheads and Female Red-breasted Merganser
Brace Rock
The back shore was abuzz this weekend with bird sightings of severalĀ interesting species including Redheads, Black-headed Gull, Glaucous Gull, and Arctic Gull. With their round cinnamon-coloredĀ heads, this dynamic duo of male Redheads were particularlyĀ beautiful in the late afternoon light. Redheads are diving ducksĀ and as you can see in the photos, theyĀ are feasting onĀ the vegetation found along our currently unfrozen shores.
Red-breasted Mergansers withĀ Redhead in the background
Male and Female Gadwalls
Aren’t we blessed this year with El Nino’s warmth. I wonder what travelers are yet toĀ come our way this winter. Happy February-thaw!
Redhead range
Not really, although it is wonderful to see a flock of so many. Red-breasted Mergansers are a diving duck found readily on our shores.Ā They are funny to watch as they seem to get into spatsĀ and chase each other around.Ā I read that a group can sometimes appear to be cooperatively hunting. They will line up and drive schools of small fish into shallow water and scoopĀ the fish up without having to dive, which seems preciselyĀ what they were doing when I took these photos.
Red-breasted Mergansers on a sunnier day
Feeding amongstĀ the mergansers,Ā a pair of Horned Grebes, a Common Loon, and a Common Goldeneye can all be seen, although both these “commoners” don’t seem at all common to me.
SEE PHOTOS OF COMMON GOLDENEYE, HORNED GREBE, AND COMMON LOON HERE
Continue reading “INVASION OF THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS!”
Photos from around Eastern PointĀ early morning walks. Happy EarthĀ Day!
Two MaleĀ Red-Breasted Mergansers Sunning on aĀ Rock
Black-crowned Night Heron ~ One of aĀ nesting pair possibly?
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Male Red-winged Blackbird Love Song (turn up your volume)
SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE
The other half of night heronsĀ often spotted near each other
Needle in a Haystack! ~ Looking for Black-crowned Night Herons
Brown-headed Cowbirds
Northern Rough-winged Swallows (I think)
Good Morning Gloucester 