2009-01-06
Odd female Common Eider - partial Leucistic
Jan 6, 2008 Duxbury Beach - bayside. This solo female Common Eider shows a white stripe up the back of the neck and no other white on the body. Try to find this one in the field guides!
Odd female Common Eider - partial Leucistic
Jan 6, 2008 Duxbury Beach - bayside. This solo female Common Eider shows a white stripe up the back of the neck and no other white on the body. view facing left
Odd female Common Eider - partial Leucistic
Jan 6, 2008 Duxbury Beach - bayside. This solo female Common Eider shows a white stripe up the back of the neck and no other white on the body. view facing right
2008-11-29 Snowy, Short-ear, Coopers
11-29-2008 on tall post in s. High Pines Marsh
11-29-2008 on High Pines post
11-29-2008 Short-eared Owl
Side view flying over Gurnet marsh, Duxbury Beach, MA
11-29-2008 Short-eared Owl
Closeup Hunting in Gurnet marsh, Duxbury Beach,MA
11-29-2008 Short-eared Owl
Facing shot of bird flying over Gurnet marsh, Duxbury Beach, MA
11-29-2008 Short-eared owl
Side view - in flight over Gurnet marsh, Duxbury, MA
11-29-2008 Short-eared Owl
Flying high over upper Gurnet marsh, Duxbury, MA
11-29-2008 Short-eared Owl
Flying over Gurnet marsh with Duxbury Bay in background
11-29-2008 Cooper's Hawk - juvenile
Perched on a tree swallow house north of the 2nd crossover on Duxbury Beach, MA
2008-11-19 Snowy Owl
In Gurnet marsh 11-19-2008
081119-0 long shot_3159.jpg 2008-11-19
Portrait 11-19-2008
Markings suggest either adult female or immature bird. Note ear tufts.
White nape suggest imm. male 11-19-2008
081119-3 Nape in Marsh_3164.jpg 2008-11-19
Different light
In this light the markings don't seem so dark and the bib is good sized. Both are supposed to favor imm. male.
Flight shot - Note amt of curve in wings!
081119-4 Flying bowed wings_3158.jpg 2008-11-19
2008-11-12 w/Harlequin
Ruddy Turnstone - basic plumage adult
Three well-fed birds in wrack on bay side of Duxbury Beach, MA (Nov. 12, 2008)
Red-throated Loon- Non-breeding adult
Taken from Powder Point Bridge, Duxbury, MA (Nov. 12, 2008)
Harlequin Duck - female
Bird was only about 20 yards offshore on the ocean side about 50 yards south of the path from the Gurnet Guard Shack on Duxbury Beach (approx 3.4 miles south of Powder Point Bridge). taken Nov. 12, 2008
Harlequin female moving right
info on slide 3
Harlequin female - full view of right face
info on slide 3
Harlequin female facing head on
info on slide 3. This view shows that the white facial markings aren't perfectly symmetrical. Without a hint this would really give me pause in an identification quiz!
2008-11-09 Juv. Dunlin - unusual plumage for Mass.
11-09-2008 Juv. plumage Dunlin on Duxbury Beach
The subject bird is in the center - next slide is a blow-up of this one.
Location: bay's edge of Duxbury Beach (MA) north of Powder Point Bridge about 2/3 way to public Bathhouse.
11-09-2008 Juv Dunlin molting
Shows dark cap, distinctly light supercilium, buffy face and throat and heavy streaking on chest (which doesn't seem to go as far down as it does in pictures of juveniles in the books).
At first the streaking had me thinking White-rumped (which is what I was looking for), but when it flew there was no white rump and the wing pattern matched the Dunlin that it was feeding with so took these pix to help me figure out what sort of Dunlin I was looking at.
11-09-2008 Juv Dunlin molting - late date
This additional shot includes another bird that does not show the dark chest streaking nor as strong a supercilium nor "capped" look.
2008-11-01 Shorebirds
Mixed flock - long view 2740.jpg
Mixed flock (about 1/4 of it) - long view from Third Crossover
Sanderling juveniles 2768.jpg
Cluster of Sanderling juveniles in the flock
Dunlin - nonbreeding 2746.jpg
Dunlin in flock - in nonbreeding plumage
Dunlin in air 2752.jpg
Dunlin in air - note reddish feathers still present on back
Mixed flock - mostly Dunlin 2746.jpg
Mixed flock - note glimpse of orange in center
Purple Sandpiper in flock 2747.jpg
Purple Sandpiper (center) in flock
Purple Sandpiper 1-w 2766.jpg
Purple Sandpiper - according to The Shorebird Guide (p 174) the white edges to the coverts make it a first winter bird
Purple 1-w 2763.jpg
Purple Sandpiper 1st winter - another view
Semipalmated Plover- juv 2737.jpg
Semipalmated Plovers - juveniles by bayside wrack
Ruddy Turnstones in wrack 2783.jpg
12 Ruddy Turnstones in wrack on bayside opposite Third Crossover
High Pines 2008-09-10
080910 Lark Sparrow - cropped.jpg
080910 Lark Sparrow - cropped.jpg 2008-09-10
080910 Lark Sparrow -cropped B.jpg
080910 Lark Sparrow -cropped B.jpg 2008-09-10
09-10-2008 Front view of confusing wabler
Consensus is that head color is a distraction - the black breast striping (heaviness and location) make it a Prairie.
09-10-2008 Mystery Warbler - a Prairie
This one shows the upper back and some point out hint of striping - also a mark for Prairie.
09-10-2008 Playing peek-a-boo
This shows the eye markings and gray head that had me confused.
09-10-2008 Prairie - undertail view
Undertail pattern - as shown in Peterson's book Warblers - Plate 31, page 105 - appears to be a distinguishing characteristic - yellow gradually fading to white with very little marking at tip.
Duxbury Beach - 8/26/08
Lark Sparrow - 1st winter plumage - 8/26/08
Lark Sparrow 1st winter plumage - taken on 8/26/08 at High Pines on Duxbury Beach, MA
Lark Sparrow - 1st winter plumage - 8/26/08
1st Winter Lark Sparrow taken 8/26/08 at High Pines on Duxbury Beach, Duxbury, MA
Lark Sparrow - 1st winter plumage - 8/26/08
Lark Sparrow - 1st winter plumage taken on 8/26/08 at high Pines on Duxbury Beach, Duxbury, MA
Whimbrel - juvenile 8/26/08
Whimbrel - juvenile. Taken 8/26/08 on Duxbury Beach, Duxbury, MA.
Miscellaneous
Leucistic Black-bellied Plover
Taken at Duxbury Beach, Duxbury (MA) May 4, 2007
Taken with digital photo binoculars. Leucistic bird on right showed some small black blotches on the abdomen that don't show in this washed out picture.