Crane Beach, Ipswich, MA

I wanted to walk on a beach again and debated about where to go.   I was considering Sandwich, MA, but when I saw that Crane Beach had designated beaches for dogs and no dogs, I was hooked.  Plus, I hadn't been there since I was a kid and was overdue for a visit.  What a gorgeous place!  So glad that I went in spite of the brisk wind off the water.  Some of the visitors did not obey the dog rules (boo), but the beach was so wide that I was never near any of the other people and no dogs bothered me.  I walked about 45 minutes on the beach and then took the green Dune Trail to get out of the wind.  It was a beautiful place to walk in the winter!

Herring Gull

Great Black-Backed Gull

 The Dune Trail (green)

 Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Black-Capped Chickadee

American Black Ducks

I had another Snow Goose sighting on the way home! (my 2nd)

 A quick stop at the beach (plug your nose here) in Swampscott yielded a life bird - a nice little flock of Bonaparte's Gulls.