Snowy Owl Quest II

Horseneck Beach campground was tempting me after I saw some beautiful close up photos of Snowy Owls taken there.  Alas, I just could not stand the thought of 3 hours of driving (round trip).  I decided to set my GPS for Duxbury Beach instead, a much more do-able destination and a guaranteed enjoyable hike, regardless of sightings.  I parked in the lot at the end of Powder Point Bridge and began my walk from there.  The sky was beautiful, with pale lavender, pinks and greys making it look more like sunset than 11:00 AM.

From the bridge, I immediately saw some ocean-going ducks.

Buffleheads (female)

Surf Scoter (female)

 Horned Grebes

Herring Gull

The direction I walked....can you stand that view?  So beautiful.

 the flock in motion - most are Dunlins, I believe

a loner

 Sanderling (this one was colored differently than the rest though, more white)

 the lighthouse

I have come to Duxbury Beach looking for shorebirds several times in winter months, and this was the first time I really saw such a good number of them.

This beach has a lot of stones.  Maybe better to bring a chair than a blanket during summer....

Dunlins (I think)

Gotcha!

 And finally.....a Snowy Owl!

Squinty eyes = relaxed.

Depending on where you were standing in the road, this particular owl could completely disappear into the grasses.  When I first spotted it, 5 people were walking towards me from the other direction, and none of them saw it.

Common Eider

view off bridge looking towards Marshfield

 Isn't that tree gorgeous?

Brants (seen from the car just before leaving)

You can't beat a winter day off from work with temps in the 40s, windy or not.  A day at the beach, a Snowy Owl, beautiful scenery.  Life is good!