Deer Island Harborwalk

I wanted to be near the ocean today, but I wasn't in the mood for a long drive to the beach.  I decided to visit Deer Island.  I had spoken with a friend's husband about the park there recently, and he recommended it.  The weather was beautifully spring-like today, which was a nice change!

Before I even left the parking lot, I already saw a Red-Winged Blackbird, a Northern Mockingbird and a male and female Northern Cardinal.  Things were looking good for birding!

 Red-Winged Blackbird
(breeding plumage)

Northern Mockingbird

 Common Grackle

Long-Tailed Duck

This Long-Tailed Duck was grooming itself, which gave me a nice look at the long tail from which it gets its name!

Brant

again, in better light to show its coloring

Song Sparrow

Skyline view

The above view of Boston was taken from the Judge A. David Mazzone Memorial.  Judge Mazzone presided over the federal lawsuit brought by conservationists and others condemning the condition of Boston Harbor (known as the filthiest harbor in America in the 1980s). His landmark rulings led to a massive public works project to restore the Harbor as a natural resource.  The cleanup is recognized as one of the nation's greatest environmental success stories.  After the judge died, the Mass Water Resource Authority Board of Directors voted to name the park land surrounding the new water treatment plant after Judge Mazzone.  It was dedicated in 2007.

Surf Scoter

Red-Breasted Merganser

Common Loon 

(molting into breeding plumage)

The Graves Lighthouse
(Boston Harbor's outermost island)

Boston Light

Little Brewster Island

Just a few sea ducks!

 Great Black-Backed Gulls

 Glaucous Gull

 the water treatment plant

 Beantown

access from the mainland

 Ring-Billed Gull

Someone in the parking lot at the Winthrop Ferry was tossing food out the window of their car.  This gull landed near me and seemed very upset that I wasn't throwing food, too.

American Crows

These photos will give you some idea of how nasty today's weather was.  Spring has not sprung.  It was windy, snowy, and cold.  Roads were slick.  Ick.  Here's hoping tomorrow's sunshine will make it feel a little more like the season it is supposed to be!

I stopped for a mixed flock of European Starlings and Brown-Headed Cowbirds, but the snow kept getting on my camera lens, so I didn't come away with any usable photos.

A little later, I came across six noisy crows in a snowy field fighting over the remaining piece of what I believe was a gray squirrel.  It is the best I could come up with today.  They were fun to watch, as they grabbed the morsel from each other and tried to eat it before the next bird took it away.

Cedar Waxwings

My plan was to check the Sudbury River area for wild turkeys and ducks today after seeing so many there on Tuesday evening.  I didn't make it there because I was side-tracked by a flock of 30 Cedar Waxwings at the train station.  Too bad we didn't have a little sunshine to brighten them up!

While I was watching the Cedar Waxwings, I also saw 7 Common Grackles fly into a nearby tree, heard one Northern Cardinal singing, and saw 4 Great Blue Herons fly over way up high.  They must have gotten the word that the ice was starting to melt, and it was ok to migrate back to the area!

Common Mergansers

It was in the upper 40s today, but mostly cloudy, and by afternoon, a steady rain was falling.  Fog was lifting up from the snow, so it is wonderful to know that the snow is on its way out!  Open water is beginning to be visible around the area, too, and I was happy to find three Common Mergansers along the Sudbury Reservoir Trail today in Southboro.

Common Merganser (male)

Common Merganser (female)

Canada Goose

These three Canada Geese were looking for the open water.  Ah, over here guys!

Back at home, this little American Goldfinch had recently changed into his brighter spring colors!  A nice sign of spring!

Back to BHCL

It's calling me, but the snow is still a problem.  I figure it varied between 8" and 18" deep, depending upon where I walked, but the snow was hardened enough that I could walk on the surface without sinking.  I used my microspikes to avoid slipping.  It's such a beautiful piece of land; I was glad to get a walk in there again!

As soon as I got out of the car, I heard the beautiful songs of a Song Sparrow and a Northern Cardinal.

Song Sparrow

 Eastern Bluebird

Norm!

Northern Mockingbird

Back at home, a Sharp-Shinned Hawk stopped to dine in front of my house.  I couldn't determine what it was eating from inside the house, but it certainly seemed to enjoy it.  If you are squeamish, please do not watch the video, or you will see stringy guts.

Harlequin Ducks at Nubble Light

I went up to Nubble Light for a Capture the Stars workshop with Christopher Georgia.  It was awesome!  Before the class started, I was happy to find Harlequin Ducks, Long-Tailed Ducks and Common Eiders swimming in the ocean all around the parking lot.

 Common Eider (male)

Long-Tailed Ducks

Harlequin Duck (male)

Before the class started, I really enjoyed watching the sky change to pastels as the sun went down.  Although it was not a dramatic sunset (no clouds), this Ohio-raised girl still appreciated the simple beauty of the lighthouse at this time of the day.

 Oh, please!  Gorgeous!!

Who needs clouds????

And of course, the crescent moon shone down on us for the first part of the night, although it was not positioned in a way to capture it with this lighthouse, as it rose over the land.

The class began at sunset and went as late as we wanted to stay (I made it until about 3:45AM).  I learned basic techniques for photographing the night sky with my camera (which had its own peculiar weaknesses).  I quickly learned that my batteries stunk.  Although I had three fully charged batteries, only one was brand new and the other two were basically useless in the cold temperatures of the night (19 degrees).  I could get one photo, and then the battery would die on me which was not very conducive to putting my newfound skills to practice!!  Throw in wearing enough layers of clothing to be confused with a Michelin tire man, wearing transition lenses and trying to see small buttons and settings on the camera in the dark (ahem), climbing up and over rocks and snow to get back and forth to the car, trying to stay warm just standing around, etc. etc.  It was challenging!  But...this was something that I wanted to learn!  I did learn and I intend to try it again at some locations closer to home!  I may wait for warmer weather, though!

I recommend Christopher's workshop to anyone interested!  He was a patient, helpful, kind and knowledgeable instructor.  Now, don't hold my night sky photograph against him, because he is an amazing professional photographer, and I don't even own Photoshop, but here is my favorite photo from the night.  Once I get Photoshop and learn a bit of post processing, my night photos should turn out even better.  We learned how to take one photo for the foreground and another for the sky, and in Photoshop there is a way to blend them together.  That would result in a much better photo.  Time....patience....one step at a time!

Our night:  instruction started at sunset; crescent moon set at 11:30; milky way rose at 2:40; bedtime for me at 4:00AM.  I haven't seen that many stars since we were at Sequoia National Park in California!!

Nubble Light w/ Milky Way