Category Archives: Salisbury State Park

The Usual Suspects

Down in Massachusetts for a few days visit, I decided to take Penny birding yesterday morning at one of my favorite spots, Salisbury Beach State Reservation. If you get there early, even on a weekend, there are few people around. Later in the morning, it seems like every dog walker in the area descends on the place.

I had just turned on to the access road when I saw a Northern Harrier working the salt flats, hunting low over the ground, swooping and soaring in the way that I just love to watch. It was too far off for photos but a great start — first I’ve seen this year.

The ocean was pretty dramatic with a stiff wind and high tide and as far as I could tell, no birds.

The ocean was pretty dramatic with a stiff wind and high tide and as far as I could tell, no birds.

Several House Finches were in the shrubbery along the walkway to the beach.

Several House Finches were in the shrubbery along the walkway to the beach.

After seeing several large dogs cavorting off leash along the beach, I decided to move inland. We ran into a host of species and Penny had a chance to race around a bit around the vacant campground. Perhaps the most interesting were the Song Sparrows, which were singing everywhere, and a half-dozen Northern Mockingbirds.

The mockingbirds were going through their repertoire - fun to hear and see.

The mockingbirds were going through their repertoire – fun to hear and see.

Mocker1AW

 

Even House Sparrows got into the act.

Even House Sparrows got into the act.

We headed toward the boat launch area and noted several large groups of Brant.

The Brant breeds in the high Arctic tundra and winters along both coasts.

The Brant breeds in the high Arctic tundra and winters along both coasts.

It was a nice morning outing, relatively quiet since many migrants have yet to arrive. Both Penny and I got some nice exercise and fresh air. We’ll be back again until they start charging $14 per car when the beaches open up.

A Couple of Nice Saturday Morning Birds

We are in Merrimac, MA for a while and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. This morning, I took the dog and went looking for birds for a few hours on a brisk, but sunny Saturday morning. One of my favorite places to exercise the dog while birding is Cherry Hill Reservoir in West Newbury — although on a Saturday, half the world seems to have dogs cavorting so we passed on that and went looking for a Greater White-fronted Goose which has been reported hanging out with a gaggle of Canada Geese there as well as nearby Artichoke Reservoir.

I spotted geese feeding in a field beside the water and scanned them with no luck and went on to check the rest of the reservoir. Reversing course, I noticed more geese on the water that were not visible during my first look, and sure enough, a GWFG was in the midst of them. Here are some shots that I took as it cruised around.

It was rather easy to see the stranger in the group of CAGO's.

It was rather easy to see the stranger in the group of CAGO’s.

GWFGW2

I decided to drive over to Salisbury State Beach Reservation so that I could let the dog run a bit off leash. While there were dozens of dogs everywhere, the campground was rather empty and perfect for a workout. We then checked the river for Harbor Seals and Common Eider (plenty of both) and I decided to check out the boat ramp area. I saw a grey bump on a log way off but could not distinguish it with my binoculars. But, just in case, I dragged out my scope from the truck cap and set it up in the breeze and sure enough, way off was a juvenile Snowy Owl.

This Snowy is a long ways off and looking away from me - but it's my first this winter.

This Snowy is a long ways off and looking away from me – but it’s my first this winter.

I think that it’s the first one this season from Salisbury. In any case, even though  it was looking West most of the time, it was a nice find on a nice Saturday morning.

This Year’s Harbor Seal Fix

We are in Massachusetts for Thanksgiving, arriving here before the Nor’Easter, and settling in for a snowy day or two.  We are just inside the snow line and will likely get 3-6 inches of heavy wet snow.

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This morning, I took Penny out in the truck to do some pre-storm birding. It was raw with a wind out of the north but we had several hours before the cold rain started. We stopped at nearby Lake Attitash and saw some Mute Swans and Buffleheads before retreating back to the truck.

Salisbury Beach State Reservation is one of my favorite birding spots since unlike Parker River NWR,  I can bring the dog along. Today, I even got a new life bird — Northern Gannet #411 — a bird I have missed a number of times. Four were actively feeding far out to sea this morning, plunging into the icy water for food.  Fun to watch.

Other highlights of the morning for me were Horned Larks, Common Goldeneyes, Common Eiders, Northern Mockingbirds, and Great Black-backed Gulls.  Then I headed over to the spot where each year, we see the Harbor Seals.  As I noted last year:

Named common seal throughout Europe, this seal frequently observed around Long Island lives along the shores of eastern Canada, New England and in the winter, as far south as the Carolinas in a variety of habitats. Their scientific name loosely means “sea calf” or “sea dog.” This latter nickname is well suited as these seals closely resemble a dog when their head is viewed at the surface of the water.

HSeals2W HSealsW

HSeals3W

These photos were shot through my spotting scope with the iPhone 5.  Hope to get back and see them again with Mary before we leave the area.  Happy Thanksgiving folks.

Birding and Birthdays – Day 2

We started Monday in Massachusetts by wishing grandson Mac a happy 13th birthday as he got ready for school.  He was off to class and I was off to bird.

Mac off to school as a thirteen year-old.

Mac off to school as a thirteen year-old.

Penny and I travelled over to one of my favorite spots for birding with a dog — Salisbury Beach State Reservation, one of the state’s most popular ocean beaches, stretching 3.8 miles along the Atlantic Ocean.  We got there about 8 AM and no one was on the beach — so Penny just took off, racing down to the water, running to and fro.  Meanwhile, in a cool wind, I was scoping the ocean, hoping for Northern Gannets (which I never saw.)

Hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants were heading south in rather large gatherings, catching the northerly wind.  Other groups, like the ones below, seemed to be heading south by swimming part of the way.

"Hey guys, keep the line straight. There's a guy trying to take our picture."

“Hey guys, keep the line straight. There’s a guy trying to take our picture.”

I spotted a number of Common Loons and four Red-necked Grebes, which were too far out for clear photos. People were starting to show up with dogs to exercise so I caught my anti-social Vizsla and headed to the boat ramp and an access point on the Merrimac River.

The Merrimack is a powerful tidal river with lots of fish and birds. This is looking southward to Plum Island. There are Harbor Seals and Brants as well as the boat.

The Merrimack is a powerful tidal river with lots of fish and birds. This is looking southward to Plum Island. There are Harbor Seals and Brants as well as the boat.

This is the time of year that Harbor Seals hang out on the rocks and in the Merrimack.  It’s fun to see them laying in chilly air, like sunbathers, and to see them float along like an inflated animal balloon.

Harbor seals can be seen in and around the mouth of the Merrimack River during the fall and winter. You can read a short overview about harbor seals or find a more detailed article about this species if you want to learn more about these interesting animals).

Harbor seals can be seen in and around the mouth of the Merrimack River during the fall and winter. You can read a short overview about harbor seals  if you want to learn more about these interesting animals).

An abundant small goose of the ocean shores, the Brant breeds in the high Arctic tundra and winters along both coasts. Note the Harbor Seal coasting by on its back.

An abundant small goose of the ocean shores, the Brant breeds in the high Arctic tundra and winters along both coasts. Note the Harbor Seal coasting by on its back.

With some shorebirds, a bunch of Northern Mockingbirds, and three aerobatic Northern Harriers as part of the morning’s sightings, it was another good outing at Salisbury.  Both Penny and I were ready for some refreshment and rest.

 

 

Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Vermont anymore

 Going to bed, listening to coyotes and the constant humming of oil/gas extraction nearby.  The lights of Mexican towns glitter across the reservoir.  What a contrast to Vermont — although we’ve had a couple of rainy days, the prickly pear and yucca cactus and many other thorny plants let us know we are in deep Texas.

Thursday we went down to the Roma library to use their wifi connection.  The room was abuzz in Spanish, making it feel like we were across the border – just a mile away.  Later, at a Walmart in Rio Grande City, we were about the only two anglos out of the hundreds of patrons.  No big deal – and we marvel, as we do in Montreal, of the adroit switching from language to language.  Mary overheard a cellphone discussion by the person next in line who interrupted a steady chatter of Spanish to say, “and you got the shrimp, right?” then switching right back to Spanish.

Yesterday, while out on a walk with Penny, four javelinas sauntered across the road in a line, starting from momma to the youngest.  Then a sharp-shinned hawk wove through the thickets in search of a bird to eat.  And hundreds of grackles and red-winged blackbirds (pests here right now) are hopefully thinking about heading north.

We awoke to a screech owl, cardinals, and mockingbirds.  The forecast today is for mid-seventies.  We can only imagine what August must be like down here.  It’s a foreign land in many ways to us native Vermonters.