Tag Archives: Salisbury Beach State Reservation

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.

 

 

Harbor Seal Spotting


Every fall and winter, harbor seals come into the Merrimack River. They congregate just opposite to the campground -they are very much a local attraction — to campers and day visitors to Salisbury State Park Reservation.  Mary and I drove over today to see them as the tide was receding.

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.

“Hey Guys, stop loafing and get to work. The fish are running.”

They were out on the rocks, lying with their heads and hind flippers elevated in a “banana-like” position. They were “talking” to one another and enjoying the fall cloud-filtered sunlight.

A Great Black-backed Gull posed as we watched the seals.

While harbor seals don’t do the tricks of the seals at Sea World, it was delightful to see them in their natural habitat, feeding, playing, and resting. Nice images to take back to a pending Vermont winter.

Won’t Get Fooled Again

I’m heading to Massachusetts next week and plan to do some birding and the Who song, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” comes to mind.  Here’s the way I described it a couple of years ago:
“Camera ready, I walked through the sand dunes at Salisbury Beach State Reservation to the Ipswich River, hoping not to spook any waterfowl.  My dog, Penny, was just ahead, nosing through the beach grass.  At once, I spotted a flock of water birds up in a cove — they looked like scoters through the binoculars.  I took a couple of quick shots and veered away, not wanting the dog to hassle them.  Little did I know that they were tethered decoys!
 
No wonder those birds didn’t spook, they are decoys

I walked down the beach and the Vizsla got involved with a Common Eider, and as I was getting her out of the water and starting back to the truck, this tall guy with binoculars strode up and asked, “Have you caught any scoters yet?”  Huh?  I guess my blank look gave him the answer so he continued, “Oh, I guess you’re not part of the team.”

Now my curiosity was piqued and I peppered him with questions.  I’d seen a number of boat with guys wearing camo and I thought they were hunters — but didn’t see any shotguns.  They were nosing into the group of scoters, and I had really wondered what was going on.

Black scoters, White-winged scoters, Surf Scoters, and a Common Eider rest on the Merrimac River

My visitor had just arrived from British Columbia — he was a wildlife biologist brought in to help.  He explained that it was a project by the Gorham, Maine BioDiversity Research Institute and the team was trying to capture a dozen female white-winged scoters.  They had mist nets set up and were also trying to snag scoters from the boats.  His job was to determine the age of the scoter.  They had a vet on the team to implant a satellite transmitter in the bird’s cavity.

We talked a bit about the importance of tracking individual birds to see better how migration patterns work – I noted a recent report I’d seen on perigrine falcons and how interesting it was.

It was cold and windy and he had work to do so I let him go but watched for a while — from the warmth of the truck.  Those scientists were earning their money — it was nasty weather – fit for ducks.

“Have you got a transmitter on board?”

It was a wonderful chance encounter with an interesting research operation.  And while it is tough for me to sort out the three kinds of scoters we see in this area, I’ll probably never see another one in the air without thinking, “have you got a transmitter on board?”