BwBTC Trip

What a fine day out!  Met some great people, shared birding pics, ideas, methods, jokes, and life stories.  You really can't get any better then that.  I'll take all the bird nerd jokes you can throw at me if every birding adventure was as spectacular.  I took my sister, Jane with me on the trip.  Great addition.....always a hoot...a little birding joke.  Her enthusiasm is always contagious.  They say people change when you get older, but I'm not so sure.  Jane was putting frogs in her pocket and losing them in the house from the time she was 3 and I think she picked one or two up on this trip.  Ribit!!!

Back to the trip....Dawn, of Dawn's Bloggity Blog organized the trip with her husband Jeff.  What a fabulous idea!!!  Also in attendance was my sister Jane @ The Backyard Naturalist, Catie from Birdinggirl;
Larry from the Brownstone Birding blog; Dan @ Nature Observances by Forestal and Susan from the Nature of Framingham.

Charlestown Breakway was interesting.  Got alittle concerned seeing the current coming in to the breakway, but we skirted the area until we got in to the sandbars.  There was a group of birders already on the sandbar and they shared what they found. 

Bairds Sandpiper ? 

We had a fun debate while all together whether this was a immature Sanderling or a Bairds Sandpiper. 

What are your thoughts now? 

White Rumped Sandpiper....got alittle embarrassed checking out her rump!  Is it white?  Yup

Great Blue Heron

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Following the breakway, we went and had lunch together.  I shared some photos from my Mississippi trip which I'll be posting shortly.  We had a tough time IDing a Blue-gray gnatcatcher.  Once we finished lunch we migrated over to Trumstum Pond.  It was really slow at first.  One bird at a time, but by the end of the day, the trees exploded with Warblers, Vireos and associated small perching birds.  There were so many I couldn't even focus.  Jane got a headache from trying to follow them(warts too from the frogs in her pocket.)  I got some fairly decent pictures. 

Black-billed Cuckoo

Immature Magnolia Warbler

Immature Ringnecked Pheasant

And the final news, I found a little friend embedded in my thigh today.  Took a visit to the doctors with symptoms of Lyme Disease.  With out much tripidation, the doctor said yep you have it.  Small tick, big red blotch!  Shit-This is the third time.  I need a new hobby.  Video games maybe.  Probably get carpal tunnel.  :)  I can't wait to go out with this group again. Birding anybody?

More Wading Birds

More photos from Louisiana.....I had a great time visiting City Park, and the local NWR surrounding Lake Pontchartrain.  Bayous are an interesting experience.  It was hot and humid, but still had a great time seaching the shurbs and grasses for a new species.  I was able to get 12 new species for my life list.  I'm not focused so much on my list as I am trying to get great photos of new species.  I just love it.  However, you just can't beat getting out of the office, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the warm sunshine.  Well in this case heavy humid air and blazing sunshine, but its better than freezing my behind off in the cold AC in the office anyday.  I took some time on Bourban Street too.  Music was great, but the crowds and drinking got old really fast.  Not to say I didn't enjoy tossing back a few Guinness cause I did. 

Tri-colored Heron (favorite photo) 

Want to blow this up really big and hang it on my wall.

Male and Female Morehen (got some photos of the male with chicks.) 

No not a couple of female hens, baby chicks. 

They were squeeking constanting driving their dad nuts. 

Venture to say he was looking for a Budwieser after taking care of the kids all morning.   

Not a great picture, but my first of a American Bittern.  They make the coolest sound.  Very gutteral crocking.  If you've never heard it definitely listen when you get the chance.  I'll post some upland birds within the next week or so.

More Woodpeckers

I traveled back to Louisiana for a quick trip recently.  I'll need multiple posts to cover the variety.  The bayous kept me occupied for two solid days.  The temps didn't make the birding easy, but I took it slow and wandered on marked trails.  No snakes, but plenty of aligators.  

I didn't make it down to the coast.  My business was in New Orleans, but I drove north of Lake Pontritrane to a state park and Lecome NWR.  Got some good butterfly pics too.  NWR had a small butterfly garden.  I also saw my first painted bunting on the trip, but I didn't get to photograph it.  More later.....

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-cockaded woodpecker (endangered)

  

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Wading Birds

Ok folks I am so far behind on my posts.  I have a ton of photos to post and if I wait to clean them up or pick the best I'll never post so I'm just picking a few different species to post.  I spent last Friday on Monomoy Island off Cape Cod.  Wading birds were very busy. 

Hudsonian Godwit

American Oystercatcher (cool eyes)

Lesser Yellowleg

Marbled Godwit (long beak-image if it tripped)