Cape May State Park and Nature Conservancy

Two of my favorite places for nature meditation are the state park in Cape May Point, and the nearby Nature Conservancy. Both always yield something of interest, and both provide an environment for contemplation and discovery.

A few highlights ...

Least Tern

Laughing Gull

Spotted Sandpiper

The Swamp Rose Mallow throughout the marshes was stunning ...

Swamp Rose Mallow

Swamp Rose Mallow

Mute Swans are exotics, and pose problems for native species, but there is no denying that they are beautiful birds, and magnificent in flight ...

Mute Swans

Equally magnificent in flight is the Osprey ...

Osprey

Osprey

This young Great Blue Heron caught a hearty breakfast, but could not figure out how to manipulate his catch so that it could be swallow head first. He flew a short distance to a dry patch of ground, dropped this fish, stabbed at it once or twice, then picked it up with head positioned correctly. In third picture, note the "throat bulge" of the swallowed fish ...

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

Watching the Snowy Egret foraging in shallow water was a thing of delicate beauty (unless you happened to be a small fish) ...

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

Good Birding!!

Egret Convention at Heinz NWR

I was stunned on my recent visit to Heinz NWR in Philadelphia by the number of egrets (mostly Great, also Snowy) in the empoundment (along with many Great Blue Heron). Impressive and picturesque.

Egret Convention - I count 35+, a small portion of the gathering.

25+ egrets in this photo, plus at least 3 Great Blue Herons

 Still early August, but the signs that summer is nearly over were seen everywhere: recently fledged Barn Swallows, young Marsh Wren foraging for itself, Red-winged Blackbird feeding a fledgling, and a vangard flock of Semi-palmated Sandpipers.

Barn Swallows

Marsh Wren

Red-winged Blackbird with fledgling

Semi-palmated Sandpipers

 Although I could not find them, cicadas were singing loudly in the trees. Along the pathway, Cicada Killer Wasps were also active. 

Cicada Killer Wasp

Boardwalk at Heinz NWR

Good Birding!

Plum Island Highlights

From our morning on Plum Island, my favorite photo is this Common Tern carrying food ...

Common Tern

In the most interesting category is this Ring-billed Gull. Dark wing-tips on primary feathers strengthen the feathers where the stress from flying is greatest. Note how the ends of the primaries (particularly on the left wing) are curled up ...

Ring-billed Gull

 And finally, three additional "keeper" photos ...

Greater Yellowlegs

Piping Plover

Least Sandpiper

Whale Watch Highlights

Our trip to Newburyport was supposed to include a pelagic birding trip, but that was canceled and we settled for a regular whale watch. There were a few pelagic birds along the way, but they were too distant for good photographs.

As always, some of the most interesting photo are serendipitous ... unplanned, and even unknown until reviewed as the fact, as with the passing Common Tern in this photo of a Hump-backed Whale

The whale watching was quite good, with "Owl," a 30 year old Hump-backed Whale doing a series of picturesque dives ...

In the estuary of the Merrimack River, the outflow met the in-coming tide and stirred the fish in the water. The abundance of food at this point is evident is the number of Common Terns fishing ...

Good Birding!!

Parental Aggression

Recently we did a trip to Newburyport and Plum Island for birding and whale watching.

At Sandy Point, the Common Terns provided the most action and entertainment. In this brief series, a Mom (or Dad) brings food to Son (or Daughter). But he doesn't know quite how to swallow the food ... and drops it. A neighboring youngster sees an opportunity for food and moves in. But Mom springs to action and quickly disabuses the intruder and drives it off with a whack at the rear end.

Good Birding!