Rain & Gloom & Snake Den

Monday the rain and gloom typical of this summer struck again on Monday. This Black-crowned Night-heron braved the rain for a while this morning at Succotash Marsh

This Immature Cooper's Hawk took up its perch near the Quonnie Breachway to scout out breakfast

Tuesday was a little clearer so I started at Camp Cronin to see if anything unusual blew in -- it did not.

This female Common Eider was bobbing in the larger than usual waves with it's very prominent eyebrow.

Northern Cardinal

Northern Mockingbird

Gray Catbird

Galilee Bird Sanctuary

Immature European Starling

Palm Warbler

White-tailed Deer

Double-crested Cormorant

White-tailed Deer

Female Belted Kingfisher - females of this species have more adornment in their plumage -- males are just black, blue & white.

East Beach Parking lot -- Least Flycatcher

Monarch Butterfly

Cedar Waxwings

Wednesday was a gorgeous crystal clear morning and I spent it at Snake Den Farm -- one of my favorite places, but it's about an hour away, so I don't get there very often.

Palm Warbler

Northern Flicker

Black-throated Green Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Eastern Phoebe

Palm Warbler

Swamp Sparrow

Eastern Bluebird

Savannah Sparrow

Tired feet from walking a lot yesterday landed me at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday morning -- it was pretty busy with birds, but particularly Eastern Phoebe.

Next off to the Grassy Point trail area, Frosty Drew Nature Center & the Senior Center.

Cedar Waxwings

Northern Flicker

Ended up at Quonnie

Gray Catbird

Monarch Butterfly

Yellow Warbler

Weekapaug - Spray Rock Point - some seaweed I thought was a bird.

The seaweed about to be washed away...

Finally at Misquamicut and Pectoral Sandpiper

Another spectacular morning on Friday starting at Snake Den Farm with Maria -- although we picked up Al Schenck, Stan Oldstein, John Bean and Betsy Staples at points along the way.

House Sparrows were all over the place, but none looking quite as dramatic as this one.

Song Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Common Yellowthroat -- I think... tough ID.

American Kestral with breakfast

Mallard flyover

Song Sparrow

House Sparrow with dramatic plumage

Palm Warbler

Song Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Palm Warbler

Stopped at Succotash Marsh on the way home -- tons of Great Blue Heron

Northern Harrier

Saturday was back to the rain & gloom, but still managed to see a few good birds. I started at Arches Dock which gives a distant look onto the northern edge of the Ninigret Mudflats -- today I got to see the Marbled Godwit that has been hanging out there for the last few days along with a bunch of Greater Yellowlegs through the scope -- too far and dark for photos. I really hit paydirt at Misquamicut State Beach parking lot, which tends to yield interesting birds in the rain.

Pectoral Sandpiper (Killdeer in back)

Whimbrel

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Herring Gull in back)

Whimbrel

Laughing Gull

Whimbrel

I went up to New York to see my Step-dad on Sunday morning, but managed to bird along Wappingers Creek & at his house -- and added the following to my New York list:

Mallard
Green Heron
Bald Eagle
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
White-breasted Nuthatch
Indigo Bunting
American Black Duck
Common Raven
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Pileated Woodpecker

I didn't have my camera with me, so no photos. Fun to explore the creek that flows out of the lake where I grew up. The Pileated Woodpecker was in the yard where I grew up.

When I returned to Rhode Island did a little circuit -- nothing spectacular, but with weather like this... you never know.

Succotash Marsh - Great Blue Heron