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They're Back!

Writer's picture: Barbara SeithBarbara Seith

Of course they are, just as I am preparing to leave.


Monday was raining most of the morning, so I just went to Succotash Marsh & Quonnie -- got a few nice shots.

Succotash Marsh

Eastern Phoebe

Osprey

Quonnie

Common Loon

White Throated Sparrow

Northern Flicker

Chipping Sparrow

Tuesday again was pretty rainy, but I managed to find a Willet at the Matunuck Farm Pond - but the highlight of the morning happened when I was trying to find a "missing" Osprey nest. I had 26 Glossy Ibis at the marsh where the nest was supposed to be. Love it!

100 Acre Pond

Great Blue Heron

Song Sparrow

Swamp Swallow

Daffodils for days...

Red-shouldered Hawk

Common Raven

Osprey at Matunuck Elementary School

I believe this is an American Lady butterfly

Prospect Street Marsh, Matunuck

Glossy Ibis

Common Grackle

On Wednesday started the morning at one of my favorite patches -- Buckeye Brook Rd and spent some time at another of my favorites a dirt road near Gilbert Stuart. Unfortunately the vegetation along the dirt road has taken quite a hit from all the rain. Don't know if it will be as productive this year.

Buckeye Brook Rd

Tufted Titmouse -- the most ubiquitous bird right now.

White-throated Sparrow

Mud Pond

Great Blue Heron, supervising

Succotash Marsh

Green-winged Teal (back), American Black Duck (the giant), Short-billed Dowitcher (front)

Short-billed Dowitcher

Osprey

Gilbert Stuart dirt road

Hairy Woodpecker

Eastern Phoebe

Tree Swallow

Savannah Sparrow

Thursday I took a trip to Warwick to see a Little Blue Heron changing plumages. It was a little gloomy and the bird was hunkered down in a very reedy pond. Tim Metcalf found the bird in a different pond that it was seen in on Wednesday.

Conimicut Saltmarsh

Little Blue Heron in molt

and a Snowy Egret (actually there were 6 of them, but this was the only decent shot!

Friday was an amazing day - it started with my Eastern Whip-poor-will being back and singing away VERY early this morning. I went up to Canochet Road and up through Ell Pond road -- the Black an White Warblers (well 2 of them) were back and singing away (and very jumpy in the tree tops, so no photos).


Then I went to Quonnie and as I was talking to Maria on the phone, this bird that kind of looked like a tern flew up from the breachway and over to the marsh. I hung up and was trying to figure out what that bird was, when a Green Heron flushed from the breachway and into the marsh -- so three great birds and no photos. Sigh.


Later in the day a Summer Tanager was reported at Harbor Island in Naragansett and I decided to drive out there -- since I couldn't go on Saturday. Tim Metcalf & Nick Pacelli were already there and looking in the woods -- I staked out the suet feeder that it kept returning to earlier. It flew from the woods and came to the feeder -- I took a few shots and starting calling Tim, who was coming to tell me the bird flew out of the woods. I pointed at the tree where the bird was perched. We all had a good photo session with him. Then he got a little "cagey" and we decided to go see the Great Horned Owl & her nestlings that had been reported earlier. What an afternoon -- full of bird moments!


Canochet Road

Broad-winged Hawk

Succotash Marsh

Snowy Egret

Short-billed Dowitcher

Great Egret

Quonnie Breachway

Gull chasing Turkey Vulture

Greater Yellowlegs

Harbor Island,

Summer Tanager

Great Horned Owl & Owlets

Saturday was rainy and foggy until I got to Plymouth MA to pick up my friend Carol. Then it was just rainy. With trepidation we went to the Whale Watch we were attending with Ocean State Bird Club. I forgot to bring a towel to wipe off the bench and somehow must have dropped the cloth I put in my pocket to clean off my binoculars, but I managed. Carol spent a fair bit of time in the enclosed cabin in the lower part of the ship, but I braved the elements, got very wet, and stayed on the top -- where our naturalist was. I have learned if you stick near the person who really knows what you're going to see -- you will have a better shot of seeing it yourself. I didn't have my camera out a lot, but I got some decent shots.

Captain John's Whale Watch, Plymouth MA

Start of the trip

Northern Gannett

Laughing Gull

Minke Whale

Humpback Whale

Juvenile Northern Ganett

Some kind of Porpoise or Dolphin

Common Murre

Razorbill

Common Loon

Toward the end of the trip

We returned to the parking lot to find a ticket on the car -- we were longer than 4 hours. I don't understand where we were supposed to park and NOT get a ticket. Seems like a scam to me.


Had a lovely morning on Sunday driving around in the woods -- very peaceful.

Parking Lot, Francis Carter Preserve

Chipping Sparrows - they were mating, but I couldn't capture it -- it involved flying while copulating.

The approach

Crowing afterward

The road to the Great Swamp

Turkey Vulture (along with 3 others) perched in the trees above the Railroad tracks -- Waiting for track kill?

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (tiny bird)

No posted next week I will be in SEAZ and I will blog about that when I get back.




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