A very ducky morning at Plum Island

Black ducks in the grass at Plum Island

A blustery morning, not a good day to search out songbirds (see windblown tree sparrow feathers below). But a terrific day for ducks!


Lots of pintails.

And northern shovelers (shoveling mostly) plus scaups (greater?)

Ocean-side, lots of scoters surfing. Both black and

white-winged.


Most fantastic sight (unpictured) northern gannets plunge-diving.

Down at Sandy Point, a zillion dunlins.

with black-bellied plovers (left). And what's that on the right?

The world famous one-legged Hudsonian Godwit (a "lifer" for me).


It was nice to get back up to Plum Island, if just for a couple of hours.