Halibut Point State Park 2013

Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA

It was sunny but frigid in Rockport, the wind chill at about zero. Cool ice patterns in the quarry.

Cool patterns in the ice.

Visible sea bird life was minimal. A long-tailed duck or two popping their heads out of the waves.

Long-tailed duck, Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA

A few relatively small rafts of harlequin ducks, all business.

Harlequin ducks, Halibut Point State Park, Rockport, MA

Too cold for frolicking. 

Odd Feeder Year

Northern Cardinal, Needham, MA

This is the first year in the five years or so I've been actively feeding birds that a cardinal pair have been regular visitors to my window and tube feeders (technically under the feeders competing with squirrels for seeds rejected by others). Every once in a while I catch a strain of mid-winter cardinal song. Makes it feel like March.

Northern Cardinal, Needham, Ma

But it is an odd year for other birds, not just because we have been blessed with myriad red-breasted nuthatches.

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Needham, MA

Goldfinch numbers are way down (no one is visiting my new nyjer feeder, though a junco tries to pull some seeds out every once in a while). And oddities of oddities I'm seeing far fewer house sparrows. Not that I mind (and I know populations are robust in other parts) but it is a little disconcerting....

Windy morning in January

Ridge Hill Reservation, Needham, MA

Bird song minimalism. Wind textures. Tree creaks.

Moldy Hemlocks, Ridge Hill Reservation, Needham, MA

Springtime in January

Charles River Peninsula, Needham, MA

Chickadees and titmice singing. Muskrats on the surface snacking. Bluebirds in the air. Balmy breezes. It must be spring!

"Pine Grosbeak" should be the name of a color

Pine Grosbeak, Wilmington, MA

Irruption 2012/2013 keeps giving. Today on the way home I took a short detour to see the well-publicized flock of pine grosbeaks at an office park in Wilmington. As with the white-winged crossbills, the real revelation was how fantastically beautiful they were. Parrot-like really, especially when twisting all about to get at crab apples.

More bird counting

Keeping count. Ridge Hill Reservation, Needham, MA

This time I took Lily with me, on a splendid morning bird count at Ridge Hill Reservation. If anyone is curious, here was our count.

Red-tailed Hawk  1
Downy Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  2
American Crow  3
Black-capped Chickadee  13
Tufted Titmouse  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch  13
White-breasted Nuthatch  4
Golden-crowned Kinglet  2
American Robin  1
Dark-eyed Junco  2

The bird of the day was the red-breasted nuthatch, seemingly everywhere and making a lot of noise. 13 is an undercount, for sure.

Time for White-winged Crossbills

White-winged Crossbill, Salisbury Beach State Reservation

Grading done, Christmas shopping done, time to finally make the drive up to Salisbury to hang with the white-winged crossbills. They've been in the campground pine trees for weeks now. Right now it's a male crossbill show though there a still a few females about.

White-winged Crossbills, Salisbury Beach State Reservation

The campground is large so I first drove around trying to find them. When I finally parked and got out of the car I realized that was a mistake. Their twittering can be heard from quite far away and the flock is large and easy to spot (and hear) in flight.

They are very cool birds, with their distinctive customized beak and acrobatic poses. But I wasn't prepared for how pretty they were.

Perfect Christmas tree ornaments.