A Couple of Nice Saturday Morning Birds

We are in Merrimac, MA for a while and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. This morning, I took the dog and went looking for birds for a few hours on a brisk, but sunny Saturday morning. One of my favorite places to exercise the dog while birding is Cherry Hill Reservoir in West Newbury — although on a Saturday, half the world seems to have dogs cavorting so we passed on that and went looking for a Greater White-fronted Goose which has been reported hanging out with a gaggle of Canada Geese there as well as nearby Artichoke Reservoir.

I spotted geese feeding in a field beside the water and scanned them with no luck and went on to check the rest of the reservoir. Reversing course, I noticed more geese on the water that were not visible during my first look, and sure enough, a GWFG was in the midst of them. Here are some shots that I took as it cruised around.

It was rather easy to see the stranger in the group of CAGO's.

It was rather easy to see the stranger in the group of CAGO’s.

GWFGW2

I decided to drive over to Salisbury State Beach Reservation so that I could let the dog run a bit off leash. While there were dozens of dogs everywhere, the campground was rather empty and perfect for a workout. We then checked the river for Harbor Seals and Common Eider (plenty of both) and I decided to check out the boat ramp area. I saw a grey bump on a log way off but could not distinguish it with my binoculars. But, just in case, I dragged out my scope from the truck cap and set it up in the breeze and sure enough, way off was a juvenile Snowy Owl.

This Snowy is a long ways off and looking away from me - but it's my first this winter.

This Snowy is a long ways off and looking away from me – but it’s my first this winter.

I think that it’s the first one this season from Salisbury. In any case, even though  it was looking West most of the time, it was a nice find on a nice Saturday morning.


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2 Responses to A Couple of Nice Saturday Morning Birds

  1. Judith Davis says:

    You got great photos of the GWFG, better than the ones I got last winter on Cape Cod. DId you use your sx-50? DId you digiscope them. Good for you for the Snowy, too.

  2. Dick Mansfield says:

    I did use the SX-50. I find that I need good light, little wind, and relatively close distances to make it effective. I’ll fiddle with digiscoping more once we get to warmer climes. Hope our paths cross in 2015 — hope your Christmastide is going well.

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