A Red-throated Loon, in its black, white, and gray winter plumage, is swimming away from the camera, looking right. The black and white patterned back is on clear display.
Red-throated Loon about to take a dive. It spent 95% of its time with me underwater.
#redthroatedloon #loon #bird #birdphotography #birdsofmassachusetts #birdsofwestportma #gooseberryisland
Black-bellied Plover
I dunno. A first year? A bird further in molting?
A Black-bellied Plover at the bottom left of the frame, with a Spotted Sandpiper flying by in the upper right.
A Black-bellied Plover stands on the right, facing away from the camera. The head and neck of a Short-billed Dowitcher pop up from behind a rock on the left side of the frame.
Black-bellied Plovers visiting the southern tip of Gooseberry Island in various stages of molting. Bonus photo-bombing Spotted Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher. #blackbelliedplover #bird #birdphotography #gooseberryisland #birdsofwestportma #birdsofmassachusetts
A Willet and Least Sandpiper stand side-by-side in the marsh grass, both looking left. The Least would come up to the Willet's kneecaps, if Willets had kneecaps.
With a Willet, the Least Sandpiper shows off its name. #willet #leastsandpiper #bird #birdphotography #allenspond #birdsofwestportma #birdsofmassachusetts
Part of a three raptor visit to Allens Pond, a Norther Harrier flies from left to right across the fame.
Northern Harriers are here year-round but I don't typically see them. I hope that this sighting means that cooler weather and fall migration are on the way! #northernharrier #bird #birdphotography #allenspondaudubon #birdsofwestportma #birdsofmassachusetts
Tree Swallow meet-up at Allens Pond. #bird #birdphotography #treeswallow #allenspond #massaudubon #birdsofwestportma
The drake on the left is presenting his long tail. The drake in the middle is presenting his chin. The female on the right is ignoring both of them.
The drake has a seriously skyward-pointing tail.
The drake is displaying his chin in a big, tough way, while simultaneously straightening his long tail upward.
There are many ways to impress the ladies. There's the classic sticky uppy tail, the displaying of the chin, and the advanced combo move. The hens must go wild when you show off your chin while making your tail go sticky uppy. #longtailedduck #seaduck #duck #bird #birdphotography #birdsofwestportma
After she did a bill up, followed by his bill up, she La Donna e Mobile's over to this other male who scares the first one away.
"My what a puffy breast you have, I'm so impressed", thinks the hen.
"Enough already", thinks the hen.
"Oy vey, enough already", thinks the hen.
This hen is flirting with a drake. Let's call him "Drake". Then she paddles over to this other drake, called "Kenduck LaMer", who scares Drake off with a vicious rap. Then Kenduck proceeds to gloat. Shameful!
#longtailedduck #duck #seaduck #bird #birdphotography #birdsofwestportma #gooseberryisland
Typically I see meadowlarks flying away from me, showing their uninteresting backs and splayed tails with outer white feathers.
Today I was within camera shot of a perched meadowlark facing me, showing bright yellow throat and belly.
The Eastern Meadowlark has been on my NBL (nemesis bird list) for quite a while. Finally, in addition to the typical pose in Photo 1, I also got a decent, though distant, look at a perched bird in Photo 2. #easternmeadowlark #bird #birdphotography #birdsofwestportma #allenspond
