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Wednesday (7/5) I went to the marsh to check on migratory shore birds. An osprey circled the marsh and took two saltwater baths, the first time I have seen this behavior. Wider views were in order as the heat waves ruined closeups and tight crops.
Two evil minions of the Dark Lord were watching a fledgling in the foliage below the #1 viewing platform. As I approached, they waited to the last moment to fly to the shrub where Wesley the hummer usually perches.
As soon as I turned my back, this one buzzed me and landed in the tree behind the boardwalk where I believe the nest is located.
I returned in the evening hoping the heat waves would be less. A flock of what I believe are western sandpipers were present. These shots were the best I could do.
About an hour before sunset Sunday (7/9) at the marsh.
A small flock of bushtits was in the trees behind the boardwalk. A male briefly paused to pose for me.
A mother mallard and her ducklings swim past a family of geese.
There are three birds in this photo. Can you spot them all?
The remaining unfledged violet-green swallow continues to beg for food from any swallow that passes by the nest box off the #2 (main) viewing platform, including its siblings that have already fledged.
Sunday (7/16) afternoon I spotted an adult Virginia rail in the circular mud flat off the boardwalk about halfway between the #1 and #2 viewing platforms. The rushes blocked a complete view of the bird, which ran into the vegetation as I was relocating for a clear shot. I am thankful for the shot I got, as it is my first photo of an adult rail in five years.
Flocks of sandpipers continue to hang out at the marsh. They insist on remaining on the far south side, where distance and heat waves keep me from getting good photos.
Sandpipers continue to visit the marsh and the bright sunshine continues to make photographing them difficult. Best chance is in the early evening about two hours before sunset.
Monday (7/17) evening. I think these are least sandpipers due to their yellow legs.
I got some grab shots of five shorebirds flying over the walkway. They (naturally) landed in a far corner of the marsh where I could not see them. I think they are dowitchers, but I welcome other opinions.
This may be one of the five, well beyond the effective range of my 500L telephoto + 1.4x TC.
Wednesday (7-19-17) I spent an hour an Sprague Pond while Daren was working out at the gym. Three kingfishers were raising a racket chasing each other around the pond, but they were too far and too fast for good shots.
One of the juvie green herons flew in and landed on a branch over the water, then relocated to another branch on the bank. Heat waves and foliage did not make for good, close crops.
Friday afternoon (7/21) a mystery shorebird was wading on the far side of the marsh. Both photos were taken with the 5DIII + 500L telephoto + 1/4x TC mounted on a tripod.
The bird was definitely larger than the western and least sandpipers that we have been seeing for the past several weeks.
Sasquatch shot, but it does show that the bird's legs were black. Leg color is an important factor in trying to ID shorebirds.
A big lens was not necessary to photograph a juvie eastern cottontail that was grazing below the #1 viewing platform. It showed no fear of the three of us that were standing on the platform watching it, one of whom was a maintenance worker from Parks & Rec. He said that he has been many more rabbits in local parks than in years past.
I heard unusual screeching outside my window while I was sitting in front of the computer editing my day's photos. A juvie Cooper's hawk had caught a flicker and was dispatching it on the sidewalk across the street from my house. The hawk stayed there long enough for me to grab my camera, go outside, and take some photos before it flew off with the prey.
Two other flickers were raising a ruckus from nearby trees. Mourning their fallen companion?
In what is becoming an annual event, heat waves kept me from getting good photos of two semipalmated plovers that were at the marsh. They resemble miniature killdeer.
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