Wordless Wednesday

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marsh marigolds, photography, postaday

Marsh Marigolds.

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Sharp-shinned Hawk

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photography, postaday, Sharp-shinned Hawk.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk landed on a tree branch in our backyard, about 100 ft (30 m) away. It stayed there for a good ten minutes, allowing me to go get my camera, tripod, and set up. It was late evening on a cloudy day, forcing me to bump up the ISO to 1000, then to 2000.

Sharp-shinned Hawk. It was holding a twig in its beak, probably to build a nest somewhere in the woods.

Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Sharp-shinned Hawk.

Monday Monochrome

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dunlin, fortescue, horsehoe crab, monochrome, photography, postaday, ruddy turnstone

Here are some monochrome photos to highlight this Horseshoe Crab season. Currently, the populations of Horseshoe Crabs, as well as of the birds that eat their eggs, Red Knots, Dunlins, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Ruddy Turnstone, are all supposed to be in decline. There is no single cause and probably many unknowns as well.

Female Horseshoe Crab, its outer shell encrusted with sea snails and other sea shells. She was trying to shelter under a bridge over Oyster Creek at Fortescue, NJ.

Dunlins eating Horseshoe Crab eggs. They must have found a food spot!

A good scratch: Ruddy Turnstone between feedings on Forstescue beach.

Sunday Reflections

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Hamilton, nj, photography, postaday, saigon, sayen Gardens, water lily

Water Lily, taken in Sai Gon, Viet Nam last November.

Reflecting pool created by abundant rain in May at Sayen Gardens in Hamilton, NJ.

Peak Season

Tags

fortescue, horsehoe crabs, nj, photography, postaday, red knot, semipalmated sandpiper

Today was peak season for Horseshoe Crabs. I had never seen so many as evidenced by the following photos taken at Fortescue, NJ on the Delaware Bay.

Horseshoe Crabs coming ashore to mate.

Horseshoe Crabs on a bank of Oyster Creek that empties into Delaware Bay. Note Great Blue Heron at upper left.

The Great Blue Heron did not seem to join in the egg feast that other birds were indulging in.

Great Blue Heron on a bank of Oyster Creek at Fortescue, NJ.

A quarter mile of the beach was covered with Horsehoe Crabs and the birds eating their eggs.

A lady who was monitoring the beach to make sure people did not go near the birds told me that Horseshoe Crabs were late this year, probably because of cooler weather and abundant rain. However, migratory birds like the Red Knot landed in New Jersey at their regular time and could not find enough eggs to eat! They rely on the eggs to fuel themselves for their 9,000 mi journey (15,000 km), and alarms are going up about their fate this year. They are way underweight at the mid point of their migration.

Red Knot standing among Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Semipalmated Sandpipers eating Horseshoe Crab eggs.

Flying Lesson

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photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird

Daddy Red-winged Blackbird: “Sonny, here’s how you begin. Lift your wings and start flapping them.”

Juvenile Red-winged Blackbird: “No, I won’t do that! I just want food!”

Morning Dew

Tags

dew, peony, photography, postaday

This morning I found a thin layer of morning dew on our peonies.

White Peony.

White Peony.

Red Peony.

Red Peony.

Avian Research

Tags

fortescue, photography, postaday, semipalmated sandpiper

The Semipalmated Sandpiper is a small bird about 5 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm) or about the size of Piping Plovers. I found one among a band of Semipalmated Plovers near Barnegat Lighthouse two weeks ago.

Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Yesterday there were quite a few of them on the South Jersey shoreline.

Semipalmated Sandpiper. Note the partially webbed feet.

Semipalmated Sandpipers were among the subject of some research by a government agency in New Jersey. While they and other birds were feasting on Horseshoe Crab eggs, researchers captured some with nets. Then they were banded, measured, and blood samples were taken from them, among other indignities.

Semipalmated Sandpiper being banded.

Blood sample being tkane from Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Measurements.

Semipalmated Sandpiper being handled by researcher.

Horseshoe Crabs 2017

Tags

dunlin, horsehoe crab, photography, postaday, red knot

The shores of South Jersey bordering Delaware Bay are where Horseshoe Crabs come ashore every May to mate. The female crabs lay eggs in the sand and the male crabs fertilize them. The eggs are a favorite source of food for many birds, particularly for Red Knots, those long-distance migrators that travel more than 9,000 miles (15,000 km) from Tierra del Fuego at the very end of South America to the Artic in North America.

So at this time of the year. there are literally thousands and thousands of shore birds, including Red Knots, at the South Jersey shore. To protect the birds the beaches are off limits to people for one month, from May 7th to June 7th, which meant I could only take pictures from a good distance away.

Small island off Fortescue, NJ, a typical scene at this time of the year.

Even in the above photo, you can see several Horseshoe Crab that got upended, laying on their backs waiting for the tide to help them get back on their feet. Many will eventually die if that does not happen, becoming another source of food for seagulls and other birds.

Horseshoe Crab trying to turn itself over. They can’t, and they need help from the waves.

Horseshoe Crab dying. It was still trying to move its feet.

Dunlins looking for Horseschoe Crab eggs buried in sand.

Shore birds, among them a Red Knot, eating eggs around female Horseshoe Crab half buried in background.

Ruddy Turnstones eatings eggs next to two Horseshoe Crabs.

Red Knot, long-distance migrator.

Typical scene at South Jersey shore in May. No people, just birds.

Delphiniums

Tags

delphinium, photography, postaday

I planted some Delphiniums this year, and the Spring rain has been really good for them. One of them has flowers with some of most vivid and prettiest blue colors.

Delphinium.

Delphinium.

Delphinium buds.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: All One Color

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Cee's Fun Foto Challenge, photography, postaday

Cee’s challenge is here: https://ceenphotography.com/2017/05/16/cees-fun-foto-challenge-all-one-color/

This was not easy, but here’s my interpretation:

Pink flowers.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflecting

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chincoteague bay, photography, postaday, weekly photo challenge

This challenge URL is: https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/reflecting/

Here’s my entry:

Sunset over Chincoteague Bay.

Shore Robbery

Tags

assateague island, boat-tailed grackle, photography, postaday, sandpiper

There is highway robbery, and then there is shore robbery. Early one morning two weeks ago, I saw a Sandpiper catching a clam on the seashore of Assateague Island in Maryland.

Sandpiper catching clam.

Sandpiper trying to open clam.

Out of nowhere, a Boat-tailed Grackle swooped in and stole the food.

Boat-tailed Grackle stole the clam.

A dejected Sandpiper left the scene.

I thought that was the end of it, but just as I turned away, another Grackle flew in, snatched the clam, and flew away.

Boat-tailed Grackle watching after another Grackle took the clam away.

Oystercatcher Couple

Tags

barnegat lighthouse, oystercatcher, photography, postaday

Today is a rainy day, with up to 2 in (5 cm) of rain to fall all day long. It’s time then to show photos taken on a sunny day last week of an Oystercatcher named T2 and his companion, Lady Hamilton, as dubbed by the locals at Barnegat.

T2 standing on one leg.

T2 walking away.

Beautiful Lady Hamilton follows T2.

They went inside the restricted area of the beach, walked up the dunes and maybe toward their nest. Another blogger on WordPress said that this pair, together now for several years, has not yet managed to produce any offspring, but there could be hope for this year.

Oystercatcher are of national conservation concern, with several thousands living on the shore of Mid Atlantic states like New Jersey.

T2 and Lady Hamilton near their nest?

All these coming and goings under the watchful eye of Barnegat Lighthouse.

Barnegat Lighthouse.

Semipalmated Plover

Tags

barnegat lighthouse, photography, postaday, semipalmated plover

Semipalmated Plovers are very close to Piping Plovers in size and cuteness. They look similar but with different feather colors as you can see in the photos below. I found several dozen of them in the roped off area of the beach at Barnegat Lighthouse, with one or two Piping Plovers running through their midst.

Semipalmated Plover.

Semipalmated Plover standing on one leg.

Semipalmated Plover.

A crucial distinction is that the Semipalmated Plover is not considered endangered, with a population estimated to be about 200,000. There are fewer than 10,000 Piping Plovers.

Semipalmated Plovers.

Piping Plovers

Tags

barnegat lighthouse, photography, piping plover, postaday

Piping Plovers are considered an endangered species, or they are at least on the verge of being so. That’s why a section of the beach and dunes at Barnegat Lighthouse is roped off from April to September. Signs placed at regular intervals warn that the area is a nesting site for them, and for two other kinds of shore birds, Black Skimmers and Least Terns.

Of course these cute little birds disregard the signs, and I have seen some running out to search for food on the beach and near the water. They look like cotton balls trotting up and down between the dunes and the waves.

Beach sign.

Piping Plover running down to shoreline.

Piping Plover running back to dunes.

Piping Plover.

The Kiss

Tags

northern cardinal, photography, postaday

A male Northern Cardinal will often court a female by offering her food. I have seen that behavior before, but today was the first time I managed to capture it in photos. This took place this morning in a small grove next to Barnegat Lighthouse.

A male Cardinal holding a seed in his beak.

He fed the seed to an appreciative female Cardinal.

A fraction of a second after the “kiss”.

Spring Flowers

Tags

photography, postaday, sayen park botanical garden

Today was supposed to be cloudy and rainy, but there was about an hour during which the sun burst through the clouds. I went to Sayen Park Botanical Garden, a local place filled with flowers and where many weddings take place from Spring to Fall. There was just enough time to take the following shots before the sky became menacing and the good light disappeared.

Yellow Iris.

Azaleas.

Bleeding Hearts.

Tulips were mostly gone, their leaves and stems cut to the ground, but some were still putting on a valiant show.

Tulip.

Tulip.

On the other hand, Rhododendrons were in their prime season.

Rhododendron.

Juxtaposition

Tags

barnegat lighthouse, black cherry, fishing, photography, postaday

I took the following photos near Barnegat Lighthouse within a few minutes of each other. Now seen side by side, there are some similarities between them, even though the subjects could not be more different.

Black Cherry flowers.

Fishing at Barnegat Lighthouse.

Red-Winged Blackbird

Tags

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, photography, postaday, red-winged blackbird

The male Red-winged Blackbird is easily recognized by his red and yellow shoulder patches and his propensity to sing for any reason from the top of reeds or bushes. I saw the one pictured below at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland more than a week ago. He was not shy, stood his ground, and continued serenading even as my car came nearer to him.

Red-winged Blackbird.

Red-winged Blackbird.

Red-winged Blackbird.

Red-winged Blackbird.

How to Eat Mussels

Tags

barnegat ligthouse, oystercatcher, photography, postaday

I saw a couple of Oystercatchers this past Sunday near the end of the jetty at Barnegat Lighthouse. They were walking on the beach, finding shellfish to eat, not minding people approaching to take their pictures. One was banded with “T2” clearly visible.

A pair of Oystercatchers.

Oystercatcher T2 inspecting mussels.

Oystercatcher T2 had pierced through a partially opened mussel and was carrying it around.

Oystercatcher and mussel.

The other Oystercatcher walked right by some mussels without touching them.

Black-necked Stilt

Tags

black-necked stilt, bombay hook national wildlife refuge, lesser yellowlegs, photography, postaday

Last week at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware I saw for the first time a pair of Black-necked Stilt. They are graceful birds with long legs and striking colors that stand out from a distance. They don’t usually come to the Northeast, staying normally much further South, so it was a real treat.

Black-necked Stilt standing one one leg, sleeping perhaps.

Black-necked Stilt.

Black-necked Stilt.

Black-necked Stilt.

Second only to Flamingos, these birds have the longest legs in proportion to their bodies, as you can see in the following photo when one of them stood next to a Lesser Yellowlegs which has pretty long legs also.

Black-necked Stilt. and Lesser Yellowlegs.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Sky

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Cee's Fun Foto Challenge, glacier national park, photography, postaday

Cee’s challenge is at the following URL: https://ceenphotography.com/2017/05/02/cees-fun-foto-challenge-sky/

And here’s my entry: the sky just before sunrise near Glacier National Park in Montana.

Sunrise on the way to Glacier National Park.

Scarlet Tanager

Tags

barnegat lighthouse, photography, postaday, scarlet tanager

Last Sunday I saw a vivid flash of orange fly by as I walked along a trail next to Barnegat Lighthouse. It was a male Scarlet Tanager, the first time I saw one. It kept jumping from branch to branch, even spending some time on the ground. It had to be one of the most handsome birds in the Northeast United States. Because it was so active, I had trouble focusing and only two shots turned out well enough to post here.

Scarlet Tanager.

Scarlet Tanager.