The last two nights I have not gone fishing. For the first time in weeks I was home on two consecutive nights after supper.I spent my time after work cleaning up my yard. The most fun and also beneficial of it was working on my garden. Although a couple weeks late, in a couple months I will have tomatoes, cucumbers and leaf lettuce (planted in the shade so it won't bolt too quickly.
After I came in I ate shrimp while watching a live streaming Jimmy Buffett concert. If gardens, shrimp cocktail, and Buffett don't scream that summer is upon us, then I don't know what does. I had a fun spring, but sadly it is just about over. I like spring more than summer not only because of the cooler weather, but because more of my favorite things are peaking then. None the less, as Cher poetically said, you can't turn back time.
My summer plans are not nearly as diverse as my spring daytrips. For the most part they consist of the ocean and the mountains. Starting with mountains: simply put, I want to go to New Hampshire hiking and trout fishing as much as I can.
Going to the ocean does not mean hanging out at the beach to me. I have a couple days planned for the next couple weeks. There is a place in Newport that fishes very well the first couple weeks in June when high tide lines up with sunset. This will happen roughly June 1-4.
Secondly, I know a place also on the island that has big sea robins at high tide. I actually wanted to go there tonight and blow off the yard work, but got out of work too late. I may try again Sunday.
Third ocean daytrip would be going to Prudence Island. I love going to Prudence but haven't been in years. There is a shallow bay where I snorkle. The south end of the island has a wharf where I once caught big scup. There is a large deer population also. The people are laid back and it id just a fun place to go.
My last summer daytrip is the Charlestown Breachway. Behind the breachway are mudflats. In late summer, migrating shorebirds stop to rest there. It is fun to see all the birds and to play in the warm water. I am not rushing away the warm weather, but I am looking forward to that trip.
That is really the stuff I most want to do. Of course, we will probably hit some Cape Cod Baseball League games. I will certainly see some fireworks and I usually go to a zoo at least once.
My advice, is to put a list together of fun things you want to do this summer. See how many you can cross off. They may have nothing to do with the mountains or my ocean ideas. Still lifes to short not to have fun!
Friday, May 29, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Bass and Carp over Birds
I had an unexpected day off Wednesday. I found out fairly late Tuesday night. I did not have much time to plan a fun day. Being that it was a Wednesday, my instinct was to go to the Joppa Flats bird walks in Parker River NWR. There is a morning and an evening morning walk the Audubon Sanctuary sponsors. I could kill two birds with one stone making the long drive well worth it. In between the two walks I could have gone to Ipswich River or gone shad fishing. The tide ended up being terrible when I checked it, so that left me only Ipswich River, which was fine with me.
Wednesday morning came and I got a 5 am phone call from work that didn't know I had the day off. I couldn't go back to sleep, but I was pretty tired. I got up at 6:30 and started packing my lunch. It was very windy. As much as I would have like to gone on two walks on the same day with experts, I just didn't think there would be a lot of active birds in the strong southwesterly.
It was still early, so when it got to a more appropriate hour I texted my friend Dave to see if he was fishing. He called me right back and said yes. I told him, if he wanted company I could be at his house in 20 minutes. I had packed all my carp stuff in case he said yes.
We went to a venue that he did quite well the day before. We had almost the same weather conditions, but not the same luck. I caught a 22 pound carp within minutes and we thought they would be in thick. No such luck. It was the only carp caught all day. We left around 3 pm.
On the way home I started to get a migraine. By the time I got to my house, I knew it was time for a nap. I didn't set the alarm and shut my eyes. I woke up at 5:45, just in time to make a trip to the bay. Wednesday was the last good tide for a couple of days so I didn't want to waste it. I went to a long sandbar. For two and a half hours I was the only one fishing this mile and a half of shoreline. I did not kill them by any means, but I ended up with two stripers and my first blue of the year. I got home about 9:30.
Certainly not the best day fishing, but I still made the right decision to go fishing instead of birding. I read the report from the walk, they didn't see too much. So although, I can say the same, I did save about twenty dollars in gas, and I caught my first blue of the year and a 22 pound carp.
Picture of carp to follow
Wednesday morning came and I got a 5 am phone call from work that didn't know I had the day off. I couldn't go back to sleep, but I was pretty tired. I got up at 6:30 and started packing my lunch. It was very windy. As much as I would have like to gone on two walks on the same day with experts, I just didn't think there would be a lot of active birds in the strong southwesterly.
It was still early, so when it got to a more appropriate hour I texted my friend Dave to see if he was fishing. He called me right back and said yes. I told him, if he wanted company I could be at his house in 20 minutes. I had packed all my carp stuff in case he said yes.
We went to a venue that he did quite well the day before. We had almost the same weather conditions, but not the same luck. I caught a 22 pound carp within minutes and we thought they would be in thick. No such luck. It was the only carp caught all day. We left around 3 pm.
On the way home I started to get a migraine. By the time I got to my house, I knew it was time for a nap. I didn't set the alarm and shut my eyes. I woke up at 5:45, just in time to make a trip to the bay. Wednesday was the last good tide for a couple of days so I didn't want to waste it. I went to a long sandbar. For two and a half hours I was the only one fishing this mile and a half of shoreline. I did not kill them by any means, but I ended up with two stripers and my first blue of the year. I got home about 9:30.
Certainly not the best day fishing, but I still made the right decision to go fishing instead of birding. I read the report from the walk, they didn't see too much. So although, I can say the same, I did save about twenty dollars in gas, and I caught my first blue of the year and a 22 pound carp.
Picture of carp to follow
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Birding my Weekend
As mentioned in the shad post below, I birded Thursday and Friday. I did manage to "squeeze" in five
hours of fishing, but with over fourteen hours of daylight, there is plenty of time to do other things also.
My original plan involved doing a couple of "paid" bird walks. There was a walk at Plum Island on Wednesday night, two different walks on Thursday morning at two locations in Newbury, and another at Plum Friday morning. Somehow I managed to not make it to any of them. After work on Wednesday, it was very windy, I knew there wouldn't be many birds around so I chose to leave early Thursday morning. This saved me about fifty bucks (33 for a campsite and 12 for the walk, and food for supper).
So I left Thursday morning hoping to make it to either of the two Audubon walks. However, traffic was really bad and I knew I wouldn't make it to either (one started at 8:30, the other at 9 am). There was no way I'd make it through Lowell rush hour traffic, so I changed plans and went to Oxbow NWR in Harvard. I saw some nice birds but nothing new for the year. The highlights were American Redstart, many Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Wood Ducks, Baltimore, Orioles, Red Eyed Vireo, and Yellowthroats. I also saw another Blandings Turtle and heard a Pileated Woodpecker.
After the morning rush, I left Oxbow around 11, and went to Rough Meadows Mass Audubon Sanctuary. It was small and I was there about an hour. I did see a Rose Breasted Grossbeak,Great
Crested Flycatcher, Greater Yellowlegs.
From there I went shad fishing. After fishing I grabbed a campsite at Salisbury Beach (33 dollars). I saw some seals on the rocks, Common Eider sea ducks,and Black Bellied Plovers while walking on the beach. I went to bed about 9 pm. For the day I saw 54 species of vertebrate.
Walking up to light raindrops hitting me in the face, I was packed and ready for my day by 4:50 am. I went to Parker River NWR. My plan was to bird for a couple hours and be back at Joppa Flats to meet for the bird walk at 8am. I lost track of time and when I looked at my phone it was 8:10 am, which meant I went 0-3 on my planned walks (however I did save forty four dollars, but I am positive I would have seen more total species going with experts).
By far the highlight of my five hours of the morning was a coyote that was hunting in the Hellcat area. It was stalking something in the brush. Besides the coyote, I saw Northern Shoveler, Bobolinks, Turkey, and Willet, I drove to the end of the road at Sandy Point. There piping plover and least terns were everywhere. On the way to Sandy Point, a guy pointed out a Willow Flycatcher which was a life bird for me. At this point I realized I missed my walk.
I went back to the Hellcat area which is famous for warblers. I found a Bay Breasted Warbler and a Magnolia Warbler. Both were life birds for me. A guy pointed out the call of a Black Billed Cukoo, that I distinctly could hear. I also saw some other Redstarts, Yellow Warblers, and Marsh Wrens. All total I saw 44 species on the island.
I had lunch and drove to Mill Pond Rec Area in West Newbury. This was the site of one of Thursday
y morning's walks (the other was Rough Meadows). I didn't see much there, but did see my first ever Indigo Bunting. I listened to it call and got great looks. When I got back to my car and listened to it on my bird calls cd. Kind of a neat way to learn calls.
After Mill Pond it was only a five minute drive to my shad fishing spot, where I caught three before making the one our and fifteen minute drive home.
All total I saw 76 different species. I had a total of six life birds, but I'm only counting four (counting the Bay Breasted, Willow Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting, and Magnolia. I heard the Cukoo which counts in the birding world, but I want to see it. I also saw a female Cape May Warbler in a bush, but it was a quick look and couldn't identify any field marks.) I also had another nine first of the year animals (piping plover, least tern, bobolink, coyote,cedar waxwing, and black bellied plover, American Shad, eel, mummys,) All in all a great two days off from work.
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| Purple Martin |
My original plan involved doing a couple of "paid" bird walks. There was a walk at Plum Island on Wednesday night, two different walks on Thursday morning at two locations in Newbury, and another at Plum Friday morning. Somehow I managed to not make it to any of them. After work on Wednesday, it was very windy, I knew there wouldn't be many birds around so I chose to leave early Thursday morning. This saved me about fifty bucks (33 for a campsite and 12 for the walk, and food for supper).
So I left Thursday morning hoping to make it to either of the two Audubon walks. However, traffic was really bad and I knew I wouldn't make it to either (one started at 8:30, the other at 9 am). There was no way I'd make it through Lowell rush hour traffic, so I changed plans and went to Oxbow NWR in Harvard. I saw some nice birds but nothing new for the year. The highlights were American Redstart, many Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Wood Ducks, Baltimore, Orioles, Red Eyed Vireo, and Yellowthroats. I also saw another Blandings Turtle and heard a Pileated Woodpecker.
After the morning rush, I left Oxbow around 11, and went to Rough Meadows Mass Audubon Sanctuary. It was small and I was there about an hour. I did see a Rose Breasted Grossbeak,Great
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| Blandings Turtle |
From there I went shad fishing. After fishing I grabbed a campsite at Salisbury Beach (33 dollars). I saw some seals on the rocks, Common Eider sea ducks,and Black Bellied Plovers while walking on the beach. I went to bed about 9 pm. For the day I saw 54 species of vertebrate.
Walking up to light raindrops hitting me in the face, I was packed and ready for my day by 4:50 am. I went to Parker River NWR. My plan was to bird for a couple hours and be back at Joppa Flats to meet for the bird walk at 8am. I lost track of time and when I looked at my phone it was 8:10 am, which meant I went 0-3 on my planned walks (however I did save forty four dollars, but I am positive I would have seen more total species going with experts).
By far the highlight of my five hours of the morning was a coyote that was hunting in the Hellcat area. It was stalking something in the brush. Besides the coyote, I saw Northern Shoveler, Bobolinks, Turkey, and Willet, I drove to the end of the road at Sandy Point. There piping plover and least terns were everywhere. On the way to Sandy Point, a guy pointed out a Willow Flycatcher which was a life bird for me. At this point I realized I missed my walk.
I went back to the Hellcat area which is famous for warblers. I found a Bay Breasted Warbler and a Magnolia Warbler. Both were life birds for me. A guy pointed out the call of a Black Billed Cukoo, that I distinctly could hear. I also saw some other Redstarts, Yellow Warblers, and Marsh Wrens. All total I saw 44 species on the island.
I had lunch and drove to Mill Pond Rec Area in West Newbury. This was the site of one of Thursday
After Mill Pond it was only a five minute drive to my shad fishing spot, where I caught three before making the one our and fifteen minute drive home.
All total I saw 76 different species. I had a total of six life birds, but I'm only counting four (counting the Bay Breasted, Willow Flycatcher, Indigo Bunting, and Magnolia. I heard the Cukoo which counts in the birding world, but I want to see it. I also saw a female Cape May Warbler in a bush, but it was a quick look and couldn't identify any field marks.) I also had another nine first of the year animals (piping plover, least tern, bobolink, coyote,cedar waxwing, and black bellied plover, American Shad, eel, mummys,) All in all a great two days off from work.
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| Piping Plover |
Friday, May 22, 2015
A Successful Shad Run
I spent the last two days in the Newburyport area. I did quite a bit and never stopped "playing" from 5:30 am till dark both days. I have a lot to write about, but I'll break it down into topics in individual posts.
One thing I was hoping to make time for was shad fishing the Merrimack River. I used to fish for American Shad in the Indianhead River in Hanover. I haven't gone in almost a decade. The drive is long and I'm usually playing for a fish or two. I had never fished the Merrimack for shad. I know there is a large run. I had read some OTW articles about where to fish.
I found out that high tide was about 3 pm yesterday and the spot I planned on fishing is best from high to two hours down. I got to the spot I wanted (a spot within a spot) and thankfully no one was there. I casted out my 1/8 oz. lime green shad dart. AS with any new type of fishing, although I had a game plan, I really didn't expect to score. Luckily for my confidence level, I hooked into a shad right away. I got him in (it was a male) and took some pictures. I was happy to get my first shad in a decade. Only ten minutes later I had another. I thought how much easier this was than fishing the Indianhead. Then for the next 90 minutes...nothing. That was okay, I was more than thrilled to catch even one shad.
So of course I went back today, after sleeping overnight at Salisbury Beach and birding Plum Island in the morning. I landed three in the 90 minutes that I fished after high tide. I got there early to snag my spot long before the tide was high, only to find it occupied by four bottom fishermen. They left right at high tide and I was in that spot before they had drove away. Catching five shad in my brief time fishing for them was very unexpected. At the Indianhead River I used to HOPE for one hit an hour, never mind land them. So in my book the last two days fishing were outstanding!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
I finally bought a new computer: here are some pictures
As you read from the title I finally bought a computer. For the first time in a year I am typing n a keyboard and not my phone, It is a pain in the gluteus to download photos from my phone to the blog. That is why I have been putting only a picture or two on most posts. Usually they were taken with my crappy camera phone so I wasn't terribly pleased with them anyway. Here are some pictures of reptiles, amphibians, and wood ducks I have captured over the spring. Enjoy
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| Northern Water Snake |
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| Endangered Blanding's Turtle |
Monday, May 18, 2015
Getting it wrong sometimes
The other night my options on what to fish for came down to my three usual suspects; carp, stripers, or trout. For the most part, I put the trout on the back burner in mid-May. However, I hadn't caught many this year. I only fished for them four or five times. Also the thought of smoked trout appealed to me. So I went against my general plan and went to the fly fishing only pond in northern RI.
In May trout fishing is usually pretty easy. The water temp is ideal and there are a lot of bugs on the water. So I went to the pond about supper time. I was actually hoping to catch a limit. I don't keep many fish but I do make a batch of smoked trout once a year. If I limited out early, I'd swing down to the bay and try for stripers before dark.
No such luck. The trout proved very difficult to fool this night. There were not many jumping. Something was hatching on the water but the trout were not chasing. I managed to catch four. I had two others fight, but come off. Other than those six trout, I had very few other hits.
I was happy with my outcome despite the inactive fish. Catching four on a tough day is okay by me. I worked hard to catch them, but hey, at least I didn't go home with a goose egg. As I was putting my kayak on the car I got a text from Dave. He went striper fishing. How did he do?
He caught 21 at a spot he only caught three the night before. Sometimes you just never know
In May trout fishing is usually pretty easy. The water temp is ideal and there are a lot of bugs on the water. So I went to the pond about supper time. I was actually hoping to catch a limit. I don't keep many fish but I do make a batch of smoked trout once a year. If I limited out early, I'd swing down to the bay and try for stripers before dark.
No such luck. The trout proved very difficult to fool this night. There were not many jumping. Something was hatching on the water but the trout were not chasing. I managed to catch four. I had two others fight, but come off. Other than those six trout, I had very few other hits.
I was happy with my outcome despite the inactive fish. Catching four on a tough day is okay by me. I worked hard to catch them, but hey, at least I didn't go home with a goose egg. As I was putting my kayak on the car I got a text from Dave. He went striper fishing. How did he do?
He caught 21 at a spot he only caught three the night before. Sometimes you just never know
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
I wasn't going fishing tonight
Since I clearly wasn't doing anything and I had not seen my friend in months, I decided to go. I didn't really expect to catch anything. I figured we would shoot the breeze. Tom is hilarious. The worst case scenario was get some fresh air and have a few laughs.
Things turned out pretty well. We each got a big white sucker. I was much happier to catch mine than Tom was. I also landed the twenty pound carp in the photo. Needless to say, I'm happy I got the text.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Sacrificing May for September
As you have read many times this month and other May's, this is my favorite month by far. If I was a millionaire I still wouldn't have enough time to enjoy everything I want to do. However, I am not a millionaire and have to work. Normally I get two days off a week. I go on "exotic" daytrips on those days. I sometimes leave at 5:30 am and get back after dark. I do not get cheated on those days, no minute is wasted. I usually have my list of spring daytrips written out in January. I will have tides written on a calender along with moon phases. I plan trips to the Cape trout fishing and Central MA fishing for giant mirror carp.
This month I was thrown an unexpected wrinkle. The girl, Megan, that covers my days off,moved on to greener pastures. This left a void in the company and we do not have a district manager. So now I do not have someone to cover my days off and I have been asked to do a lot of her job for the time being.
I certainly do not want Megan's job permanently and made it clear to the owner. She was on call 5-6 days a week. She could have gotten a phone call at 4 am from a morning girl or at 4 pm from a closer. If she couldn't get the shift covered she had to go in. I had that job for seven years and do not want to live that life again. I had to walk out of movies with my then ten year old son. I'd have to leave little league games and fishing sessions cause a toaster broke. It is a life style I do not plan on living again.
However, with Megan leaving I am stuck for a little while. At first I was really depressed that I would be working so hard in May. If Megan left in January I would welcome the extra work and overtime. In the spring I do not think that way, I look at it as time I can never get back. So many things are better in May than the other 11 months. The bird spring migration, trout fishing, and the largest carp of the year are landed are just a few examples.
To make the best of it I realized something. Even if I get screwed over by a couple of night girls, I can still go out most every night. Being on call I can't go far, but I can stretch my limit as far as Warwick, where conveniently enough, I have been catching a lot of stripers.
My big sacrifice are my days off. I'm working 6 days right now. So I am loosing half of my valuable daytrips in this precious month. But, I will get overtime every week. By getting into overtime, I should have enough money to go on a vacation to the Utah national parks this fall. Laurie and I have been thinking about this trip for a while. I did not want to commit until early summer because I wanted to make sure I had enough money in the bank. By working overtime the next few weeks, the money shouldn't be a problem. So in reality, 'm trading four days off for a 2 week dream (but cheap) vacation. I can live with that.
I have still been getting out after my longer days at work. Tonight I went to the fly pond and had some fun. Last night I went striper fishing and got a few. Sunday, Laurie and I went birding at Great Swamp. We saw some cool birds and walked 3 miles. Saturday I went striper fishing where my friend Dave and I caught a combined 51 fish. All in all not a bad 4 days.
This month I was thrown an unexpected wrinkle. The girl, Megan, that covers my days off,moved on to greener pastures. This left a void in the company and we do not have a district manager. So now I do not have someone to cover my days off and I have been asked to do a lot of her job for the time being.
I certainly do not want Megan's job permanently and made it clear to the owner. She was on call 5-6 days a week. She could have gotten a phone call at 4 am from a morning girl or at 4 pm from a closer. If she couldn't get the shift covered she had to go in. I had that job for seven years and do not want to live that life again. I had to walk out of movies with my then ten year old son. I'd have to leave little league games and fishing sessions cause a toaster broke. It is a life style I do not plan on living again.
However, with Megan leaving I am stuck for a little while. At first I was really depressed that I would be working so hard in May. If Megan left in January I would welcome the extra work and overtime. In the spring I do not think that way, I look at it as time I can never get back. So many things are better in May than the other 11 months. The bird spring migration, trout fishing, and the largest carp of the year are landed are just a few examples.
To make the best of it I realized something. Even if I get screwed over by a couple of night girls, I can still go out most every night. Being on call I can't go far, but I can stretch my limit as far as Warwick, where conveniently enough, I have been catching a lot of stripers.
My big sacrifice are my days off. I'm working 6 days right now. So I am loosing half of my valuable daytrips in this precious month. But, I will get overtime every week. By getting into overtime, I should have enough money to go on a vacation to the Utah national parks this fall. Laurie and I have been thinking about this trip for a while. I did not want to commit until early summer because I wanted to make sure I had enough money in the bank. By working overtime the next few weeks, the money shouldn't be a problem. So in reality, 'm trading four days off for a 2 week dream (but cheap) vacation. I can live with that.
I have still been getting out after my longer days at work. Tonight I went to the fly pond and had some fun. Last night I went striper fishing and got a few. Sunday, Laurie and I went birding at Great Swamp. We saw some cool birds and walked 3 miles. Saturday I went striper fishing where my friend Dave and I caught a combined 51 fish. All in all not a bad 4 days.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Wednesday Birding
Mass Audubon runs bird walks at Parker River NWR in Newburyport on Plum Island on Wednesdays. I would go to these walks every week except, I work Wednesdays. Since migration is here and really wanted to go on one of these walks, I switched my day off this week from Thursday to Wednesday.
The walk started about 9:30. A lot of people had the same idea as myself. In all 40 people went. We carpooled in 10 different cars. Because so many people went, real walking was out of the question. There was no way to get that many people on trails single file. The only people that would have seen any birds would have been the people in the front. So we drove to different areas and got out of our cars and walked along the road. This was really the only viable strategy with a group this size. It paid off.
On Tuesday there was a "fallout" on the island. One hundred twenty two species were reported. We were not that lucky. In all I counted 49 species including common birds. The highlight of the day was a white eyed vireo. It was a lifebird for a lot of people including myself. I also got two other lifebirds when a bank swallow flew by and a swamp sparrow was around a mud puddle.
Other good birds were green wing teal, black and white warbler, yellow warbler, northern harrier, kestrel, and marsh wrens.
The walk ended at 12:30. My plan for my ride home was to stop at Oxbow NWR in Harvard, MA off of Route 2. I had never been there before and was looking forward to seeing new scenery. I got to the parking lot about 2 pm.
Before I go any further, there are advantages and disadvantages of birding alone versus birding in a group. When alone, I can go at my own pace. Also, if I find a bird and identify it, there is enormous satisfaction. Most importantly, if I want tostay and watch an animal/bird for a while, no one is waiting for me. However, I do give something up when I go alone. Being in a group means there are experts around. These people recognize even rare birds by there call. This is something I am having a hard time learning. They can tell a lot of birds just by flight pattern even if they are back lit against the sun. Another advantage to a group is, the more eyes looking for birds, the better the chance of finding them.
So off I went down the trail at Oxbow alone. It didn't take me long to slow my pace. I came across an American Redstart and Yellow Rumped Warblers. In a swamp I saw a Blandings Turtle which is an endangered species. That was a good find. I also had fun seeing the 4 garter snakes and green frogs along the muddy path.
I ran across an older couple that was birding. They were far better than me. The woman could tell birds by there call and pointed out five calls in our ten minute conversation. They told me about some birds they saw and where to look. The one bird I heard all day but could not locate in the forest canopy was a great Crested Flycatcher. They told me about a Baltimore Oriole and a few other birds. I ended up seeing everything they saw including a Veery, which was another life bird for me. That brought my total to four lifers for the day. Not including life birds, my favorite bird of the day (and I found it on my own) was the beautiful scarlet tanager. I watched it preen itself for ten minutes. I also came across a wood thrush, common yellow throats and rose breasted grosbeak. The woods were a kaleidoscope of colors.
Back to the disadvantage of being alone. Besides not finding the Great Crested Flycatcher I had at least two other species I could not identify. I had 2 blue colored birds that I startled fly away from me. In my mind they were Indigo Buntings, but did not get good looks. The other bird I saw plainly but still could not identify. It was grey and warbler size. I couldn't figure it by looking in the feild guide.
I stayed at Oxbow for almost four hours. I was enjoying being outside on such a nice day. I got back after 7:30. When I got home I tallied up my species. I had 64 species total for the day. Two mammals, 4 reptiles/amphibeans, and 58 birds. Four species of birds were life birds and 12 were first of the year. What a great day.
The walk started about 9:30. A lot of people had the same idea as myself. In all 40 people went. We carpooled in 10 different cars. Because so many people went, real walking was out of the question. There was no way to get that many people on trails single file. The only people that would have seen any birds would have been the people in the front. So we drove to different areas and got out of our cars and walked along the road. This was really the only viable strategy with a group this size. It paid off.
On Tuesday there was a "fallout" on the island. One hundred twenty two species were reported. We were not that lucky. In all I counted 49 species including common birds. The highlight of the day was a white eyed vireo. It was a lifebird for a lot of people including myself. I also got two other lifebirds when a bank swallow flew by and a swamp sparrow was around a mud puddle.
Other good birds were green wing teal, black and white warbler, yellow warbler, northern harrier, kestrel, and marsh wrens.
The walk ended at 12:30. My plan for my ride home was to stop at Oxbow NWR in Harvard, MA off of Route 2. I had never been there before and was looking forward to seeing new scenery. I got to the parking lot about 2 pm.
Before I go any further, there are advantages and disadvantages of birding alone versus birding in a group. When alone, I can go at my own pace. Also, if I find a bird and identify it, there is enormous satisfaction. Most importantly, if I want tostay and watch an animal/bird for a while, no one is waiting for me. However, I do give something up when I go alone. Being in a group means there are experts around. These people recognize even rare birds by there call. This is something I am having a hard time learning. They can tell a lot of birds just by flight pattern even if they are back lit against the sun. Another advantage to a group is, the more eyes looking for birds, the better the chance of finding them.
So off I went down the trail at Oxbow alone. It didn't take me long to slow my pace. I came across an American Redstart and Yellow Rumped Warblers. In a swamp I saw a Blandings Turtle which is an endangered species. That was a good find. I also had fun seeing the 4 garter snakes and green frogs along the muddy path.
I ran across an older couple that was birding. They were far better than me. The woman could tell birds by there call and pointed out five calls in our ten minute conversation. They told me about some birds they saw and where to look. The one bird I heard all day but could not locate in the forest canopy was a great Crested Flycatcher. They told me about a Baltimore Oriole and a few other birds. I ended up seeing everything they saw including a Veery, which was another life bird for me. That brought my total to four lifers for the day. Not including life birds, my favorite bird of the day (and I found it on my own) was the beautiful scarlet tanager. I watched it preen itself for ten minutes. I also came across a wood thrush, common yellow throats and rose breasted grosbeak. The woods were a kaleidoscope of colors.
Back to the disadvantage of being alone. Besides not finding the Great Crested Flycatcher I had at least two other species I could not identify. I had 2 blue colored birds that I startled fly away from me. In my mind they were Indigo Buntings, but did not get good looks. The other bird I saw plainly but still could not identify. It was grey and warbler size. I couldn't figure it by looking in the feild guide.
I stayed at Oxbow for almost four hours. I was enjoying being outside on such a nice day. I got back after 7:30. When I got home I tallied up my species. I had 64 species total for the day. Two mammals, 4 reptiles/amphibeans, and 58 birds. Four species of birds were life birds and 12 were first of the year. What a great day.
Monday, May 4, 2015
The Whirlwind that is May
I know I write almost every year that this by far my favorite time of year. Although I say that May is my favorite month, the truth is I would normally say that from April 20 to Memorial Day is the time I most enjoy. Because this spring was so cold, we lost about 2 solid weeks of what is normally prime time. It is true that the cold spring could extend the season, but a couple ninety degree days could warm the water very quickly.
So although I am saddened that about 2 weeks of spring were wasted, I am thrilled that the southwest wind has brought warm air, stripers and spring migrants.
Yesterday Laurie and I went to Great Swamp in South Kingston, RI. She loves looking for frogs and turtles, and...its a swamp. I birded. We saw a bunch of osprey, yellow warblers and blackpoll warblers. Birding wasn't great but we did have a nice three mile walk and the scenery is awesome.
Today after work, my plan was to go Swan Point Cemetery and look for warblers, then get the kayak and go trout fishing. The wind was strong so not many birds were around. However, I saw a bald eagle! As I was walking along the shoreline a big bird landed in a tree right above me. I thought it must have been a turkey. I put my binoculars on it but couldn't get a good look through the trees. I took one step and it took off. I could see the unmistakable white head flying away from me. I will admit, my adrenaline was pumping. I saw some greater yellowlegs after that. Then headed home.
The wind was howling, so I chose not to go kayaking. I could have went striper or carp fishing. Instead I opted to stay home. I haven't ran much because of fish and birds and needed to stretch my legs. So, I didn't do much today outside. I think I needed a "rest day" What did I do on my rest day after birding? I put together a list of places I want to fish and bird this month. I love this month and am not going to waste it inside!
So although I am saddened that about 2 weeks of spring were wasted, I am thrilled that the southwest wind has brought warm air, stripers and spring migrants.
Yesterday Laurie and I went to Great Swamp in South Kingston, RI. She loves looking for frogs and turtles, and...its a swamp. I birded. We saw a bunch of osprey, yellow warblers and blackpoll warblers. Birding wasn't great but we did have a nice three mile walk and the scenery is awesome.
Today after work, my plan was to go Swan Point Cemetery and look for warblers, then get the kayak and go trout fishing. The wind was strong so not many birds were around. However, I saw a bald eagle! As I was walking along the shoreline a big bird landed in a tree right above me. I thought it must have been a turkey. I put my binoculars on it but couldn't get a good look through the trees. I took one step and it took off. I could see the unmistakable white head flying away from me. I will admit, my adrenaline was pumping. I saw some greater yellowlegs after that. Then headed home.
The wind was howling, so I chose not to go kayaking. I could have went striper or carp fishing. Instead I opted to stay home. I haven't ran much because of fish and birds and needed to stretch my legs. So, I didn't do much today outside. I think I needed a "rest day" What did I do on my rest day after birding? I put together a list of places I want to fish and bird this month. I love this month and am not going to waste it inside!
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| My first striper of the year. I caught it a couple days ago. |
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Exhausted!
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| Tiger trout in April |
I did quite a lot of fishing and birding last month. I had some good days and some bad. My first day that I went trout fishing down the Cape, I ended up with 19 trout including a few tigers.
I followed up that epic fishing by going to Wachusett Reservoir where I managed to fish for seven hours without a hit on shiners and lures.
I went birding a few times. I will write more about individual trips in later reports. Not because you care where I may of saw an osprey, but to give you ideas for places to visit. Even if your not into birding, there are some pretty places perfect for walking or light hiking.
Now that my absolute favorite month is here, I have been like a kid at a candy store. I am planning my next trip before I get home from my last one. As my friend Dave and I say all the time "everything is good in May". It doesn't matter what species of fish you chase, the water temps are optimal. The water is warm enough for bass, stripers, carp and cool enough for trout and salmon. If you throw in that bird migrations peak in May, there just isn't enough time. I had the last two days off and went balls out.
I started off Thursday by driving to Newburyport. I went to Parker River NWR. I was hoping for the migration to be in full swing. It wasn't quite yet. The wind was bad and I should have waited a week. I saw 24 species in a place that can give up over 100. None the less I saw some good birds. My highlights were a ruby crowned kinglet and a northern shoveler, which was a lifebird. Since there were so few birds around, I birded really hard and stayed there for five hours.
After leaving Plum Island I headed back down I-495 and went to Wachusett Reservoir. As I mentioned above, I went in April not getting a fish all day. I got there about 4pm and fished until dark (almost four hours). Again I never got a hit. I got home after 9pm, made some supper, watched an episode of Breaking Bad and got my gear ready for Saturday. I got to bed at 11:15.
Morning came quickly since I set my alarm for 4:45 am. My mission for the morning was to catch golden trout. I got up at such an ungodly hour to getting in and out before the crowds even woke up. It was an hour drive to Peck Pond in Burriville. When I got there, only 3 other cars were in the lot. I fished with a casting bubble and fly. I had only caught one golden trout and that was last year. Today I landed 11. Crowds got bad about 8 am so I left with my stringer of five.
Since it was so early, I went birding. I went to Swan Point Cemetery in Providence. This is a known hotspot for warblers and there are migrating eagles reported often. Birding was again slow (this was a theme for my weekend). I only saw a few yellow rumped warblers and a FOY Eastern Kingbird.
By 11 am I had enough. I went home for an hour nap then cleaned my fish. I had lunch and left the house again at two. I went up to Moose Hill to see if any wood frogs were still in vernal pools. There were not but I saw a cool salamander. I also saw a garter snake and blue grey knatcatcher. From there I went to Stony Brook. I saw 2 huge snappers, about 25 painted turtles and a muskrat. By the time I got back to my car it was 5pm. I was pretty pooped. I knew if left to my own devise I would go home for the night.
So I called my friend Dave. I wanted to know if he was going fishing. I had thought about trout fishing in the fly pond, but there was no way in hell I was putting the kayak on the car. When Dave said he was trying for stripers in the bay I asked if he wanted company. We met only 20 minutes from my house. At first the outcome looked bleak. Neither of us had any hits and the water was cold. Then Dave magically convinced a big schoolie to smash his popper. We took some pics and on my next cast I hooked up also. It was my first striper of the year. Dave caught one more. Although 3 small stripers is not by any means hot and heavy fishing, I think we were both pleased. With the warm weather this week and a few already around, it was a sign for good fishing to come.
I got home about 8:30. Tomorrow I go back to work. It's probably a good thing... I need some rest.
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