Plum Island Highlights

Black Throated Blue

I spent the last two days at Plum Island birding and taking pictures. As is my habit at Plum, I do not rush. The bird in front of me is more important than the "next bird". I wanted my camera lens  exactly for May @Plum Island.   I spent last night at Salisbury Beach camping.

I arrived at Plum at 6:20 yesterday morning. It was a bright bluebird sky. Conditions were perfect for migrating birds. I could give a play by play of every bird I saw, where I saw it and what other birds I saw it with. However, even I'd get bored reading that, so I will summarize as best as I can.

My number one target bird to photograph was a Black-Throated Blue. I knew they had been seen so I was hoping for the chance. I had only seen one before in my life. I got it along with many others. The trees were dripping with color. I saw over one hundred of many species of warblers. They would include: Yellow Rumped, Northern Parula, and Black and White. I was lucky enough to see dozens of Black-Throated Green and over a dozen Black-Throated Blue. All in all, I saw 14 species of warblers. Without question, in one day, I saw more Parula, Bl-Th Green, Bl-Thr Blue, Blue Headed Vireo, Veery, Black and White Warblers, and Brown Thrashers, than I had previously seen of those species total!

Black-Throated Green Warbler

Today, was not so good. I woke to a heavy fog. The air temp was 49 degrees and many birders including myself were wearing winter hats. Some were wearing their winter coats. Since I slept at the campground, I got an early start anyway. Most of the same species were there but just less of them. I went to Sandy Point and picked up some birds there including Piping, Black Bellied, and Semi-Palm Plovers. Around 11 am it cleared up and I went back into the woods to get pics of warblers. I ran across some very cooperative birds. A Veery and Chestnut Sided Warbler put on a photo shoot for me.

Stats- I ended up seeing 72 species of birds. I got 62 yesterday at Plum. Three more last night at my campground ( I went birding  in the fog), and seven today that I didn't see yesterday. I got most of those seven when I went to Sandy Point. The crazy thing is, if I would have tried, I probably could have seen a few more species. I spent so much time photographing individual birds. I spent an easy hour with the Veery and Chestnut Sided. I never went to the ocean at Parking lot 1 to see if any sea ducks or loons were out there. My goal really was to look at and photograph birds and not to "find birds". Not sure if that makes sense to you, but it does to me. The best birds I saw were both Waterthrushes and 2 Blackburnian Warblers. The best bird I missed was Bay Breasted Warbler. One was spotted both days. I got one lifebird, a Lincoln's Sparrow.

I took 500 pictures, deleting at least half already. I did get quality photos of many species. I did not get photos of the Blackburnians. They were only around for a few seconds.The hardest bird to get a photo of that I wanted were Yellowthroats. They are a very active bird that like to hang out is low thickets. Not a good combination for a photograph. I managed to get a few shots of a female.  I'll probably do a couple posts of bird photos.


Many more photos below and to come

Blue Headed Vireo

Bobolink

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

Northern Parula

My friend- the Veery

This plover walked up to within five feet of me

Chestnut Sided Warbler

I promised this chickadee if he got into good light I'd
take his picture. He did, so I did.

This is not my best picture of the day, but one of the
toughest to get, Northern Waterthrush

Female Yellowthroat

This my friends is a Lincoln Sparrow
It is a lifer for me. I found almost every
bird I saw myself, but I was lucky
someone pointed this out to me.