Back up plan B,C,D

Of the few Saltmarsh Sparrows I have ever seen, this is by far
the best photograph I have gotten.  

I wanted to go to New Hampshire this weekend. However, the weather predicted powerful thunderstorms in the mountains. Over the next couple of days there was also predicted to be only sporadic sunshine. Not exactly the report to inspire an out of shape middle aged man to climb a mountain. I try not to hike if there is cloud cover, because fifty feet of grey air is not the view I am looking for. I made my decision last night about 5 pm to stay home. But what to do on my Friday and Saturday off days?

Well, I planned on going to the Cape to do some striper fishing. There has been a good bite the last couple of weeks for those willing to be there at first light. So I attempted to get up very early to be there by 5 am. However, I've worked my ass off the last couple weeks and when I woke I decided I needed more sleep than I needed to (attempt) to catch stripers.

So this left me with two other summer ideas. The first was to go snorkeling at Prudence Island. I like going there at low tide and swim around the rocks. Problem was, low tide was at 3 pm today. So it didn't exactly fit with the ferry schedule. Also it was so hot and humid, I really didn't want to peddle my bike all over the island to get to my favorite cove. If these all sound like excuses, you are probably right.

I also thought that our area was supposed to get afternoon thunderstorms. This ruled out my last option of birding at Charlestown Breachway. Being on the mudflats with absolutely no cover surrounded by water is the worst possible place to be in a thunderstorm. However, I checked the hourly forecast and there was between a 0-10% chance of afternoon precipitation. So I put my kayak on my car and headed south. I got stuck in traffic in multiple spots (there was a three car pile up on I-295 that backed up traffic for two miles). I almost turned around at multiple points because of the traffic. Once I got past a certain point I figured I may as well keep going. I also knew I may as well stay down there for a while because the beach traffic coming home was thick.

Semipalmated Sandpiper

I finally made it down about 4:15 and put the kayak in. A short paddle got me on the mudflats. There were a lot of shorebirds. I didn't see any rare species, but many of the more common ones. I was surprised to see at least 14 Piping Plovers. The best birds I saw was Saltmarsh Sparrow and Seaside Sparrow. I watched the Saltmarsh Sparrows for some time hoping to get a good picture of them. I got one that I am happy with.

I also played in the mud and found a few littlenecks. I was having so much fun I lost track of time. I had planned on going p to Narragansett if there weren't many birds. I never checked the time and before I knew it, it was 8 pm, and the sun was starting to set (it was cloudy so it felt late anyway). I paddled back to the car and came home. All in all, It was a fun afternoon. I'm glad I had a Plan D.

Cropped picture of a Seaside Sparrow. A little out of focus
but the first one I have ever photographed.