Solitary Sandpipers

Several Summers past, I ventured to the Eastern Shores of Maryland in search of saltwater marshes and beaches that stretch as far as the eye could see. A stop at Assateague National Seashore to photograph the wild ponies that make the island their home was on my itinerary. Rest assured I snapped my fair share of wild pony images, however, I also captured countless images of birds. There were birds everywhere from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island. These I believe are Solitary Sandpipers resting on the water's edge on Assateague late in the day. As I stood to capture this image, I was surrounded by salt marshes and water as far as the eye could see. It was heaven. ENJOY!

Gulls, Assateague National Seashore, Maryland

Here you'll find my attempt at remedying the situation of not posting Seagull images, other than the Laughing Gull images, from my summer trip to the Eastern Shore.

These Gulls were at Assateague National Seashore on the bay side around the marshes the day I photographed them. This first image is of a Greater Black Backed Gull. I've started to realize some of the traits that make the distinction between one Gull and another. Traits like the spots on their beaks or the bright rings around their eyes, or even that some have pink feet while others have yellow. The characteristic varying greys and whites and blacks of their colors serves as identifying features also. So I downloaded a chart which I hope will help to demonstrate the complexities of the situation.

This next image is of an American Herring Gull which I believe is displaying breeding plumage demonstrated by the distinct white head, neck and breast. I wished the sun hadn't gone behind the clouds when I took this image, but I still wanted to share it.

This chart will serve as my witness as to the degree of difficulty in identifying birds. You can find it on the National Geographic Animal webpage. There you'll find pages on Gulls in their various stages of life and cycles. Stages range from juvenile or fledging to adult with 1st year, 2nd year and 3rd year sometimes indicated on the charts. And let's not forget the breeding and non breeding stages where generally the color of the feathers is the differentiating factor. It's a crap shoot sorting out an identification, but I promise I'll continue to try if you bear with me. ENJOY!

PHOTOGRAPHER'S NOTE: While in college, I studied Science and Geology and simply loved it. Yet, I ended up majoring in Communications. And while Communications has served me in my profession, it's now a major factor in my blog. And now ultimately so is Science. Is that what they mean by full circle? Regardless, I love learning the distinctions about all of the mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, etc. in our world, not to mention the landscape we like to call Mother Earth. Thanks for stopping by.

American Oystercatcher, Chincoteague Island, Virginia

While on my Eastern Shore excursion in July, I made the acquaintance of the American Oystercatcher and happily added this gorgeous bird to my Bird Life List. Yippee! Let me just say, they are one cool looking bird! Their long red bills are so bright, not to mention perfect for prying open bivales such as mussels and clams which is their primary diet. Apparently, I got very lucky, as the waters off the coast of the Eastern Shore are the American Oystercatcher's summer breeding grounds. In winter the Oystercatcher is found along the coast of Florida and the Caribbean. The remainder of the year, you can find the Oystercatcher along the southwest and southeast coasts of the United States, as well as South America. Apparently, there's a Black Oystercatcher that can be found mainly around Baja California also.

This was one colorful little bird scurrying about amongst the remains of oyster shells on the western side of Chincoteague Island. I only saw a few Oystercatchers in this one location on the island. I love their long red bills and their yellow eyes with the red rings around them.

As you drive out past Tom's Cove on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, at one point the road is closed with signs posted due to nesting birds in the area. I wonder if one of those nesting birds could be the American Oystercatcher. They normally build their nests up high on sandy spits or in lowland areas where there is good cover. The area closed past Tom's Cove was covered in higher sand dunes definitely a great breeding area for the Oystercatcher. I wonder have you seen the Oystercatcher in your travels? Our weather here has been unseasonably cool with an abundance of rainfall, not the typical Kentucky August weather of hot, humid and dry to the point of drought. ENJOY!

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday