Be careful what you wish for….
The irruption of Snowy Owls along the
eastern seaboard of the USA had me wishing for a Boston trip so that I could
join the thousands of birders who have been enjoying the spectacle. Corey found 6 birds over a New York weekend and reports had been logged of owls being seen
in the centre of cities!
The east coast of the USA has been
hit by snow and bitter temperatures this week with an arctic vortex bringing
silly low temperatures. Credit must go to the snow ploughing guys who even
managed to clear the pathways out to the castle at Pleasure Bay and made the walk so much easier and comfortable. Oh my goodness it was cold, but joggers, dog walkers
and even a limey birdwatcher made it out to the point this morning.
Even the salt water had frozen and
the tide had left interesting patterns as it ebbed. As it came back in, little slushy wavelets rode gently up the beach. A few ducks inside the
lagoon included Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser and Red-breasted Merganser.
Beyond the walkway separating the
lagoon and the bay, Horned Grebe skirted
the edge of the ice that was piling up against the shore and Common Eiders kept a tight formation in
their flock just off the viewpoint at Google Earth Ref;42 19 49.69N 71 0 55.23W
Back on the lagoon side, a Ruddy Turnstone hunkered down behind a
rock to gain a little shelter from the cutting wind.
I had come out here to cast a scoped
eye across the bay towards Logan International Airport. Hopefully, a Snowy Owl
would be teed up on a runway sign, or perhaps one might be seen roosting on the
lighting pier. I had forgotten however that the distance from the boardwalk at
Google Earth ref; 42 20 21.43N 71 0 35.82W to the airfield was at least 1km and
even with a scope, it would be difficult to pick out a snowy Owl against a
snowy background.
A Northern Harrier passed through the
scoped view and I hoped that it might lead me to an owl. Predators are famously
intolerant of other predators and the harrier, cruising over the taxiways had a
far better view than I did. Perhaps it would suddenly dive-bomb a slightly
patchy clump of snow and give me something to concentrate on. This was a bit of
a hit-and-miss method of looking for Snowy Owls and brought no luck on this
occasion.
My only suspicion of a Snowy Owl came
from a small snowman shape on the top of a small hut. The hut formed part of a
cluster of buildings and radar, but at such a distance it was difficult to be
sure that the little shape was alive. I took a series of pictures and when
played back, the shape appeared to move slightly with each frame, but there was
enough atmospheric turbulence that could account for that.
I had wrapped up well, but there is
only so much that a body can take and I had to call it a day after a short
while, the wind and the temperature drove me back to the bus stop, but on the
way a Cooper’s Hawk sat just long enough for a quick snap.
Birds seen; 17
Brant 20, American Black Duck 18,
Common Eider 200, Surf Scoter 15, Bufflehead 12, Common Goldeneye 35, Hooded
Merganser 1, Red-breasted Merganser 20, Common Loon 1, Horned Grebe 3, Northern
Harrier 1, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Ruddy Turnstone 1, Ring-billed Gull 15, Herring
Gull 8, Great Black-backed Gull 2, House Sparrow 20.
Bus number 9 runs every 15 minutes or
so from outside the library on Boylston St to Pleasure bay, taking about 20
minutes. It stops opposite the water at Broadway and Farragut Rd. For the
return journey the bus stop is one block back from Farragut Rd at Broadway and
P St.
For a previous Snowy Owl hunt from
Pleasure Bay, follow the link below;
Visit the dedicated USA and CanadaPage for more posts from Boston, including; Mount Auburn Cemetery and Back BayFens.
Commiserations on the lack of obvious Snowy Owls, but some other good images despite the conditions.
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