Redgannet: Pleasure Bay

Thursday, 9 January 2014

Pleasure Bay, Boston, January 2014

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;

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/pleasure-bay-boston-dec-2012.html

Visit the dedicated USA and CanadaPage for more posts from Boston, including; Mount Auburn Cemetery and Back BayFens.

Sunday, 23 December 2012

Pleasure Bay, Boston, Dec 2012

It was a bit of a disappointment to wake up this morning and find that the world had not ended. After toasting the approach of the End of Days with a mixture of red wine and margaritas, I was hoping not to have to face the consequences.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, "Conquest", "War", "Famine" and "Death" did not ride last night, but “Hangover”, the fifth member of the band who left before they became famous, was thundering through my head. Rain and wind drove me back into the hotel on my first two attempts and it looked as if the rest of the day would be washed out. Then a sixth horseman rode out. This manifestation of ruin terrorised those who had put off their festive preparations just in case the doom-sayers had been right. "Panic-purchase" was abroad. Eventually, the afternoon brightened. Being unable to cope with the shopping madness, I managed to get out to Boston’s City Point with just an hour of daylight left.

A lagoon, known as Pleasure Bay, has been enclosed by a sea wall with two openings to allow the tide to flow in and out. Ring-billed Gulls were seen at the water’s edge on a strip of sandy beach on the western side at Google Earth ref; 42°20'8.54" N71° 1'23.73"W.

I took an anti-clockwise walk along the sea wall. The water in the lagoon was smooth and would have made good viewing with the sun over my shoulder in the late afternoon, but the flat water also attracted wind surfers and kite surfers who kept the birds away. A few Herring Gulls flew by, but most of the interest was found outside the sea wall.

Red-breasted Mergansers, Buffleheads and Horned Grebes dived in the rougher water of the bay. Greater numbers were seen as I progressed along and crossed the first of the inlets. The sun had dipped low in the sky now and the wind was beginning to bite, though the temperature was still very mild. Small flocks of birds were flying past, mostly heading in a southerly direction.

I reached the fortifications at the north-west corner and moved down onto a small jetty looking across the water to Logan International Airport. A Red-throated Loon was close to the shore here, but my main interest was in looking for a Snowy Owl that is occasionally seen on the airfield during the winter. I quickly realised that it would take better light and a scope to confidently identify a Snowy Owl from this range. It is over 800 meters to the closest point on the airport and 1200 to the jetty that supports the landing lights. A white object at the far end of the lights jetty looked promising, but could just as easily have been a plastic bag. It still beat lying in bed feeling sorry for my poor aching head and wishing that the world would get on with it and end.

A Herring Gull was trying to crack a mollusc, but was having very little success. It had mastered the concept and would carry the shell aloft and drop it onto the rocks below. The rocks however, were well spaced apart and mostly the shell fell, undamaged onto the sand.

Birds seen; 13

Brant 8, American Black Duck 4, Common Eider 35, Bufflehead 8, Common Golden-eye 2, Red-breasted Merganser 35, Red-throated Loon 1, Horned Grebe 2, Ring-billed Gull 15, American Herring Gull 25, Great Black-backed Gull 15, European Starling 6, House Sparrow 4.