This is the Tarr and Wonson Paint factory and Ten Pound Island as the sun went down tonight.
Yes, this was from the first photo-shoot of 2010. I doubt I ever published it. Who knows? But that is what Forgotten Photo Friday is all about. I have over 23,000 photos on my hard drive so I’m bound to lose track of one or two.
This is Eastern Point in the snow on January 1st, 2010. I don’t know about you, but I had a good year. No forced plant shutdowns, lots of good shooting and plenty of friends’ blogs to check out.
I hope you you stay safe and have a Happy New Year.
I have to admit, when I was living in the west, I didn’t care much for gulls. Like many birders, I would be out on a survey and stumble onto a flock and think, “oh, s&^t. How am I going to report this mess?”
Having lived in Gloucester for the last four years has given me an advantage. We really have bazillions of gulls here, and seeing them over and over and over and over and over again has steeled me to the task. So while visiting Point Lobos Reserve in Carmel, California I saw these gulls flying by and without flinching, I knew that I could identify them with little trouble. But to be sure, it was better to shoot first and ask questions later.
First is the adult in flight.
Next is the first winter bird, most likely a Western.
Another shot of a first winter gull.
Finally, a third winter Western. The thing to look for is the spot pattern on the wing tips of the primary feathers. This is easier done if you shoot first and ask questions later. Not so easy when the gull is flying in a gale as these were!
This is another “old friend” from the West Coast. The Western Gull is found from Vancouver BC down the coast through California. Just like our Great Black-backed and Herring gulls, there are a handful of juvenile and adolescent plumages to look for. The Western Gull has two populations. The southern population has a darker back than the northern. Where do the populations split? Monterey, right where I shot this one. Tune in tomorrow for some age variations.
In Carmel, we came across a warbler party with a dozen Townsend’s Warblers. These Townsend’s were in the Monterey Cypress trees in Carmel by the Sea. This warbler is strictly a west coast bird that winters in the coastal areas of Washington, Oregon and California. It also winters in Mexico.
To all of you out there, I hope you have a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.
The above shot was taken in Rockport, Massachusetts. Those not familiar with the area may be interested to know that this is Motif #1, a reconstructed fishing shanty on the breakwater in Rockport.
One of my old friends from the west coast is the Pygmy Nuthatch. This is my all time favorite Nuthatch and one that used to be a frequent visitor to my feeders in Colorado. This one was shot in Carmel California.
We were walking back from our walk to the shore in Carmel and spied a nautical shop. We decided to go in to has a look around. Inside the shop, we spied ghost from the past. The Gertrude L. Thebaud, the famous Gloucester Schooner that was the rival of the Bluenose.
I’ve linked the picture to the Nova Scotia Government website where you can view an archival film of this schooner as she races against the Bluenose off of Gloucester. The site also has many pictures of the Bluenose and the Gertrude L. Thebaud. Price tag on the model? $4900.
Heermann’s Gulls can be found in along the California Coast this time of year. These gulls are in their non-breading plumage. These were shot just south of Monterey, California.
Monterey Cypress is a species of cypress that is endemic to the Central Coast of California. In the wild, the species is confined to two small populations, near Monterey and Carmel, California. The surviving trees from this forest are as old as 2000 years.
Walking along the coast in Carmel by the Sea, we found a nice little bungalow that would be suitable for a second home on the left coast. It was listed for only $3,999,995. Trees for me and the ocean for the Mrs. Yes, that would work just fine. Now where did I put that Powerball ticket?
As a self-proclaimed “retired physicist”, I know a thing or five about astronomy. So as I was eating my breakfast reading GoodMorningGloucester an article about Proxigean Spring Tides, I had to take note.
I happened to be over in Annisquam light during the proxigean spring tide and shot these.
I shot these a year ago. December is a time of year when the gear comes out of the water. The lobsters generally migrate out of the harbor into deeper water during the winter months. This makes it a good time to pull the gear, do some maintenance and get ready for the next season.
This is what a Herring Gull looks like in flight on a normal day. Notice the feet extended.
But when it gets bitter cold, it’s time to tuck in the landing gear.
This Great Black-backed gull has them tucked in tight. Nice warm toes on a cold day.
Yesterday morning as I was getting up, we had some rather nice pastels over Ten Pound Island. Looking at the could pattern out to sea, I has thinking to myself that it looked more like a mid-winter weather phenomenon when the temperature dips.
Looking due east, I could see the cold weather cloud pattern off shore. This shot looks over East Gloucester towards the Atlantic ocean.
As the sun started to graze over Gloucester Harbor, I saw the sea smoke. Yeah, it’s “Butt Cold” out there. The temperature was 8F.
Digging deep into the fragmented files on the hard drive, I dug up this shot of a roller coming into Bass Rocks and a flock of Purple Sandpipers. This was taken in February 2009.