Monday, August 30, 2010

BwBTC Trip

What a fine day out!  Met some great people, shared birding pics, ideas, methods, jokes, and life stories.  You really can't get any better then that.  I'll take all the bird nerd jokes you can throw at me if every birding adventure was as spectacular.  I took my sister, Jane with me on the trip.  Great addition.....always a hoot...a little birding joke.  Her enthusiasm is always contagious.  They say people change when you get older, but I'm not so sure.  Jane was putting frogs in her pocket and losing them in the house from the time she was 3 and I think she picked one or two up on this trip.  Ribit!!!

Back to the trip....Dawn, of Dawn's Bloggity Blog organized the trip with her husband Jeff.  What a fabulous idea!!!  Also in attendance was my sister Jane @ The Backyard Naturalist, Catie from Birdinggirl;
Larry from the Brownstone Birding blog; Dan @ Nature Observances by Forestal and Susan from the Nature of Framingham.

Charlestown Breakway was interesting.  Got alittle concerned seeing the current coming in to the breakway, but we skirted the area until we got in to the sandbars.  There was a group of birders already on the sandbar and they shared what they found. 

Bairds Sandpiper ? 
We had a fun debate while all together whether this was a immature Sanderling or a Bairds Sandpiper. 
What are your thoughts now? 

White Rumped Sandpiper....got alittle embarrassed checking out her rump!  Is it white?  Yup

Great Blue Heron

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Following the breakway, we went and had lunch together.  I shared some photos from my Mississippi trip which I'll be posting shortly.  We had a tough time IDing a Blue-gray gnatcatcher.  Once we finished lunch we migrated over to Trumstum Pond.  It was really slow at first.  One bird at a time, but by the end of the day, the trees exploded with Warblers, Vireos and associated small perching birds.  There were so many I couldn't even focus.  Jane got a headache from trying to follow them(warts too from the frogs in her pocket.)  I got some fairly decent pictures. 
Black-billed Cuckoo
Immature Magnolia Warbler

Immature Ringnecked Pheasant

And the final news, I found a little friend embedded in my thigh today.  Took a visit to the doctors with symptoms of Lyme Disease.  With out much tripidation, the doctor said yep you have it.  Small tick, big red blotch!  Shit-This is the third time.  I need a new hobby.  Video games maybe.  Probably get carpal tunnel.  :)  I can't wait to go out with this group again. Birding anybody?

8 comments:

Dan Huber said...

Great post john, I think we saw Bairds but cant be sure - sorry to here about the tick - glad it got treated right away.

nice shot of the magnolia

Andy said...

John,

Permethrin treated clothing works wonders. If I go to tick infested areas, e.g. Gooseberry Island, I wear the Insect Shield Repellent pants.

I literally watched ticks jump off me wearing this type of clothing.

Too bad I missed the trip, work got in the way of fun.

Larry said...

Pleasure meeting you John.-Great photos-Lyme disease-man that's awful.I'm going to check myself again.As much as I was a little paranoid about the water getting too high-that ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip once we came through it without any damage.

Unknown said...

Great photos - and a fantastic outing! The Framingham contingent can't wait to do it again. Sorry about the Lyme carrying tick. I had the same experience this past May. The damn bites still itch like mad three months after the fact! Yuck.

Thanks again for being so gracious and friendly!

Dawn Fine said...

Howdee...
Sorry about your tick bite..I had Lymes a few years back..kicked it out with over six weeks antibiotics..Drs normally do three to four weeks..after reading about Lymes, Dr and I decided to do a longer regime..

Great Day it was..Jeff and I would love to go birding again..perhaps when we get to MA. will arrive there next week and will be there for most of Sept. if we dont get together then lets plan on an outing in October in CT.

OK..i am wondering what the heck you are calling our group..hee hee. BwTPC ?? Birders who take pictures with cameras?
Birders who Trollop,Party and Crawl..
Hee hee..

It was a real pleasure meeting you and Jane..you were both wonderful additions to our group.
Hope we can bird again together.

Andy said...

Oh, I believe the Sandpiper in question is a juv Sanderling

John (Tucker) said...

I bought some buzz off pants and socks to keep the bugs off. Thanks for the comments and recommendations. Birding in Atlanta area this week coming up. Yahoo!!!

bmfowler42089 said...

sure thats a immature magnolia warbler? Almost looks like a northern parula