March 25, 2019 by capecodmilliner

The Return of the Laughing Gulls – Day 86

I saw my very first Laughing Gull of the season yesterday at Wychmere Harbor.

We hung out together for a while; me in my car, him on a piling, waiting and hoping to see an Osprey return to one of the harbor nests.

I LOVE the black masks of these gulls, the red bills, and those white markings above and below the eye that make them look even more expressive than they already do.

And like I said, we were waiting for a glimpse of our first Osprey of the season.

We waited…

And we waited.

Until…

Someone got tired. 😉

Then again, being a new arrival himself, he deserves some rest! 😉

March 12, 2019 by capecodmilliner

A Post without Birds – Day 70 (Makeup)

Sometimes I wonder if I share too many posts about birds.

So here’s my attempt at a “nonbird photo session” from a recent visit to the Chatham Fish pier.

Looking out from the Pier, the water was smooth like glass.

In the distance you could see the eiders, slowly making their way in as the day was drawing to a close.

I love buoys, and lucky for me the harbor is full of them in Chatham, all different sizes and colors!

Doesn’t that beautiful male White-winged Scoter make such a beautiful contrast to the orange of that buoy?

I also noticed that a truck was in from Red’s Best, a fish market/restaurant from Boston – it looks like someone has good taste when it comes to fresh fish! 😉

And isn’t that a cormorant on their logo?

There’s quite a bit of construction going on right now at the pier, with the brand spanking new observation deck due by June.

And can you tell who’s in charge of that particular project?!

Sometimes I think I’d like to take a stroll up the beach from the pier sometime, although I am guessing that sign up ahead probably says something about “CBI Guests Only”.

Say, do you think someone forgot to warn the gulls that they’re trespassing?

Myohmy, it sure was beautiful looking out toward Tern Island, where we’ll be seeing a lot of Oystercatcher families coming along again this year.

And it looks to me like the gulls are making their plans already for stealing as many oysters from those bright red bills as possible this summer!

This Lady Eider was clearly not impressed with their schemes.

Well looking back now on this post, it looks like I pretty much failed miserably in my attempt at a “nonbird” post.

As you can see, this gull could not for the life of him figure out why anyone would want to photograph anything but bird, birds, BIRDS!!!

He’s got a point there. 😉

January 20, 2019 by capecodmilliner

The Gulls Had Me at Hello – Day 20

Braving the greying skies and brisk wind, I dropped in at Rock Harbor the other day as we all waited for the big storm to come in.

But it wasn’t the ice floes…

Or the golden dunes beyond the harbor that captivated me most.

For anyone who knows me, I can be standing in front of the most breathtaking landscape…

Yet it’s always THE BIRDS who pull me in and make me forget all else.

And at Rock Harbor on this bleak wintry day, it was the gulls.

“Hellllooooo!” they seemed to say as soon as I approached.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Gulls. Those noisy scavengers, what beasts they are!”

And well, maybe you have a point.

Yet how could I possibly resist this face??

Or those pretty little legs of hers when she stood up as I walked on by?

Well as you can see, I simply could not.

She seemed to love the flattery, something gulls don’t always get from passersby who are looking for “the fancy birds”. (Adult Ring-billed Gull)

A young Ring-billed was nestled nearby, enjoying a late morning siesta.

While up ahead a row of Herring Gulls caught my attention next.

Will you just look at those profiles! 😉

Other gulls in the group were engrossed in some pretty serious preening.

I found myself captivated with the beauty of their feathers…

And their incredible flexibility as they moved slowly and methodically from head to tail!

Yet I wasn’t the only one who seemed intrigued by the gulls.

Canadas and Eiders alike stopped what they were doing, just to look.

So with all the excitement about the iced-in harbor and the darkening skies…

That day at Rock Harbor…

It was the gulls who had me at “hello”.

❤

January 8, 2019 by capecodmilliner

The Gulls of Winter – Day 8

Ahhhh, the Gulls of our Cape Cod winters…

My constant companions on shore walks, no matter what the weather might; sunshiny days full of promise or when the cold, raw winds blow.

Some would call them ordinary, pests, even scavengers, and I suppose they would not be wrong.

But I don’t think it’s the whole picture.

To me they are fascinating creatures, the proverbial Cape Cod year round residents who face the winter beach.

Like me.

During the quiet winter months, coming upon a small flock of gulls fishing along the shore when the water’s choppy is always a thrill for me.

Tenacious and focused, they dive headlong into the surf.

And sometimes, they come up empty.

In fact “sometimes”, can turn into many times!

But they don’t give up, they simply try again.

And again.

Until at last they snatch something tasty from the frigid water, be it a tasty clam, mussel or scallop.

And that’s when the real work begins.

Now they have to protect their prize, from all comers.

Flying away from the crowd they carry their treasure, gripping it as tightly as they can…

And soaring up, up, up into the air…

They reach a certain place high in the sky and then hovering in place, they let their prize fall smack! to the rocks and shells below.

And if the shell doesn’t crack on the first attempt, they snatch it up once again, and awaaaay they go!!

I’ve seen them do it over and over, and over again, however many times it takes to drop and crack that shell — and still manage to not lose it to another gull!