Plum Island

Another summer day trip this year was to Plum Island - a larger barrier island north of Boston.   A nice beach, some nice homes. But I went mostly for the birds.

A friend had taken some great photos of birds on the island.  Given the challenge of birding in the trees during the summer, I thought a nice open area would provide more opportunities.

This area is special as there is a lot of preserved marshland.   Plum Island, while a barrier island, is also home to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.  Plum Island sound is also surrounded by several other preserved wetlands, making the entire area a great habitat for a variety of water foul.

The Marsh on Plum Island - looking west towards the sound

The island itself was a variety of habitats.   I expected mostly marsh and beach, but found the island had a large number of trees, which surprised me.  Driving down the island it wasn't long before I heard Jays, Catbirds and mockingbirds in the trees along the road.   The trees included several Pine groves, which provided eats for Black Capped Chickadees, who spent the day coming through the cones looking for seeds.

Boardwalk connecting the beach (behind me), grassland, small forest, then the road

Chickadee picking seeds out of a pine cone

My first stop showed some of the challenges I would face in birding.    While I didn't have trees in the way, the challenge today was distance.    So many of our feathered friends were far away - my 300mm just wasn't enough. 

Most likely Yellowlegs, zoomed and cropped to the max

However, on occasion a bird would be close enough for a great photo and ID

Greater Yellowlegs, feeding close to shore

For me it was fascinating to see 'true birders' in this area.   I was interesting in getting great shots (Yellowlegs, above), whereas the birders were there with spotting scopes and chairs, staring at the cluster above.   Apparently they were waiting to see markings as there was rumored to be a rare bird amongst the birds.    Right now I'm more interested in getting a great photo than checking birds off a 'seen' list.   (Although I do enjoy seeing a new bird for the first time.

However, the 300mm did work well when birds took off and flew close by. 

Juvenile Herring Gull.   Looks awful hawk-like from this angle

Great Egret   (Snowy Egrets have yellow feet)

Of course, you don't always need the zoom for an amazing photo

Great Egret, foraging in the middle of the marsh

Plum Island itself is one long road form the entrance to the tip of the island, with several parking areas to leave your car and explore.   Some areas are just walks into the marsh. One has a few boardwalks that go throughout the trees and dunes.   And, of course, several are for people going to the beach.   After spending most of the day exploring, it was definitely time to hit the beach.

One of several boardwalks connecting the road to the beach

Beaches are connected to the road via boardwalks.   Not only easy on the feet, the boardwalks are there to preserve the dune habitat.   They're worth a slow stroll to check out the plant and wildlife living in the scrub habitat.

If you drive far enough down the island, the beaches are not very populated.  There were maybe a half dozen people on the beach on this Friday. 

Plum Island meets the Atlantic

Perhaps because I grew up not far form the ocean (sound), but there is nothing like the ocean to bring me to a calm place.  (Yes, I'm one of those strange people that love the smell of 'low tide'.)  After just watching the waves roll in for a while, I couldn't resist and had to take my shoes off and walk in the surf for a while.

And my walk was rewarded.   Not only did the camera not get wet, there were several gulls and Sanderlings on the shore who didn't mind getting their photo taken.    Sanderlings are the birds that feed right where the ware meets the ocean, and 'run away' when a wave comes in, then run back out was the water recedes to find bites to eat right under the wet sand.

Sanderlings, rushing in as the waves go out

Hanging out on the beach was a perfect way for me to end my day.

I will definitely visit Plum Island another day.   I found they do open at 5am, so potential for sunrise photos one day (you never know).  A longer lens would be nice, but I've also found several web sites that list what kind of birds are seen where, so maybe do a little research to see what can be seen on the island.    And if I visit in August again, maybe leave the camera in the car and bring swim trunks - the water was super warm.

Please visit my Flickr Plum Island album to see some more photos.

Thanks for visiting, and maybe see you on the Island one day....

Fascinating Fungi

I love mushrooms.

Well, I've loved eating them for years now.   But it wasn't until I joined in the Urban Nature Walks that I got really interested in the in the wild.  Now I enjoy seeing them in the wild, and am learning to identify them based on their looks and location.

Been a dry summer in Boston though, so not a lot of fungi on our Franklin Park walks. 

On a recent Friday I took a field trip to Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, southwest of Boston in Sharon.   I had hoped to do some birding - but to no avail.   Aside from a few regular birds, there wasn't much to see.  (Although I heard a pileated woodpecker, he was not to be found).

Instead, I found a plethora of fungi!!  The forest was damp enough and diverse enough there were mushrooms everywhere.  Even more interesting, different parts of the forest held different species.  Some parts of the forest were drier than others.  Some got more sunlight.  each had different medium for a mushroom to grow in.

Whatever the case, it made for some nice viewing and interesting photography.   Some highlights of my walk are below....

As for birds - that didn't work out as well.   Apparently they now have a meadow, which I  didn't find until mid afternoon - and the birds hang out there in the mornings.    Most birds were your regular cast of characters - Blue Jays, Robins, Downy woodpecker, Catbirds, Hummingbirds, and a cluster of Black Capped Chickadees   (They seem to love pine trees).   

I didn't find out until later that I had heard a Pileated Woodpecker while walking.   (middle age frumpy guy with binoculars tuns into another middle age frumpy guy with camera and binoculars...)  I ran into another birder and he told me that "That's too loud to have been a woodpecker" was the pileated.   Had I known at the time, I might have gone seeking him out. 

Black Capped Chickadee with punk haircut

Plenty if other wildlife as well.   A few frogs, lots of dragonflies (huge ones, that wouldn't land anywhere for a good photo), and a ton of pollinators.

For more photos of my walk, see some of the highlights in this Flickr album.

If you're interested in identifying mushrooms yourself, I've found the book Fascinating Fungi of New England to be a great resource!


Thanks for visiting, and see my Flickr page for even more photos.

2017 Garden Tour

This past June was the 2017 South End Garden Tour - an event to raise money for the Community Gardens in greater Boston.   I was asked to take some photos at Watson Park, and also took photos at Berkeley Community Garden, where the tour started.

While I took some good photos for the tour, I also snapped a number of flower photos along the way.  Not only did my 'snaps' come out quite good, but the Clematis are amazing in Black and White!!   I definitely want to share these.

Watson Park prepares for guests with Lemonade/Limeade and a basket of fresh cookies

There was plenty of whimsy to be found in the gardens, as each gardener personalizes their space, giving each garden plot its own style..





Being June, there were an abundance of flowers in bloom in the garden.   While all were wonderful, many of the purple blooms had great color - beautiful hues of purple along side the greenest of greens.  

It had rained the night before, leaving droplets on all the flowers, and making the colors a bit brighter.  There was also a heavy fog over the city, giving me nice even light with few shadows.







The clematis proved to be even more exciting in Black & White.   The many purple hues look like veins coursing through the petals.







And the great thing about Black & White - sometimes even your  mistakes end up looking great...




Thanks for visiting!

A gallery of all artistic Photos from the garden tour can be found in this Flickr album.

You can see more photos of the tour itself on these  Berkeley and Watson Park facebook albums.

All involved in this tour are non-profits - if you are interested in visiting, joining or donating any of the organizations shown here, please visit their respective web pages:

Berkeley Community Gardens, South End, Boston

Friends of Watson Park, South End, Boston

tour organize, the Trustees, Boston region.

617 in East Boston, revisited

617 Images and Boston Attitude held another Boston Photo Meet (#bosphotomeet) in East Boston - this time on the other side of Maverick at Piers Park in the Jeffries Point neighborhood.

Was great to meet everyone - some faces from last meet, and some new folks.   Even people who were not with us - we just assumed anyone with a tripod was with our event.  :)

Rick was taking some model shots

Folks staking their spots for the sunset.

Ambient light, ISO 8K.   Love my Nikon 750.   :)

We even had a few brides at the pier for their wedding photographs

We had an amazing sunset, and some great shots were taken by all.

Sun setting over the North End/Charlestown.   Zakim bridge on the left.

Sunset from the pier, with a non-photographer enjoying the view.

But there are only so many Boston sunset photos you can take.    I spent some additional time taking other photos of the area.

Local art

Something fishy on top of a local marina

A container ship docked in South Boston

Containers being unloaded at Conley terminal

Various sailing craft out on the harbour

Red sails make this schooner look more like a junk out of place

And some really big ships, as vehicle carrier Liberty made it's way through the harbour to Subaru pier in Charlestown on the Mystic.  Not sure the sailboat could claim the right of way when you have a ship that can't stop on a dime.

A vehicle carrier arrives in Boston, big enough to block half the skyline

Even an abandoned railroad tunnel,  one of the two portals from the old Boston, Revere Beach & Lynn railroad.  (South portal - I couldn't get to the open north portal on this trip...)

BRB&L old South portal

Many photos also lended themselves to Black & White conversion.   I enjoy using B&W to show the viewer more about a photograph, emphasizing mood and structure and not relying on color alone to carry the image.

B&W can make buildings stand out

Custom house and surrounding buildings

or turn a cityscape into a mood shot.   The sunset/twilight sky lighted the buildings up just enough you can tell them apart, but it was dark enough to for the office lights to show up.

Boston Skyline

Dockside warehouse shut down for the night with a few single lights providing security - and some interesting neon artwork....

All's quiet after dark

Finally, what was once a lively promenade during the day becomes eerily quiet after the sun went down (and a chilly breeze came up).   

An empty promenade

It was a great night, and I look forward to the next 617 event.    And a plug to D'parma, where we stopped for a bite after the shoot for some amazing Italian food.   for a great dinner afterwards.   Perhaps that's why 617 heads to Eastie so often.  :-)


You can keep an eye on 617 Image's Facebook page for the next event if you'd like to join us.

All images from this (and the previous 617 shoot) can be found in my Flickr album.   

UNW: Middlesex Fells

The November 2016 Urban Nature Walk was a short hike in the Middlesex Fells; a reservation just north of Boston.   It's a massive forested area and several reservoirs and ponds and plenty of paths.  Todays walk was in the South East area of the Fells.

Given this was a November walk, I knew I wasn't going to find any more trees full of autumn color.   However, the brown leaves on the forest floor provided a nice canvas, as did all the glacial rocks and their texture.   I ended up with many great shots, and several opportunities for black & white images.

Rock outcropping

The above photo is a good representation of the Fells - forest with lots of rocks.  (Well, that kind of describes New England, doesn't it??).   Even with the bare trees, there is plenty of color on the ground and rocks - with a nice blue sky to top it off!

A small body of water provides an interesting view of the forest trees against the sky

Of course, it wouldn't be a nature walk without some interesting mushrooms spotted.    This was an interesting specimen.  It looked huge sticking out on the small trunked tree.  Some nice color and texture on top, with lots of gill action underneath.

Mushroom, top and bottom

Unfortunately, the view of Boston from a high point in the Fells wasn't that good that morning - lots of haze over the city.

Boston, as seen from Boojum Rock in the Fells.

However, it was clear in the park, giving a crisp view and bold colors over one of the reservoirs.

Fells Reservoir (MWRA)

There were several spots of color to be found on the banks of the reservoir

 

One bush still had delightfully red leaves.   

Sunlit reeds on the shore

While I did fine some brilliant colors on today's walk, you don't need great brilliant colors in order to have a great photograph.   I took advantage of the many textures and lighting conditions and converted several images into Black & White, with great success.  

Below, we see a collection of trees that provided an average color photograph.   But as a Black and White image, your focus is now focused on the trees and the texture, and the warm tone bring an emotional feel to the image.

A small copse of trees

Likewise, Black and white can transform an ordinary forest floor of fallen leaves into artwork.

Leaves on the forest floor

The same can apply to the rock outcroppings.  Glaciers left some nice granite throughout the park, as well as scouring them as the glaciers receded.  While many rocks were grey to begin with, Black & White allowed me to highlight the textures, turning a rock face into a landscape.

Rock face; Conversion to Black and White highlighting the striations.

A blue tint makes this look like the surface of another planet...

Visit the Urban Nature Walk facebook page for more information on the group - the monthly walks are open to all!

All my photos from the walk can be found in this Flickr album.    There you'll find many more color and black and white photos from the Fells walk.   This trip made me realize how close the Fells reservation is to the MBTA orange line - I'll definitely be returning and exploring in the Fells next year!

Evergreen, softened