On Christmas Eve we hooked up with some friends and met at Lot 1, Parker River NWR.
Snowy Owls were very much the theme for the day and with reports of 16-17 from the previous day our the chances seemed very favorable indeed. In the event, it was a raw day with temps below freezing and a biting wind that chilled the atmosphere even further. Even so, seeing Snowy Owls wasn't too much of a problem and Susannah's sharp eyes soon picked out one from the boat ramp across from Lot 1. But getting close to them was a different can-of-worms altogether and most of the nine or so that we saw during the day were distant white 'lumps' way out in the saltmarsh. Fortunately, Susannah (again) spotted a closer one in the dunes, a bird which (luckily) was free of an audience and roosted peacefully in the dunes as we admired it with scopes from a comfortable distance.
Snowy Owl - Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.
All images of the same individual taken using a Canon Powershot G10 through a Swarovski HD Scope.
Other birds of interest during the day included a dark-morph Rough-legged Hawk (distant), a Merlin, a juvenile Bald Eagle, a Sharp-shinned Hawk and at least six Northern Harriers.
Northern Harrier - Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.
Long-tailed Duck -male from the beach, Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.
Sanderling - from the beach, Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.
Snow Buntings - part of a flock of about 45, Parker River NWR, Essex Co., MA. December 24th, 2013.
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