One of Gloucester’s Lovely Ladies

Isn’t she just grand? One of Gloucester's Common Eiders swims past a mooring buoy.

Question Mark

This is a winter form Question Mark. You can compare this to my August 2nd Question Mark, which didn’t make as much sense as far as why they called this species Question Mark. This one does show the mark better.

I shot this one on August 21st while he stopped to bask in the sun on the bricks on my patio.

Again, I must apologize for being quite. After returning from Germany, I had three days to get used to the East Coast time zone and then I was off to California without a laptop. I’m quite temporally scrambled, but happy to be home again.

Slate Shingles in Wetzlar, Germany

I grew up in the slate quarrying region along the Vermont-New York boarder, therefore I have an appreciation for slate roofs and the work that goes into making them. I was quite taken by the slate used to protect the buildings, cladding the roofs and sides.

This was the view from my hotel balcony.

Okay, check out this house. The lamp post is a testament that I was holding the camera correctly.  This house must have been built prior to the introduction of the plumb bob.

This building has may different types of shingles. There are even rosettes made of slate seen above the window with the woman tending her flower boxes.

Blue Dasher

A couple of days ago, Becky took me out to her favorite dragon spot where I shot these Blue Dashers.

Forgotten Photo Friday, Red Admirals

Can you believe this is the first butterfly that I shot this year and never posted it? Yes, the first two shots are the same bug shot in May 5th, 2010.

A week later, I shot this one up in Maine. These photos are of the same bug, one on Juniper and then on a Lilac.

The Meadowhawk

Summertime, and the living's easy.

DC Cormorant

No, this wasn’t shot in the Gulf, this is a Double-crested Cormorant. Their feathers do not repel water like a duck, but rather they soak it in. It helps make the bird less buoyant. That is why you will see DC Cormorants standing in the sun with the wings spread open after they have been fishing.

Yes, Gloucester is a great place to come fishing for the summer.

Great Black-backed Gull

Three recent shots of one of our home grown gulls.

Bonaparte’s Gull and Juvenile Laughing Gull

We are having a rain storm today. This has blown in some visitors. Late summer is a difficult time for identifying gulls. It seems that every four year gull is in between some plumage that is documented in the field guides. And with gulls, you need more that just one flight shot and one sitting shot. (Say that fast five times.)

The Bonaparte’s Gull is not an every day gull here in Gloucester harbor. And this gull is in between stages. Plus he is doing the Storm Petrel dance on the water. But it looks too much like a gull to be confused with a Storm Petrel.

A shot flight shot from above gives a field guide pose, but again, this one is mid-molt.

This one cause me to do a bit of hunting. Yes, after an hour and a half of pouring through the field, I have found out that this gull has been laughing at me. Yes, it is a juvenile Laughing Gull. It looks absolutely nothing like his parents, but why should he? I finally found one obscure picture in my gull book that finally cracked the case.

Yes, he too was doing the Storm Petrel Dance. I did see a couple of adults, but they look so different, I didn’t associate them at the time.

Here is the laughing gull with a Herring Gull.

On the right is a juvenile Herring Gull coming in. He’s too heavy to do the Storm Petrel Dance. Note the difference in the upper tail covers, and the wing patterns.

So what’s the big attraction? Why, Gloucester is a great place to bring the kids fishing.

Gloucester.

We are a working seaport with midline trawlers, ship yards and fish processing.

Tree Swallows

I was walking along the Hellcat Boardwalk on Plum Island and I came across a flock of tree swallows chillaxing on the reeds. They spooked up but I didn’t realize what was going on. The flock spooked from the back first. That didn’t make sense to me, for if I spooked them, the ones closest to me would have flown away first.

OoooooOOOOOOooh! Now I get it! It was a Peregrine Falcon. It was such an awe-inspiring sight that it soared over me and away before I came to my senses and picked up the camera.

Wetzlar Germany

My apologies for not making many visits to other’s blogs during the past work week, I have been away on business travel.

My adventures took me to Wetzlar, Germany to visit two of my suppliers in the area. I returned last night at 4:00 PM. I’m a bit jet-lagged and woke up this morning at 3:00 AM.

Wetzlar lies in the Lahn-Dill area in Middle Hesse on the river Lahn, not far downstream from its change in direction from south to west in the heights near the mouth of the river Dill.

I was fortunate enough to have a hotel room in the Old Town, and after business, we were able to walk around the and see all the old buildings and  cobblestone paved streets.

I will be post some more pictures in the near future and perhaps tell you about Licher Pilz.

My hotel

The old Lahnbridge and the Old Town

Okay, now I have to figure out if it is time for breakfast or dinner.

USCGC JEFFERSON ISLAND

JEFFERSON ISLAND is the 40th of the 110 foot Island Class Patrol Boats. The Cutters crew consists of 2 Officers and 14 Enlisted members. JEFFERSON ISLAND’s primary missions are Domestic Fisheries Enforcement, Search and Rescue, and Homeland Security. JEFFERSON ISLAND’S area of operation is from Maine to New Jersey out to 200nm from shore.

Here the JEFFERSON ISLAND is anchored off of Boston, by about 26 miles! That is Gloucester Harbor where the anchor sits. Saturday morning was a great day, we had views down to Boston, Quincy and Hull Island. That is unusual this time of year when the humidity can make it hot and sticky.

Gray Hairstreak

Friday, I decided that since it was a prefect day, not too hot, not too humid, that I would not work through lunch but take a short nature walk in Dogtown. I found a couple of Gray Hairstreaks.

Cedar Waxwing

I think that the Cedar Waxwing is one of the most handsome birds on the planet.

DC Cormorants at Ipswich Dam

We have had very little rain. The Ipswich River is down to a trickle. These cormorants are chillaxing on the spillover.

 

It’s quite a contrast to the pictures I took last March. Yes, this is the same place. The block that this DC Cormorant is standing on was barely visible in March.