Before I continue with posts from Fogo I want to share this post with you. I started work on this before I left for Fogo- Brian finished it up for me while I was away.

Last winter I had found a snowmobile trail in Conway that I was curious about exploring. I went a few times and absolutely loved it and felt that once the weather warmed up that it would be filled with birds. I didn’t even hear a Robin or a Chickadee during my winter outings - and I still loved it.

On a Sunday in June I picked up our dear friend Anne at 4:45am and off we went to that snowmobile trail. There is a ridge line that I thought held a lot of potential. I suggested that we do that section last because of where the sun would be positioned by the time we got there. As soon as we entered that part of the trail birdsong absolutely exploded all around us - we were thrilled!

This is not a Fogo post - I am taking you on a detour and catching up from a June morning at Bullitt Reservation in Ashfield. It was a glorious morning - low 60’s and not a cloud in the sky. I arrived very early as usual and set up in the upper field - one of my favorite early morning spots. I think every flying bug in Franklin County was also enjoying the morning! :) I kept saying to myself - with this many bugs the birding is going to be amazing - and it was!

Just as the sun was coming up over the trees behind me - a spectacular flash of color flew right in front of me! A stunning Scarlet Tanager appeared … and put on a show!

What a gift it is to have the time to wander… and to keep going around the next corner. Today was a morning of going around corner after corner to discover one magical moment after another. I stepped out at 4:30 to a temperature in the high fifties and a sky that held the promise of an amazing start to the day. As soon as I started my walk I could hear Horned Larks… but it was not light enough for me to spot them. I told myself to look again in this spot on the way back.

This is an extra long post - so please settle in. I am thrilled that so many of you have enjoyed seeing the posts from Fogo - thank you so much for letting me know. I wish that I had time to respond to you all but I don’t - I am working hard on creating these posts for you. I have many more Fogo posts to share with you.

Continuing with that same out of this world morning…. Just a few moments after the whale tail shots - the following happened which I will also never forget. As the boat was moving forward I moved to my right and a combination of a thin marine layer or fog or whatever it was created condensation on my lens. At the same time the bright sun popped out from the clouds behind us and I saw this whale with puffins flying past

My next morning I met Tony and Aiden at 6:30am - the amazing fishing boat duo! I had such amazing experiences with them last year I could not wait to spend time with them on the water again. I arrived on the boat with ALL of my camera equipment… and lots of warm clothes. It was raining and cloudy - I did not care one bit - I put on my survival jacket and off we went! As we pulled out of the harbor the 3 of us gathered in the Captain’s area of the boat catching up with one another - they feel like brothers to me. Aidan said that if the forecast was right we might see the sun at around 9am. It felt like we were hardly out of the harbor when Tony said - port side - spout! I thought - are you kidding me? I squinted through the rain to try and see what he had seen - I kept looking… and then… a spout! Wow! Aidan said - it’s nice when the whales cooperate - that is the direction we are heading! :). We kept motoring along… another spout!

Fogo Island is located off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. The rugged beauty is not possible for me to describe. I tried my best each and every outing to capture the essence of this very special place. In addition to so many incredible features of this very special place - Fogo Island does NOT have ticks or poison ivy - that alone is a dream for me! To everyone on Fogo Island with whom I shared moments - thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I arrived on July 15th and was welcomed like a member of the family. - I instantly knew that I was where I wanted to be. I settled in and knew that I needed to hit the hay early as my goal was to head out the door at 4:30 the next morning - sunrise was going to be at 5:18am.

I am currently back on Fogo Island -I am non-stop during the mornings - it is absolutely incredible! I have lots of downloading and organizing to do before I share from Fogo. Thankfully just before I left for this amazing adventure I had worked on teeing up several blog posts that I owe you…

I finally have the highlights together from the last half of May for you - it was just remarkable! I went day after day seeing more and more birds that had made their way to Franklin County - it was such a treat. Morning temps were great and I was on a roll - I hope that you enjoy…!

This morning I went to Bullitt - once again it was hot and humid so I knew I wouldn’t be staying too long. When I was driving I could see areas of fog in the low-lying areas at Bullitt- I just love when that happens. I parked as quickly as I could in order to head to a spot to try and capture the fog during sunrise - I have been waiting for the right opportunity. . As I was walking from the parking area the horizon began to burst with a flaming red/orange color. I hustled over to get in position as quickly as I could….This was more than I had hoped for - I’ll call this breathtaking scene - Nature’s Fireworks!

This post is a combination of two of my most recent outings - this past Tuesday morning and this morning. I knew the terrible heat wave was heading our way so I made sure to get out Tuesday morning. As soon as I arrived at Bullitt I knew that I was going to head up to the upper field and hope to hear and see the Indigo Buntings… as soon as I set up along the path I could hear buntings to my left and right - but further away than I had hoped for. I stayed put for quite some time hoping they would move closer to me - no luck. I finally decided to pick up and set up further along the path - I no sooner set up when this spectacular male Indigo Bunting flew right in front of me and landed to my left. I quickly spun around and was able to catch this shot of him belting out his beautiful song! Just incredible…

I would like to thank everyone for their comments who have emailed, posted, texted or left me a voicemail message - thank you very much for taking the time to do that - I sincerely appreciate it. I continue to work on multiple upcoming posts to include shots from the end of May and June. For this post I decided to concentrate on this morning’s outing at Bullitt because I feel it gives you a real sense of what it is like to try and capture moments at this time of the year. So many birds are busy creating or tending to their little families while they try to keep hidden in the dense foliage or grasses.

So come along with me as we take a peek together…

Oh migration season - what can I say other than - thank you little feathered gems for dropping out of the sky in our fields, woods and backyards! I have been seeing an amazing variety of birds since migration began in full swing early May. The vast majority of these photos are from Bullitt Reservation in Ashfield with a small handful from Charlemont and Plainfield, MA where I went with our dear friend, Anne.

It is time to come along with me as I share with you the joy that around ounce can bring. Just as a little reminder most of these birds are in the approximate one ounce range in weight - with many weighing less than ounce - their little hollow bones weigh next to nothing.

I am working hard on getting my May photos organized to share with you - it was a very busy month with the birds for me! :). So I thought that tonight I would share my encounters with you from this morning. Overall it was a much quieter morning than they have been recently so it gave me time to get these together for you. This will be short and hopefully sweet.

This morning I went to Bullitt - beautiful morning - slight breeze and 58 degrees. It was extremely quiet during my first loop around the trails in the fields and woods. It never ceases to amaze me on quiet mornings that the woods and fields are filled with birds - and I just can’t spot them no matter how bright and brilliant so many of them are!

Winter was very long in New England so the start of spring was very welcome when it finally arrived. And even when it arrived it was as if winter kept its claws dug in. We had many cold and frosty mornings and lots of cloudy days. But still, I knew that we were turning the corner and was so thankful that the calendar said April. In this post I will share with you my highlights from April. The vast majority of these photos are from Bullitt Reservation in Ashfield, MA while a handful are from Edge Hill in Ashfield and a small handful are from other spots in Ashfield. Two different mornings I had to turn back on Route 116 and head back home because of black ice - like I said - winter was really trying to hang on.

These first two photos are from a cold and drizzly morning at Bullitt. I was really feeling the need to be outside so I bundled up and went.

I am so thankful for all of the caring and hard working people who help to monitor and protect wildlife species and natural habitats. This trip touched our hearts deeply.

We have already booked our return trip for next year!

You know by now how much I love the contrast in lighting that can occur at daybreak - the inky darkness of shadows and the brilliance of the first light that pokes through. This particular morning it was extraordinary! When this high contrast occurs I always feel extra energy from the birds or mammals moving through it. Or maybe it is just my excitement. I always feel extra energy in the atmosphere around me in these moments as if we all know how special these rare moments are…

Hope Is The Thing With Feathers - Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all,

….

I will be returning to more LSSI posts - I am working hard on getting them ready for you. In the meantime I want to share this past Monday morning’s very special adventure in Westerly, RI. I arrived Sunday with our sister-in-law and I was out the door at about 4:50 Monday morning. The temperature was in the high 30’s with no wind and it was setting up to be a beautiful sunrise. I walked down the sandy beach road heading due east - the ocean was on my right and the Weekapaug Pond was on my left. I decided to head further down the road than I had last year. Instead of heading to the pond inlets I decided to cut over and walk along the beach.

Overnight Monday we had very intense thunderstorms roll through LSSI along with pounding rain. The forecast showed the temperature dropping like a rock as the storms swept through and the pre-dawn temperature was going to be 31 degrees! We still planned to go out the next morning - bundled up!. David arrived right on time with his bike again - 5:45. After biking for round 40 minutes we arrived at our destination - the Norm’s Pond blind.

Once we set up we shut off our headlamps and looked out through the blind and we saw so many birds roosting we could not believe it! This was going to be like a National Geographic morning - and we knew that the sun was going to rise exactly behind us! Just as it became light enough I started shooting away…. I was in my glory - this was all so amazing.

LSSI - Little St Simons Island in Georgia. Where to begin?? I guess the best place is at the beginning… :).   My brother David and I met the ferry in Brunswick, GA at 4pm on a recent Sunday in March. It is a short 15 min ride along the Hampton River to The Lodge at Little St Simons Island.  It was a gorgeous day— mid-70’s and blue skies.  Instantly we felt like we were a world away.  Before the ferry even began its journey we were watching pelicans dive bombing into the water catching their dinner.  As we traveled down the winding river we could see marsh grasses as far as we could see in the tidal marshes.  We saw a Little Blue Heron fly right by us and Great Egrets flying in the distance— this was already incredible!

This is the last post from the Florida part of my trip and I thought I would concentrate on birds that I found on an early morning beach walk.  I was on the Gulf coast and I walked on the beach so that the sun would rise over my right shoulder.

It is time to come along with me …
Very early on the winds were very calm and I found these sweeties along the way…