fog and some October birds

Sunrises are far from all alike. This morning the upcoming light of life had to battle a heavy fog that was so thick that it blotted out Pine Neck completely, not to mention Dune Road and most of the Aldrich Boat Yard and Town Dock on either side. What it did not blot out but in fact carried across the bay in full voice was the sound and fury of the raging ocean breakers, an unseen but sonorous reminder of an as-yet distant hurricane!

Oddly enough, the marsh and surrounding upland was almost completely free of the fog, a kind of hole in the mist within which the visibility was excellent! There were no rails or sparrows around the muddy open water in the middle of the marsh but there were sparrows elsewhere, notably a Field Sparrow that was the first of the season. Other sparrows of the day were Swamp, Song, Chipping and White-throated. Also seen: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler (in some numbers), Brown Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird (one of the few birds still singing) and a lot of American Goldfinches returning to the big Tupelos at the head of the marsh. The Tupelo berries are long gone but apparently the Goldfinches and other birds are finding something to eat amidst its colorful leaves and branches. Northern Flickers returned (or new ones arrived) in some numbers as did American Robins but the Catbird population is still way down..

The pond is full of fish -- mostly schooling fish with a dark shoulder mark; they break the surface regularly (whether there is one or more species I am not sure). Among the fishing cohort of birds, the Osprey and Royal Terns stick to the creek but Yellow-crowned Night Heron, several yellowlegs (both Greater and Lesser I believe) and Belted Kingfisher are exploiting this finny resource. Once again I watched a Kingfisher nab a good-sized fish and take it to the dead Red Cedar on the opposite side of the pond. This time I was able to stay hidden and motionless behind vegetation and watch her thwonk, beat, bash, mash and otherwise reduce the twitching fish to a manageable pulp in order to be able to gulp it down -- all done with the beak, kingfisher style.  

Eric Salzman