BirdingGirl

Check out these great pictures posted by Charlie over at 10,000 Birds: Horned Lark. Jones Beach, NY. These birds are stocky, chubby, and wet-faced, shown foraging in the snow. They're in sharp contrast to the ones I took at Crane Beach in Ipswich, MA. You can see my pictures in my January 13th post: Horned Larks at Crane Beach . The birds I saw appeared taller, sleeker and behaved like plovers. I just had to share the link to 10,000 Birds' post since these are some great close-up pictures. I also have some exciting news to share—this morning I finally bit the bullet and got a Mass Audubon membership. Can't wait to start taking advantage of it! The first thing I will do is sign up for the Mass Audubon Birder's Meeting March 15th. I'm really looking forward to the event. As a matter of fact, BirdingGirl will be featuring an interview with one of the presenters at the meeting, David Scarpitti, this weekend. His break-out session is on Habitat Management Opportunities ...

The only other birds we saw today were some horned larks as we approached the beach. At first I was convinced they were plovers based on the way they behaved and looked, but that just goes to show how much I have to learn about birding!

What an exciting day today turned out to be! After getting inspired by David Sibley's sighting of the slaty-backed gull, I was determined to go birding this weekend. I sat with a cup of coffee this morning and researched my options online. I really wanted to go to Gloucester but then I learned that Eastern Point Wildlife Sanctuary requires a Mass Audubon card, something I regret to say I haven't gotten yet. That put Gloucester out of contention in my mind, so I focused on other areas nearby. I got out my AMC Massachusetts Trail Guide for some more ideas and decided on Crane Beach in Ipswich, MA. I've never been there, although I have a second cousin that had a beautiful house there right on the water so I know what a nice area it is. As my boyfriend and I rolled up to the ticket booth I was shocked to actually see someone manning it! There was a woman there to collect $7-something else I hadn't planned on. I don't know any beaches on Cape Cod that charge for par...