herring gull, second winter?
This morning we have woken up under a tropical storm warning. What’s left of Hurricane Elsa looks like it will come bother us after all. It’s been a wild week. Hot and humid with violent thunderstorms in the evenings. Last night we snuck down to the beach before one arrived, listening to the rumbles in the distance.
We didn’t see The Captain but I had fun taking pictures of plants and an assortment of gulls passing the time on the rocks and fence posts. Much as I love my gulls I do have a terrible time trying to figure out what year they are!
After walking around the property I spotted a great blue heron out on the island where the cormorants usually position themselves. Never seen one at our beach before! He was pretty far away but I did the best I could.
I heard a song sparrow and then Tim spotted it way up at the top of a tree. (I usually see them in the thicket…)
I think another invasive species has arrived in our area. the European water chestnut is a freshwater aquatic plant released inadvertently into waters of the Northeast in the late 1800s. As of 2014 it hadn’t been seen in Connecticut but it is here now and has overtaken Avery Pond. It completely covers the water. Sigh… It’s very sad to see. Beach Pond, which I think is a salt pond, has not been affected.
Time to batten down the hatches!
so strange to read about the tropic storms at your place – they are here too. Very short storms though, then sunshine – and then lightening and thunder again. Hoping you all are safe, and was happy to see that little sparrow.
The wind and rain is starting to pick up so it promises to be an interesting day. It’s funny how the storm hit my son in Georgia on Wednesday and my daughter in North Carolina yesterday. Today it’s our turn! I love storms, as long as they don’t get too exciting!
Sounds like you will be getting deluged, the flash floods warnings always make me nervous. Hope you stay safe and dry.
btw, we have had a successful hatch of song sparrows that nested in our garden. So cute to see the fledglings following a parent as she hunts in the lawn for insects. 🙂
We got 2.5 inches of rain overnight and it’s coming down a bit heavier now. We’ve never had a flash flood right here but I suppose there is always a first time, and there are creeks around us that are subject to storm surges. What a treat to have song sparrows nesting in your garden! 🙂 I once got a picture of one with a big fat bug in its mouth. 😉
We’re having small intense thunder storms, then *boom* sunshine. It’s not our usual summer storms. I like the rabbit-foot clover. It’s quietly cute.
It’s interesting (and kind of ominous) the changes in weather patterns people are noticing. Pink was my favorite color when I was a child and these adorable little pink puff ball flowers growing in the rocks keep grabbing my attention every time I go down to the beach.
I always LOVE your nature photos. They calm me down, unlike the approaching storm. Stay safe! We’re going to get (more) wind and rain tomorrow from this storm. We’ve had more rain this summer than I can remember in years past.
Thank you so much, Pam! Taking the pictures keeps me sane… We’ve been getting more rain this summer, too, so hopefully we won’t have to worry about a drought this year. Hope you’re staying safe and dry up there, too! We’ve had 2.5 inches of rain already. Not much wind, thankfully.
BUCKETS of rain. No wind yet, but the day is young. ;-0 xo
4 inches here. Hope you made it through without any flooding! *hugs*
4 inches is a lot! We just saw on the map this morning that we got about 3 1/2 inches. We saw puddles where we’ve never seen puddles…
What a rainy summer this is turning out to be. As long as there are no puddles in your basement… Happy gardens! 🌼
Lovely !
Thank you, Jeff! I hope all is well with you.
I just love your first photo with the gull, the composition of the entire photo is awesome! A Great Blue Heron, yea!! I hope it keeps returning for you, I love watching them. While driving, we spotted our first GBH out west standing in the Yellowstone River, I thought that was so cool! Prayers all is well through the winds and rain! I checked on our home few hours ago, all’s okay for us so far.
Thank you so much, Donna! We didn’t think we were going down to the beach that evening due to the thunderstorms but I’m glad we went. A book I was reading about birding in Connecticut said that one can see less common birds in unusual places just before and just after storms. Seeing this GBH seems to fit that advice! He didn’t move much! Glad your home is all right. A tornado touched down near my son in Georgia, near the naval base in St. Marys…
Appears Elsa is still on the way – be safe!
Thanks, Frank! We’re tucked inside and have made all appropriate preparation!
Hope you rode out the severe weather without a hitch Barbara. This Summer has just been the pits, between the heat and humidity, rain every day (thankfully in the afternoon so it doesn’t affect walking, except today was most of the day) … the worse has been all the storms. It seems like the last three weeks, every day, sometimes multiple times a day, a storm whips up and my weather alarm goes off. I worry all the time as there are lots of trees around and with the soggy ground – you see the pictures of very old trees, with huge roots, just lifting out of the grounds and over they go on houses. I don’t have big trees – it’s the others’ trees I worry about. I like your gulls – you got them up close and they look happy. Those were up-close shots of the heron too. I’ve seen that wildflower and did not the name of it – Rabbit-foot Clover. Interesting. I am always learning something with your blog!
We had no problems here, although other parts of the state are dealing with flooding streets and rivers. We got 4 inches of rain! We worked on a jigsaw puzzle together and waited for the power to go out but it never did. The wind was no worse than a nor’easter would have been. We’re having a similar weather pattern to yours, although our thunderstorms are coming in the evening. No drought worries this summer. Wondering how the sunflowers will have fared when we go to the farm at the end of July. The shots of the heron were with my zoom lens at the max. That little rock island is frustratingly far away but I guess the birds love it because there is no chance humans will rove over there to disturb them trying to get better pictures. 🙂 It’s funny. I had never noticed the rabbit-foot clover until last summer and there seems to be more of it this year. Do you have lots of it in your area?
That’s good news Barbara – there’s always a worry with severe weather. We now have it twice this week, originally just once. Going to be a long week. I remember your sunflowers farm post last year – gorgeous and looked like a fun place. Hopefully the petals didn’t get dilapidated from the pounding rain and you’re pleasantly surprised. The herons look so regal when they perch on a rock in the distance – you captured this one perfectly. I have seen the rabbit-foot clover but never knew the name of it before. I do see it in the woodsy areas, but I’ve not been to any large parks the past three weeks because we’ve had so much rain and I’m trying to avoid the woodsy areas due to mosquitoes which are everywhere this Summer.
Hang in there, Linda! Before you know it we will be complaining about the snow andice and freezing cold winter. That’s one good thing about the beach — no mosquitoes! But by August the yellow jackets and jellyfish move in. Summer is full of these unpleasantries. At least in the winter nothing bites or stings us. 🙂 But I try to keep focusing on the pretty bird songs and lovely flowers of summer…
I always remind myself when I’m complaining of extreme heat, that I longed for Summer’s warmth in the Winter. Winter you can dress for cold weather no problem, but I don’t like driving or walking in the ice or snow. Some people are fearless about driving in Winter – I am not!
Yup, my husband and my sister are fearless driving in the snow — not me!!!