Friday, November 11, 2011

Gloucester and Cape Ann

1. Twin lighthouses-kabThe Twin Lighthouses 10-23-11

On Sunday, October 23rd, while Gus stayed home and watched football, Kathryn and I set off for Gloucester, MA. Gloucester is located on Cape Ann, also known as Massachusetts’ other cape. I did not know any of this before I moved here last year. I ad been to Gloucester just twice before, so I was more than willing to go again. Since Kathryn had read the book, The Perfect Storm, Gloucester was high on her list of places to see.

2. Cormorants-kab Cormorants and Eiders in Gloucester Harbor

Parking along the harbor walk near the Fisherman’s Memorial we walked along the seawall and were greeted by cormorants and eiders.

 

3. gloucester harbor-kab Harbor View

The tide was out and the sea was calm as we strolled along taking in the sights and sound and smells of Gloucester. Birds were few and far between but we did see the usual gulls, house sparrows and pigeons!

4. gull and starfish-kab Seagull and Starfish

We watched in amazement as one gull came up with a starfish and gulped it down whole! You can read about the Seagull’s Gulp and see more photos on my post to Birding is Fun by clicking on the links.

 

5. Gloucester beach-kab Gloucester Beach

After our stroll along the seawall we grabbed a cup of tea and parked in a vacant parking lot near the water to sip our tea and enjoy the view.

 

6. Common tern-kab Common Tern

We jumped out of the car, however, with binoculars and cameras when this tern flew into view. after a few flights back and forth it finally landed on the beach and then started walking towards us! amazing! I mistook it for a Roseate Tern at first because that was the only tern I could find with red legs and a black beak, but after consulting with Jeremiah Trimble from eBird I learned it was actually a common tern. apparently it is common for them to have beaks of this color at this time of year! Who knew! None of my bird guides told me that bit of info.

7. gull and crab-kab Gull with crab dinner

We drove over to the State Fishing Pier next to see what we could see.

8. schooner-kab Schooner

 

9. view from fishing pier-kab View from State Fishing Pier

I have heard that you can sometimes find Icelandic Gulls here in the winter. Now that I know where it is, I will have to come back and see if I can find any. There were none here today, however.

10. rooftops pof Gloucester-kab The rooftops of Gloucester

Next we decided to follow the road along the coastline to see what else we could see. We ended up at Good Harbor Beach. after finding a place to park, we walked along the road side to the access point. These roads are posted all over with no parking signs for most of the year, but at this time of year you can park in some places.

11. good harbor beach-kab Good Harbor Beach

 

12. people n houses-kab People and Houses

 

13. bridge to beach-kab Bridge to Beach

We crossed the bridge over the inlet to the beach where people and pets romped and played. A brisk wind blew and we pulled our jackets tight around us. though the tide was low, we did not see many peeps, probably due to all the dogs and people and the time of year. I was able to find a couple of scoters in the ocean to show to Kathryn, but they were too far out to photograph.

14. where we parked-kab This is where we parked

I was captivated by the patterns in the sand instead.

15. sand patterns-kab Sand patterns 1

 

16. sand patterns-kab Sand patterns 2

 

17. sand patterns-kab Sand Patterns 3

After such a cold and windy day spent out in fresh air along the shore, you don’t even need to guess what we did next. We returned to Gloucester and ate at the Harbor View restaurant where we bought chowder and other seafood. Yum! Did I tell you that Kathryn loves seafood? And the ocean?

18. big house-kab Big House with the Best View of Good Harbor Beach

11 comments:

  1. Nice post Kathie! Have a great weekend!

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  2. Kathie, thanks for a great post!

    I loved Gloucester! Not only did the book peek my interest about the area, Steve Borichevsky's blog at http://shootingmyuniverse.blogspot.com/ features Cape Ann. He is an incredible photographer.

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  3. Such a wonderful day exploring and sharing. The east is SO different than what I'm used to. Love the sand ripples.

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  4. Beautiful series of photographs! Sounds like you spent a wonderful day exploring Gloucester. Love the image of the seagull with the starfish. Pretty sand patterns.

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  5. Hey, why didn't you tell me sooner you were posting lighthouse photos? LOL I love these! I never have seen a gull eat a starfish before... that's singular.

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  6. PS: That Schooner looks like something I'd like to steal away on just for a few weeks. Then I'd bring it back...

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  7. Great post, Kathie. You made me want to jump into my car and drive to Gloucester. Interesting, and strange, about the Common Tern; I looked in all my books and couldn't find this combination of red legs, black beak and black cap, although I was sure I would find it in Peter Harrison's Seabirds that shows breeding and nonbreeding plumages.

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  8. Hi Kathie

    The gull eating the crab is impressive the gull with the starfish is amazing.

    You have surpassed yourself with all the posts of your trip. It looks like you had a tremendous time. I quite enjoyed seeing your pictures.

    Regards
    Guy

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  9. Great collection of photos Kathie! I'm not going to waste my time with the comment above me as it will soon be gone I'm sure.

    I had one of my best cod fishing trips in Gloucester. Stayed at a B+B and went on a party boat. Perfect Storm was so sad. I wasn't expecting the 100% tragic ending because I only vaguely knew of the true story.

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  10. Robert, thank you! I had a great weekend, actually!

    Katnell, I remember you telling me about it. I will have to check it out. I actually think I am friends with him on Facebook.

    Gaelyn, I so hope you get to see it someday. BTW, most easterners would say the same thing about AZ and the Grand Canyon!

    Julie G, so glad you enjoyed those!

    Quiet Paths, both of your comments made me smile! thanks! I hope to post photos of our trip to Boston soon!

    Hilke, thanks for telling me this, because I was feeling a bit dumb about it all. I could find the common with the red legs and black beak but ONLY with the winter head gear, not the black cap of summer. so, I guess it pays to ask an expert!

    Guy, thanks! I love your input.

    Larry, that trip sound like it must have ben fun. did you watch birds at the same time? This was only my third or 4th time going there. It's not far from where I live so maybe I will get back this year to see the Icelandic Gull. We shall see.

    As for the comment that WAS posted above, I am surprised it made it past the spam detector but I have since deleted it and marked it as spam. Perhaps Google can stop it from getting past the defenses again. Some people just need to get a life!

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  11. Lovely scenic photos, Kathie! What a great day of exploring and birding. I love the gull with the starfish. Wonderful photos, have a great day!

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Welcome to my nest! I hope you will enjoy spending time here with me and the birds. Thank you for your comments. I will try to get back to you as soon as I get back from counting more birds.