Boblinks galore at Daniel Webster

Today I decided to explore a place I haven't had the chance to visit yet: Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary in Marshfield, Ma. I didn't really know what to expect, but I have seen many interesting reports on eBird from there. It absolutely did not disappoint; when the first bird you see as you get out of the car is an Eastern Bluebird, you know it's going to be a good day.

Eastern Cottontail

This brave little Eastern Cottontail greeted me right near the parking lot.

Purple Martin colony

Right off the bat, I saw several male Bobolinks doing their weird calls that are still stuck in my head (though I'm not complaining) and a colony of Purple Martins, a first for me.

Purple Martin Colony

The Purple Martins were really cool to watch come and go from their nest houses. If only there had been some shade nearby, I could have spent ages there watching them.

Purple Martin Colony

Purple Martin Colony

Instead, I spent ages sitting in the observation blind building overlooking a secluded little pond (MassAudubon calls it a "panne"). Among the Common Whitetail, Twelve-Spotted Skimmer, Eastern Pondhawk, and Blue Dasher dragonflies were a Killdeer, some Canada Geese with 2 goslings, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Tree Swallows, 2 Green Herons, and a Little Blue Heron (!). I saw one at World's End last friday, but eBird has not accepted my record (they're not particularly common in Massachusetts) yet so...I took pictures of this one through my binoculars.

Little Blue Heron

Sitting down on a bench in a nice breezy building in the shade certainly makes pulling the whole digital-camera-through-the-binoculars task much easier, and I was able to snap these pictures which backup my Little Blue Heron claim completely. 

Little Blue Heron

While I was at it, I snapped this picture of a Tree Swallow that perched on this branch for several minutes. I also witnessed a female Red-Winged Blackbird bringing food to her chicks, and noticed that she had a reddish-organish-rusty patch on her wing near where the males have their epaulet patch. That'll be something that I'll try to get a picture of in a few years when I get a real camera.

Tree Swallow perched on branch near his nest box

It was ridiculously hot out (I think it may have been 95 degrees F) when not in the shade, and the butterflies and dragonflies were anything but cooperative, but the fact that the Bobolinks were all over the place and allowing for some pretty good looks more than made up for it. 

View from Fox HIll

Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary definetly  solidified  itself as a premier destination for me in the future, and it will be one of the first places I long to go to when I have a DSLR camera and a spotting/digiscope. For now, the memories of the Purple Martins, Bobolinks, Little Blue Heron and Green Herons, as well as the always fun to watch Tree Swallows, are enough.