There are few places in the world that I find more beautiful in May and early June than Rockport, Massachusetts. Rockport is one of the four towns of Cape Ann, the rocky cape on Massachusetts’ North Shore. Overall (to recap what I said in Part One) there have seemed to me to be far fewer birds here than there should be at this time of year, and last year’s drought which lasted through summer and fall left quite a few dead trees and shrubs, especially along the shoreline. Aside from those troubling anomalies, this spring has seemed like a pretty normal one on Cape Ann. These are some of the photos I’ve taken in Rockport since late April.
The next thirteen pics are of a hidden-treasure spot I found only recently because of some paths I had never taken before because they are sometimes so overgrown...a part of the rocky coast which has been heavenly this spring, with large patches of Bluets, weather-beaten apple trees in bloom, and lots of small butterflies (orange ones which I couldn’t identify, and Spring Azures), as well as a lot of poison ivy (it gets dangerous to chase butterflies there). There are slabs of multi-colored exposed granite, an example of the rock which was quarried on Cape Ann for more than a century. I’ve seen just a handful of birds here so far, including three Common Loons (one of which was calling—I didn’t know they ever do that here), a pair of Common Eiders, and a particularly cute Herring Gull who seems to own this place.
Back to Halibut Point State Park, in May and June 2023…
30-second video I took of a Gray Catbird singing at Halibut Point State Park a few days ago...just its song, I didn’t see this one although they will often sit out and sing right in front of you (the cover pic I took last week on Plum Island MA, where there also lots of Catbirds right now)...
Just for those interested (it’s long so I’m not expecting people to watch it), this 20-minute video (not mine) of Halibut Point State Park was posted on YouTube a couple weeks ago, but I’m guessing was taken in mid-April, before much was in bloom...”Walk in the Woods — Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, MA” by 1623 Studios:
Requisite photo of Motif Number One, the little fishing shack on Bearskin Neck in Rockport which is one of the most often-painted buildings in the world...
It’s 63°F here and partly cloudy on the North Shore of Massachusetts this morning. We’ve had some much-needed rain here the past week, along with unseasonably chilly temperatures (several days in the 40s and 50s).
OspreyCam update from Gloucester MA, June 5th, 2023: Two of Annie and Squam’s three eggs have hatched! The third will likely hatch very soon. We got some sunshine (after rain) yesterday, so the solar-powered camera is working again…you can watch the Ospreys and read the Osprey Program Director’s updates here. This nest is one of 77+ known currently active Osprey nests in Essex County, MA.
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