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Tag: Ring-billed gull

Ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis)

Ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis)

Gulls are often the most abundant and visible coastal birds, regardless of the season. This is largely because they are remarkably successful at adapting to different environments and are opportunistic feeders. In the winter, ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) are one of the most common gulls in Massachusetts, perhaps even outnumbering Herring gulls and Black-backed gulls. They can be distinguished from these other two species as being the smallest of the three, and adult ring-billed gulls have a fairly short, slim…

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Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

On a recent trip to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, my friend and I saw a number of new-to-me birds, including a Barred Owl (Strix varia) and an American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea).  However, those sightings were often fleeting and from a great distance.  The Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), on the other hand, were bold and curious and often perched only a few feet from us to search for food amongst the branches and reeds. Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) –…

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Sargassum

Sargassum

It was such a beautiful day today (70 degrees and sunny in the middle of October?!), I couldn’t help but take the opportunity to stop by Old Silver Beach in Falmouth after work. The most notable thing on the beach was the seaweed that had washed up. Piles of Sargassum had accumulated in the wrack line and at the waters edge. The algae could quickly be identified as belonging to the genus Sargassum based on a handful of unique characteristics:…

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