New England Blogs

Friday, May 31, 2013

Baby Chipping Sparrows

I'm a bit worried about some baby sparrows who were born in my next door neighbors tree. Yesterday afternoon we noticed the nest was on the ground under the tree:

And there were also a few broken unhatched eggs:



We then discovered three fledglings. They are as cute as cute can be, but they seem so young and I'm not convinced they are old enough to leave the nest yet. This worries me. I looked a lot of information up on the web and tried to educate myself as best I could.
Here are some images of these precious little babes:









The good news is that Mom and Dad are around. My neighbors and I put the babies back in the nest and placed the nest in a large rhododendrun bush. But once the parents flew to the bush, the babies tumbled out of the nest and landed on the ground again. We felt it to be best to leave them alone at this point and hope for the best.
I haven't gone out yet this morning to check on them. I think I'm afraid to go look!
Aren't they just too precious????

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Grandparent for the day....again!

I have been filling in as "Grandma for the day" for my buddies James and Eric the past few years. Grandparents are celebrated at the elementary school this week every year, and one day during the week the grandparents are invited to school to have lunch with their grandchildren. Eric and James' real grandparents live out of state, so I humbly and with honor fill in for them at the grandparents lunch each year.
This year big brother James goes to the Middle School, so I only went in for lunch with my buddy Eric.
However, Eric's best friend Boots didn't have a grandparent to come in, so I brought lunch for Boots as well. Heck, I could fill in and be grandma for any kid who needed one! :-)
Here are Eric and Boots (Eric on the left)

After we had lunch, we went to their classroom where Eric presented me with two bookmarks he made....one is for me and one is for Mr S. Boots made his bookmark for his Grandpa who is battling cancer.....he is such a great kid and he talked nonstop about his Grandpa today....it was clear how much he loves his Grandpa and I was so happy to be there for him today.

So, how happy and well adjusted is Eric???? Take a look at this....it is hanging on the wall outside his classroom. Makes me smile! :-)



Thanks for the lunch date Eric and Boots. I had a ball! :-)

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Showdown: Goose vs Man

Okay, so this title is a little bit misleading. My last blog post was Swan vs Goose so I just couldn't help myself to title this post the way I did.
Here's the story. I was out shooting the Abington swans and geese the other day with a couple of my camera club friends. I brought them to the cemetery to photograph the geese and goslings. They were hanging out along a grassy road beside the pond. My buddy Wayne decided to go around to the other side from where I was photographing to get a different perspective. He was using his long lens (I believe it's 400 mm but I'm not a Canon girl so I don't pay much attention) *grin*. This allowed him a safe distance from the geese family wthout intruding their space or upsetting them. (As you now, the adults are VERY PROTECTIVE of their babies)
Wayne is awonderful wildlife photographer and he knows how to handle himself while shooting wildlife like a pro.
Here is where Wayne was shooting from:

See? He was a nice distance away from the geese. In fact, he was so unobtrusive that the geese didn't even know he was there.
They began heading his way and I got just a little bit worried....


The standoff:


Wayne did the right thing. He remained calm and din't make any sudden moves:


Dad didn't feel threatened and the family went off on their merry way. Whew!


Oh happy day!!!! :-)



Sunday, May 26, 2013

Showdown: Swan vs Goose

The Abington sawans have abandoned the nest and the two remaining unhatched eggs. Not sure of the reason why. The nest has been abandoned for two days now. The eggs are still sitting on the nest, and Mom and Dad and the 3 cygnets have moved to the other side of the pond. I found them over the other side yesterday.
I witnessed a showdown between Dad swan and a goose yesterday afternoon. The goose got too close to where the family was feeding for Dad's liking, and he went after it.







He meant business!!!!

Mama stayed behind with the babies....




Friday, May 24, 2013

Geese and Goslings

Although I love to see the rebirth of the flowers and trees in the Spring, my favorite part of the Spring season is the birth of life. I guess it's because I'm a Mom and us moms have a natural instinct to be drawn to new life. The innocence of the newborn babies....their cuteness is undeniable....and seeing them grow and watching their little personalities develop just melt my heart. With so much sorrow and heartache in the world (the recent Boston bombings, the disastrous tornadoes in Oklahoma are just two examples that come to mind), when visiting the newborn cygnets and goslings, the world becomes a much calmer and gentler place. It is soothing for the soul and it kind of makes the heart swell.
So are you ready for some cuteness? If you are having a bad day today, I hope these next images will bring a smile to your face and uplift your heart!







I will be taking a trip up to Millinocket Maine/Baxter State Park in two weeks. The Moose calfs are being born this time of year and I hope to bring back some moose family images to share with you. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying the cygnet and gosling photos from Abington!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Abington Swans day three

More swan and cygnet images today. I just can't help myself......

To give you a better idea of the location from where I am taking these photos......this is what a typical day looks like along the fence. At times, the crowd can grow to two rows deep!


Here is a closeup of a very tired Mama sitting on the nest with the two remaining eggs under her:

Mama doing a big stretch:


A little peak-a-boo from behind Mama:


These next two are from today. It was windy down there today. Dad was on the nest and Mama was in the water with the babies. Here's Dad:


Blowin' In The Wind"....


Tomorrow I will share some geese/gosling images. The goslings are precious and I know they will put a smile on your face so stay tuned!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Goings On At The Nest ( Abington Swans )

We still have 3 cygnets and two unhatched eggs as of this afternoon. Here are  few images of the goings on at the nest yesterday.
When I arrived, Dad was sitting in the nest on the two eggs, and Mama was in the water with the three babies:

Dad was VERY ATTENTIVE and alert to any noises. He is a very good protective father. At one point, Mama alerted him to a possible problem and within a millisecond he was off that nest and in the water in protective mode. It happened so incredibly fast I didn't even have time to frame him in my camera. You can see Mama's expression and Dad's reaction in this next image:


After a minute or two they decided there was no threat, so Dad hopped back up on the nest to sit on the remaining eggs:


Mama then decided that she and the babies had enough swim time so they joined Dad on the nest. It was so darn cute to see the little ones try to climb back up on the nest....but they all made it!!!




Home Sweet Home........


Stay tuned tomorrow for more images!!!!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Abington Swans Are Born!

What a happy day in the town of Abington!!! The local celebrities (a pair of nesting swans) welcomed 3 cygnets into their family today.....with two more eggs still to be hatched.

Mother and child:

This is the cygnet which was born yesterday. He's already all fluffed up and as cute as cute can be!!!!

This next image shows this playful cygnet as he popped out from unders Mama's wing. It was so precious. Please take note of the little cygnet poking out from under Mama's wing to the left. . This one was just born while I was there and he/she is still all wet and droopy compared to the little one that was born yesterday. Truly amazing!


"Under My Wing"


Here are 3 cygnets and two eggs still unhatched under Mama.


I hope they stay safe........

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Happy Mothers Day!!!!

Pure Love.........
My mother celebrating Mothers Day with her newest Greatgrandchild, Sawyer..........The expression just melts me....

Miss J.....how beautiful is she. Sigh.......What a wonderful Mothers Day we had!



I hope you all had a special Mothers Day as well!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Spring Fever At Webb Park, Weymouth

Oh happy happy Spring!!!! The colors of Spring are everywhere. The world has awakened from the cold dreary winter and it is a beauty to behold.

These colors make my heart soar! :-)


Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The Secret Garden

Spring has arrived!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Welcome Sawyer!

Sawyer James John was born into this world early last evening weighing 8 pounds, and 20 1/2 inches long. He is perfection in every way!!!!

My nephew Greg, and his wife Jess with their newborn son today. Next week I hope to have some pictures with big sister Rowan, so stay tuned!!!! :-)

I love you guys. Congratulations!!!!!
XXOOO