Backyard Red Fox.......They're back!

They're Baaaaaaack!!!! After a nearly two week absence, the fox family has moved back into the den in my backyard. They have been back for over a week now and there has not been any coyote sightings or any danger calls at night.

Don't have much time to post today so here are two pictures of two of the kits to share with you. They are getting big.

Crossing Nines at Granite Links Golf Course, Quincy MA

Had a wonderful cousins get together last night at The Crossing Nines Bar at Granite Links in Quincy. It was a beautiful evening to sit out on the deck for cocktails and dinner. The view from up there is one of the best views around, and we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

Sun setting over the Blue Hills:

And a wonderful view of Boston from the golf course.

American Robin

The Robin is such a common bird that it often times gets overlooked by nature photographers. This is an image I made last evening in my backyard of a robin who was standing on our shed, and was communicating with another robin who was somewhere in a nearby tree. Fun to watch and photograph, as I clicked the shutter each time he/she would "sing".

Fathers Day 2106

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and had a good Fathers Day. We had a family cookout here at our house. It was a wonderful day.

Here is my son N, celebrating his very first Fathers Day. I am so proud of the wonderful man and father that he is.

And how adorable is Henry?????????? Love him!

Still Life Photography

Had a wonderful exercise last night put on by one of my fellow camera club members, Theresa Oliver. Here is a link to her website, http://www.powderandpixel.com/

Theresa set up a "tea party in the woods" for us to shoot. It was a perfect evening weather wise and it was also a lot of fun to be out shooting with friends.

I personally love this one......

Thank you to Theresa for all of the work she put into setting this up for us. Her attention to detail is wonderful and her eye for seeing the beauty in the world is inspiring.

Westport MA Allen's Pond Wildlife Sanctuary

Took a wonderful day trip to Westport MA with Mr. S yesterday. This is a beautiful coastal town which sits on Buzzard's Bay and the Atlantic Ocean in Southeast MA. It is also a very active farming community.....it is dotted with numerous farms, beautiful open fields, and stone walls galore.

Here is one of the farms we passed along our travels

There are several trails you can choose to take at the Allen's Pond Wildlife Sanctuary. We chose to take the Coastal Trail. It starts at the parking area, meanders through an open field with a beautifully mowed path that leads you to the ocean.

Mr. S walking the trail towards the ocean

A Red Winged Blackbird perches on one of the nesting boxes

A beachgoer enjoying the view taken from behind as I was approaching the beach on the trail

What we saw when we arrived at the beach

Notice the stone wall in the background

A Cormorant in flight

Beach Roses and rocks

The trail takes you along the rocks down the beach, up to a rocky path and then down off the rocks onto another rocky beach which is a beautiful cove.

 15 image panorama. 

A Common Tern in flight

A Cloudscape......it was a glorious day

Flowers growing along one of the stone walls

Wildflowers

Last but not least, we had a wonderful late lunch/early dinner at the Bayside, which is located across the street from Allen's Pond. Had one of the best lobster rolls ever.........delicious fresh lobster meat piled high on a bed of lettuce on a grilled hot dog roll served with a side of melted butter and mayonnaise. Truly delicious.

Abington Swans 2016 Update

Nature never ceases to amaze me. The resiliency of these swans is remarkable to say the least. After losing the first clutch of eggs due to human interference, I'm happy to tell you that the Abington Swans have built themselves another nest, and have laid a second clutch of eggs on the opposite side of the pond.
This is the second year in a row that a second clutch of eggs were laid. Sadly, the second clutch was not viable last year and after literally months of Mama Swan sitting on the eggs, the nest was finally abandoned. Praying and hoping that the person responsible for damaging the eggs does not do the same thing this time.

The new nest.....