St. Croix's Ruth Island otherwise known as Shell Island

Today is a test blog. When using new equipment we all go through learning curves and i'm trying to minimize my frustration.

So this will just be pics and not much else if all goes well. Ruth Island is home to hundreds of White-crowned Pigeons but is also a beloved spot to go beach combing.

The kayak ride out is easy but does entail being on the look out for container ships or tug boats coming into port.
Yesterday a friend and i went out so she could look for shells and i could bird.

We were both easily satisfied and couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. The above pic is not really a rock it is a mass of rope looking quite beautiful.

Shells can be found all around the island which we completely circumnavigated and birds are everywhere. But a little warning here...when waking past most of the shrubbery its easy to startle the pigeons who then leave their nests until you have passed on. Its breeding season right now so if you go please be respectful.

Some of the nests had eggs but others had already hatched chicks. There were hundreds of nests and we tried to stay away from them as much as possible.

The moms just watched.

Dredge refuse from the oil refineries water channel comprises Ruth Island and some parts of it are down right ugly.

Its a lot of rubble that is not always easy to walk across so sturdy shoes are a must.

Other parts are lovely and vegetation and sand has taken hold.

We waded and walked

 and admired the mangroves and creatures on them which didn't turn out so don't look for them.

We also admired the colors on old rusty left overs and had a lovely time there.
See ya next week.

Birding on Plum Island, MA and lovely St. Croix

About 35 miles north of Boston there is a barrier island named for the beach plums growing across its sand dunes. The wildlife refuge that encompasses most of Plum Island has been called a birder's paradise.

The best time to visit is during migration but even if you can't schedule a trip there then any time will still reward an avid birder with lots to see. The Purple Martins are the first to greet you at the visitors center where man made nest boxes make viewing easy.

Then you just work your way down the peninsula

along the boardwalks, along the trails and up the watchtowers for lovely viewing.

Wild Turkeys

Swallowtail Butterfly

Blue-winged Teals

Snowy Egret

Most of my wildlife shots at Plum Island were weak but we saw over 40 species of birds and had a great day...do go if you are in Boston. Here in St. Croix its that time of year again and the placards are up all over the island. This group(and its not all of them) is at the Woodsen School stop light.

i've never tried the Johnny Cakes here but i love the color of their building.

At Jump Up i snapped a few.

 The blooming island is radiant right now and there are so many Flamboyants doing their thing it is really hard to choose.

 Also the Sargasso grass is starting to come in. H'apenny was loaded with it last weekend.

And to finish a drive down the Carambola Rd., a west end water shot, the seaplane at sunset, a Magnificent Frigate, a dingy in the mangroves, and a spectacular sun set brought on by the Sahara Dust.

See ya next week.

Traveling and snapping

We did some traveling this summer on the east coast,  five states where i of course couldn't stop snapping pictures. Many of them are bad but i decided to post some of the better ones here this week.
Last week i did Rhode Island but this week it will be a medley of the rest. But to start we have all been suffering from the Sahara Dust which seems unusually thick this year. i took some photos out of the plane window when we were flying to San Juan and you can see how thick it is. 

i also got this cool painted plane parked on the apron.

When we went hiking around the Boston area a man showed us a praying mantis nest. That was a first for us.

 

Boston has some cool walking areas and we did a lot of that too so here are a few from some of the walks, under the bridges, along the river, and down by Copley Square.

Salem had this tree that was full of very decorative bird houses so i have to include that here also.

 
And you can't go to the states without going to at least one street fair.  i loved this guys tights but you can't really see his ears in this pic.

Just walking around you see loads of things that make you want to stop and take a pic. How could i pass up Lola, or the balloons, and the guy needing money so he could get a haircut?

Or the church, or the sunset, or the cityscape at night?

 Or Bunker Hill?
See ya soon...i've got more but i didn't want to bore anyone.