Rebecca Pugh

Birmingham

Senior Video Producer at Dotdash Meredith

Senior Video Producer at Allrecipes

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Articles

A Swainson's hawk, rare in these parts, hunts in the salt marsh on Plum Island

2 months ago | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running with Birds by Rebecca PughIf you are running on the west side of Plum Island, and you spot a grey, white, and brown hawk perched on a hollow tree, take note. A rare Swainson’s hawk was spotted by Miles Brengle last week. It is supposed to be in Argentina this winter, hunting grasshoppers, but one has found its way to the wintery fields here in the Great Marsh.
The snowy owl — elusive, powerful — hunts this winter on Cape Ann

Jan 13, 2025 | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running with Birds by Rebecca PughIf you are running by the sea at dawn and see massive wings that make you think you are in a Harry Potter movie, pause for a moment. The snowy owls are back for the winter, and they are busy hunting. Sometimes they fly in the dunes east of the main parking lot at Crane Beach, sometimes over at Plum Island, sometimes at other beaches.
The barred owl calls from the forest at dusk and in the dark of the night

Nov 3, 2024 | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running with Birds by Rebecca PughIf you are running through the woods at dusk, and you hear the sibilant bird call, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you now?” starting on middle C, falling nearly an octave, you can take comfort in the truth that you are running in a forest with an owl in it. Owls are beloved and sometimes hard to see, but at night, if you are lucky, they are easy to hear.
Egrets are fishing in the Great Marsh, storing up fat for their migration south

Oct 20, 2024 | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running with Egrets by Rebecca PughIf you are running on Jeffreys Neck past the split, look to the left side of the street — to the left of the marsh that is there — and see if you spot the 50 or so great egrets and snowy egrets roosting in the trees. Great egrets have a yellow bill and black feet, and snowy egrets have a black bill and yellow feet. Both are large-sized hunting birds, although the snowies are a little smaller than the greats.
The flash of blue as you run through the playground at Doyon means bluebirds thrive locally

Sep 29, 2024 | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running With Birds by Rebecca PughIf you are running through the Doyon playground at the edge of Willowdale State Park, watch for a flash of blue on the backs of five to 12 robin-sized birds. Bluebirds are feeding in the playground, and their colors are unmistakable. Part of their pattern is to fly diagonally to display their colors, so if you are watching, you are not likely to miss it.
The pileated woodpecker makes nest cavities for diverse species

Sep 23, 2024 | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running With Birds by Rebecca PughPhoto credit: Nathan DubrowIf you are running at Appleton Farms, listen for the “wuk, wuk, wuk, wuk” sound, loud and getting louder, from a noisy bird. Check your tuning fork, because they call in the key of C. Look on the trunk of a dead tree for a crow-sized woodpecker, black with bold white stripes running down the face and chest and a shock of red feathers on the crown. Pileated woodpeckers are here all year.
Column: Ospreys are high-voiced fishing birds, hunting on the sandbars

Sep 1, 2024 | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running with Birds by Rebecca PughIf you are running at Great Neck and you see the rapid wingbeat of the ocean-hunting bird, listen for the high-pitched “Kyew, kyew, kyew, kyew” call. Look for outstretched wings with dark-colored tips and dark thumbs. Osprey are teaching their young how to hunt at low tide, and are feeding a busy family. Ospreys hover over the water and then pounce feet-first for fish.
The red-winged blackbird sings in the wetlands this spring

Apr 14, 2024 | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running with Red-winged Blackbirds by Rebecca PughIf you are running by the saltmarsh, and you hear the rusty-gate call of a winged neighbor, look for red-and-yellow shoulders on a black glossy bird. The red-winged blackbird has just started singing again, and once you know what to listen for, you hear their sounds coming from the wetlands all around you. Red-wing blackbirds declare themselves and set territory this time of year.
The red-necked grebe, rare so far upriver, swims at the Green Street Bridge this morning

Mar 24, 2024 | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running with Birds by Rebecca PughMiles Brengle writes, “Sandy Weatherall found a red-necked grebe at the Green Street Bridge this morning, so I went to photograph it, as the species is uncommon so far up the river. They are here every winter but tend to stick to the open waters along the immediate coast.” Miles sent us this picture, photographed in Great Cove this week. Grebes are known for their elaborate courtship displays.
Dark-eyed juncos have graced us with their company this winter

Mar 10, 2024 | thelocalnews.news | Rebecca Pugh

- Advertisement -Please Support Local Advertisers Running with Birds by Rebecca PughIf you are running in the forest, watch for a knot of long-tailed sparrows. You may hear them communicating with each other through a series of high-pitched “chip” sounds, like a quick electric shock. If you are lucky, you will also hear their trilling “riiiiiing riiiiiing” — it’s like an old rotary phone. If they are standing still, you may see slate-colored birds with white bellies and bright, dark eyes.