Estuaries like Taunton Bay are some of the most biodiverse areas on Earth. They serve as refuges for species of fish, wildlife, and plants that can live only in this unique environment where streams and rivers meet the sea. Taunton Bay is designated as a protected shorebird nesting and feeding area. It is home to nesting pairs of American bald eagles, osprey, blue heron, and loons; thousands of migrating geese and shore birds; and a notable population of ducks, such as black duck and long-tail, in the cold months. In the spring, smelts, alewives, and blueback herring migrate through the bay and work their way up the streams to their spawning grounds. Horseshoe crabs at the northern limit of their range come ashore in Taunton Bay to spawn, and harbor seals bask on the rocks. Elvers (baby eels) work their way from the Sargasso Sea, through the bay, and up the bay’s streams to small lakes and ponds.
‘Myrtle’ Yellow-rumped Warbler, Photo by Gerard MonteuxRuby-Crested Kinglet, Photo by Gerard MonteuxPalm Warbler, Dendroica discolor, Photo by Gerard MonteuxHarbor Seal, Photo by Gerard MonteuxFox i, Photo by Gerard Monteux Bald Eagle, Photo by Gerard MonteuxRiver Otter in Taunton Bay March 30, 2013
Photo by Gerry MonteuxBittern, Photo by Gerard MonteuxChipmunk, Photo by Gerard MonteuxBrown Creeper, Photo by Gerard MonteuxGrackle, Photo by Gerard MonteuxCedar Waxwing, Photo by Gerard MonteuxPhoto by Gerard MonteuxGordon’s Wharf Sunset, Photo by Gerard MonteuxGreat Blue Heron, Photo by Gerard MonteuxLupines, Photo by Gerard MonteuxHairy Woodpecker, Photo by Gerard MonteuxNorthern Flicker, Photo by Gerard MonteuxPileated Woodpecker, Photo by Gerard MonteuxRed Fox Kits, Photo by Gerard MonteuxRed-bellied Woodpecker, Photo by Gerard MonteuxWhite-tailed Deer, Photo by Gerard MonteuxYellow-bellied Sapsucker, Photo by Gerard MonteuxBarred Owl, Photo by Gerard MonteuxBlue Heron, Photo by Gerard MonteuxTiger Lily, Photo by Gerard MonteuxBald Eagle, Photo by Gerard MonteuxCommon Loon, Photo by Gerard MonteuxMallards, Photo by Gerard MonteuxPileated Woodpecker, Photo by Gerard MonteuxCormorant, Photo by Gerard MonteuxOsprey, Photo by Gerard Monteux