Cape Cod Bird Nerd

Sunday, May 28, 2023

5-13-23 Historical Society of Old Yarmouth (HSOY) Walk Botanical Trails Yarmouthport, MA (bird sighting list and photos below)

It has been an annual tradition for several years now, that each May, a bunch of bird nerds gather behind the Yarmouthport Post Office, for a bird walk/hike in the glorious sunshine! The weather this year happened to be ideal, not too hot, not too cold, and just right to enjoy the sights and sounds surrounding us that morning. The trails were blossoming in all directions and the bird species we spotted and heard kept us very entertained the entire time we were together. I feel slightly guilty that I was able to capture some decent photos of a male Yellow Warbler just as I was leaving. I had already packed up my camera, but I had to try! This little songbird gave me time to get some nice photos.

I look forward to this walk every single year and it was a treat as usual getting to visit with familiar faces and some new ones too! Bird Nerds are everywhere, just like birds and it makes the time in outdoor spaces so enjoyable to share it with nature-appreciating folks. Thank you SO MUCH Bill and Margaret for organizing this event! I thoroughly enjoy it and it's always something I look forward to. Thanks also to Nancy, Amanda, Fran and Marie for being there and I am so glad we were able to connect in the woods with you Pat and Brenda! It was a wonderful time!

Our List: (who we both saw and heard)

Grey Catbird * American Robin * Blue Jay * Northern Cardinal * Tufted Titmouse * Downy Woodpecker * White-breasted Nuthatch * Great-crested Flycatcher * Red-winged Blackbird * Belted Kingfisher * Red-bellied Woodpecker * Baltimore Oriole * Eastern Towhee * Black-capped Chickadee * Mourning Dove * Carolina Wren * Tree Swallow (and the bonus bird that only I got to see * Yellow Warbler)

Bird Nerds on the trail

Not easy to spot from this angle, but there is a
☮ constructed out of branches on the ground

☮

Fairy Village

The Weeping Beech
So lovely, it makes me weep

Grey Catbirds

Yellow Warbler - Male

Yellow Warbler - Male
I couldn't stop taking photos of him!

Baltimore Oriole - male

Dragonfly

VERY HARD TO SEE, 2 Painted Turtle heads
sticking out of the water

I believe these are Dwarf Yellow Water Lilies

Pond-side surprises

Eastern Towhee backside - male

Eastern Towhee - male

Great-crested Flycatcher

Dragonfly

Red-winged Blackbird - male

View of Millers Pond from the trail

Dwarf Yellow Water Lilies

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker trying to dodge the lens

Bird on a nest. These are the tail feathers sticking upward
to the right. I believe it is an American Robin sitting on the nest,
but I didn't want to stress her out too much so
I took this with my long lens.

Grey Catbird

American Robin - male

Happy Birding!

Friday, July 22, 2022

7-22-22 Private Walk Bell's Neck Conservation Lands Harwich, MA (bird sighting list and photos below)

It is always a lovely surprise to hear from bird nerds that I've known for years and when I heard from Jim and Pam wanting to schedule a guided bird walk - I was thrilled! We opted for Bell's Neck in Harwich, a new spot to them and a diverse location for a bird walk. There are 259 acres that make up this conservation area and it includes varied habitats; including woodlands, a salt water marsh and a fresh water reservoir. This diverse ecosystem did not disappoint. Be sure to check out our bird species list below.

I realize not every person is willing to go for a hike when it's abundantly sunny, 85 degrees and humid, but I have to say, we did well. We immediately started spotting birds even in the small woodsy parking area on Bell's Neck Road. As soon as we got out of our cars, there were 3 Gray Catbirds who didn't seem to be all that excited about our arrival. Across the way in the West Reservoir (fresh water), we immediately began spotting and hearing species after species. One of the great things about birding in my opinion is that it gets you to slow down, watch, listen, appreciate and learn. There's always something to learn when you do that I find. I also feel strongly that when you are on the lookout for birds in particular, it's more about the quality, rather than the quantity. What I mean is that of course it's fantastic to see as many bird species as possible, and WE DID! You don't necessarily have to cover an expansive territory to do so when you get to take in protected habitats such as this.

We did enjoy a nice hike on the shaded wooded trail. I was hoping to get a closer peek at the Belted Kingfisher seen perching on a branch over the water from farther away. He never did show up again, but we got to hear his call when we admired him through binoculars. Spectacular bird! Once we got deeper into the woods and could get a new perspective though, there was a Great Egret Jim spotted in the distance and a pair of terns (I could not tell which tern species - they were too distant) who seemed to be battling over something. Perhaps they were siblings, learning arial acrobatics.

It was important to me to end the walk with a flourish and I wanted to get to the foot bridge over the marsh along the Herring River to see and hear what we would see and hear. What a view! Though Mute Swans are an invasive species, they are always a bird that gives pause. They paddle so elegantly through the water.

A Friday morning bird walk was an ideal way to welcome this late July weekend, for what I feel is the very best time of year here on the Cape. The photos tell the best story. Thank you so much Pam, Jim, Faye and Keith! I anxiously await our next Cape Cod Bird Nerd walk!

Our List: (double click photos in gallery below to enlarge)

Gray Catbird

Double-crested Cormorant

Fish Crow

Mute Swan

Red-winged Blackbird

American Goldfinch

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Towhee

Belted Kingfisher

Ring-billed Gull

Laughing Gull