3.28.14 - Home - Bird Nerd Moment

My yard - Yarmouth MA

 

Home inspections have begun!  Many birds have found their mate for the season, now...time for house hunting!   The nest boxes that our kids painted a few years ago are not the best kind to have because they cannot be cleaned out at the end of each breeding season (typically late fall, early winter).  Lucky for us, some birds are OK with that, I just hope they do well if they decide that these are their homes of choice.   I had to grab my camera when I noticed Eastern Bluebirds checking out our nest boxes for the first time!  The photos below are not great because I took them through the glass in our back door.  I was concerned that if I opened the door for better focus, the birds would take off and I'd lose the chance to catch them in action.  Forgive the blurry-ness.  It just makes me happy to have these birds in our yard!

(double click on images to enlarge)

 

Eastern Bluebird (male)

Eastern Bluebird (male)

Tufted Titmouse

 

House Sparrow (female)

 

Things are slowly starting to look, feel and even smell, like spring!

Happy  Birding!

3.26.14 - Home - Bird Nerd Moment

Yarmouth MA

 



Out like a lion...

So the Nor'easter came and went, and the winds were WILD throughout!  We didn't get much snow in Yarmouth, maybe about 6 inches.  Total accumulation was difficult to measure because the wind drifted the snow every which way.  What was amazing to me was looking out the window and seeing some song birds doing what they do in our yard.  They were visiting the feeder and foraging in the snow for seeds that had been easily strewn about the top of the snow.  I have sometimes noticed Song Sparrows being pushy around the feeder, pecking away House Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos (they're still around)...even Mourning Doves.  Today seemed more about coexistence.

I had heard that an Osprey pair had returned to the nest platform on the salt marsh behind the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History so I watched 'ospreycam' for a while, worrying about the pair... but I never saw them.  Here's hoping they found safe shelter during that crazy storm.   Here are some photos from my yard of the busy birds.

(double click to enlarge)

 

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow & Mourning Dove

Dark-eyed Junco & Song Sparrow

("I won't look at you if you won't look at me.")

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow

 

Next opportunity for a guided bird walk, 9:30am-10:30am Tuesday Tweets at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History Rt 6A, Brewster

Happy Birding 'til then!

3.18.14 - Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History - Tuesday Tweets

John Wing Trail - Brewster, MA

 

In the hopes of getting our own view of an Osprey...one was briefly seen landing on the nest on the marsh over the weekend, and then perching on the nest camera...and then soaring off.  We did not catch sight of any Osprey on this FREEZING morning...but we did have a few brief moments of birds near enough to see and hear.

 

Our List:

Black-capped Chickadee

Song Sparrow

Northern Cardinal (female & male)

American Crow

Brant

Common Eider (female & male)

Great Black-backed Gull

Canada Geese

 

We heard:

Tufted Titmouse

(double click on images to enlarge)



 

Black-capped Chickadee

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow 

Northern Cardinal (male) singing with a Song Sparrow, SO CLOSE!!!

Ice crystals on a pitch pine needle bunch

American Crow

 

Song Sparrow - do you notice anything different about this bird?

Song Sparrow - her/his right leg is banded! (double click on image to enlarge)

Icy salt panne in the marsh

 

 

I'm guessing the song sparrow that has the band is "one of Sue's".  Sue Finnegan the Master Bird Bander at the Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History starts her day with incredible findings!  If you ever get the opportunity to go to one of her bird banding demonstrations - I cannot recommend it highly enough to any bird lover and it is WONDERFUL for children!  She's so gentle with everyone who is interested!  I will be sure to list here when her next demonstration is going to be on Wing Island.  It's worth getting up with the early birds for!

 

Next opportunity for a bird walk will be 4.8.14 at the Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History 9:30-10:30am.

Happy Birding 'til then!



 

 

3.12.14 - My yard - Bird Nerd Moment

Yarmouth MA

 

Sometimes the best way to begin your day is by hanging out by the bird feeder.  You'll most likely get to see the usual suspects, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, House Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Juncos (in the winter here on Cape Cod) on the ground hanging with the Mourning Doves...and others.  Sometimes we're visited by the noisiest of the noisy... the spectacular Blue Jay.  I got a very sweet spring-like "Good Morning" from this guy...at least that's how it sounded to my ears...

 

 

Next Opportunity for a bird walk:

Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History, Brewster MA

3.18.14 9:30 - 10:30am

 



 

3.6.14 - Near Sea Street Beach - Bird Nerd Moment

Near Sea Street Beach - Dennisport MA

 

The kids had a half day and after treating them to a rare lunch out... I dragged them to Nantucket Sound to see what we could see. 

Our List:

Common Eiders (male)

Buffleheads (female & male)

Goldeneye (male)

Brants

 

I know it may be silly to pick favorites of specific species of birds... but Brants are my favorite goose.  I remember noticing them for the very first time on Earth Day in 2010 when we went to the beach to do a cleanup, equipped with gloves and trash bags.  I remember thinking that they were Canada Geese at a first glance... but wait, smaller and where was the white cheek?  So I did my best to notice their field marks and came home and grabbed my field guide.  Brants!!!  I feel mentioning "beautiful bird" is so redundant, but sometimes it just happens.  These birds nest on the tundra and we see them as autumn is changing to winter and when winter is changing to spring.  They make me seasonally pleased.

We were at quite a distance, but these were the photos I felt like sharing of the Brants.

(Double click on images to enlarge)

 

Brants

Brants