7.29.14 - Cape Cod Museum of Natural History - Tuesday Tweets
John Wing Trail, Brewster MA

Summer on Cape Cod...it's why I moved here from Framingham.  We used to vacation in Brewster for years and now I get to spend incredible beautiful mornings, on a marshy & wooded trail with bird lovers.  Life is GOOD!  Summer can be frustrating in that the foliage can often turn a bird watching adventure into a bird LISTENING challenge.  Maybe that's why folks have decided to call the hobby (obsession) birding, because...well...sometimes you hear more than you see.  Our happy group did see plenty of birds doing their thing, we also did hear a few species who decided to tease us with their calls, rather than flaunt their plumage.
Our List:
Black-capped Chickadee
Osprey
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Eastern Towhee (heard)
American Robin
Mourning Dove
Pine Warbler juvenile
Northern Flicker
Northern Cardinal
Snowy Egret (so BEAUTIFUL as they flew overhead...)
(double click on photos to enlarge)

Song Sparrow 

Song Sparrow

Osprey 

Gray Catbird

Mourning Dove 

American Robin juvenile ( I spotted this baby on the way back to the museum)

American Robin juvenile (note the very speckled breast)

 

Next opportunity for Tuesday Tweets: 8.19.14 Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

9:30am $2Members/$4 NonMembers

Happy Birding!

7.20.14 - Bird Nerd Moment
Yarmouth MA

Sometimes you see a bird... and you get so excited because you think maybe, just maybe... you're seeing a new species.  I've become so dependent on my binoculars because I'm near sighted, so when I see field marks that look unfamiliar, I HAVE to grab the binocs...  Never underestimate behavior as an identification indicator.  The bird pictured below was ground feeding, hopping all over my back yard, about 9 inches long... the white eye ring was so noticeable because it was more like an eye stripe, plus I thought I saw wing-bars and the speckles on the breast... Yep...it was a juvenile American Robin who had me fooled for a few minutes.  This pretty little one was growing into his/her plumage.  I had to get some pictures!  (double click photos to enlarge)

American Robin juvenile 

American Robin juvenile

 

Now compare to the adult male American Robin pictured below...  Notice the adult has the yellow beak, a much more defined eye ring (white pale circle surrounding the eye) the wings have filled in and the breast is bright orange, no speckles. 

American Robin male

 

One of my favorite things about birds is that there is always something new to learn.  Keeping curious makes life more interesting...certainly for Bird Nerds anyway.

Next opportunity for Tuesday Tweets: Cape Cod Museum of Natural History 7.29.14 9:30am $2Members/$4NonMember

Happy Birding!

7.8.14 - Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History - Tuesday Tweets
John Wing Trail - Brewster, MA

The birds mostly seemed to be sheltering themselves from the heat as we headed out on our bird walk this morning... we could hear them, but we didn't see too many of them.  They have to protect themselves from the elements as well.  I was concerned about the tides, which turned out to be a non-issue and we were able to make it to the ocean.  I would imagine that most of us wanted to run right into Cape Cod Bay!  It was a perfect beach day!
We were serenaded by many a Song Sparrow and I like to believe every person on the walk today now knows that particular bird song.  Ann, who was new to Tuesday Tweets spied a tern in the flock of gulls that was resting on the sand bars.  Turns out it was a Royal Tern, I have never seen one, so it was a life bird for me!  THANK YOU ANN!  Thanks also to Sienna, the best dressed Junior Bird Nerd in the bunch, for grabbing my hand while we were walking.  It always makes me feel that much more secure when I'm out in the woods. Photos below... (click on photos to enlarge)

Our List:
Blue Jay
Gray Catbird
Northern Cardinal
Downy Woodpecker
White-breasted Nuthatch
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Osprey
Song Sparrow
Black-capped Chickadee
Northern Flicker
Common Grackle
American Crow
Great Blue Heron
Great Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Laughing Gull
Royal Tern (!!!)

Osprey 

Nest 

Song Sparrow, camouflaged 

Great Blue Heron 

Gray Catbird 

Great Black-backed Gulls, Herring Gulls 

Royal Tern!!!

 

Next opportunity for Tuesday Tweets: 7/29/14 $2Member, $4Non-member

Happy Birding!

7.3.14 - Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History - KidSummer Birding 101
Museum Trail - Brewster, MA

On our last morning together we vowed to spend more time outside, which of course is half the fun of watching birds!  The kids donned their binoculars and we headed out to add to our list of birds we've observed throughout the week.  We played a quick game of Bird Bingo (which I actually call Bird BING!) When we returned to our classroom, I talked about three words and their meanings and how we can make a difference in the natural world for the good, beginning with the birds.  Our Bird Nerd Words were: Biodiversity, Conservation & Ecology.  We talked about what our human impact has had on and will continue to be on the earth.  KidSummer director Barbara Knoss stopped by our room and heard us talking about pollution and she let us know of an incredible book "Moby Duck" about 28,800 bath toys being lost at sea.  I also showed the kids eBird, an on-line data base of birds part of an enormous Citizen Science Project through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  I showed them how to, with parental permission, log on and enter their data when they want to after they've either been birdwatching, or if they've seen something unusual.  Kids are so computer savvy because they've never had life without them.  They can really make a difference in helping the birds, simply by recording what they've seen and heard, so that scientists can be aware of populations. (click on photos to enlarge)
Our List:

Osprey
Barn Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
American Robin
Grey Catbird
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle

Visiting the vitrine near the marsh & recording a finding or two

Osprey on the nest perch, juveniles in the nest

Feathers were found here and there

This sure didn't look like it belonged on the salt marsh

Some ribbon found tangled in the shrubs - pollution.

Helium & balloons can truly be tragic for wildlife. 

Carrying our Bird Nerd Friend for crossing Route 6A

Bird droppings on the wild grape vine!

 

  Junior Bird Nerds

 

I so enjoyed the perspective of these smart and interesting KidSummer Bird Nerds in training!  I hope they continue caring as much as they already do about the birds and the nature surrounding them.  As I suspected, I learned a lot from them too!  Remember kids...it's COOL to be a Bird Nerd!  Especially on Cape Cod! 

Happy Birding!

 

7.2.14 - Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History - KidSummer - Birding 101
John Wing Trail - Brewster, MA

Our goal today was to make it to the beach!  It's tough to cram in painting next boxes and a "quick" hike to the beach!  Somehow we made it happen though.  We went over the proper care of nest boxes and which species might be interested in them.  Not all species of bird prefer them. Do not miss the beautiful job the KidSummer Kids did on their hand painted nest boxes! (photos below)  They painted with classical music playing in the background, and it was so peaceful.  Birds inspire so much art.  It was time to return the favor by providing them with decorated shelter.  Off on our hike...hot, hazy and humid was the weather and you truly cannot beat the John Wing Trail. 
Our List: (click on photos to enlarge)

American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Gray Catbird
Pine Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
(double click photos to enlarge)

Beautiful & inspired designs

Painting nest boxes to classical music 

KidSummer artists and their painted nest boxes

Works of art!

Checking out the tidal mud flats

Found a periwinkle(gastropod)! 

 

Fiddler crab (amazingly enough, she had been bitten 

the day before.  Fearlessly, she picked up this little guy... 

 

Tomorrow will be our last day together of Birding 101.  I wonder if we will discover any new species on our hike tomorrow. 

Happy Birding!

7.1.14 - Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History - KidSummer Birding 101
Lee Baldwin Trail - Brewster, MA

Day 2 of KidSummer Birding 101...  now that we knew each other a little better we got to do more things, like read about a matching pair in our bird memory game.  Everyone seemed interested in drawing birds - check out their artwork below!  We were excited to head out on the trail with the new binoculars!  We headed south of Route 6A today and first took a look at birds from the viewing platform.  We marched across the marsh and into the Beech Forest adding a quick game of "Hide & Seek" in the woods where it was cooler.   
Here is our list: (click on photos to enlarge)

Mourning Dove
American Crow
Fish Crow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Grey Catbird
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
(double click on photos to enlarge)

 

Song Sparrow 

American Crow 

 

Hiking through the Beech Tree Forest

 

Beech Tree canopy

 

I'm always looking forward to another Birding 101 class with these kiddos.

Happy Birding Bird Nerds in training!