Tuesday, August 5, 2014

8.5.14 - Birding 101 - KidSummer - Lee Baldwin Trail
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History - Brewster, MA

August on Cape Cod is a busy time and can be a hot and muggy time.  The KidSummer Kids and I took a break from the heat and hung out inside to sketch a bird or two in Bird Alley on the Lower Level of CCMNH.  Please see their beautiful hard work below!  I then got to surprise them with their own pair of binoculars, which put a smile on everyone's face!  We set out across 6A to the Lee Baldwin Trail in search of...birds of course, and they did not disappoint!  We even snuck in a game of Hide & Seek!
(double click on photos to enlarge)

Our List:
Grey Catbird
American Crow
European Starling
Song Sparrow
Eastern Kingbird
Mourning Dove
Red-winged Blackbird
Black-capped Chickadee
American Goldfinch
Eastern Phoebe
Brown-headed Cowbird
Sketching in Bird Alley


Someone' favorite is a Red-tailed Hawk.

Snowy Owl



Coopers Hawk in the making

Northern Cardinal taking shape

Someone's hoping to spot an Indigo Bunting someday!
Don't miss the artists and their hard work below...
Bird Nerds In Training are posing with their beautiful artwork
and the bird they used to inspire their sketch in Bird Alley

Indigo Bunting

Red-tailed Hawk
Coopers Hawk & American Goldfinch (male)

Northern Cardinals
Snowy Owl
 
Trying out new binoculars

European Starlings flocking

European Starlings

Eastern Kingbird


Mourning Dove


Mourning Dove

We think maybe that tree had been struck by lightning
a few weeks ago.

Hide & Seek in the Beech Tree Forest


Eastern Phoebe (juvenile)
Juveniles have a pale yellow belly
Eastern Phoebe (juvenile)


One of the Bird Nerds In Training spied a molted cicada exoskeleton
 
It's not just every group of 8-12 year olds that appreciate watching birds the way we did this morning.  When we got to the marsh, we quickly spotted the huge flock of European Starlings in the trees.  Occasionally they would take off in great number and swoop around randomly, yet somehow uniform, communicating on the wing.  It was a sight to see.  I was so moved that these sweet kids appreciated the simple commonplace sight of birds doing what they do best, flying.  Birds are an inspiration in numerous ways.


No comments:

Post a Comment