5.28.15 - Birdwatching For Beginners & Bird Walk - Trinity Christian Academy field trip
to Cape Cod Museum of Natural History - John Wing Trail

June is full of field trips and I remember always looking forward to that as a student.  I'm sure the teachers and chaperones look forward to them too! Being outdoors is a nice change of pace this time of year given the months we've all endured being stuck indoors so much!  These students knew a lot about birds and it's always interesting for me listening to their comments and learning what they know.  With birds, we're always learning, and there are so many ways to incorporate what may seem a simple walk, into interactive & fun nature lessons.  Plus - you never know when you're going to encounter a Corn Snake!  Which we did.  I was walking right by and one of the chaperones spotted it and yelled, "AAAAHHH!!! A SNAKE!"  I was about 10 feet past it on the trail, but the adult next to me also screamed and jumped.  I'm thinking the students won't soon forget that moment!  I of course ran to try to snap a photo of the snake, but s/he was on the move and slithered right off into the thick grasses along side the marsh.  Yes - we saw & heard several birds as well, including a brief glimpse of a sharp-shinned hawk!  Here's our list.

Our List:
Northern Cardinal
American Goldfinch
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Tree Swallow
Song Sparrow
Osprey
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Blue Jay
Common Yellowthroat
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Grey Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Great Black-backed Gull

Prairie Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull & immature gulls

Happy Birding!