Cape Cod Bird Nerd

7.9.15 - Cape Cod Museum of Natural History - Marshview Room - Brewster, MA

Occasionally I get to help out and work at the museum, which I love! I call the Marshview Room the "drive through window", drive through - for the birds and the window - for the humans. It's INCREDIBLE what you are able to observe through the giant windows in this particular room and from the first time I visited CCMNH when I was about 13 years old, this is one of my favorite spots. There were infants with bright eyes, teenagers appreciating not only the birds, but also the cuteness of the squirrels, and seniors telling bird stories and taking advantage of the binoculars. Due to the time of year, all interested visiting this particular gem of a room this morning, were treated to several groups of juvenile birds relentlessly pestering their parents to FEED THEM, even though the food (seed & suet) were RIGHT THERE. They were learning though, so it's fair to cut these youngsters a little slack. It was funny to listen to the reaction of some of the human moms watching the birds through the windows! The first photo I took below is of this sweet (fair or not - sometimes I cannot help labeling creatures with emotional language, including captions below) juvenile Northern Cardinal. Watching this young one figure things out on the ground in front of the window was fascinating, even with the bustle of activity going on in the Marshview Room. It was like watching this bird's brain grow, learning things every tiny step of the way. I loved it, and I loved pointing it out to those interested. Yes, this very same room has an array of attractions, (Eastern Box Turtle, snakes & frogs, the amazing wooden carvings....) the birds always steal the show for me, and many other museum visitors, every time. We were able to observe 14 species, up close & personal, in less than an hour! There were visitors all the way from Moscow, Scotland, Long Island, Arizona, & naturally, local families - including a Station Ave School teacher who brought her son's family, introducing her young curious grandchildren to CCMNH. She loves it because all of the hands-on experience the kids get. I couldn't agree more and it was fantastic to see her there, enjoying the local treasure this museum certainly is. (double click photos to enlarge)

Our List:

Northern Cardinal

House Sparrow

Black-capped Chickadee

Osprey (click to watch live feed of the osprey family of 3 chicks)

Tufted Titmouse

Song Sparrow

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Grackle

Mourning Dove

American Crow

Blue Jay