5.30.16 - Bird Nerd Moment - Flax Pond
Yarmouth, MA

We are beginning to feel the end of the school year approaching, which is always exciting... The anticipation of summer is the cause for moods to lift and smiles to show on Cape Cod. It's the season many of us live here for!  The world is turning all green again, and when kids want to go swimming - well, they're more brave than I to jump into any swimming hole they have access too - so off we went.  We are fortunate to live within walking distance of Flax Pond, and there is a summer day camp there as well.  Why not test the waters and see & hear what we could see and hear on the way.  It was later in the day, so there wasn't too much bird activity, plus it had been a drizzly day, which had rinsed the pollen off of... everything.  They got their swim in & we all got a walk in the woods, which is good, no matter what.  (double click photos to enlarge)

Our List:
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Black-capped Chickadee
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle

Check out this crazy looking gall!  One of the girls discovered it

and I had to research it when we got back home.  It is a wool sower gall, which 

houses young wasp grubs.  Charming.  Galls form when these wasps lay their eggs typicallly in the winter, and as the eggs mature into grubs, their enzymatic secretions form galls on plant life.  This particular Dr.Seuss-looking gall is specific to white oak (the sapling it's growing on) and is from the wasp known as Callirhytis seminator.  

Lady Slippers are in bloom now...

A natural set of stairs

Happy Birding, and swimming!

5.27.16  Bird Nerd Moment - Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
Brewster, MA

It's a mystery.  The ospreycam set up on the osprey nest on the marsh behind the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History captures quite a bit of information.  It's amazing to watch the progression of their breeding season captured in this (not so private for the birds) streaming video, that has become such a popular medium to observe science.  Do the birds mind?  I don't know.  It's not like they're aware that they are basically living in The Truman Show... 
a-la bird...weirdo scientific voyeurism... anyway.  All was going well until May 27th.  See the photo of the dry erase chart below.  This morning, when we checked on them via the camera feed, both eggs & chick had vanished.  What happened?  Raccoon?  Fisher?  I had to contact my bird nerd mentor Peter Trull for his take on the situation.  He thought perhaps Great Horned Owl or Crows...  I vividly remember watching in a bit of horror, Blue Jays attacking a Cedar Waxwing nest in the past at Scorton Creek in Sandwich.  I texted him that moment...  I will never forget his reply: In nature..."Everbody eats everybody".  Sigh... as a naturalist, I admit, I am the one who changes the channel when viewing a documentary about the African savannah when the cheetah catches the antelope.  I know it happens.  I also know, I don't want to watch. I'm just overly sensitive I guess... because I LOVE cheetahs & I love predators great and small, but I also love the antelopes and the prey.  In THIS case happened TO the predators.  Life goes on.  We will have to watch to find out the next phase of this ornithological & natural mystery.  The good news, the Osprey have been observed mating, and mating again... 
(double click photos to enlarge)

Happy Birding!

5.25.16 - Cape Cod Museum of Natural History - Birdwatching For Beginners 
Wellfleet Elementary field trip

Presenting to a class of second graders is always a good time because we all get to look forward to heading outside to see & hear the birds who live near & or migrate to the museum in Brewster.  As I like to say, Brewster is a beautiful address & the birds know it! They're no fools!  The crazy thing about watching and listening for birds is that time FLIES! It goes so fast when we're out there and when there's sunshine to help us along the way... no one wants it to end.  I didn't!  We even snuck in a close encounter with an Eastern Chipmunk on the trail.  Those little guys are so busy storing food ALREADY & feeding themselves, they are fairly bold and will often slip in between two walkers on the wooded trails.  The sure are fun to watch, and they can't help their cuteness!

Thanks Wellfleet Elementary for your visit!  I hope you got to see more interesting birds on your ride back!  (double click photos to enlarge)

Our List:
Black-capped Chickadee
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Tree Swallow 
Chimney Swift
Osprey
American Crow
Song Sparrow 
American Goldfinch
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay

Mammal:
Eastern Chipmunk!

House Sparrow - male

Mourning Dove

Osprey on the nest

Eastern Chipmunk 

House Sparrow - female

Happy Birding kids!

5.18.16 - Bird Nerd Moment - My back yard, at sunset
Yarmouth, MA

When you can catch birds being birds, some unusual behavior that you don't always get to see... it makes those moments even more rewarding when you have a camera at the ready, or they allow you enough time to run and get one!  I was able to do so when I heard a Northern Cardinal male singing away at the top of one of the oak trees in our back yard. Then my daughter noticed the Mrs.... Cardinal, that is.  The pair of them were nicely lit for photos as they rode out a gentle breeze at the top of the trees.  They even seemed to be appreciating the sunset.  The moment I was so thrilled to have captured was of the male feeding the female... which of course makes it look like they're kissing.  Pretty sweet - when you choose to sprinkle human emotions upon them, fair or not fair... It was still a moment.  It was lovely.  (double click photos to enlarge)

Northern Cardinal - male & female

Feeding each other

And this one reminded me of ...

...this...

Happy Birding!

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

Tuesday Tweets turns out to be a good way to start your day when the weather is as gorgeous as it was today!  There was no wind, we had enough sunshine to warm us as we did our best to catch a glimpse of the Prairie Warbler, who was feeling camera shy.  I was able to get one lousy photo (see below), but what'cha gonna do... the balance of getting each and every bird nerd to get a peek at a bird who is teasing our ears, and still keep the walk moving, well... it's a challenge.  We all did get to HEAR him and I like to believe, now every one who was on the walk today knows the song of the Prairie Warbler.   The best way I can describe with words how it sounds, is that the notes take an upward spiral as he sings... maybe you've heard it yourself elsewhere.  Learning bird calls is a game in itself. There is a fantastic game: Bird Song Hero on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website, which is an expansive & fabulous wealth of information & research & knowledge as well.  I feel I could spend a month on their website and still be learning... I sneak in what I can & it's my go to website to answer my own questions as well as other bird nerd's questions.

If you were on our walk today and were fortunate enough to continue on to Cape Cod Bay - hopefully you also saw some of the birds that Rick was able to photograph.  His images are truly spectacular and this hobby of his is of professional caliber.  Rick generously and selflessly shares the photos with me so I can post them here and I can't tell you how appreciative of that I am.  I'm so grateful!  Wildlife photography, any photography, requires an enormous time commitment.  His dedication to it allows us to get up close & personal via his lens & talent.  Thanks again & again Rick!!!  Photo credits as listed below.  (double click photos to enlarge)

Our List:
European Starling
House Sparrow
American Robin
Song Sparrow
Osprey
Northern Cardinal
Barn Swallow
Yellow Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Great Black-backed Gull
Eastern Towhee
Mourning Dove
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
American Goldfinch
Common Yellowthroat

European Starling

American Robin - male

Song Sparrow

Bird Nerds searching for the Pine Warbler (RICK's photos below of Pine Warbler)

Prairie Warbler - my one lousy photo of his underside... oh well

Below - you'll see RICK's photos... ENJOY! 

European Starling (Photo Credit: RICK)

Osprey (Photo Credit: RICK)

Common Yellowthroat - male (Photo Credit: RICK)

Tree Swallow (Photo Credit: RICK)

Song Sparrow (Photo Credit: RICK)

Red-breasted Merganser - females (Photo Credit: RICK)

This is difficult for me to tell if that bird is 

a White-winged Scoter - juvenile male, or Common Eider - male juvenile (Photo Credit: RICK)

Laughing Gull (Photo Credit: RICK)

Brants (Photo Credit: RICK)

Laughing Gulls - (Photo Credit: RICK)

Laughing Gull & Ruddy Turnstone (!!!)  (Photo Credit: RICK)

Eastern Phoebe (Photo Credit: RICK)

Gray Catbird (Photo Credit: RICK)

Next opportunity for Tuesday Tweets: 6.7.16 $2Members/$4Non-members

Happy Birding!

5.15.16 - Bird Walk - Historical Society of Old Yarmouth - Botanical Trails
Yarmouthport, MA

Hooray!  NO RAIN!  Though the winds are whipping across Cape Cod today, it wasn't all that distracting for us on our walk, or to the birds we saw and heard this morning fortunately. What a great list we have and a nice-sized crowd joined in thanks to a great job promoting this event by Bill Archie, the Chairman of the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth Program Committee. One of the first birds we saw this morning was a Red-eyed Vireo who seemed so unfazed by our presence just below him, it was crazy!  He just kept on chatting on & on!   If you've never walked these trails, they are very well-marked & I can't say enough about them.  It's just so pretty and some of the rhododendrons are just blooming, with most of the rhododendrons on the trails about to POP!  Those Great-crested Flycatchers hounded us throughout the whole walk, in that, we could HEAR them over & over, but only toward the very end of the walk, could we get a moment to actually SEE one of those beauties!  One of the birdwatchers in our group spotted an American Robin snug on her nest.  It was rather shocking how close we got - not too close to disturb her - without any commotion at all.  We also were treated to lovely mid-walk surprise.  One of my former students & his mom were walking the other direction on the trail & I got to introduce him ( a great artist !) to everyone.  It was a large group for a single file trail walk, which made for tricky communication here and there, but I did my best to be sure most everyone saw &/or heard the birds on our 90 minute (or so) minute hike through the woods.  As much as I love being in the woods sharing bird sights & sounds with folks who want to see & hear birds, the simple act of being outdoors and sharing a quiet walk on a pretty trail is a wonderful way to spend some time.  Thank you if you were there today and I hope our bird-loving paths cross again!  If anyone who was on the walk got photos of any birds and would like to share them, I may post them here on the blog - giving you photo credit, of COURSE! 

Thanks again Bill Archie and the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth!
(double click photos below to enlarge)

Our List:
Tern (Common?)
Song Sparrow
Red-eyed Vireo
Gray Catbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
Great-crested Flycatcher
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
Osprey
Chimney Swift
Baltimore Oriole
Eastern Kingbird
Tufted Titmouse
Yellow Warbler
Pine Warbler
Blue Jay

The weather worked out!

Song Sparrow

Red-eyed Vireo (not the best shot...)

Red-eyed Vireo

American Robin on her nest

Bird watchers... watching & pointing out the birds

American Robin's nest

Bill Archie, checking out another American Robin's nest

American Robin eggs

Lily Of The Valley

Red-winged Blackbird

White Pine (this tree is so impressive!  Just had to take a photo of it!)

Spotting a pair of Yellow-warblers, who were too flighty to 

get a photo of. Bummer

American Robin 

I spotted this guy soon after the walk was over

Don't you LOVE this pin?!

What a healthy list for a windy Sunday morning!
I hope I get to lead another walk!  Thank you again Bill, for asking, and for helping to make this event happen!  

Happy Birding!