Brewster, MA
I was excited to share the news with the bird nerds that this morning, we were scheduled for our own privately guided visit to the new Butterfly House at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. Marjorie, the naturalist who had the idea for the newest and quite popular exhibit, was our docent in the house. She showed us the difference between the two species the space houses. We saw butterfly eggs on milkweed plants, and chrysalises working on the pupa stage of the butterfly life cycle. It really is remarkable to see it all before your eyes all in one beautiful space. I felt pretty special when a male Monarch Butterfly landed on my leg. This is truly a wonderful experience. Click here (Butterfly House Info) for more information on the price & reservations to visit with your family!
We then had an extra long bird walk as we returned to Wing Island and walked the full loop of the trail. It wasn't too hot when we arrived in the woods, though the mosquitoes were definitely upon us. We moved rather swiftly through to avoid too many encounters with them, but let's get real... the find you no matter what. The bugspray helped a bit...
By the time we made it to the beach, there were some distant, yet loud & familiar bird calls out over the waters of Cape Cod Bay. TERNS! Man-o-MAN do I love their sounds! They were fishing and making quite the ruckus while doing so. We didn't mind a bit. We did have a run-in with a Wood Bee, who unfortunately literally WAS chasing us. So strange... though s/he eventually left us alone to give the bird nerds some time to record information about the bird of their choice, though it had to be one we'd seen that day. No surprise they both chose the Great Egret... which I thought was a Great choice! Wacka Wacka Wacka! (double click photos to enlarge)
Our List:
House Sparrow
Black-capped Chickadee
American Goldfinch
Gray Catbird
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Eastern Towhee
Northern Cardinal
Song Sparrow
Blue Jay
Great Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Laughing Gull
Semi-palmated Plover
Yellowlegs (Lesser? Greater? - too fast!)
American Crow
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| Learning about the Pollinator Path |
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| Made me feel special! |
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| Marjorie showing us the butterfly eggs |
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| Learning how to tell female from male Monarch Butterfly |
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| Pausing near the Paine's Creek overlook |
Evidence of wildlife getting seeds from young pitch pine pine cones
Bird Nerd SALUTE!
I don't always get a photo in with the bird nerds!
Poison Ivy on the
Gulls
Looking across Quivett Creek to Crowes Pasture Beach
Recording findings on a bird log sheet
Semi-palmated Plover
Semi-palmated Plover
Semi-palmated Plover
Eastern Kingbird
Sea Lavender on the marsh
Pop quizzing the bird nerds!
Happy Birding!
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