Brewster, MA
We had a busy day planned and our first excitement was visiting the butterfly house. This exhibit was new last year and they have added some new native butterfly species. It's always a big hit and you never know when a butterfly will decide to land on YOU! We even got to observe a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis! It sure looked like hard work!
We even had a surprise visit from a rescued injured baby box turtle. (S/he has been treated by a veterinarian and is hopefully on a healthy mend.) Off to Bird Alley in the lower level of the museum to choose a bird to illustrate and learn more about. I'm always curious to learn who chooses which species to draw. I just love the artwork... sometimes I even get to keep it!
Our bird walk was SPECTACULAR today, spotting more than 20 species and once we arrived at the beach... the beautiful sounds of the terns along the shore were just so relaxing! There was about a 20 foot radius of 8 separate species all sharing the space on the shore, sharing the food, sharing the world. They seemed to be coexisting so very well. That's something we humans need to take note of when it's so natural, on occasion, for the birds. (double click photos to enlarge)
Our List:
House Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
American Crow
Common Grackle
Osprey
Black-capped Chickadee
Barn Swallow
Eastern Kingbird
Salt-marsh Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Cedar Waxwing
Tree Swallow
Ring-billed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Laughing Gull
Common Tern
Semipalmated Plover
Greater Yellowlegs
Semipalmated Sandpiper European Starlings
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| Butterflies are extremely important pollinators |
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| Marjorie the butterfly expert letting us know what to expect inside the museum's Butterfly House |
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| Box Turtle - juvenile |
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| Toads deserve shelter in a garden |
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| Butterfly on the Butterfly Bush! |
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| Monarchs, both female & male |
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| Monarchs feasting on rotting fruit, very bouquet-like |
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| Emerging from the chrysalis |
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| Monarch Butterfly caterpillar (about 4 days old) |
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| BIRD FOOD! Another bug we encountered... |
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| Illustrating in Bird Alley |
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| Blue Jay |
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| Saw Whet Owl |
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| Northern Cardinal - male |
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| Peregrine Falcon |
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| Belted Kingfisher |
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| Osprey - female |
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| Sea Lavender sprinkled all over the salt marsh |
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| Eastern Kingbird |
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| Pointing out the juniper berries |
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| We're going to make it to the ocean today! |
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| Eastern Kingbird in flight Notice the white all along the tips of the tail feathers That is a great field mark for distinguishing them |
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| Cedar Waxwing!!! |
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| Cedar Waxwing |
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| Cedar Waxwing |
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| Skate egg case AKA Mermaid's Purse |
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| Laughing Gull - juvenile, Common Tern - juvenile Herring Gull & Semipalmated Plovers |
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| Great Black-backed Gull & one Herring Gull |
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| Common Terns, pruning their feathers |
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| Piping Plover (bummed it's a blurry photo) |
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| Piping Plover & Semipalmated Plover |
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| Great Black-backed Gull |
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| Common Tern - juveniles |
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| Crow tracks in the sand |
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| Semipalmated Plover & Semipalmated Sandpiper |
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| Ring-billed Gull |
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| Semipalmated Plover (lower left), Greater Yellowlegs (top), Common Tern - juvenile (middle) |
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| Semipalmated Plover & Greater Yellowlegs |
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| Common Terns, Laughing Gulls & a Herring Gull |
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| Laughing Gull & Semipalmated Plover |
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| Bird Nerds on a very successful bird walk! |
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| Eastern Kingbirds (juvenile is on the right) We got to see him/her catch a dragonfly in flight! |
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| Whelk egg case found on the edge of the salt marsh |
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| Eastern Chipmunk with FULL cheek pouches! One more day to look forward to with this group of KidSummer Bird Nerds! |
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