Cape Cod Bird Nerd

11.21.17 Tuesday Tweets - John Wing Trail - Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
Brewster, MA

We never really know what, sometimes who, we'll encounter on Tuesday Tweets. As we set off, we were welcomed onto the marsh by a small family of White-tailed Deer. (see photos below) We all agreed that from the behavior, which was about 150 feet away, that this group included three (BIG) babies and a momma. Momma was leading the youngsters across the marsh, and they bounded over the salt pannes that make the lines through the salty grasses. I have to admit... yes, we were on a bird walk, but it is HARD to beat seeing deer! Mammals tend to upstage the birds, and what a gift it was for our sunshine-filled walk!

As we approached the trail on the other side of the marsh, we could hear a faint high-pitched bird sound, that was familiar, but I couldn't place it. One of the great challenges of bird calls and songs is that when you live or visit a place where migrant birds thrive, you get to work on a new long list of sounds for your brain to absorb as the seasons change. I initially struggle when I haven't heard a bird call for months, and I wait for my memory to catch up. It doesn't always though. Sure enough, some of the bird nerds spotted three Cedar Waxwings taking in their Vitamin D on some higher branches over the thicket.
Those birds didn't seem to mind us for too long and we were able to admire them for quite a while. What they didn't seem to appreciate, was the Yellow-rumped Warbler, who popped up and joined in on the sun appreciation. The waxwings had had enough and they eventually took off. Thanks to both David & Ron, I have some pretty photos to share of the waxwings!

Cape Cod Bay was calm and there were so many gulls on the sandbar of Quivett Creek, we didn't stop to count them. There were shorebirds flying in the distance just over the top of the water, and others were foraging through the sands. What a lovely spot to spy on these feathery critters for a few minutes. Even the lack of wind was appreciated on this beautiful morning. As the months tend to get colder, we have really lucked out recently with seemingly perfect bird walk weather lately! (double click photos to enlarge)

Our List:
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Ring-billed Gull
Northern Cardinal
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Red-tailed Hawk
Black-bellied Plover