Brewster, MA
When birdwatching this time of year, it is often the case that my brain has a hard time catching up with my ears in that we are starting to hear calls and songs of returning migrants that we haven't heard or seen in months. Spring has not exactly sprung here on the Cape and we all had to keep warm as we hiked the trail today. It is still VERY cold and the damages from March's storms are still visible everywhere you look. So many of the tall marsh reeds, both the native and the invasive, have had much damage near the head of the trail on the marsh. As we stepped onto the board walk, a pair of Canada Geese seemed to welcome us to Tuesday Tweets. Yes, it is the season to start seeing pairs of birds everywhere.
We did make it to the shore this morning, and cold as it was, there were several gulls and so many Brant. It is almost Earth Day and the very first time I remember wondering what those small geese, or large ducks were (small geese) was on Earth Day several years ago. Brant seem to stick around gathering food for a while here on Cape Cod before migrating to the arctic for breeding season. I remember seeing some even into May... we shall see. The protective signs are up on the beach reminding us that breeding season has begun here though, as certain sandy zones are kept designated for plovers and terns. It's exciting thinking about all of those babies who'll be hatching in just a few weeks. I wonder when things will warm up around here!
Our List:
American Robin
American Goldfinch
Canada Geese
Ring-billed Gull
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
Osprey
Song Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
American Crow
Double-crested Cormorant
Herring Gull
Northern Cardinal
Carolina Wren
Pine Warbler
Brown-headed Cowbird
Great Black-backed Gull
Tree Swallow (!!!)
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| Canada Goose |
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| Osprey on the nest |
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| The trail looked very tunnel-like this morning |
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| Bundled up Bird Nerds |
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| A nest to keep watch on. It looked more like a bird's nest than a squirrel nest and it was big! |
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| Brant on the shore |
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| Many gulls and a few Brant coexisting nicely |
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| These trees are no longer alive, but they add to the landscape and provide shelter for both birds and small mammals scurrying across the sands |
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| Gulls resting across the shore of Quivett Creek |
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| Signs asking to give Piping Plovers and Terns their nesting areas |
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| This American Crow had a lot to say |
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| I noticed this Red Squirrel collecting nesting materials when I was leaving in the parking lot |
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| Defying gravity |
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| Hoping no one saw the secret nest |
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| American Robin |
Happy Birding!
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