Brewster, MA
As much as I feel it is my goal to keep these Bird Nerds outside, we always have requests to tour the museum. I love this because I remember loving the museum as a grouchy off-Cape teen who originally had no intention of enjoying the place... because I was a grouchy teen. I remember instantly falling in love with the place though, and my teenage attitude lifted as I explored and learned. Now I work here and get to share it with folks of all ages, though I tend to enjoy sharing it with the KidSummer Kids most of all.
We did get our bird walk in, and we made it to the beach. Normally reaching the beach is not that much of a stretch. I believe if you walk the whole loop of the John Wing Trail, it's just over a mile. As we marched through the greenery of the woodsy section of the trail, one of the Bird Nerds mentioned, "It's like every way is an archway, because of the forest". This made me recall that paths always drew me in, and continue to do so. The trees were kindly keeping us cool.
When birds are on the agenda, speed and distance are not your main objective, finding the birds is. They can be tough to find on hot summer days and it can be just as treacherous for them to be out in the hot summer heat, as it is for us. We did succeed however, we always do and simply hearing the call of a tern, at least for me, is an indicator of summer magic. There was a LOT of magic with this Birding 101 group, in that on several occasions, one of the Bird Nerds would mention a species, and that species would reveal itself, either through sight, or song... or both. We DID get to reward ourselves with a self-guided museum tour as well, and the birds continued to show up there through exhibits and the best seat in the house, The Marshview Room. (double click photos to enlarge)
Our List:
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
American Goldfinch
Barn Swallow
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
American Robin
Song Sparrow
American Crow
Eastern Towhee
Tern (Common? Roseate?)
Tree Swallow
Laughing Gull
Osprey
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Osprey
Green Heron
Red-winged Blackbird
Blue Jay
Common Grackle
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| We always start off with the bird memory game |
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| Testing wingspans |
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| Another beautiful sunny August morning on the saltmarsh |
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| Gray Catbird |
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| I love this... Saltmarsh Sparrow, hopping along on the trail, notice its right leg is banded |
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| Saltmarsh Sparrow |
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| Caterpillar and/or insect damage on a leaf |
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| Bird Nerds! |
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| Mourning Dove silhouette |
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| Bird Nerd Salute! |
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| Sand is somehow always a reward |
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| THANK YOU DREW! |
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| This leaf on the trail caught my eye because I thought it looked like an emoji |
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| Song Sparrow family on the sandy trail |
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| Size comparison of a Saltmarsh Sparrow and an American Robin - juvenile |
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| The bird on the right is a juvenile because s/he's begging to be fed |
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| Green Heron!!! |
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| Cooling off in the auditorium |
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| Art appreciation in NatureScape Gallery in the auditorium |
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| This mural is the perfect place to pause for Bird Nerds |
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| You can't beat the view from The Marshview Room |
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| Song Sparrow |
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| Red-winged Blackbird - female in the middle of the bird bath, House Sparrow - female on the right side of the bird bath, as well as blurry in the foreground |
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| The aquarium is always a big hit |
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| Someone loves Pipefish! |
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| The jellyfish tend to mezmorize |
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| EVERYONE loves the seashore quiz board - I STILL DO! |
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