Brewster, MA
The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History is the perfect place for discovery of all kinds. I feel very lucky that I get to focus on birds during KidSummer, and I love getting to surprise the Bird Nerds with binoculars on the second day. You should see their faces light up when they ask and realize that they get to keep them! It makes looking forward to another bird walk, that much more exciting.
We began our time together with a tour of the Butterfly House with Marjorie. We even got to see a Monarch Caterpillar on it's very first day of life! SO tiny and unimaginable how very fast that little guy is expected to grow! The weather, which I try not to focus on too much, is a bit of an obstacle this week. Just as the birds are protecting themselves by keeping out of the heat, I have to be cautious of how much time we spend in it too. Carrying a water bottle is not the optimal situation when you're also hoping to use binoculars, but it was just necessary for our own safety when the air is oppressive. Using bird behavior as a safety guide when you're considering weather, can be an accurate method of staying safe yourself.
When we began our hike on the Lee Baldwin Trail, we almost immediately spotted a Red-tailed Hawk, followed by an Osprey, who were both soaring on the thermals over the saltmarsh. The Beech Tree forest was quiet, the air was still, we fit in our hike, but with the few bird sounds we heard, they were difficult to spot. We did get a natural lesson in camouflage when an American Goldfinch showed up, blending in with the green branches that were dipped in sunshine... but we caught sight of him. (double click photos to enlarge)
Our List:
House Sparrow
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Black-capped Chickadee
Belted Kingfisher
American Goldfinch
 |
| Checking out the butterflies up close and personal |
 |
| Lovely Monarchs |
 |
| The very tiny caterpillar in between Marjorie's fingers hatched today! |
 |
| A six day old Monarch Caterpillar |
 |
| Bird Nerds! |
 |
| Birdwatching tips |
 |
| Finding shade was very important this morning |
 |
| Taking in the fragrance of the Sweet Pepper Bush |
 |
| A beetle came to visit |
 |
| We continued to focus on our senses while on our hike, checking out the bark of a Pitch Pine |
 |
| Poison Ivy providing a protective entry way for someone's home |
 |
| Checking out a Beech Tree that had fallen, possibly due to a lightning strike |
 |
| Can you spot the American Goldfinch? |
 |
| It's great when the birds help out with a camouflage discussion |
No comments:
Post a Comment