Brewster, MA
Spending time outside is good for you, you know...
You should join us sometime for Tuesday Tweets, if you haven't already, or if you have! It's a sweet herd of bird nerds who join in, and discovering who is there each time is just as surprising as the bird sightings and the natural discoveries along trail we get to hike. It's a gift for all I feel. It also gives you an opportunity to sport your winter fashions! I can't get through a bird walk without a hat, and with all the gear:binoculars, cameras, scarves, we are hard to miss out there!
The wind was battling us, so I was happy to seek shelter in the woods. Wind is a factor that can make bird sightings more challenging as well, particularly when viewing at the shore. Your hands are shaking, your eyes are tearing, you can't focus. Wind can be dangerous for the birds too. They have to gauge when to fly and when not to fly, of course, they don't always have the luxury of choice. A bird's gotta eat...
We did see a falcon zoom over the salt marsh, so quickly I could not 100% identify, but I do believe, due to size, it was a Merlin. In other raptor news, as we were walking along the meadow, a Northern Harrier was conveniently hovering just off the path. He was easily identifiable due to proximity, as well as his hovering harrier behavior. The wind was on our side, and his, for those few special minutes of bird admiration. (double click photos to enlarge)
Our List:
American Crow
Blue Jay
Northern Flicker
Song Sparrow
Falcon (Merlin?, American Kestrel?) it was moving too fast
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
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| American Crow |
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| Blue Jay |
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| John Wing Trail, heading toward Cape Cod Bay |
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler's rump |
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
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| Blue Jay |
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| The meadow in fall hues |
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| You can see across the saltmarsh to Drummer Boy Park |
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| Can you spot the Great Blue Heron's head in the layers of salt marsh grasses? |
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| What an incredible surprise - Northern Harrier! |
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| Northern Harrier |
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| American Crow |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Silhouettes of foliage are pretty too I think |
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| Bird Nerds excited about the Northern Harrier! |
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| Wooly Bear Caterpillar |
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| Inspecting giant Oak leaves for galls |
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| Poison Ivy with berries... looks very pretty this time of year, just beware! |
Green Briar Nature Center: *11am* 11.6.18
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History: *9am* 11.13.18
*note different walk times at different locations
$4Members/$6Non-members
Happy Birding!
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