Monday, March 28, 2016

3.28.16 - Bird Nerd Moment - Yarmouth, MA

A couple of weeks ago I had a surprise visit from 2 young bird nerds.  We all enjoyed an impromptu bird walk in and around my yard (click here for previous blog entry), which thankfully is loaded with oak trees, even though it's not quite a quarter of an acre in size.  I also basically let our yard go pretty wild, with little to no maintenance, which I'm not sure the neighbors appreciate, but the birds and other wildlife who visit prefer!  I gave next boxes to my pals and asked that they decorated them as they saw fit and when they hung the box somewhere, could they please send me a photo so I could see their progress.  So far - I have received one response... Please see photo below of both a beautifully painted nest box ready for spring nesters, and a very happy young ornithologist.  (double click photo to enlarge)
In the words of Rachel Carson: "If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder... he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."

Happy Birding!

Sunday, March 27, 2016

3.27.16 - Bird Nerd Moment - Pocasset, MA

While visiting with family for Easter Sunday, we were fortunate to have a beautifully sun-filled day on Cape Cod with little to no wind.  I've been hearing about ospreys arriving back from migration in Mashpee, Brewster, Falmouth and my daughter spied one on the marsh on the way to her grandparents' house in Pocasset!  I was not able to get a photo of that particular bird, but, we did have a surprise visit from some other large birds, right across the street...
It was a flock of turkeys, a group of turkeys, a gang of turkeys, a rafter of turkeys ... it depends on who you ask, or where you research.  Anyway, there were 13 of them, and three of them male.  Male turkeys are referred to as 'tom'.   One of these males was definitely the dominant dude, or ... Tom.  I got a few photos of them, though they're just with my phone camera so they're not very clear, but you'll get the sense that they really REALLY were in the mood to show off their fancy feathers!  We even got to hear them gobble a few times, which is a sound that cracks me up EVERY time!  I remember visiting a turkey farm for my Animal Industries course at UMASS Amherst.  One turkey would gobble and it was a chain reaction, setting off this crazy & hilarious gobble vocalization that FILLED the barn.  I could NOT stop laughing!  Wish I had that on video... you'll have to settle for some lousy phone shots...
(double click photos to enlarge)

Wild Turkeys

Mr.Big Shot - or THOMAS to you and me

Wild Turkey -males (Toms) discussing
whose butt is bigger... 

Guess what...?  Turkey Butt.

Happy Birding!

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

3.22.16 - Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History - Tuesday Tweets - John Wing Trail Brewster, MA

Happy Tuesday Tweets Morning to you!  Well, I was convinced we'd luck out and have a great Osprey sighting... wrong!  BUT - we were fortunate to see a Red-breasted Merganser male in Paine's Creek!  We don't often take the eastern section on the John Wing Island Trail, but I felt like it, hoping we'd have such a find!  They should be migrating soon for breeding season, so another reason why we were so lucky for this sighting.  I did not want to hike all the way to the bay due to the wind.  There's a photo below of the white caps in the distance, and as gorgeous as that is... the wind whipping at us as we crossed the ever flooding marsh (high tide due at 11:30am with a full moon the next day) was plenty cold for me!  David spotted him first and we got some decent views, once I became slightly more patient.  I'm thinking the Merganser was having some luck fishing in the creek.  He was diving and swimming against the rapidly incoming high tide - fisherman's secret maybe.  Our sighting/sound list is starting to grow with migrating spring arrivals.  Pretty cool to have the overlap of a Red-breasted Merganser and to already be hearing the call of an Eastern Towhee!  He didn't let us SEE him, but we heard him!  Same with those tricky American Goldfinches.  What a tease!  They were RIGHT in the pitch pine over our heads... but no views for photos.  The photos are slightly limited this trip - but a fine walk it was for all I like to believe!  Great to see happy familiar faces as well as new bird nerds on our adventure!  Thanks Susan for sending some photos of your own! (double click photos to enlarge)

Our List:
Canada Goose (over the parking lot even before our walk began!)

Mourning Dove
Black-capped Chickadee
American Crow
Northern Cardinal
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Eastern Towhee
Red-breasted Merganser
Herring Gull
Blue Jay
European Starling

Mourning Dove silhouette

Mourning Dove (photo credit: SUSAN)

Winter damage to an old tree

Mostly dead tree... sometimes seen with raptors perching...soon

Bird Nerds
Photo Credit: SUSAN

Marsh & dunes between the creek & Cape Cod Bay

Red-breasted Merganser - male

Red-breasted Merganser -male

Cape Cod Bay with whitecaps in the distance

Chipmunk hole

Old Man's Beard Lichen on a fallen oak branch

House Sparrows on bat box

European Starling

Next opportunity for Tuesday Tweets: 4.12.16 at 9:30am  $2Members/$4Non-members
Happy Birding!

Saturday, March 12, 2016

3.12.16 - Bird Nerd Moment - My yard - Yarmouth, MA

If more youngsters cared about the environment, I like to believe that gives us all, wildlife included, some hope for a healthier earth's future.  I had the unexpected pleasure of a visit from two bird lovers, one of whom was introduced to me as "an ornithologist".  Pretty exciting stuff considering they're in first grade and are just as distracted by birds as I am.  When I asked my new pal what his favorite species of bird was, (Lincoln Sparrow!) I was equally impressed!  Not everyone has heard of a Lincoln sparrow, but this guy has his reasons... I know that not everyone is into birds, and that the sounds and sights of springtime may not brighten everyone's day... but when people this age care, and are seriously interested, I basically drop everything and we get outside to see and hear what's going on.

We first checked out the visitors to my bird feeder.  I have one seed feeder and one suet feeder so the birds (and squirrels) know they're welcome.  Then I had to show the boys the nest box in my yard that had fallen off the tree, thanks mostly to squirrels who'd been using it as a perch.  I hadn't inspected it yet, and felt this was the perfect opportunity to do so.  I wanted to see what types of nesting material we might find inside.  We discovered lots of grass, some mud, some yarn & some tiny sticks & naturally, some poop.  It is not the right time of year to be cleaning out bird houses - it's best done in the late fall when no nesting is happening.  I don't know if I can re-hang this nest box without cleaning it out though. I was happy to have some interested helpers though.  We got to see a Mourning Dove overhead, who eventually called out in his/her sweet sad song.  You can see the bird's throat expanding in the photo below when s/he was singing.  The boys also discovered a very large nest in my neighbor's pine tree.  We speculated over whose nest it could be.  I sent these two off with a nest box each and asked them that once they had them painted and hung up outdoors somewhere, that they would send me photos of just that. They agreed it was a pretty good deal.   I look forward to seeing their creations and sharing them on the blog!  (double click photos to enlarge)

Our List:
Black-capped Chickadee
Song Sparrow
Blue Jay
Northern Cardinal
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Tufted Titmouse
Mourning Dove
Listening for Black-capped chickadees

Checking out the busy birds

Song Sparrow, singing

Song Sparrow

This Song Sparrow gave us several songs...


Fallen nest box

Opening it up to inspect inside the box (photo credit: LORI)


Mourning Dove


Mourning Dove, notice the expanded throat... this was when s/he was singing
the familiar "whoooo-eee, whooo, whoo whoo"

Nest boxes - before... looking forward to the after photos!

Northern Cardinal


Huge nest in a pine

Blue Jay, House Sparrow - BIG size difference

Northern Cardinal, House Sparrows

House Sparrow - male

Northern Cardinal, House Sparrows

Happy Birding young ornithologists!

Friday, March 11, 2016

3.11.16  Bird Nerd Moment - my neighbor's yard
Yarmouth, MA

My friend and neighor LeAnne & I have awesome morning walks together most weekdays after the kids get on the bus.  We get to discuss all sorts of things and not only do the dogs look forward to this time, but also... I crave it.  It's really helped our friendship to grow and neighborhood friends are such a rare and special gift these days I feel!  One day she asked me to come check out the bark of one of her Larch trees because she said, someone, someTHING seemed to be very interested in it.  That's another benefit to walking around the same great neighborhood so often, you notice when things look different.  So I went over to take a look.  I'm always up for a nature challenge, though I don't claim to be an expert on anything...save frosting. Larch trees are wicked tall and are not the most common tree seen, though there are a few more in our neighborhood and on the main road we live close to.  They are a very interesting tree in that they are large deciduous trees that look like an evergreen conifer, for part of the year. they drop their inch long needles every year and sprout tiny pink flowers that become their little cones. They do look out of place & probably do most anywhere due to their life cycle and growing characteristics.

So - I was checking out the bark and wondering who, what beastie might chew off & peel off the bark of the tree and why.  I really couldn't figure it out.  I believe we're in the living range for North American Porcupines, which was the only creature I could think of that could do this type of damage to this tree and at this height - about 8-10feet off the ground on the truck.  I suppose Grey Squirrels could certainly do the same.  It was just such a large area of the tree that the bark was pulled off... Hmmm...


Larch tree with bark pulled off trunk (lower third of the photo)

As I got closer to the tree... I was surprised and ecstatic to find an OWL PELLET!!!  If you've never heard of an owl pellet, it's a tightly bound mass of indigestible material (claws, feathers, skulls, teeth) that is collected in the owl's gizzard, and is later regurgitated up.  I know GROSS, IN THE BEST OF WAYS!  I've never found one in the wild and here was one right in LeAnne's side yard!  WAY COOL!!!  


Owl pellet at the base of the Larch Tree

Of course, in true scientist mode, I grabbed two sticks and started to dissect the pellet. There bones and what looked like plenty of grey fur, (squirrel? mouse?)  the bones looked to be Grey Squirrel sized.  


Partially dissected owl pellet - grey fur & bones

We have been hearing a Great Horned Owl some nights, a comfort to any bird lover who happens to be up late at night or even in the middle of the night.  The opposite of comfort to their prey!  Great Horned Owls are one of the most feared & skillful predators in North America.  How lucky are we that we have one living near our welcoming neighborhood in Yarmouth, MA?  I am not sure that the pellet we discovered was from a Great Horned Owl or not, but I tend to think so since we've heard them and it was a decent sized pellet.  The remains it was made up of was from decent sized critters too.  

So - I never really could answer the barked being ripped off of the tree question, but when we went looking, we got a great natural gift in finding that pellet.  (double click photos to enlarge)
Top of LeAnne's Larch Tree with an American Crow happily perching atop!
I LOVE this sight & sound (the crow)... LeAnne feels very differently!

Happy Birding!
3.11.16 - Bird Nerd Moment

I believe that most bird lovers do feel that birds are quite inspirational.  In fact, I discuss that very topic briefly in my presentation Birdwatching For Beginners.  Birds inspire, several forms of art, paintings, music, dance, sculpture... for starters.  I am fortunate to know a sweet family of, as they say, Beak Geeks, which I LOVE and hadn't heard before!  This wonderful bunch often sends me their own bird accounts via text and we get to share in the awe of being in the right place at the right time.  In their case, they've been able to see Bald Eagles soaring above their very own Mashpee yard!  CAN YOU IMAGINE?!  When someone DOESN'T get all cuckoo over a Bald Eagle sighting, I realize we probably won't be sharing cupcakes anytime soon.  Bald Eagles are a sight worth gasping, and even shedding tears over in these parts... for some of us.  This morning I happily discovered another happy text that included a photo of the Lego sculptures of birds they'd been working on... they even have names.  Please enjoy the photo below of their no doubt time staking work...
I LOVE IT when I am included on the share list when it comes to artwork, especially if it comes from Piper and Esme... and Kate.  Thank you Ladies of the Beak Geeks of Mashpee.  I cannot wait to see more... (double click photo to enlarge)

Flower,  Bluey.  Robin in the Hood,  Florence

Happy Birding!

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

3.9.16 - Bird Nerd Moment

Thank You Steve Haines of the Cape Cod Times, not only for joining in on Tuesday Tweets, but also for the photo in the paper!  Wish it was a video shot!  Watching those raptors do what they do, riding the thermals and "discussing" territorial issues... sure not a bad way to spend a sunny Tuesday morning!  Hope you join us again someday...the Osprey will be returning soon!  Happy almost spring! (double click photo to enlarge)


Photo credit: Steve Haines

Next opportunity for Tuesday Tweets: 3.22.16 $2Members/$4Non-members
Next opportunity for Birdwatching For Beginners: 3.17.16 Free for members/Included with museum admission for Non-members.
Happy Birding!

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

3.8.16 - Cape Cod Museum Of Natural History - Tuesday Tweets - John Wing Trail & Lee Baldwin Trail  Brewster, MA

Spring... it really felt like it was in the air this morning and we had a beautiful walk to enjoy each other's company as well as the birds and their spring-time songs!   We had the tides to guide our walk again and since 10:30 high tide would be upon us, there was no way we were going to make it across the salt marsh to Wing Island.  The tide also demonstrated how the woodlands that lie between the salt marsh and Cape Cod Bay just north of the museum are aptly named "Wing Island".  At high tide - it IS an island.  Those Song Sparrows certainly make it fun to ID their song, especially when comparing it to the other chirps and calls we were treated to.  We also had a nice surprise from the Cape Cod Times!  Steve Haines caught up with us when we still had about 20 minutes more of the walk.  We decided to cross 6A to check out the Lee Baldwin Trail, since we spotted a couple of Turkey Vultures and a Red-tailed Hawk.  I will post his photo(s) on a later entry.  Nice guy and hey... we bird nerds appreciate that he seemed to enjoy the tail end of the bird walk as well.  Thanks also to Susan who sent me a couple of her photos!  Please see below for photo credits.     (double click photos to enlarge)

Our List:
Song Sparrow
Black-capped Chickadee
House Sparrow
American Crow
Bufflehead (GOOD EYE DAVID!)
Canada Geese
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird
Tufted Titmouse

Song Sparrow - bird nerd watching


Song Sparrow

American Crow

What the heck....?!  Bufflehead - male... waaaaay far away on the marsh

Fellow Bird Nerds

Look at the tide coming in over the boardwalk...we did not make it past this point.

House Sparrow - male

Song Sparrow - silhouette

Carcass of Bufflehead (just a guess) on the marsh

Almost high tide on Paine's Creek - looking north to Cape Cod Bay

Someone's stash of food and a nice sheltered place to eat

Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse - (photo credit: SUSAN)

Tufted Titmouse - (photo credit: SUSAN)

Next opportunity for Tuesday Tweets: 3.22.16  $2Members/$4Non-members
Happy Birding!