Tuesday, July 24, 2018

7.2.18  Tuesday Tweets - Green Briar Trail - Green Briar Nature Center 
Sandwich, MA

What a hot, hazy & humid July!  No complaints from me, as this is my favorite weather.  The birds might complain though, given the opportunity.  A main threat to the birds, as you might expect - is dehydration.  It's tough for them in the blazing temperatures and even though the birds at Green Briar Nature Center have access to the Smiling Pool as a convenient source of fresh water, mid-day can be dangerous in rising temperatures.  The trail is very wooded and extremely green and the canopy of leaves provides some coolness to the Green Briar Trail.  Catbirds were definitely the star of the show, as they seemed to appear, or be heard,  at every turn.

The presence of aging stone walls, former property lines from years ago, are a reminder to me that someone had to move those rocks to build those walls.  The chipmunks and snakes and no doubt other native wildlife small enough to sneak into the spaces greatly appreciate these structures from the past.  They are an ideal shelter for so many, and somehow they mentally link to simpler times.  Being in the woods is a great connector to nature, and walking on the same trail every once in a while, is always a different experience.  It's good to slow down outdoors, where screens only exist when you decide to (or need to) pull them out of your pocket.  You never know what or who you will see or hear.  We even had a brief visit from a friendly garter snake on this particular Tuesday Tweets... sadly I wasn't quick enough with the camera.  Perhaps another time... (double click photos to enlarge)

Our List:
Tufted Titmouse
Black-capped Chickadee
Gray Catbird
Northern Flicker
Northern Cardinal
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
Blue Jay
Common Grackle
Red-winged Blackbird
Mourning Dove
European Starling
Red-tailed Hawk
Tree Swallow
Gray Catbird, sending a cautionary message

Oak Apple Gall
(for info on galls, click here: Galls)


Robin's nests are a common find on the ground this time of year

Gray Catbird protecting the perimeter


Eastern Chipmunk

Old stone wall, which cuts across the trail in some areas

Mourning Dove

Red-tailed Hawk taking off after being disturbed by an Eastern Kingbird

Red-tailed Hawk - working on rising up on the thermals over the cranberry bog

The tips of this Red-tailed Hawk's wings show four primary feathers that almost look like fingers

Can you tell, I was having a great time photographing this Red-tailed Hawk?!

Red-tailed Hawk
Silhouettes are a great way to tell birds apart 

A species of Swallowtail Butterfly

Don't miss the Wildflower Garden when visiting Green Briar Nature Center!
The volunteers do a wonderful job keeping it
a spectacularly colorful outdoor space!

Next opportunity for Tuesday Tweets
8.14.14 9am at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History - Brewster, MA
$4Members/$6Non-members

Happy Birding!

1 comment:

  1. Love the link you picked for oak galls! It really sums it up. (Because it is such a common question on a trail walk.)

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