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The Cape Cod Connection
At The Bird Feeder - Older Logs
Here's where the daily logs will be kept, when the Observation Page page gets too unwieldy. Only a few days will remain on the main page. The rest will accumulate here.
February 25, 1996 - Today was extremely windy, gusts over 50 mph, and yet very warm, in the 40's. The yard was filled with Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice. We had a Downy Woodpecker at the suet feeder early in the morning, along with two Carolina Wrens. This afternoon, when the American Goldfinches came by, a lone Pine Siskin arrived as well. And with the afternoon influx of chickadees, came a Field Sparrow. It seemed very shy, and darted from the bushes to the feeder and back so quickly, I had a hard time identifying it at first. But after about an hour I had seen it enough times to get all the pertinent details. When the House Sparrows and Song Sparrows stopped by, the Field Sparrow was already gone.
February 24 & 25, 1996 - Favorite Spots from Orleans to Eastham
February 21, 1996 - I still have two Carolina Wrens that come every day, and the rest of the troops seem very consistent. The American Robins that visited for four or five days last week were the only weird appearance; it seemed a little early, but maybe not. They just plopped themselves in the birdbath every day, for I guess about four or five days, and now they don't come anymore. Perhaps they figured it was too cold yet and went back south a little.
We have Red-winged Blackbirds appearing now. No huge flocks in the yard yet, but I get mixed flocks of European Starlings, some Cowbirds and some blackbirds. Had what I believe to be a Red-shouldered Hawk the other day. Couldn't identify it positively. About 8 American Crows were creating a terrible racket, and obviously harrassing something in the top of the tall pines in the yard next door to us. I watched for about fifteen minutes while they screamed and attacked the bird. All at once, it took off, swooped low right over my oak tree, where I got a great glimpse of the underside, and took the crows off in a jagged chase. From its size and coloration from underneath, I have to guess it was a Red-shouldered Hawk. Twice since there have been screaming crows harrassing something, and I've hoped to be able to see the hawk again, but have not been able to spot it.
February 4, 1996 - Haven't gotten out and about much this week. The snow yesterday seems to have brought out many more birds than I usually see in the yard at the feeders. This place was like Grand Central Station yesterday, and as the snow continues this morning, it seems like a repeat performance. I did an informal count over 10 minutes this morning, just to get an idea of species and numbers. Here's my results:
Dark-Eyed Juncos - 25
American Robins - 8
Mourning Doves - 11
White-breasted Nuthatches - 5
Red-breasted Nuthatches - 3
Black-capped Chickadees - 15
Tufted Titmice - 12
House Sparrows - ~ 30
Song Sparrows - 5
American Goldfinches - 20
Pine Siskins - 5
Carolina Wren - 1
European Starling - 1
Blue Jays - 6
Purple Finches - 3
House Finches - 8
Northern Cardinals - 7
White-throated Sparrows - 6
Downy Woodpecker - 1
American Crows - 3
That's 20 species and over 175 birds! Whew!
January 27, 1996 - The wind was very strong this morning, as I went about the yard cleaning and filling the feeders. We got a new one, a large metal box with a trough or tray on the bottom front into which the seed spills. Over this there is a door apparatus that drops down if a squirrel or very heavy bird lands on the bar. It is supposed to be squirrel proof. So we'll see. First the birds have to find it.
The Black-capped Chickadees were very bold, as I was puttering around the yard. They came out of the hedgerow of arbor vitae, and accompanied me on my rounds, investigating each newly filled feeder as I rehung them. If it wasn't so windy and cold, I would have tried to entice them into taking seed from my hand. One of the White-breasted Nuthatches was even bolder than the chickadees, and advanced down the trunk of the tree as I was hanging one of the feeders. I could have just reached over and picked it up. It just looked at me in that funny way nuthatches do, upside down, neck craned, first one eye, then the other. Made me smile. After the morning's work, Tabitha and I went to Wellfleet to the Audubon Sanctuary, because we both love Cape Cod in "weather". The wind gusts were over 50mph, and it was fixing to storm.
January 27, 1996 - Wellfleet, Audubon Sanctuary.
January 26, 1996 - Today there was an American Goldfinch 
at the thistle feeder, which was remarkable because he was in his summer plumage. Bright yellow, with the distinctive black forehead. I wonder how that can be. Where could he have come from and why was he wearing the wrong colors? The other goldfinches seemed to steer clear of him, and left him to himself on the other side of the feeder. Hmmm..
January 22, 1996 - My news for the day is Pine Siskins, in the yard, on the thistle feeder. Very cute little guys. You could casually mistake them for the American Goldfinches. They, however, are clearly streaked on the breast and the back. I also had a Northern Mockingbird in the yard, today. I've only seen them in the field, not at home til today. This one spent a lot of time at the bird bath, taking long drinks.
I went out with a friend yesterday, who lives at Hawknest, a Harwich conservation area. We wandered through the woods, looking for owl signs, but came up with nothing. Not a one anywhere. No birds of any kind for that matter. I wonder if the big rainstorm we had the other day could wash away the owl wash on the trees. I was looking for that but didn't think until we were headed back to his house, that maybe there would be no sign since the rain. I probably walked under who knows how many birds dozing in the treetops.
January 14, 1996 - Chuck and Patty came for a day of Cape Birdwatching today. They arrived about 10:30am, and we putzed around the house and yard for a little while. We sat for a couple of minutes on the back deck in the slim space that is now snowfree, due to the rain we had Friday night and the thaw of the weekend. Our high mounds of snow have been reduced to about 10 inches in the high spots. Chuck wanted to see the Carolina Wrens, and one cooperated by making its appearance about five minutes after they arrived. While we were giving Fuzzy her final coat polishing, we spotted a one mucking about in the bushes. It moved out onto the garden border, where we had a nice clear view. The Carolina Wrens are so rusty colored, so pretty, with the dark stripe through the eye. They look similar to Red Breasted Nuthatches, but they are larger and rustier overall. They also have the typical wren tail gestures, often upright. They're shy, preferring to scuttle around in the ground vegetation, and don't come straight out into the open very often. We have an upturned mat on the deck that one wren loves to scurry under, then waits until the coast is clear, when it pops up to the window feeder and snatches a sunflower seed. I love to watch it when I'm doing the dishes. So, anyway, Chuck was happy; one lifer. We planned a trip through my favorite spots in Chatham to check out the winter ducks and shore birds. The weather was warm and sunny, about 40º, a perfect day after all the difficult weather we've been having lately. You can stop by the trip report to read the birdlist for the day. After, we came back to my house to warm up, we had a lively dinner, and a competitive game of scrabble in which Frederick beat us all very handily.
January 14, 1996 - Chatham, various spots.
January 11, 1996 - We had about eight inches of snow last night. It was very difficult to get up our driveway, so this morning I went out about 8am to shovel some snow. Next to the driveway iss a stand of scrub oaks and pines that reach to about fifty feet, an area that has never been landscaped at all. As I was shoveling, I'd take a break when sore, and there would be the songbirds chirping and carrying on in the tops of the trees. I was surprised to see five (5) White-breasted Nuthatches circling down the trunks, Ank-anking. I anked back, and they seemed to be as curious about me as I am about them. One would come within about four feet of me, upside down on the trunk, and peer sideways at me. They are so cute. There were three Red-breasted Nuthatches, also, but they were a lot shyer. Throughout the three hours it took to shovel the driveway, I also saw two Downy Woodpeckers and two Hairy Woodpeckers, all of them males, countless Chickadees and Titmice, three Blue Jays and I think five Mourning Doves, who just perched way up and watched. In the rosa rugosa lining one side of the driveway and the large yew by the door, there were Song Sparrows, the Juncos, and the Carolina Wrens. I scattered seed on the ground where I had cleared to encourage them to come out and poke around. All in all, the birds turned a tedious task into a pure delight.
January 8, 1996 - I've been trying out different mixes of seeds, because Zachary works part time at a feed and grain supply store, and he keeps bringing home all sorts of new things for me to try. I've always kept thistle (or niger) in a separate feeder, two in fact, for the Goldfinches, Purple and House Finches, and the Pine Siskins, who haven't shown up yet in my yard, although I know they are around on the Cape. I've also put the black oil sunflower seed in separate feeders, too, and that seems to attract the Chickadees and Titmice. Now I have safflower kernels and shelled sunflower hearts, which I have put into various feeders to see what happens. The results have been that the birds attracted to the hanging or pole feeders do not seem to favor the safflower. The shelled sunflower hearts go just as fast as the black oil, and seem to be preferred by the Carolina Wrens, the Chickadees and Titmice, and the Red Breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches.I've noticed that the safflower kernels seem to go better when they've been spilled on the ground. The Blue Jays and Cardinals, and Song Sparrows love to pick over the spilled safflower. I've decided to use it only on the tray feeder, which should still attract the Jays and Cardinals, but maybe I'll build a low platform feeder to accommodate the Song Sparrows, Juncos, Carolina Wrens, and Mourning Doves. Lots of fun to experiment and see what pleases the wildlife.
January 1, 1996 - First day of the new year. Pretty quiet as things go. We'll take the Christmas tree down tomorrow, and I'm thinking of all sorts of ways to dress it up for the birds, instead of bringing it to the dump. Chunks of suet, and Marvel Meal, split oranges, cones smeared with peanut butter or suet, dried corn, sunflower heads, shelled walnuts in onion bags, wheat or other grains, are all possibilities. With the snow, and more on the way, it might make sense just to lay it down sideways somewhere near the feeders to provide some shelter on the ground. A good place to spread bird seed for the ground feeders. I think I'll have to think about it some more.
Today, this morning, around 10am, there was another Merlin in the yard. This one was a male. Same scenario as last week: in a whoosh, every bird disappeared, and the yard was totally quiet. A split second more, and there was a male Merlin, clear as day, perched on the top of the tube feeder. He dropped to the ground below, and just appeared to look around. I switched my glasses to see better, and pointed to the hawk so Tabitha, who was preparing breakfast, would look out the window too. He stayed there long enough for me to get the NGS Field Guide so I could show her the illustration. Wow! We were both very impressed... and glad too that he wasn't successful in his attack. I suppose I may have too many feeders in a concentrated space that makes it an attraction for predators, as well as for the songbirds. Hmm.
December 26, 1995 - This morning as I was preparing to go to Boston, I noticed a flurry of activity in the yard. All the small birds disappeared very hurriedly, even the Goldfinches, who tend to be the last to panic. Since I knew something was going on, I just kept watching the yard through the window over my desk. I was very surprised to see a Merlin emerge from the arbor vitae, and perch on top of the tube feeder, not 20 feet from me. It held itself (herself, it was a female) very proudly, and I was able to get excellent looks at her from the front. 
After a few minutes of waiting and watching, she returned to the arbor vitae, which resulted in a lot of rustling and movement. Two squirrels dove out, followed by the Merlin, who flew in jerky movements until the squirrels split up, whereupon the Merlin flew out toward the golf course. Eventually, she returned and landed again in the arbor vitae, hidden from view. Three crows appeared, and seemed to harass the Merlin into leaving the yard by cawing and buzzing the bushes. Wow! A lot of drama for an early morning.
Recently, we have seen a lot more of the Carolina Wrens visiting the feeders. I have seen as many as five at once. Their rusty plumage adds a little more color to the winter browns and greys that abound. I have also noticed a lone Common Redpoll, which is always seen at the thistle feeder with the American Goldfinches, but never when the House and Purple Finches are feeding. From what I can tell, it is not a common visitor, so I will continue to keep an eye out for it.
December 25, 1995 - I have not been able to do much birdwatching the past month, due to the onset of my father's terminal illness and subsequent death last week. Tending to the birds in my yard was a rewarding break during the long vigil at his bedside.
Though we celebrated a low-key Christmas today, I did receive a new pair of binoculars and Terres Audubon Encyclopedia of North American Birds. These gifts prompted me to spend a couple of hours this afternoon at some of my favorite spots in Chatham, which is about the closest reliable spot for birds, it seems, in almost any season. I drove over to North Chatham, to Cow Yard Lane, Scatteree Road and Cotchpinicut Road, all of which overlook the southern part of Pleasant Bay. The tide was high, although not as high as it had been during the recent Northeaster. At each landing, I was able to spot essentially the same variety of birds. In addition to the usual gulls, these included Common Eiders, Buffleheads, Common Mergansers, Red-breasted Mergansers, White-winged Scoters, and Common Goldeneyes. On the marsh at the back side of Cotchpinicut, there was one Great Blue Heron, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, American Wigeons, and American Black Ducks. On Salt Pond, just behind the Scatteree landing, there were Buffleheads, another Great Blue Heron, a mixed flock of Mallards and American Black-Mallard hybrids, and Redheads. After I parked at the end of Cow Yard and got out of the car, I startled a flock of Snow Buntings that were in the beach grasses behind the thickets at the edge of the road. 
After checking out the view here, I then drove to the Chatham Fish Pier, to get another look at Tern Island and Pleasant Bay, because gulls generally come in much closer there. Among the usual Herring Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls and Greater Black-backed Gulls, I was able to identify several Bonaparte's Gulls and a new one for me, an Iceland Gull. Although the wind was raw, it was a wonderful afternoon. The solitude and peace were welcome.
November 24, 1995 - This morning I was gazing out the kitchen window at the astonishing number of birds in the yard, while drinking my cup of coffee. We have added yet another feeder to keep the hungry throng satisfied. I had installed the cedar box feeder on a pole with a squirrel baffle, so the birds would not be forced off by the 2 or 3 squirrels that had started coming to the yard. So now there was this empty hanger on the scrub oak. The nuthatches missed the feeder there. They seemed to really enjoy spiraling down the trunk, sneaking between the tree and the feeder, snatching a seed, and scooting back up the trunk. Now they would circle down, hopefully, only to find no feeder there. I guess I really had them confused. Elder son, Zach, decided this was not acceptable, and brought home a tube feeder with a squirrel-proof basket or steel mesh around it. The birds can get their heads into the small square spaces, but the squirrels cannot. We were rewarded by the appreciative nuthatches today, three White-breasted and two Red-breasted, who couldn't seem to get enough of the new feeder. While watching their upside-down antics, I noticed another small bird higher up in the oak. At first I thought it was a Brown Creeper, but immediately noticed its upright tail. Off to the field guide, to check out the markings. I found that it is a Carolina Wren. Very pretty, kind of rusty and warm-colored, with a prominent white eyebrow stripe. It hung around for a while, but declined to come to the feeders. Perhaps the thousands of sparrows (not really, at least 70 though), were too intimidating.
November 24 & 22, 1995 - Orleans, several sites
November 19, 1995 - It has been a slow week for birdwatching in the yard. I really miss the longer days at the end of summer. Now the sun is setting at just round four in the afternoon. I have to be much more aware of the passing of the day, or I completely miss watching the feeders. Anyway, here's the update.
The Dark-eyed Juncos are regulars to the yard now. They spend most of their feeding time on the ground, like the Song Sparrows, foraging for dropped seed and poking in the dirt. The White-throated Sparrows are still with us, and so are the two Chipping Sparrows. There is also one Gray Catbird that lurks in the arbor vitae peiodically, and appears with the two Northern Cardinals. Here's a list of what I see regularly: House Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, American Goldfinches, House Finches, Purple Finches, Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, American Crows, American Robin, and Gray Catbird. There are flocks of European Starlings about, but they don't seem to favor our yard. I still see Brown-headed Cowbird flocks, periodically, and an occasional lone cowbird will frequent the feeders for a few days at a time. The Common Grackles have also thinned out to just a few individuals. 
Overhead there are regular appearances of gulls and raptors, but usually too far overhead to make out by casual observation. I can tell when there is a raptor because of the behavior of the Jays. They call an alarm, and all the birds disappear and everything becomes instant silence. I know most of these are not false alarms, (which I have read Jays sometimes do to reduce the competition for food), because I have spotted harriers and red-tails, and smaller birds which are probably kestrels.
November 15, 1995 - The Dark-eyed Junco has made its fall appearance in my yard. I noticed the first one on Monday, and now there are several every morning. They seem to arrive with either the sparrows, or the chickadee-titmouse troop. Their call is very musical, like a variable trill. They are not ungenerous in offering it from the arbor vitae. Makes me smile.
I purchased a pole for the cedar box feeder, because now there are two very hungry squirrels keeping the sparrows away for longer periods of the day. There should be no shortage of food for them, since the acorns are very plentiful. So, the feeder has been installed on a pole and so far the squirrels have not been able to get at it. The sparrows relocated immediately. The Blue Jays have continued to be demanding of special treats on the tray feeder. I've been putting out some old stale pumpernickel bread which they seem to love. The walnuts I have put out on the bench, though, don't seem to be a favorite of any of the birds. I had read that walnuts should be a great attraction to most songbirds. Perhaps they need a little time to discover them.
I have been thwarted in my attempts to persuade some of the regulars to eat from my hand. 
Fuzzy, our geriatric cat, has taken such an interest in the backyard activity that in addition to stalking the chipmunks that forage below the feeders, she is now stalking the birds on the ground. Where before they paid her no mind, now they are aware that she is more active. I went round the side of the house the other day, where about 20 sparrows were poking in the grass, and there was Fuzzy, poised and watching. She saw me, and relaxed out of her pose, with a "What, I wasn't doing anything?" look, and then came over to rub my legs. I know that she is far too stiff to actually pounce on any of the birds and it would be impossible for her to make a leap to snatch them from around the feeders. So the birds are safe, but much more wary of her. Every time I go out to sit and hold seed in my hand, hoping one of the chicakdees or titmice or (thrill!) the nuthatches will scoop one up, Fuzzy walks over to nuzzle and rub, and the birds give me a wide berth. Darn!
November 12 - After my outing with Chuck and Patty yesterday, I didn't want to stop. So I went out again today. I got in the car about 2:30 pm and turned left at the street. Until about a mile away, I didn't know where I was going. Then suddenly it hit me - Morris Island in Chatham. I went across to Pleasant Bay and then Route 28 into Chatham from the north. As I approached Chatham Light, where the turnoff is for Morris Island, I noticed crowds standing at the viewing spot. Parked, got out, and watched another Northern Gannet feeding frenzy right there in the small harbor inside the North Beach Break. 
After about 10 minutes, I drove into the center of town, called Frederick and told him to get over here, which he did. Meanwhile I got to watch about 15 more minutes of the approx 200 birds doing the same routine we saw yesterday, but even closer. No flybys, no scope necessary, not even binox. Just plain looking was enough to identify them, check out the first year and second year plumages, everything. One fisherman said they were feeding on stripers or blues, both of which were probably trapped on this side of the cut. Pretty cool. Frederick really liked it when he got there. There were hundreds of shorebirds on the opposite side of the sand deposit that now connects South Beach Island to the mainland, but I couldn't see them with my binoculars. So it was just gannets and herring gulls at Chatham Light.
After Frederick left, I went down the road to Morris Island. On the causeway there was a Northern Harrier fishing the marsh. I parked the car, walked to the stairs to the beach, and watched Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, a Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted NutHatches, and Mourning Doves flying around my head in the trees on the beach cliff. They have a tray feeder set up with Black-oil Sunflower Seeds and the birds have no fear at all. You feel like you're in an aviary.
From the beach I could see over to South Beach Island. Across the channel were many, many shorebirds which I was unable to make out with the poor light and my teeny binox. You could see hundreds more gannets on the other side of the island, performing the same aerial acrobatics as in the harbor. Streams of what I think were White-winged Scoters shot past the break between South Beach Island and North Monomoy. There were many White-winged Scoters in the channel. Many more gannets were also on the west side of North Monomoy and were clearly visible from where I was standing. Along with Herring Gulls bobbing around in the channel, were Buffleheads. And a whole bunch of Common Eiders! At first I thought they were Buffleheads, black and white, but then I saw a couple fly in, and actually they were much bigger and bulkier looking, and when I really looked, the black and white were in the reverse places. White back, black underneath, and the head had black across the top and white down the chin and throat. Very weird bill. It goes straight back into the forehead.
When I got to the tip of Morris Island, the trail is supposed to continue around the beach south of the island, affording you with some good looks of North Monomoy to the south and Stage Harbor to the west. But either the tide was so high (probably, because of the still incredible wind) or the beach has eroded so badly, (also probable), that you couldn't get around this big berm they have placed there to hold back the cliff. The water came right up to the edge. I watched the surf pounding South Beach Island for a while. It was incredibly beautiful, with the spray pushed forward over the top of each wave by the fierce wind. The sun was low in the sky, the clouds looked mauve and chalky against the blue, blue sky, and the sunlight glittered against the walls of mist from the surf. Wow!
I figured I could catch some more birds in the Stage Harbor, so I drove around to Battlefield Road to the town landing to see what I could see. But some lobster fishermen were mucking around and any ducks that would want to be there would hang off farther out into the harbor. I did see a Great Cormorant on a piling, and Brant geese taking a tour as I guess they do. All the ones we've seen seem to like to fly along the edge of a semi-circular cove or bay. And there were some more Buffleheads there with White-winged Scoters streaming by the opening to the ocean. That's it. Sundown, end of day.
November 11, 1995 - Eastham, S. Wellfleet and Wellfleet
November 9, 1995 - Have not solved the cold toes dilemma. I got a pair of space socks, which are knitted with a metallic thread that should reflect back the body's heat. I'll let you know how they work this weekend. Saturday, Chuck and Patty are coming down again for another bird outing. We're planning to go to Wellfleet, and see what we can see.
I took a short ride to Orleans today to visit the Bird Watcher's General Store and talk to Mike about what has been around lately. I want to know where to apply our birding efforts on Saturday, so Chuck and Patty don't waste the long drive here from Fitchburg. Mike suggested the winter ducks might be a good place to start. Shore bird numbers are decreasing with the end of the fall migration period. Warblers are pretty much through this area too. So, we'll concentrate on the birds that are most plentiful this time of year. I'll let you know what we come up with next week.
Since I was almost to Eastham at this point, I took a little northerly detour to check out some of my favorite spots. This part of the log is on the Trip Report Page for November 9.
In the yard yesterday, the Blue Jays started making a racket about 7 o'clock. I think they are getting accustomed to my serving the Marvel Meal, which I break into chunks on the tray feeder. Sure enough, they waited in the trees while I brought out their late breakfast. As soon as I was back in the house, 6 jays were on the feeder, poking at the peanut butter concoction. While I watched them, a very large Hairy Woodpecker swooped through the yard and landed on one of the upright posts of the grape arbor. It made another leap to the suet feeder hanging there, and pecked at it. Within a few minutes, almost half the suet cake was gone. That was one hungry bird! The same (I beleive) bird was back again this morning, but seemed more leisurely about feeding and poking around at all the trees. Our one squirrel also seems hungrier than in the past. Yesterday it hogged the cedar box feeder almost all day, forcing the sparrows to use the other two feeders. Today, it was empty, and I decided not to fill it until tomorrow, to see what the squirrel would do. Being a very gymnastic creature, it entertained us for about an hour with its efforts at getting under the baffle and hanging from the perches on the baffle feeder. One foot holding onto the hammock, the rest of the squirrel stretched out in mid air, with its head twisted to poke into the feeding holes - very precarious. When it lost its footing at one point, the poor squirrel wound up hanging upside down under the feeder. For a few minutes after its undignified fall to the ground, it was content to forage at the base of the tree. But then, up the trunk it went to try again. Such persistence.
November 4, 1995 - Cleaned up the feeders this morning. The downpour of Friday night didn't seem to soak the feeders too much. The wooden one is affected the most by bad weather. But it is also the fastest to empty, so the seed doesn't have a chance to sit around wet. The rain just washes the tray feeder down, most of the seed falls through the drain holes. But the birds don't mind scavenging on the ground for it afterwards, so I don't mind. I don't think we'll make a roof for it yet. Many more White-breasted Sparrows in the yard today. And an American Robin seems to have decided to stay a while; it lurks in my currant bushes, poking the ground. Our one squirrel seems to be preparing for hibernation, and spends long periods of time upside down next to the cedar box feeder, picking the sunflower seeds. He/she doesn't spill much while feeding, but does prevent the sparrows from perching there. I fill the stick feeder with Marvel Meal every morning, and the birds (especially the nuthatches, chickadees and titmice) enjoy it during the day. But each night it appears that a skunk has figured out how to knock it down, and scoop out all the goop. So, I'm working on that one now. I suppose the skunk will also become a non-problem as the cold weather sets in, but for now, I think I will take the stick into the garage each night.
I went to Muddy Creek in Chatham and Pleasant Bay (Round Cove) in Harwich this afternoon, very late, about 4pm. Nary a bird. Actually, there was a Double-crested Cormorant that flew over at Muddy Creek, and a bird hiding in the bushes, but I couldn't get it to stay still long enough to see. When I got to Pleasant Bay, there was a beautiful all white gull, very large, (like the black-backed), but it also didn't give me a good look. By the time I got the car parked, it was heading out to the ocean. Too far to see. One adult Herring Gull fished for a while, and there were lots of sparrows in the bushes, but it always seems to be dusk when they start popping around, and I have a really hard time trying to identify them. It was very cold, too. Took two hours to defrost my toes afterward. Chuck has suggested those warmer packs you stick in you gloves or pockets, but I'm not sure how I'll fit them in my boots. I'm going to try Goose Hummock, a shop for outdoorsy folk, Monday morning to see what they have.
November 2, 1995 - The weather is going to be a lot colder in the next few days. We're also due for more rain, which is good since the Cape is way behind the average for the season so far. I continue to be amazed at the number of birds that visit even when it's pouring out. They look so bedraggled, but I guess they still have to eat to stay warm. I've had to fill the feeders twice this week, so there are either many more birds, or they're eating a lot more. The migration of flocks of grackles and blackbirds seems to be winding down; so too the cowbirds. Only an occasional straggler. I've noticed some White-throated Sparrows among the visitors. Also two more each of the Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches have become regulars. In addition to the usual sparrows, finches, chickadees, titmice, crows, mourning doves and other regulars, we have about 5 or 6 Downy Woodpeckers and there are still many Blue Jays coming to the yard. They seem to prefer when I put out leftover bread chunks on the tray feeder. Marvel Mix in slices also attracts the jays. The House Finches love the black-oil sunflower seed and stand inside the window feeder and eat the seed right there. They make a terrible mess, leaving all the hulls mixed in with the little bit of seed left when they are through. The chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches are much neater, taking one seed at a time, flying off to crack it, and then returning. So, I've filled one of the sections in the baffle seeder with the black-oil seeds to give all of them some options. The Goldfinches have been going through 3 pounds of thistle seed a week now. I have to find a less expensive source, because this may cost more than our grocery bill eventually! The birds are beautiful though with their olive-gray winter plumage, and their soft whistling filling the yard.
October 29,1995 - Red River Beach, Harwich Port
October 27, 1995 -Today was clean-up day at the feeders. The sparrows get very impatient when I do this. They hang out in the arbor vitae and scold me and wrestle with each other. Lots of noise and pushing and shoving. Once the pole feeder is filled and back up, they mob it. It only has six perches, so the approximately fifty birds in the mixed flock have a lot of negotiating to do. Nobody got hurt. As soon as the House Sparrows are back on the feeder, the Song Sparrows take up their position on the ground, picking over the dropped millet and corn. They have made a dusty area below the feeder into a bath. There are about six little depressions, sparrow sized, that the birds hop into, and then they dust themselves by flapping and hopping up and down. They are totally unafraid of Fuzzy, the cat.
The Black-capped Chickadees and the Titmice eat in a much more orderly fashion. They seem to have a pecking order, and the birds actually wait and take turns at the different feeders. There are regularly about 15 chickadees and 10 titmice. I keep the window feeder filled with only black oil sunflower seeds, and they know where to go when the other feeders get low, or are too crowded. The chickadees and titmice seem to belong to a cohesive troop that travels together, along with the 3 White-breasted Nuthatches and the 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches. They all seem to arrive within moments of each other, stay as long as they want to, or until disturbed by something, and then they are all gone, only to return a short time later. I always know when they are about to arrive, because I can hear the loud Ank Ank of the nuthatches, then the Chickadee-dee-dee calls. I've put out a wire suet feeder, and also a stick feeder that holds Marvel Meal, a recipe in John Terres book, Songbirds in Your Garden. This is easy to make. You take one part each of peanut butter, shortening, flour, and then 4 parts cornmeal, mix it all together, then refrigerate. Frederick and I made a feeding stick out of an old branch about 2 feet long and 2 inches in diameter. We stripped the bark off, and drilled 4 1 1/2-inch holes through it, one below the other, and rotated halfway around each time. A hook in the top completed the feeder. All I do is fill the holes with the Marvel Meal, and hang it on the grape arbor. The chickadees and titmice seem to favor it, with the nuthatches preferring the suet. At least so far. I haven't seen any of the other birds using either one.
I got a lifer today without trying. This morning after the yardwork, I took my viola over to Don MacKenzie, instrument maker and fixer extroardinaire. Had a loose peg that keeps slipping at inopportune moments. While there, I noticed he had a Peterson's Field Guide on his workbench, so I asked him what he was identifying. Evidently, the day before, a large hawk had flown past the workroom window and over his yard. It went by too fast to identify, but immediately thereafter, a client came by and while they were both in the shop, the hawk came back and gave them both a very good look, as it flew past first one window, then the next and around the yard. So he was able to identify it as a Northern Goshawk. I had never seen one before, but I have looked at them in the various guides I have. Trying to be ready just in case. Anyway, after I left Don's, I went to Ocean Edge to swim at the pool, which is not very far from Don's house. As I was driving through the resort, I saw a large hawk way up high, circling and just soaring. Beat, beat, glide, beat, beat, glide. I got to the pool parking, and it was still overhead, lazily looping its way over the open course lined with trees. I guess where the pool is located must be very close to the Nickerson State Park. So it probably gets very wooded just beyond the golf course. Well, I stood there and watched trying to think of the ways you tell hawks apart. Bigger than a breadbox, slim or chunky body, wing tips up or down, facial markings, etc. I didn't have my binoculars with me (darn), but I was able to make out a lot because it kept circling around. Soaring, not like the Harriers which stay lower. Mostly gray, some white underneath by its legs, kind of boxy body, and a beautiful face, masked like at the Mardi Gras. Black or dark lines through and below the eyes, light above, dark crown. Not like the black hood look of the Pergrine Falcon. And bigger than that. It was really beautiful. Soon, it spotted something to go after, and it dove headfirst into the trees in the distance. When I got home, I looked it up and from its size and the facial markings it had to be the Northern Goshawk. I wonder if it is the same bird that Don saw the day before?
October 26, 1995 - Today was the first chance I got all week to really take stock of the yard again. Since Friday's are when I usually clean the feeders and rake the ground, then refill the feeders, I didn't want to add seed to them today. There was enough to last another day, although the box feeder was basically empty. I put a little seed onto the tray feeder, to hold everybody over. Then, I took some of the black oil sunflower seeds and parked myself by the empty feeder with the seeds in my outstretched hand. I hoped that the chickadees and titmice would be bold enough to try to take a seed from me. I was very close to success. Several chickadees flew right up to my face, fluttered a second, then flew to a branch right next to me. None of them were brave enough to actually get a seed, although they knew what I was holding. The titmice were not as brave at first, but then seemed to get the idea. They worked their way all around me, on the empty feeder, clinging to the bark, overhead on the branch, but always flew off without taking one. After about 15 minutes of posing there, I thought my arm would fall off, so I gave up for today. It will happen soon though.
October 22,1995 - Pleasant Bay, South Orleans
October 21, 1995 - This morning I cleaned up the yard before the big storm due later in the day. Many birds were already mobbing the feeders. Counted over 50 sparrows including one White-throated Sparrow, and the House Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, and Song Sparrows, 15 Black-capped Chickadees, 10 Titmice, 2 Northern Cardinals, 2 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 2 Red-breasted Nuthatches, 3 White-breasted Nuthatches, 5 Blue Jays and 1 Downy Woodpecker. What pleased me most was that as I was cleaning out the feeders, the birds did not abandon the yard. The chickadees and titmice were the most bold, never missing a beat. They just flew past me, over my shoulder, behind my back, wherever they needed to go to get to the window feeder. The Sparrows hung out in the thickets and trees, sort of chirping and scolding me for taking too long, I think. The White-breasted Nuthatch (I don't know which one) came the closest to bumping into me, as it made its sorties back and forth. It felt good to have them be so comfortable with me in the yard. I raked up the leaves and fallen seed shells, laid down the chairs and benches on the deck, and hoped the birds would all be OK through the storm.
October 21,1995 - Chatham Harbor, Fish Pier and Cow Yard Lane
October 18, 1995 - Today I had to go over to MIT to see my daughter, Alicia. As I was walking over the Longfellow Bridge west of the Museum of Science. Halfway across, I see this cormorant flying straight down the Charles, coming from the harbor. I think, look a cormorant, how nice. There's gulls, there's pigeons, a cormorant? Whoa. It just kept coming down the river, flying methodically the way they do, flap, flap, it's long neck sticking out, the short tail, everything very cormoranty about it. As it got closer to the bridge and I got closer to its line of flight I realized that it was very big, bigger, stockier kind of, than the Double-crested Cormorants I've seen down here. BIG BIRD. Also, no orange pouch, kind of pale yellow under the bill and white whiskers around the bill, which seemed fatter than the DC Cormorants. Down the river it went, so I decided to walk along Memorial Drive to get to the MIT dome, instead of going through the buildings. When I had almost reached the Mass Ave bridge, here it comes again, back up the river. Not 5 feet from me. A little over my head, right near the walkway on the river. I could feel the push of the air under its wings. It just stared straight ahead, frwoom, frwoom, right on by.
There was a man standing there, a tourist I think, taking pictures of all the sailboats, and I looked at him to see if I was seeing things, and he looked as wide-eyed as me. I just said whoa! and that kind of broke the spell. He turned to his wife, and they continued up the walking path. I assume the Great Cormorant got a little off track. I wonder if the high winds of the last two days could throw some birds off their migratory path. I don't think they are regularly seen on the Charles. Just happened to be in the right place, right time etc., while this one took a little detour.
October 15, 1995 - Return Trip to Harwich Conservation Lands, Bells Neck
October 13, 1995 - Harwich Conservation Lands, Bells Neck
October 12, 1995 - The backyard is chirping along. The birds are getting more comfortable with me every day. The House Sparrows rarely fly off more than a few feet, and many just give me a wary eye from the feeding perches. The Chickadees and the Titmice seem to encourage me to chatter at them. They are very bold now, but I still haven't gotten one to feed from my hand. Too impatient I guess. Anyway, I'll keep trying.
The White-breasted Nuthatches circle down around the tree no matter how close I get. They snatch the seed from the cedar box feeder, and then pop up a little to break it open in a crack of the bark. Today, the Red-breasted Nuthatch flew in from the other side of the yard, and came right up to me. If I had something in my hand or on my head, I think it would have landed on me. But it swooped up right in front of my face, circled around and landed on the oak tree trunk, where it spiraled around, looking for the feeder. I was in the process of filling them so it didn't find it where it expected to. It was not shy at all, and patiently kept coming back to check the progress of my work. I think there may be two, now, because once the feeders were all back up, the little bird seemed to get back and forth just a little too quickly. I'll have to keep my eyes on it/them. We now have two Brown Creepers that are regulars. They're like the nuthatches but go the other way, from the bottom to the top of the tree trunk, looking for insects and larvae.
I haven't seen the Rufous-sided Towhees for a number of days, so perhaps they have left for good. I'll miss their soft calls. We still have mixed flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles settling in the trees and causing a general uproar. The Cowbirds are sparse again. Only a few here and there, sometimes with the Sparrows, sometimes with the Blackbirds. Jays are everywhere, very blue and beautiful. That's pretty much it, except for the two Cardinals, the Mourning Doves, Goldfinches, House Finches and a few Purple Finches, the Chipping Sparrows, Song Sparrows, and the Savannah Sparrows, which all seem to be regulars now. I think I got everybody. Oops, forgot the Downy Woodpeckers.
October 9, 1995 - Eastham: First Encounter Beach, Herring Pond
October 7, 1995 - Eastham: Fort Hill, First Encounter Beach, Coast Guard Beach
October 5, 1995 - Missed two days having to be out of town. Today, we had a fair amount of rain starting around 11am. When I got back around 1pm today, I was surprised to see so many visitors to the feeders in the middle of the downpour. I guess the rain doesn't deter you if your a hungry bird. Many House Sparrows, a few Song Sparrows, 3 Chipping Sparrows, about 7 Savannah Sparrows, maybe 15 Goldfinches (10 at once on one thistle feeder), 5 House Finches, both Cardinals, 2 Bluejays, two White-breasted Nuthatches, many Chickadees and Titmice, couldn't count them all. I didn't see the Red-breasted Nuthatch, but I wasn't out there early, when it usually comes. For about an hour we had a flock of Red-winged Black Birds foraging on the ground, along with six or so Mourning Doves and a few Grackles. The male black birds displayed their red epaulets frequently while on the ground, and since they took off and relanded so many times, I got to see their entire wing spread. There were many juvenile males, who even though they were streaky brown, showed red on the shoulders. They became really drenched and bedraggled looking in the rain, and I was surprised that there was so much red under the outer feathers around the face and bill. When they finally left, the smaller birds returned and fed voraciously. Lots of elbowing and aggressive behavior among them. The Titmice chose to come to the window feeder, and they looked very funny with their tufts all wet and slicked down. Alberto VO5.
October 2, 1995 -Titmice and Chickadees on the new feeder when I got out this morning. The yard seems especially quiet. I'm taking my coffee outside to see what's in the sky. I can hear the Jay yelling. More later.
Well, the Titmice and Chickadees are the regulars at the new feeder. The sparrows seem too cautious yet. Maybe they prefer fighting on the crowded perches. I'll be more patient and see what develops. Many Blue Jays today. Six or so at a time landing and scratching for the fallen corn and the bread that I had scattered on the ground. The birds seem very large and exquisitely blue. I imagine that they are migrating and this is a stop over. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a regular visitor. It seems that they are invading the East Coast southward to Pennsylvania this fall. They are not unusual visitors for Cape Cod, but further south makes for a Rare Bird Account. Many are being posted to the Birdchat Mail list. We don't have an invasion, just the one regular at the feeder. Would be nice to see more.
I spent about 3 hours laying in the hammock between the trees with the feeders. Within minutes, the birds were working the yard just as if I wasn't there. Except for several Chickadees, who regularly landed not two feet from me, tipped their heads, chirped twice, then grabbed a seed from the feeder and flew off. I may get them to eat out of my hand yet. Anyway, I got to observe all the birds at much closer range. The Chipping Sparrows are becoming browner; the chestnut caps and feathers are shifting to the darker winter colors. Savannah Sparrows are plentiful, scratching at the base of the feeders close to the brush. House Sparrows number probably about 40 every day. Yesterday, there were six House Finches on the thistle, and now there seem to be around 10 Goldfinches. The one Goldfinch with the summer plumage of last week is slowly developing the winter coloring. He looked awful today; the black top is all gone except for around his eyes. Big black circles! Looked like he had been up all night! The Mourning Doves were accompanied by several smaller pigeon-like birds. I haven't found them in my book yet. Missed the Rufous Towhees, today. But the Cardinals are still here, and the lone female Cowbird appeared late in the afternoon with the Sparrows, again. White-breasted Nuthatches and the Downy Woodpecker returned also. No cowbird flocks today. No grackles either.
October 1, 1995 - We put up an open feeder today. I felt that perhaps there wouldn't be injuries among the sparrows if they had a more spread out offering. They battle over the perches on the two hanging feeders. The tray is 24 by 30 inches, with a cleat all around the edge to keep the seed from spilling off. It has a collar that fits over a 4X4 post, which we set into the ground about 30 inches. It is about 6 feet above ground, a little too tall to reach without a stool. But that's OK. We put it about 10 feet from the oak tree, no low hanging limbs to allow squirrels to jump down on it. The grape arbor is just behind it. So far, only the Chickadees have been brave enough to check it out. There were about 30 sparrows in the yard, on the ground, at the hanging feeders, in the vegetable beds. A number of them seemed to be casing the new feeder from under the grape leaves on the arbor, but none of them actually tested it out. A Downy Woodpecker came the closest. They usually don't come to the trees with the feeders on them, preferring to pick at the tall, buggy scrub pines at the edges of the yard. This one flew to the oak, then to the post under the tray feeder, then took off again.
Backyard Bird Feeder - information and helpful hints about this fun hobby.
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