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The Cape Cod Connection
At The Bird Feeder - Oldest 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.
September 30, 1995 -In the night we were visited by some new creatures, who engage in elaborate display rituals, noisy nighttime feeding frenzies, and roosting behavior in hammocks. Five MIT PIKAn's (my daughter and friends) came down from Cambridge for the weekend, with Gabe, our youngest in tow from Northfield. Jason is still roosting in the hammock at noon. The birds were shy at first, but I guess they realized that he was harmless, all wrapped up in the sleeping bag there. And it was a cold night, they were hungry.
Funny thing, around 11am, a flock of cowbirds landed to forage. There were about 15 birds, male, females, and juveniles. If they had been here a few days earlier, I wouldn't have had so much trouble with the lone cowbird female of the last few days. The juveniles are molting, and they have such a variety of patterns. Lots of brown, tan and black streaking. If they came one by one, I would think each was a different kind of bird. My other mystery bird was back this morning, although it declined to make its appearance yesterday when Trudy was here. I'd call her over again, but Jason is still asleep.
September 29, 1995 - My neighbor, Trudy, stopped by in the afternoon to check out one of the mystery birds. It turns out to be a female cowbird. It always came with the sparrows, and I haven't seen any cowbird congregations for a while now. The females and young are much easier to identify when they are with the males, who are so distinctive. They are robin sized, finch-like bills, black bodies, with brown heads, slightly irridescent. The female is all gray, darker on the wings, lighter underneath and very light gray on the throat. I guess she is travelling alone. Trudy hasn't seen any cowbirds around for a while either, so she thought this one bird was unusual. She was surprised at the number of sparrows we have. Her yard is directly across the street, yet she has many more house finches and no house sparrows. We had a nice cup of tea and kibbutzed.
September 28, 1995 -Emptied and cleaned the feeders in the morning. I was encouraged by the number of birds that hung around to watch. The Red-breasted Nuthatch was the boldest, and kept spiraling down the tree to where the feeder should have been, then gave me a look. It's smaller than the white-breasted, and has a black line through its eye with white above. It has a funny little honking sound. The Chickadees seemed confused by the disappearance of the thistle feeder. They flew to the branch and then made a loud two-note call. If I chip, chip at them, they answer back, then fly off. The Titmice also made eye contact with me, as soon as the first feeder was back up. I get the feeling that they are curious about me as I am of them. The White-breasted Nuthatches didn't wait too long to begin their sorties again either. And six Goldfinches mobbed the mesh thistle feeder as soon as it was up. The Sparrows generally seem shyer, and hung out in the trees and bushes until I was done and sat down on the deck. Then they began to return to the feeders and the ground. Later in the day, I spotted the two Cardinals again. The female perched on top of the tube feeder which is mounted on a post. It's adjacent to the arborvitae; probably felt safe. The Rufous Towhees continue to pop in and out of the brush at unexpected times. I generally see them every day now. There seem to be more Blue Jays, sometimes five at a time. The Grackles descend a couple of times a day, causing a huge ruckus with their calls. Another sparrow seemed injured yesterday, but it could still fly somewhat, and took off everytime I approached it. I was surprised that the Mourning Doves don't seem to be perturbed by the Grackles. Once the black birds settled down (two Red-winged Blackbirds among them), I counted six Mourning Doves foraging on the ground along with them.
A neighbor has offered to come by to help me identify the birds I've been unable to locate in the guides. I'm looking forward to a rewarding hour or so in the afternoon. I just hope the mystery birds all appear as promised.
September 25-26, 1995 -Monday seemed to be the day of the grackles. The sky was filled with flocks of black birds, that circled around and then settled in every available tree. Within moments, there were 50, 75, 100 birds foraging, jostling, swinging from the feeders. The smaller birds disappeared at first, but they became braver in the afternoon, and tried to compete with the flock. I could spot two or more Red-winged Blackbirds each time a flock descended. There were also smaller black birds and brown streaked or mottled birds. I was unable to tell if these are immature grackles from the description in the Petersons. If I went onto the deck, the black flock took off, and the yard was relatively peaceful for a while. Soon, however, the flock would return to the tree tops, and squawk and sputter while watching me nervously. They didn't want to land in the yard while I was out there. It was a little eerie, just because of the large number of birds. I kept having flashbacks to Hitchcock's film "The Birds." I took some of the cracked corn, which they seem to like, and spread it over the driveway, and that seemed to satisfy everyone for the rest of the afternoon.
I've been examining the sparrows very closely. With the onslaught of the grackles, there was one sparrow that wound up with a broken wing. I don't know how it happened, but there it was stumbling along on the ground. It settled itself under the feeder, and nestled into the dry grass so it was almost invisible. I watched it for a while, wondering what to do, if anything, but I wondered too long. Another wave of grackles began to fill the trees and a number flew all at once to the base of the feeder where the sparrow was hiding. I stood up and off they flew, but the sparrow was gone.
I had to be out of town on Tuesday, but I was outdoors in the rest stop parking lot in Barnstable briefly toward evening, from about 5:30 to 6pm. Overhead, a parade of huge birds flew from north to south, one, two or three at a time. I counted 15 in the half hour I watched. From the silhouette, since it was dusky, they seem to be Great Blue Herons. The size is right, the legs and feet were extended out past the bird's body, the neck was pulled in so they almost looked like storks or pelicans, long pointed bill. Since the light was so poor, it was difficult to determine color. Everything looked gray. With their slow, deliberate movements and huge size, the flight of the birds overhead was impressive, beautiful.
September 23-24, 1995 - Saturday was a grey and windy day. Even when the sun came out, the wind was so strong that I froze after only a few minutes of sitting on the deck. I cleaned out all the feeders, and when they were all dry, I refilled and hung them. The Chickadees were the only ones who seemed interested in this event. The rest of the birds did not stick around. Several of the Chickadees watched and then flew down to pick at the seeds that had spilled. They really are getting bolder. I hung a window feeder on the kitchen window first, and they kept flying back and forth past me to get to that one while I was futzing with the others. A White-breasted Nuthatch flew to the oak tree, circled around downward to where the feeder had been hanging, and began calling one note over and over. Something like yank, yank, yank. In the afternoon, it seemed that all the birds were back. I saw the two Rufous Towhees, both Cardinals, one Red-breasted Nuthatch, two White-breasted Nuthatches, probably six or more Titmice, at least ten Chickadees, six Goldfinches, two Bluejays, two Mourning Doves, three Chipping Sparrows, several other small ground sparrows, and maybe 50 House and Song Sparrows. One of the male Goldfinches was still in its summer colors. I think that's it.
On Sunday, Frederick (my hubby) and I went to the Bird Watcher's General Store, to look for another pictorial guide to birds, and also to check out binoculars. The pair I use are 7X 50mm, from World War II (really!). You have to focus each eye separately, they weigh a ton, and they have bullet markings on the metal housing. The new ones are so much lighter, really easy to focus, most have rubber armor, eyecaps, etc. Wow! There are also some very, very small, lightweight ones that would be easy to carry in a pocket. I can't decide yet what I like best, or how much I want to spend. I don't think I'll need the really compact ones, since I don't get out all that much. But I need to think about it some more. I got the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Birds, which has many drawings and descriptions. It seemed overwhelming at first, there are six pages of sparrows alone! But Derek was very helpful about how to use the book. I also got a Checklist of the Birds of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, published by the Cape Cod Bird Club. This should help in narrowing down the range of birds in the Peterson Guide. Between the two, I should be able to identify more of the birds I see. There are about three I haven't been able to name that seem to come regularly.
September 21-22, 1995 - I've been spending a lot more time out on the deck. The birds are becoming more tolerant of my comings and goings. I added a second thistle feeder. There are 5 or 6 Goldfinches regularly now, and the Chickadees seem to enjoy the thistle just as much. They are not very tolerant of each other though, so one more thistle feeder. I put it up fairly high; it's about 15 feet off the ground. The Chickadees found it right away, and the Goldfinches seem to prefer the other one. The morning seems to bring the Sparrows, Chickadees, Goldfinches, now the female Cardinal, and the Nuthatches. The Titmice only come in the late afternoon. I have to examine the sparrows more closely, now that there are so many. I know there are Chipping Sparrows, House Sparrows, and Song Sparrows. But there may be others, there seem to be so many different kinds. There was one that had white stripes on its head, some have different chest markings. I have to get a guide that has better pictures so I can differentiate them. Time to make a trip to the Bird Watchers General Store, I guess.
Since I've been spending more time out there, I've been seeing more activity in the tree tops and the sky. The Blue Jays enjoy watching from the tops of the stand of old scrub pines, along with the Woodpecker, who is still deluded about the downspout. The Mourning Doves roost up there, too, or in the oak trees on the east side of the yard. Toward the golf course, there is a tangle of tall oaks and pines, and lower thicket type plants. I watched a bird fly from the pine stand into this woodsy area. Had the binoculars right there, and I was able to locate where it landed. It turned out to be a Wood Thrush. Beautiful chestnut head and back, spotted breast. Bigger than a robin, big black eyes. The Jays seem to act as a warning device for the rest of the visitors. They will cry out and all the birds in the yard will fly off into the brush. Instant quiet. This happened several times, and I decided to see if I could find out what the alarm was. No lurking cats, the owls would be out at night, same for the coyotes. Anyway there is a human on the deck. Looking up I spotted 6 or 7 bird silhouettes way up high. Too far for the binoculars. I imagine they are predators. As soon as the sky was clear again, all the birds returned. This happened five or six times, yesterday. I'll have to find out what they might be.
While I was preparing dinner, late afternoon, about 4 o'clock, three Grackles came to forage. Two of them pounced on the tube feeder, forcing off the Sparrows. The third one was in the grass. One of the sparrows landed on the ground right in front of the grackle. It stabbed at the sparrow and then picked it up in its bill, and began jerking it up and down. I was amazed. I opened the kitchen door and all the birds flew off. The grackle dropped the sparrow, which stayed for a moment on the ground. Then it flew off into the grape arbor, where we watched each other for a minute. The birds began to return, except the grackles. I wonder if it would have been capable of killing and eating the sparrow. I read that they eat nestlings, but this was a 5-inch bird. Hmmm.
 My attempt at a Grackle |
September 19, 1995 - I've been following Chuck's advice (see below) and spending more time in the yard. The first time I went out and sat on the bench, all the feeding birds flew off, and it took almost an hour for any to come back. The minute I go in the house, though, they are all over the place. But today, (third day of trying this, maybe the 6th time I've sat there) after about 15 minutes, the chickadees returned. Pretty soon, a whole slew of birds were flying around, just as if I weren't there. One nuthatch zoomed by so close to me that it brushed my ear! They look like little jet fighters zipping around the trees. It seems that they hardly ever land, though, and they get even less food. I don't know how they keep their little wedge-shaped figures. I spread some of the black oil sunflower seeds on the bench, and one chickadee has found them. I'll keep doing that for a while, and see if it will be brave enough to come when I'm sitting there. The regulars all returned, in even greater numbers today. House Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Goldfinches, many more Titmice (although it seems they like to come in the afternoon better than the morning), the Mourning Doves, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches. There were two Chipping Sparrows, with their chestnut colored bike helmets. They like to hang out on the ground with the Song Sparrows.
First thing in the morning, a Hairy Woodpecker decided our downspout was a likely place to find insects. He had a very hard time trying to cling to the cedar shakes and drill the metal spout. What a racket! The bird was not discouraged easily, and kept at it for about 20 minutes. I was surprised when it returned in the afternoon, and resumed the attack. Since it can't really cling very well, it has to flap its wings continuously, affording me with a good look at its beautiful markings. I spotted a Cardinal in the arborvitae. It never came out of the brush, but worked its way back and forth in the thicket along the fence. Its coloration was like the spring female, but I suppose the male has duller coloring after the breeding season is over. In the spring, the male is the one who is braver, and shows himself. Several Blue Jays worked their way around the tops of the pines and oaks, scolding and calling. They never came down to the feeders, however. They could be migrating from further north, and just passing through.
We have a cat, named Fuzzy, who hangs out in the yard. She is over 18 years old, and has arthritis in her spine. The birds do not seem to be deterred by her; they probably sense that she offers them no threat. However, the feeders are all up at least five feet off the ground. There are always other people's cats to consider, since they roam freely. Fuzzy spends most of her time sleeping in the sun, probably about 23 hours a day. One of the Mourning Doves surprised me by going to the flower bed right next to the sleeping cat. It spread out its wings and squatted down in the dry soil. I don't know if that's how they clean themselves, but it seemed to be dusting itself. Fuzzy slept on, not two feet from the dove. A little surreal.
September 18, 1995 - Id suggestions for yellow/grey bird seen yesterday are Canada or Magnolia Warbler or Goldfinch. There were three Goldfinches on the thistle feeder today, and yesterday's bird did not match them. It did not return either, so I'll just keep my eye out for it. Both a Red-breasted Nuthatch and a White-breasted Nuthatch came today, circling their ways down the oak tree and stabbing at the feeder. More Chickadees, more Song Sparrows and more House Sparrows today. The Song Sparrows seem content with picking up from the ground the seed spilled by the House Sparrows. One Tufted Titmouse. The two Mourning Doves foraged in the afternoon, and only two Cowbirds along with a Grackle.
 Male Rufous-sided Towhee |
September 17, 1995 - The rains finally came. By one o'clock we were in the middle of a continuous downpour. I was surprised that it didn't seem to dissuade the birds from coming to the feeders. In the late afternoon, the sparrows were back along with the three (maybe another one) chickadees. Only one Mourning Dove made its appearance. For several hours in the afternoon, about 2:30 onward, a small warbler played hide and seek with me. It would cling to the thistle feeder very briefly, just long enough for me to get the glasses, and then fly off into the shrubs and arborvitae. It was yellow from the chin down, grey top to its head, whitish eye, dark grey wings with bars. Tentative id is a Canada Warbler. I spotted a rusty bird about as big as the Cowbirds, in the thicket behind the fence. Eventually, it ventured into the yard, picked its way along the ground under the feeders. It darted into the thick ground ivy, and then would come back out again to pick at the seeds on the ground. Very shy, but persistent. I'm sure it was a female Rufous-sided Towhee. It had the white underside, rich brown head and back, bits of white on the wings, and the rusty strips on the flanks just below the wings. I hope it sticks around for a while.
September 16, 1995 - It was 46 degrees F this morning at 6AM. When the sparrows began to arrive they clung to the hammock and kept fluttering their wings. Pretty cold for those little ones. The sun warmed the day up nicely though. Missed the Titmouse and the Mourning Doves today. But along with the House Sparrows, there was one Chipping Sparrow and a Song sparrow. The two Nuthatches came back, the Chickadees added one or two more, and the Brown-headed Cowbirds took over the ground. A House Finch also joined the crowd. One unusual bird, had a tuft like the titmouse, and a ruff on the back of its neck. Dark brown and iridescent like the cowbirds, maybe a little smaller. Very small head. I wonder if it is a cowbird that has suffered some kind of head injury. Definitely odd.
This afternoon, I took a ride up to Fort Hill in Eastham. The weather was beautiful, sky bright blue with streaky clouds. A pretty strong wind off the ocean. I sat down by the marsh and watched it and the barrier beach for about an hour and a half. Many Great Blue Herons perched in the marsh, along with Green-backed Herons and Black-crowned Night-Herons. Too many to count. Many Double-crested Cormorants fished the edges of the marsh and inlet. They are beautiful in flight. I could identify Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls. There were probably at least five more different gulls out further, but I couldn't make an identification. My field glasses are not strong enough to bring that distance in. You'd need a tripod or some such equipment. The American Black Ducks seem to be arriving too. I believe there were some Teal Ducks there also. Pretty sure of at least one female.
On the way back to the car, I met a professor from Univ. of Louisville who was taking archival pictures of the marsh from the hill for a grant project of the US E.P.A. They are documenting areas that will be under water in the year 2100, due to global warming and the rise in the sea level. The prediction is that the whole marsh will be under another 2 feet by then. That would eliminate the barrier beach and the ocean would be right at the base of Fort Hill. It makes all we have today seem a lot more precious.
September 15, 1995 - More hordes of sparrows. Very few males, two or three I think. About 20 some odd females or young. One Tufted Titmouse joined the throng, but is easily intimidated by the sparrows. The two Mourning Doves arrived simultaneously. I guess they need the activity at the feeders above to get the fallout on the ground. Makes sense. Three White-breasted Nuthatches and several Brown Creepers made their way up and down the tree trunks.
September 14, 1995 - Today the feeder seems to swarm with troops of sparrows. Most are House Sparrows, although I'm fairly sure there was at least one Field Sparrow in the bunch. The pink bill seems to be the giveaway. It also had a very nice call, very different from the raucous, chirping House Sparrows. Our two Mourning Doves patrol the ground beneath the feeders and aggressively defend their territory from any intruders. Two Black-capped Chickadees flit in and out, never staying more than a moment or two on the perches. Toward the afternoon, two Brown-headed Cowbirds took over the ground patrol. One small persistent visitor also foraged on the ground. I have so far been unable to identify it. It is almost tailless, about 4 1/2", flecked black on gray and white underneath, with a finchlike or sparrow like beak. Hope it returns.
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