It was such a treat when this little grey Screech Owl moved in to our new owl house last November (2nd photo). He’s been here ever since. We named him Hootie. We see him many days at dusk or at dawn as he hangs his little head out of his little window. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
And then, a few weeks ago, this brown Screech Owl moved into our other owl house. Oh my! What a double treat! We named him Hootie Two. We have had so much fun watching out for them. Fingers crossed that they find a mate and have lots of little Screech Owls!!
Update: Now the brown owl is in the grey owl’s nest and the grey owl is in the brown owl’s nest. Are there 2 grey owls and 2 brown owls? Or are they playing musical owl houses? Maybe we’ll have lots of little owl babies!!
We were taking a walk on Coast Guard Beach the other day, looking for the Piping Plover, when we heard all this chatter up in the tall grass. Their sounds did not sound familiar, so we decided to investigate. And there was a Horned Lark scurrying around in the grass. How cool, as it’s not one we usually see.
The Horned Lark, the only true Lark in North America, is a small brown songbird with a distinctive head pattern with namesake “horns” which are little tufts of feather. Have you ever seen or heard a Horned Lark?
It seems like we wait all winter for the Baltimore Orioles to come back in the spring. In April we start picking dates for them to arrive… and the winner gets a prize. It is so much fun!
The Baltimore Oriole is such a beautiful, vibrant orange and black bird that we are so lucky to have in our yard… to watch them eat their beloved grape jelly and to listen to their distinct calls… and maybe raise a family?!
The Piping Plovers are back at Coast Guard Beach and what a treat it is to see them scurrying about. (Click on blog link for other photos.) Rarely do we see 3 of them so close to each other.
During breeding season, which is now, their black neck bands are more pronounced. The juveniles do not have a neck band.
This one looked like she was sitting on a nest as she scrunched into the indentation in the sand.
It is so awesome that these gorgeous birds come back here every year to breed. We are so lucky!
It is so much fun watching all of the birds migrate back to Cape Cod after the long winter. Anticipating that the Hummingbirds might come soon, we put our sugar water out last weekend.
Yesterday, as we were sitting on the deck enjoying the gorgeous weather, this Ruby-throated Hummingbird came by to feed many times during the afternoon. What a treat! It is so wonderful to have them back again. What a beautiful little bird and so much fun to watch!
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
