I have never seen so many Robins in the middle of winter getting a drink from the snow on our deck in Orleans on Cape Cod. They were everywhere.
I loved this little guy on the picnic table getting a little drink from the new-fallen snow. Along the railing, many more robins were lined up also enjoying the snow. I was taking photographs through the window, so they did not come out clear enough to post.
I have never seen a bird come up on the deck to eat some snow, have you?
I looked out the kitchen window yesterday and saw a huge flock of Canada Geese in our yard here in Orleans on Cape Cod. So I got my camera and clicked away.
And the I looked up in the tree by the water and saw about 15 birds perched on the branches. What were they? A quick look with my binoculars told me they were all Northern Flickers. Wow! What treat!
And then, not 10 seconds later all the Canada Geese and Northern Flickers were all of a sudden in flight like something had frightened them.
Lo and behold…a huge Red-Tailed Hawk flew overhead and the mystery was solved! Pretty exciting for a stretch of about 5 minutes!
This beautiful Red-tailed Hawk, which is probably the most common hawk in North Americ,a was sitting patiently up in this tree by Boat River in Eastham on Cape Cod, eyeing everything in sight.
Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky.
They are such a beautiful bird…
The last time I saw a Bufflehead was way out in the ocean off of Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod many, many years ago. I always loved their black and white coloring and their little diving antics. They are a small, compact duck with a relatively large head.
Male Buffleheads are striking black and white, with iridescent green and purple heads with a large white patch behind the eye. Females are grey-toned with a smaller white patch behind the eye and a light underside.
The name bufflehead is a combination of buffalo and head, referring to the oddly bulbous head shape of the species. This is most noticeable when the male puffs out the feathers on the head, thus greatly increasing the apparent size of the head.
It was such a treat to see these diving ducks so close on the river near my home and so many of them together.
Have you ever seen a Bufflehead?
I love this photograph of this Seagull standing on the sign for Fort Hill above Nauset Marsh in Eastham on Cape Cod. Fort Hill is one of my favorite places to hike and go birding on Cape Cod. It has a series of trails which you can take in the woods or out by the marshes.
This Seagull is showing you the map of the area so you can decide what you would like to do!
Cute little Welcome Sign, huh?
