Tag Archives: Cape Cod Blog

Cape Cod Birding, Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Cod Photography

The American Oystercatchers Are Back On Cape Cod!

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It was such a  treat to see two American Oystercatchers at Hemenway Landing yesterday afternoon. We had never seen them there before and these were the first ones we’ve seen this season. They are such a distinctive bird with their black hood, yellow eyes  and long, bright orange, needle-shaped bill. (Click on blog link for other photos.)

We watched for a while as they dug around in the sand for “oysters” and other mollusks. They used their bill as a little jackhammer to dig up the sand and then open the mollusks, which you can see in the 2nd and 3rd photographs. They were pretty far away but it was really fun to watch!

Have you ever seen an Oystercatcher? Such a cool shorebird!

Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod Kayaking, Cape Cod Photography

The Kayakers And SUPs Were Out Yesterday On The Salt Marsh On Cape Cod!

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Yesterday was a glorious day on Cape Cod with the temps in the low 70s. It was the beginning of the first really beautiful weekend all spring. The Kayayers and SUPs were taking advantage of this warm weather by paddling along the creek in the salt marsh. They looked like they were having a blast!

Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod Photography, Cape Cod Wildflowers

Love The Money Plants Here On Cape Cod!

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The Money Plants are so prolific here on Cape Cod this time of the year. They make a pretty display of pinks and purples along the roadsides. I stopped the other morning on my bike ride and took this photograph. I really liked the fence and fence post with the purple flowers. What do you think?

Out of curiosity… does anyone know how to grow these plants? I have collected seeds for years and planted them in my yard, but they don’t seem to grow. Any suggestions?

Cape Cod Birding, Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod Photography

There For Two Minutes… Then Gone On Cape Cod!

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This is the time for migrating birds to arrive on Cape Cod or pass through on their way north. (Click on blog link to see other photos.) Wednesday night I was reading a notice from Wild Care Cape Cod, which is an organization which “helps sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife through wildlife rehabilitation.” This was the notice:

It is peak time for migration and the chance to see some different birds that you might not otherwise see.

Thursday morning about 7:30 am, Phil called out to me that there 25-30 birds at the bird bath taking turns drinking. This was highly unusual. I quickly got my camera but only got 2 shots, which you can see here, as they all flew away, staying less than 2 minutes. When I entered the photo into my iBird Sleuth, it said they were young Red Crossbills. How cool was that! We had never seen one before and we got to see a ton of them at our birdbath. Wow! It doesn’t get much better!

You still have time to look around and see if you can spot a bird you’ve never seen before… maybe you’ll even see a whole flock of them! It was such a treat for us!

Thank you Stephanie, Executive Director at  Wild Care Cape Cod, for the post which heightened our awareness!

 

 

Cape Cod Birding, Cape Cod Blog, Cape Cod Photography

The Orchard Orioles Are Back On Cape Cod!

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The Orchard Oriole is another bird that we look forward to coming back again in the spring. This chestnut-colored male Orchard Oriole with a black head is just beautiful. Like the Baltimore Oriole, he also loves to eat at our grape jelly feeder. Sometimes people mistake them for a Baltimore Oriole but the Orchard Oriole is much darker. (Click on blog link for photo of the female.)

The 2nd photograph is the female Orchard Oriole. You can see how very different her coloring is compared to the male.

Both are just beautiful, don’t you think? Have you seen an Orchard Oriole yet this year?