We have seen a lot of Dark-Eyed Juncos in our yard here on Cape Cod this winter. They love to feed on the ground; I have never seen one at one of the feeders. They scavenge from what is dropped from the bird feeders or find their own food.
Dark-Eyed Juncos are grey with a darker hood and a white belly. They have a pink bill and dark eyes and white edged on their tails when they fly. They scurry around so fast it is often difficult to take a photograph. This little guy was hunting around on my deck for some food and happened to look up at me as if to say, “Look what I found!”
After the rains last weekend, I could finally take a walk to Boat Meadow Beach on Cape Cod Bay and walk a little bit, between the ice chunks, on the beach.
As I looked out on the water, I saw these Seagulls all on top of the ice on Cape Cod Bay. They must have been looking for a place to rest so they picked this big iceberg! It just struck me as a photo that should have polar bears, not seagulls!
We were so shocked to see someone in the water as we finished a nice walk down Coast Guard Beach. The day was spectacular: sunny, in the 30s, and no wind.
I looked at Phil and said, “Is that someone in the water?” “Yes!” Wow! And he kept paddling farther out and farther out. He was really far out and the waves were huge. But then he caught an awesome wave and had ” the ride of his life!” Unbelievable!
How cool for the middle of January on Coast Guard Beach?
I was so surprised to see this Pine Siskin at our bird bath the other day. I checked with our Bird Checklist for Cape Cod and saw that they are rare but regular in this area at this time and usually hard to find. That was pretty cool. We used to see a lot of them in Colorado, but not here on Cape Cod.
A Pine Siskin is a small finch which has a brown-streaked body with yellow patches and two white wing-bars on its wings. Its tail also has small yellow patches.
Have you ever seen a Pink Siskin? Pretty little bird…
It was a glorious day to take a walk on Coast Guard Beach, part of the National Seashore. After all of the frigid weather we’ve had and a forecast of snow tomorrow, we headed out for a walk on the beach. It was chilly enough to need a winter parka and mittens, but you really didn’t need a hat. Amazing for January!
Gorgeous, don’t you think?
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
