September 30, 2010: The Much-Loved Bluebird
Mass Audubon's Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary in East Falmouth near Rt. 151 is well known for its 65 varieties of holly trees planted throughout the sanctuary and rare wildflowers that bloom in late summer. You'll find a flurry of activity near the small barn in August with resident barn swallows and colorful bluebirds. The Eastern Bluebirds can be found around the many nest boxes on the western side of the sanctuary.........read more

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September 9, 2010: Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow
For most birders, the task of identifying Sparrows is daunting and challenging! However, only a small handful of sparrows are typically found in grassy marshes. The Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow is a common summer breeding bird in Massachusetts. This sparrow is mostly found in coastal salt marsh habitats........read more

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August 24, 2010: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
August is perhaps the most exciting time to feed and observe Hummingbirds as their southward migration is at its peak this month. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the most common hummingbird on Cape Cod and is seen in gardens and at nectar feeders.......read more

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August 16, 2010: A Prized Cape Resident--the Least Tern
On many protected barrier beaches you may find Least Terns feeding and raising their new chicks alongside Piping Plovers. Their nests usually consist of a shallow scrape on a sandy beach. Least Terns are the smallest terns and have gray upperparts, white underparts, a black cap and nape, a white forehead, and an orange-yellow bill with a dark tip......read more

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July 15, 2010: Ruddy Turnstone
The Ruddy Turnstone is a compact shorebird with distinctive plumages and bright orange legs. It has a Rt1 short, wedge-shaped dark bill that it uses in its unique foraging style. This male was found recently at Wood Neck Beach in Falmouth.....read more

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May 6, 2010: Ospreys
A tasty inflight meal! An Osprey snags some fast food from Oyster Pond in Falmouth. Springtime means ospreys have returned in full force to their nests all over Cape Cod. Massachusetts Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay is now tracking more than 200 active nests of breeding pairs of osprey all over the Cape. The fish-eating birds of prey are best known for their spectacular hunting style: They dive headfirst into lakes, rivers, and bays after hovering above the water’s surface to target their prey, which they then take to a nearby nest or perch to eat....read more

March 15, 2010: Cape Winter Residents--Long-Tailed Ducks
The Long-tailed Duck is frequently found in offshore waters around Cape Cod and Nantucket during the winters but breeds in the Arctic region during the summer months. The Long-tailed Duck was formerly known as the Oldsquaw. The long tail refers to a pair of elongated black tail feathers that stream behind the male ducks as they fly...read more

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March 05, 2010: Red-Bellied Woodpecker
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is frequently heard and seen on tree trunks as well as at seed and suet feeders in backyards, especially during the winter months. It is increasingly common on Cape Cod making noisy vocalizations and drumming sounds in breeding season. This attractive woodpecker can be identified by its red crown and nape along with a fairly long bill...read more

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February 19, 2010: Screech Owl Residing in Falmouth Backyard
This Eastern Screech Owl (red phase) has made its home in a local backyard nesting box in West Falmouth. This adult owl is a striking reddish brown overall with streaked underparts, yellow eyes, pale grayish bill and short “ear” tufts. The Eastern Screech Owl species has two distinct color phases, red and gray. The red phase is less common than the gray phase...read more

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February 2, 2010: An Unusual Canvasback Sighting
While checking out the local wintering ducks around Perch Pond off of Teaticket Path in East Falmouth, a pleasant surprise popped up. A single male Canvasback duck was moving around in open water and near the ice pack. The Canvasback is a large diving duck and rarely found close to shore. According to Wayne Petersen in Birds of New England, “Canvasbacks are typically found on large areas of open water and birders are often forced to admire them from a distance.” Canvasbacks frequently move around to different locations based on ice conditions and food supply...read more

November 5, 2009: Harlequin Duck
According to Birds of North America online “this sea duck occupies a niche that is unique among North American waterfowl. The Harlequin Duck uses clear, fast-flowing rivers and streams for breeding and is able to move swiftly and with great agility in turbulent white water, diving to river bottoms to feed...”

These images were captured on Sun. Nov. 1, 2009 at Scusset Beach State Reservation located in Sandwich. Skies were overcast with light winds...read more

September 17, 2009: Semipalmated Plover
The Semipalmated Plover is probably the most common small plover on Cape Cod. These plovers gather in loose flocks during fall migration on open mudflats and sandy beaches. They are noted for their run and stop feeding style. They have a high pitched, two part whistled call that sounds like “chu-wee.” This plover is easy to identify with a single dark breast band, a black-tipped orange bill, long orange legs along with white underparts and dark brown upperparts...read more

August 10, 2009: The Common Tern
Common Terns are very active breeding and feeding all over Cape Cod! They typically arrive back to the Cape in late April and remain until around September before heading south to Central and South America. Common Terns breed in large colonies and are widespread on sandy spits and beaches along the coast on the Cape. These terns are noted for hovering over water and then plunge diving after a variety of small fish. The Common Tern has a black cap, light gray upper parts, paler gray under parts, orange legs and feet and a black tipped orange bill. Major breeding colonies can be found nearby on Monomoy Island in Chatham as well as Bird Island in Marion and Ram Island near Mattapoisett...read more

May 30, 2009: American Oystercatcher
The American Oystercatcher is a very distinctive looking shorebird. The Oystercatcher is usually seen only in marine environments along pebbly or sandy coastlines. These shorebirds have a black head, a brownish back and white under parts. In addition, they have yellow eyes, and a long red-orange bill that is laterally compressed and very sharp. They are quite wary and fly away quickly when approached...read more

March 20, 2009: The Common Goldeneye
The Common Goldeneye is one of the active diving ducks. These sea ducks may also be found in bays, lakes, or rivers. They eat mostly small aquatic animals and a variety of small plants. The male has a white body with a black back and tail ends as well as an iridescent black and green head. It has a round white spot at the base of the bill on its cheek. It has yellow eyes and a sloped forehead. The bill color is mostly black. This photo of a male Goldeneye was taken at Salt Pond in Falmouth...read more