Thursday afternoon, we're leaving Willington just after 1pm, on our way to Cape Cod for a few days of winter birding. December 24th to 26th, our own Christmas Bird Count. We've made reservations for two nights at a motel in Orleans, a good base for all points within the Cape.
leaving the Mass Pike for 495
Along the drive east on I-84, I-90 and I-495 we have scattered flocks and individuals of:
1. Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis - three total
2. American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos - five total
3. Rock Pigeon, Columba livia - many groups of two dozen or so perched on power lines
4. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris - many hundreds in separate flocks
5. Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus - over a hundred in one flock
overlooking the Cape Cod Canal
Just after 3 pm we've crossed the Bourne Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal, and take Route 6 east. Finding a canalside overlook, we stop and look down on a passing cargo vessel and several ducks:
6. Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus serrator
7. White-winged Scoter, Melanitta fuscus
8. Common Eider, Somateria mollissima
detour to Hyannis Harbor
7. White-winged Scoter, Melanitta fuscus
8. Common Eider, Somateria mollissima
detour to Hyannis Harbor
Driving on, we leave the main highway and head south to Hyannis to find quiet water before the sun sets. The traffic is stop-and-go, local holiday shoppers out for last-minute errands. In Hyannis Harbor, near the ferry terminal for Nantucket, we stop again and find:
9. Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
10. Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis
11. Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus
12. Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola - one
10. Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis
11. Great Black-backed Gull, Larus marinus
12. Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola - one
13. Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos - a few
and more Red-breasted Mergansers and Common Eider
JFK Memorial Park, Hyannis, bare grass under Pitch Pine, amid much snow
A quarter mile farther along we pull off again, in Veterans Memorial Park (newly signed JFK Memorial Park), and with telescope in hand, walk down to the beach. The snow has had time to compact a bit since Saturday's big storm, about 20 inches of snow fell here! But we tromp through about 6 inches of wet snow to reach the shore.
A small tidal creek flows into the harbor here, attracting
A small tidal creek flows into the harbor here, attracting
14. Hooded Mergansers, Lophodytes cucullatus - maybe 20 in all
15. Dunlin, Calidris alpina - one, feeding in the wave-line
16. Gadwall, Anas strepera - four
17. Black Duck, Anas rubripes - two
18. Mute Swan, Cygnus olor - three flying in from the open water
and more Bufflehead, Red-breasted Mergansers, Mallards and gulls
19. American Robin, Turdus migratorius - flock of 20-30 as we left the park
Calidris alpina, Dunlin, Lewis Bay, Hyannis, MA
By 4:30 the sun has set on a cloudy afternoon, Christmas lights have come on all over town, on boats in the harbor, trees, homes, stores. It's time to head for "home", the Olde Tavern Motel in Orleans. We make our way back to route 6, and continue east a few more miles to exit 12, where we pick up route 6A east and shortly arrive at the motel.
Brandon Baden welcomes us with the easy banter of a seasoned host - a young man, he runs the motel year-round, with assistance from his father. "The front desk girls" have the holidays off, so Brandon gives us his phone number and says he'll be over in a minute if we need anything. His family home is on the motel property.
We turn up the thermostat to something more reasonable than the 45 degrees that it seems to be set for, and head out in search of take-out food in downtown Orleans on Christmas Eve. It's no surprise that everything is closed down for the night - except - the Double Dragon and the Thai Garden. We place our order at the Double Dragon, and wait patiently with MANY others for our takeout.
Christmas Eve wine, an appropriate winter bird!
Christmas Eve wine, an appropriate winter bird!
Back at the motel, Jorge opens a bottle of "Little Blue Penguin" merlot, from Australia, and we tuck in to our Chinese Food.
Our first day produced nineteen species, not bad for three hours of birding, 2 hours of which was driving - we'll see what tomorrow brings. Now, to check the Massachusetts Rare Bird Alert - gotta love a motel with free wireless.
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