Fall bird migration on Cape Cod

by Donna Cain

I have always loved birds and enjoy watching them year round  at our back feeder at the Captain Freeman Inn.  I can identify the Blue Jay, Robins, Woodpeckers, Nuthatch, Cardinals, Robins, Chickadees, Morning doves, and wrens. I sometimes scold the crows that love to feed from our compost pile but always remember my mother saying they are God’s creatures too:) I am hopeful to one day to attract the bluebirds to our back yard.

                    Greater Yellowlegs – picture by Steve Benson

 

Always appreciate when birders stay with us and can identify so many different birds. These past few days we had a lovely couple, Steve and Lisa, stay with us that were busy exploring Cape Cod and identifying as many types as they could. They ventured up to P’town and visited many of the beaches at the National Seashore. This is a special time of year for birders as many different kinds of species are migrating through Cape Cod. The Atlantic Flyway is the primary migration route for more than 500 bird species and millions of individual birds rest here during their trek. Over 40 different species rest and feed on the National Seashore beaches during migration.

                    Common Terns- picture by Steve Benson

I was tickled when Steve offered to share all of the different bird species he saw during his stay with us. He divided the list by ones seen in our backyard and ones seen around Cape Cod.

                   Black -bellied plover- picture by Steve Benson

Captain Freeman back feeder:

Tufted Titmouse, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, White- breasted nuthatch, Black-capped chickadee, Blue Jay, Cardinal, House sparrow, Morning Dove.

                    Eastern Phoebe- picture by Steve Benson

Seen on Cape Cod during their stay:

Long-tailed common jaeger, Red-tailed hawk, Common Eilat, Northern Harrier, Double-crested Cormorant, Great CormorantRing-billed Gull, Hairy Woodpecker, Dunlin, Cooper Hawk, Great Cormorant, Double Crested Cormorant, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Lincoln Sparrow, House finch, Greater Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Common tern, Great blue heron, Brant goose, White-wing scoter, Surf scoter, Turkey vulture, Tree swallow, Wild turkey, Black-bellied plover, Semi palmated plover, Greater yellowlegs, Sanderling, Great black-backed gull, Laughing gull, Herring gull, Rock dove, Downey woodpecker, Eastern phoebe, Yellow warbler, Blue Jay, American crow.

Thanks Steve and Lisa for staying with us and creating such a wonderful atmosphere in the breakfast room as everyone watched the birds at our back feeder.