Bedford Audubon Society

Saturday, the 14^th (Valentine’s Day), was spectacular. The temperature hovered around 44 degrees, the sky was blue and perfect for being outdoors. Our group of 14 was led by John Askildsen. Our total species count was 88 for the weekend. What excited me most was the fact that I encountered 14 new “life birds.” I even found a new favorite duck, the Long-tailed Duck, formerly known as “Oldsquaw.” What a magnificent and elegant bird, the Long-tailed Duck is! The male is black and white, accented with subtle tones of gray, sporting black streamer tail feathers, and a “bubblegum pink” bill!

Male and Female Common Eiders

There were many other birds seen, that really were amazing in there own way. The Common Eider, Common and Red-throated Loons, Razorbills, Tree and Song Sparrows, Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawks were some of those, to name just a few.

The camaraderie of the group coupled with the experience of some, and the inexperience of others (like myself) made for great contrast and learning opportunities among the group’s participants. The age group ranged from 13 to 60+ years! It just goes to show that both young and old, beginner and expert birders can enjoy the company of others through the common thread of love for the natural world. The group met for all meals, and everyone enjoyed that warm “indoor time” together, when we broke the chill resulting from the wintry Cape Cod weather.

We were generally out from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We had simply beautiful days with bright sun and sometimes picturesque snow squalls. We stopped at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary where we viewed Northern Cardinals, Tree and Song Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Mockingbird, and Blue Jays among others.

Mornings were spent at the docks and Race Point, in Provincetown. “P’Town” is effectively the very end of Cape Cod, which juts out into the cold Atlantic. This is where we saw some of the rarer bird species for the trip, including members of the “alcid” family (small penguin-like birds of the northern hemisphere that include the familiar Puffin) such as Razorbills and Guillemots, Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, and Black-legged Kittiwake and Red-necked Grebes. Great Cormorant, Common Eider, Ring-billed, Herring and Great Black- backed Gulls were too numerous to count.

During a snowstorm on Sunday morning (there was about a two hour unexpected snow storm that halted us in our tracks for the morning) we retreated to a breakfast spot in Orleans in order to get respite from the elements. Our hot breakfast countered the effects of the storm and refueled us. After Sunday breakfast we stopped in at the Birdwatcher’s General Store and dropped a few dollars on bird-related items! We then visited the lovely village of Chatham and its scenic harbor, with views of “Chatham Bars.” Chatham Bars is a sandy barrier island that forms the wonderful harbor that birds and seals enjoy so much in winter.

Saturday’s weather was clear and cold. We stopped at a little bridge at the Yarmouth Port Mill Pond, Where we saw Bufflehead ducks fighting over a fish which a Herring Gull eventually stole from the Buffleheads. The fish seemed large and the Bufflehead couldn’t manage it well, or get it into a position to swallow. There were also six beautiful Northern Pintail ducks in the pond, too.

I had to leave late Sunday afternoon, but I heard from John Askildsen that the group saw two Sandhill Cranes at a golf course behind a house! The group also saw a rare Western Tanager that is visiting a backyard feeder. Finally, John told me that the last birds of the trip that the group saw was of a flock of Common Goldeneyes that included several rare Barrow’s Goldeneyes in Falmouth Heights. The Common Goldeneyes hail from Iceland and spend their winters on “our” coast. The Barrow’s Goldeneye, however, is a West Coast bird.

In closing, I had a great trip with a great group of people. Everyone should join a long Bedford Audubon field trip at least once, have some fun, and support Bedford Audubon Society.