CAPE COD’S SUMMER BIRDS (7/19/02)

No matter what the season, looking for birds on Cape Cod is challenging and rewarding. In the summer, there are both nesting birds (about 130 of them) and migrant shorebirds that return as early as the end of June to linger and fatten up before their long flight to South America.

Whether your level of interest in birds is casual or serious, you will find ample opportunities for avian moments. First, for those of you whose enjoyment of birdwatching is limited to your yard, I can almost guarantee certain birds that are on the premises of every house, cottage and hotel grounds. While in no way unusual, you can enjoy these birds —the ones I call the voices of our summer — as you garden, sunbathe or eat a picnic supper, without the need for binoculars.

Song sparrows, for instance, while not conspicuous in their habits are persistent singers and very much part of the fabric of Cape Cod’s natural world. This sparrow has prominent streaking on its breast with a conspicuous dark spot in the center of it. It’s four- or five-note song supposedly reminds many of the opening notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

Cardinals and chickadees, on the contrary, are as eye-catching as they can be, singing cheerfully and feeding out in the open much of the day. Equally tuneful but more often heard than seen, unless there is a thistle feeder at hand, are the goldfinches as they bound in roller coaster flights overhead . One of the Cape’s most numerous and widespread songbirds, goldfinches delight in dining on dandelion seeds, thistles, and weed seeds found amongst the beach grass.

Where there are briars or large, dense shrubs, catbirds are sure to be present. Though they are skulkers, they “sing” in a constant chatter or mew, sounding rather like a cat, alerting one to their presence. Look for a robin-sized, dark gray bird with a black crown that shows a cinnamon patch under the tail.

Northern flickers are almost everywhere there are deciduous trees of any size. Unlike other woodpeckers, however, flickers’ preferred food is ants, so they spend much time on the ground. When they fly up or away, watch for the conspicuous white patch on their rump. Their ringing cry and a downward sliding call draw a listener’s attention.

If many pine trees abound, most likely there are pine warblers feeding on insects up in the tallest branches. See whether you can find a 5 1/2”, rather drab, yellowish-green bird with 2 conspicuous white wing bars, singing a long, one-note trill.

For those who like to travel around looking for birds, the Cape offers a variety of habitats — fields, pastures and moors; woodlands; pitch pine barrens; mixed pine and oak woodlands; freshwater marshes; salt marshes; dunes and beaches, to say nothing of the ocean itself — each with its own band of birds.

Wherever there are wetlands with cattails, there most certainly will be red-winged blackbirds. The male is unmistakable, an all black bird except for his prominent red and yellow epaulets. The female is an inconspicuous brown-streaked job. Also present in the same area are most likely common yellowthroats. A 5” mite, the male has a bold black mask across his eyes and a loud “witchety, witchety” song. The female is plain yellow all over.

For a different approach to birding, everyone should experience the birds of our bayside marshes and outer beaches. Three of the best sites are the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary off Route 6 in Wellfleet; the Museum of Natural History along Route 6A in Brewster; South Beach, Morris Island and Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham.

At Mass. Audubon’s refuge, boardwalks lead past ponds, through the vast marsh and out onto tidal flats, and along the way are volunteer naturalists who answer questions about the wildlife. Common species of shorebirds, such as yellowlegs, dowitchers, black-bellied plovers and “peep,” are often joined by pectoral, stilt and solitary sandpipers. In late summer, numerous egrets and herons appear, along with common, roseate, least, Forster’s and black terns and maybe even a black skimmer. Whimbrels, large shorebirds with long down-curving bills, frequent the marsh during July and August. Refuge staff schedules regular walks throughout the summer.

The Natural History museum has outdoor trails and interpreters who will take you to adjacent Wing Island. It’s a good rainy day destination, as well, for the exhibits and special programs that extend anyone’s interest in the out-of-doors.

The headquarters for Monomoy Refuge is on Morris Island. From there, you can walk along the island’s beach below the headquarters for a quarter to half a mile to extensive mud flats where colorful American oystercatchers, willets, black-bellied plovers and red knots are usually numerous. You can either walk the length of South Beach or hire a boat to take you to its tip. Both it and Monomoy Refuge, an island ten minutes away by boat, host thousands of gulls, terns and shorebirds.

The Cape, in fact, has dozens of areas productive for birds. For anyone seriously interested in tracking down as many species as possible, Birding Cape Cod written by staff of the Cape Cod Bird Club and Massachusetts Audubon Society is a must, gives detailed directions and maps to every place of interest, along with an annotated list of birds by season.

You can also enjoy birds while on any whale watching boat. Usually you can expect to see great numbers of pelagic birds — gannets, shearwaters, jaegers, storm-petrels, alcids — that live mainly at sea. Both the Hyannis Whale Watch Cruises and those out of Provincetown have knowledgeable naturalists on board. Let them know that you are interested in birds, as well as whales.

The following information should provide you with enough guidance to help make your summer a profitable one for enjoying Cape Cod’s birds: Mass. Audubon’s Sanctuary is the first left after the drive-in theater as you enter Wellfleet from the south on Route 6. Check out the Cape Cod Times or call 508-349-2615 to find out the time of their scheduled walks and trips to various destinations on the Lower Cape.

The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History’s number is 508-896-3867. Call for a listing of their walks and trips, including wildlife cruises, to other places on the Cape.

Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge is reached via Morris Island Road. After crossing the causeway, continue straight up the hill (ignoring the “Residents Only” sign) to the first road on the left, Wikis Way, which ends shortly at the headquarters.

I hope you enjoy summer birding on the Cape.

GRAPHIC: Song Sparrow