The Calm Before the Storm….

Posted on August 27, 2011 by admin

As Hurricane Irene barrels up the east coast in our direction we are having a day of calm here in Hyannis on Cape Cod…

The beaches are quiet and mostly empty….not even a gull to be seen….

though there are lifeguards on duty….

Many, many boats have been taken out of the water already and others are being taken out today though some will ride out the storm on their moorings….

The bath house and snack bar are open but the windows are being boarded up….

the parking lot is mostly empty….there is no wind so even the usual wind surfers are not here….

on this last weekend of August there is an eerie feeling all around…

as we wait to see what Irene has in store for us….

Horned Larks at Kalmus Beach

Posted on April 10, 2011 by admin

Yesterday I was lucky enough to spot a horned lark foraging in the dune grass. There may have been more than one but this was the only one I saw. I followed it as it made its way down the beach. It occasionally stopped to sing. Once you’ve heard a horned lark sing you know why they are called larks. Their song is quiet but very sweet.

Horned larks look as if they have tiny horns on their heads but they are really feather tufts, not horns.

Here on the Cape they are often found by the dunes or on beaches that have good grass or plant cover. They are seed eaters so these places are especially attractive to them in the off seasons. They are the only true lark in North America by the way, and often called shore larks overseas, a name that fits them here on the Cape as well, in my opinion.

These birds are very well camouflaged as you can see from this picture. If you can’t see him, he is almost smack in the center of the photograph.

This bird was photographed by me at Kalmus Beach in Hyannis yesterday. They can be found on many Cape beaches, in fields and meadows, along marsh edges and other such areas.

Snow Buntings!

Posted on January 5, 2010 by admin

Every fall I watch the dunes while on one of my favorite beach walks for one of my favorite winter birds. Snow buntings arrive some time around the end of October each year and can be found at many Cape beaches that have protected dunes. They fly in from the arctic, where they breed each summer and when they first arrive you might be lucky enough to see a few still in their full breeding regalia. They are a lovely, elegant little bird with beautiful markings. Even in the winter I think they are quite lovely to behold.I think many people mistake them for sparrows, for they gather in small flocks, twitter as they are feeding and spend much of their time feeding on seeds on the ground.They are very well camouflaged and many folks probably walk right by them without a thought. I just get a kick out of them. They are quick and spunky and I love to watch them rise up and chase a crow or a hawk in a big cloud of wings and feathers. When they land they land with a bit of a chattering ruckus as if to say, can you believe the nerve of that guy?On this sunny afternoon I didn’t want to get too close and disturb their feeding and I knew they had a good eye on me. My camera has a decent zoom which is how I got these pictures but they don’t really show how beautiful these little birds are.

I snapped this quickly as they rose up to chase a crow and you can see how their wings simply shine in the afternoon sun. If you’re near some dunes on a Cape beach walk, keep your eyes and ears open for signs of snow buntings. These birds winter at Kalmus Beach in Hyannis but other flocks are noted throughout the Cape all winter long.

Snowy Beach

Posted on January 4, 2010 by admin

A late afternoon walk on the beach after a snowfall is always beautiful….especially if it is a calm, sunny afternoon…..The gulls were standing byShelves of salty snow hung over sand washed by the highest of moon tides receding….Pale sky, yellow grasses, snowy dunes….Sun and shadow danced across the top of the dunes….