Wild Cape Cod Notebook: Of Warblers and Whales in the Provincelands
Among the birding community there is great pleasure in tracking, spotting and identifying migrating warblers and other song birds each spring and fall as they pass through on their yearly migrations to and from the Canadian arboreal forests. Cape Cod is a target refueling stop as it is one of the very easterly most pieces of land drawing birds in when the southerly winds shift to the west thus pushing flocks of high flying birds to the east and out over the ocean. One favorite spot for the birding community on Cape Cod is found up in the Provincelands; a stand of trees known as the Beech Forest.
Recently we have made several trips up to the Provincelands (pictured above at the very northerly tip of Cape Cod mainly to try a catch a few of the warblers passing through. We found some pictured here . We also captured a few of the birds that arrive and stay on the Cape for most of the summer and into the fall and even a few of the resident birds that live here throughout most years. They all come alive in the spring.
And to make life even more interesting a mere stones throw from the Beech Forest is Race Point and one of the finest viewing points any where in the world to observe whales. We found three different species in one afternoon in early May! See at the end of this post.
Catbird singing Pair of red tailed hawks Red bellied woodpecker Black throated blue warbler Blackburnian warbler (Possible) Tree Sparrow Northern Parula (warbler) Ruby throated hummingbird male at rest Eastern Towhee (male) Eastern Phoebe White Crowned Sparrow (a migrant passing through) Downy Woodpecker (likely resident) (male) Baltimore Orioles (2 males in a stand off around territory) Yellow rumped warbler Red winged blackbird Goldfinch in flight Blue Jay Northern Cardinal
Ruby throated hummingbird (male) White breasted nuthatch Tufted titmouse Pine warbler Black and white warbler Snowy egret Ruby crowned kinglet Chipping Sparrow Beautiful singing yellow warbler Indigo Bunting (rarely seen on the outer Cape but more common inland) Bay breasted warbler provincelands
We managed to get a scope on some whale activity at Race Point and again at the Pilgrim Heights Lookout. It is truly amazing what you can see form the beaches in the Provincelands if you just take the time to look.
Northern Right Whale dives Minke Whale feeding off Race Point Fin whale passing Race Point Race Point, Provincelands Breaching Northern Right Whale near Race Point Fin Whales at Race Point (Note large straight spout)
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