We’ve seen a few Horned Larks scurrying around on the beaches or in the tall grass by the beaches in the past few days. They are such an unusual bird with two little black “horns” on their head. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
The Horned Lark, with brown upperparts and white underparts, is distinctly known for its yellow face with a black mask which extends down, its two black “horns,” and its black bib.
Beautiful coloring. Have you ever seen a Horned Lark?
We used to see Dark-eyed Juncos all winter long when we lived in Colorado. They were everywhere. We have not many here on the Cape, maybe a couple a year. So it was a big treat to see them in our yard the other day. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
Dark-eyed Juncos are a medium-sized sparrow with dark eyes, a pink bill, white belly and dark centered-tail with white outer feathers.
I loved the stripes on its tail feathers from the back. Have you seen a Dark-eyed Junco this year?
I saw my first Double-Crested Cormorant this year at Rock Harbor a couple of days ago. What a treat! I love to watch them swim along and dive for food. They are so entertaining.
The Double-crested Cormorant is a medium-sized cormorant with an iridescent black body and an orange throat pouch. They frequently spread their wings to dry them.
This is the first one of the season for me… beautiful bird, don’t you think?
House Finches do winter here on Cape Cod, but I haven’t seen them since last summer until… Two of them showed up at our bird feeder a couple of weeks ago. I loved this little one’s expression. Precious, isn’t it?
I thought I would post this photo in honor of my Dad. He would have been 100 years old today. He taught me all about birds and instilled in me a love of birding when I was a little girl. I remember sitting on the patio and him saying, “There’s a Towhee!” You can hear his call, “Drink your tea!” It was the first bird call that I learned.
So, Happy 100th Birthday, Dad. Thank you for the gift of birding and love of nature. I miss you.
