The Double-Crested Cormorants are back on Cape Cod! I saw this flock on the rock that sits out in the bay at Rock Harbor.
Double-Crested Cormorants are black birds with a greenish cast and are about 33″. You can frequently see them along the beach on the rocks or buoys as they spread their wings to dry them while resting.
There is a Baltimore Oriole’s nest way up in the tree in our yard here on Cape Cod. Baltimore Orioles build their hanging nests by weaving things togethe, like horse hair.
You can see the nest up close in the first photograph. In the second photograph you can see how high up the nest is. It is right in the middle of the picture above the dead branches.
There were 2 Snowy Egrets in the little pond near Boat Meadow on Cape Cod Bay. They were meandering about, looking for food.
I hadn’t seen a Snowy Egret in years and I was so surprised to see his bright yellow feet. I had forgotten how spectacular his feet were!
Snowy Egrets are tall birds of about 24″ and belong to the Heron family. They are all white with long black legs and yellow feet. They have a slender black bill with lores that are yellow.
Have you ever seen a Snowy Egret? Such a beautiful bird!
I saw this lonely Greater Scaup at Boat Meadow the other day. It was swimming and diving all alone. I had never seen one before so I clicked a few photographs to try to identify it.
And then when I was at Herring Cove in Provincetown I saw a flock of about 15-20 of them out in the water.
Greater Scaup about 18″ with the male having a gray back and sides of white with a dark green head. Females are a dark brown with a distinct white face.
We have many gorgeous orange, black and white Baltimore Orioles hanging about in our yard. We have discovered 2 nests in the nearby trees.
Baltimore Orioles build their nests using materials they can weave as their nests hang down from a branch. We were in the Birdwatcher’s General Store in Orleans the other day when Mike, the owner, gave us a little “horse hair.” He said, “Throw it about your yard and watch the Baltimore Orioles pick it up for their nests. And…we did and…they did! Amazing!
This little guy was flitting about on the ground. I liked how he landed on the rock in the garden. Beautiful bird, don’t you think?
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.