Please consider all images as copyrighted and ask permission to use or reproduce them in any way. Thank you; David Clapp.
Well it is spring here in the northeast and I/we have been out birding most every day – hence a big gap in blog posts and I’m a bit sorry for that. In a way of apologizing and trying to make up for it I’m going to share a cluster of local images and observations; hopefully a post every few days for a while. Nothing exciting in the works mind you but at least an attempt to stay current and share a bit of our New England spring time.
Our New England spring time has been pretty nice much of the time. Out here on the Cape we had week after week of coldish winds from some aspect of north to them all through March and April. It was cool and bird migration was pretty slow. I saw red foxes, eastern coyotes, and river otter along with both red and gray squirrels but few birds. Finally in May we had less troublesome (for the migrating birds that is) winds and we started to get some neotropical migrants. Our herring and elvers returned to our tidal creeks and streams from the Sargasso Sea and Atlantic Ocean and the striped bass were on time as well. It seemed that the birds were kind of late and we never had a huge big push of arriving birds.
But soon there were orioles, tanagers, warblers, grosbeaks, vireos, and flycatchers in the trees. Here is a collection of images from the deck and a bit about each bird. The next post, “Around the Yard – #2”, will continue this theme with both more yard birds and a few from the shore. I’ll try not to depend on images or creatures that you have seen in previous posts; nuthatches, cardinals, chickadees, song sparrows, and eastern bluebird and so on, but there may be a few repeats.
Almost every year we have a pair of Eastern Screech Owls (EASO) in a nest box at the edge of the yard. This year again – as summer heats up and the young develop the box becomes warm and crowded. It is now that the female sticks her head out the opening and gets a break from the kid(s) inside. Within a week they young will leave the box and start the next phase of their journey. 
One of the larger birds that has a fierce look and gluttonous reputation at the bird feeders is the Common Grackle (COGR). This bird associates with wetlands and the associated shrubbery. They are big and noisy and gather in large flocks in the fall prior to migration. 
The male Baltimore Oriole (BAOR) is striking; the female less so. The orioles are closely related to grackles, blackbirds, cowbirds, and meadowlarks. This adult female is taking a bit of grape jam from a feeding dish. 
The birds of prey in eastern Massachusetts are Osprey (the fish-eater), Red-tailed Hawk (small mammals), the occasional Red-shouldered Hawk (small mammals and reptiles), and this bird, the Broad-winged Hawk (BWHA). The Broad-wing is an opportunistic feeder but is largely a small small mammal eater. They have nested in the neighborhood for several years but never in our yard – though the male returns to the same tree out back each year and suggests it to the female. But she decides on another yard and another tree — we try not to take it personally. At least they fly over at least once a day as if to say hello — or perhaps to amplify the fact they have chosen another yard to nest in. 
Many woodpeckers are insect larvae eaters and the Red-bellied Woodpecker (RBWO) fits that mold pretty well. But when it has youngsters to feed it will stop for some jelly as a personal treat and then take a beak-full of meal worms home to the kids. 
Young birds grow fast and need a lot of protein. Thus even birds that will eat seeds and fruits as adults will feed the youngsters insects and other protein rich foodstuffs. 
These next two pictures are just sort of regal images. The Blue Jay (BLJA) is a striking bird with a tawdry reputation. It will take babies and eggs from nests as food for their own young and they are known as raucous and brazen creatures. But they sure are stunning. They are around all year but many migrate south from here. They are likely tied to the acorn crops and will leave when the oaks don’t provide. They will return in loose flocks up thorough mid-May. These flocks can be seen as diurnal migrants, but usually early in the morning. 
The Mourning Dove (MODO) can “coo” all day. Many people think it is an owl hooting. But the doves and pigeons are not a bit owl-like. They are quite vegetarian and even feed their young on a partially digested milky mush rather than the usual array of insects. They breed from March on into November though they don’t make an issue of it. The nest is a casual platform of twigs and has no mud or weaving to it at all.
The header image that leads this post is of another Mourning Dove. They are, as you can see, just a kind of pigeon or a pigeon is a large stocky dove. In the US we separate pigeons and doves in our language and that semantic use implies a biological difference where there really is none. The study of genomics has opened the door to some really odd (possible) relationships. It seems, at least by early studies, that pigeons are related most closely to Tropicbirds and then in another step to ducks and geese and grouse and quail. That may seem unlikely but adaptation and the demands of survival have often caused twists and turns as plants and animals do what is necessary to reproduce and survive.
Look up (Google) tropicbirds and compare the three species to pigeons and doves. Tropicbirds are oceanic and rarely seen from land but they do actually fly with strong pigeon-like wing strokes. Most bird guides have placed the tropicbirds near the cormorants and boobies. Who would have thought that they might be salt water adapted pigeons……
On The Road With DEC 
Love the pictures Davey
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Interesting as usual
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