The Eagles Have Landed … Safely Their resurgence here is the real environmental success story By Mike O’Connor I think just about everyone around here is familiar with the faceoff that took place earlier this spring between a pair of bald eagles...

My New Year’s resolution (Rerun alert): A few years ago I wrote a column about finding a particular new bird for the year, a Lapland Longspur. Longspurs are not very exciting sparrow-ish birds that visit Cape Cod in the off-season. Each winter only a handful of people...

A Pink-footed Goose comes to town: Does anyone remember The Big Year, the 2011 movie about three maniac birders who race across North America trying to spot the highest number of different bird species in a single year? It became an instant classic…sort of. One of the...

  Repeat alert: Last year, after reading about the tiny owl in the NYC Christmas tree, June wanted to know how to attract owls to her yard. It’s the perfect bird story for this time of year, so let’s tell it again.   Dear Bird Folks, I loved hearing about...

Dear Bird Folks, We have several books to help us with bird identification, but none of them tell us much about their natural history. Can you suggest a book that also includes more information about birds? – Cory, Truro, MA Two books, Cory, Instead of one, I can...

Dear Bird Folks, Maybe you can’t say specifically, but I’m wondering which bird feeder you think is the best to buy. – Justin, Rutland, VT   I can say, Justin, I can say whatever I want. We are only talking about bird feeders here, not national secrets or the...

Dear Bird Folks, I borrowed a pair of my friend’s 8X42 binoculars and really liked them. I thought I’d get the same kind for myself, but my husband thinks buying a set of binoculars with a zoom feature is a better idea. What do you think I should do? – Lizzie,...

Dear Bird Folks, Please take a look at the bird in the center of the attached photo and tell me if you think it’s an American Golden-Plover. I’ve been looking for one of these birds all fall, but I’m having trouble distinguishing it from all the plovers on the beach....

Dear Bird Folks, Any idea of the story behind the peacock that has been hanging out with the turkeys in my neighborhood? – EG, Brewster, MA   Not again, EG, I almost made it an entire week without being asked about the crazy peacock in Brewster. That bird has...

Dear Bird Folks, Recently, I heard what I thought were both a Tufted Titmouse and a Carolina Wren singing nearby. Then I discovered the sounds were coming from two different mockingbirds instead. Any explanation why they are singing this time of year? – Gail, East...

Dear Bird Folks, Please listen to the attached audio clip. For the last few nights a bird has been chirping in our backyard, but since it’s dark outside we can never seem to find it. We even tried using the bird sound ID app, with no luck. Any clue what it is? – Liz,...

A trip to the White Mountains: I wanted to call this column “A birding trip to the White Mountains,” but it was actually more of an anniversary excursion, with a little bird watching mixed in…as you might have expected. We decided not to leave until after the Columbus...

A surprise Dickcissel: Last week, Casey was helping me unload a pallet of birdseed at work, when an odd bird caught my eye. I reached for the “emergency binoculars” we keep by the back door and zoomed in. “I think I see a Dickcissel,” I said, as I passed Casey the...

Dear Bird Folks, Occasionally, a Cooper’s Hawk will chase the birds at our feeder. Today, however, a hawk ignored the birds and instead dove into our rather tall grass and came out with a chipmunk. Any idea what kind of hawk it is? (See attached photo.) – Cass,...

A surprise Northern Wheatear: Ever heard of a wheatear? If you haven’t, here’s a hint - it’s a bird. Does that help? Earlier in the month I wrote a column about spotting an American White Pelican flying over Orleans. This is a rare sighting for Cape Cod, but the bird...

Dear Bird Folks, We’ve all heard the expression, “performing the broken wing act.” Do birds actually do that or is it basically an urban myth? – Fred, New London, CT   Not a myth, Fred, Birds really do perform the broken wing act. But don’t worry, there are still...

An American White Pelican over Orleans: I don’t want to take away anything from the late Dr. King, but I too have a dream. Only mine isn’t a society altering metaphorical dream. My dream is more like a bird-related nightmare, and I have it on a regular basis. No...

Dear Bird Folks, The birds on my feeder have been looking a little bedraggled lately. Do you think it’s because of the long hot summer we’ve just gone through? Will they ever recover? – Ellie, Sandwich, MA   No, Ellie, The birds aren’t bedraggled from the long,...

It’s after Labor Day: There once was a time when Labor Day meant vacationers headed home and kids went back to school, but COVID has made things a little less certain than they used to be. Regardless, I just found out that one thing is certain: the newspaper has an...

Dear Bird Folks, Please find the attached photo of a big flock of tall white birds that were gathering in Rock Harbor Creek. Any explanation what is going on? Could it be an indication of a tough winter ahead or perhaps it’s a town meeting? – Rick, Rock Harbor, MA...

  Dear Bird Folks, Last week you declared it was safe for us to put our birdfeeders out again, but you didn’t mention anything about birdbaths. Are they okay to put out now, too? - Eric, Chatham, MA   Just to be clear, Eric, I only pointed out reports that...

Dear Bird Folks, My daughter is all excited about the new Merlin app for identifying bird songs. She loves it and says it finds birds in her yard she never knew she had before. Do you have it and if so, what do you think? – Fahy, Duxbury, MA Got it, Fahy, I got the...

Good news stories, part two: Last week I wrote how about Stephanie from Wild Care treated the mites on the baby flycatchers in my nest box. I know that sounds creepy, but it actually wasn’t that bad, and the little birds are doing just fine. She also told me how to...

Two good news topics: Due to the uncertainty caused by a mysterious avian illness, backyard bird watching has taken a hit recently. So, I’ve decided to change things up a bit this week and write two different positive stories. The first one is about everyone’s...

Dear Bird Folks, The bird in the attached photo has been coming to my friend’s yard for the last few days, but it’s not in any of my Cape Cod bird books. Any idea what it is? – Bruce, Brewster, MA   Not Brewster again, Bruce, I don’t know what is going on in your...

Dear Bird Folks, As you promised, the orioles we saw on our feeder in May (but seemed to disappear in June) have returned big time. Now we have more than we can count. We are wondering how we can tell the duller female orioles from their fledglings. – Rita, Simsbury,...

Dear Bird Folks, Could you please tell us what bird is in the attached photo? It looks like a giant titmouse. - Jeff, Kingston, MA   No problem, Jeff, I’ll be glad to help identify the bird in your photo. And while I’m at it, I’ll also identify a handful of other...

Dear Bird Folks, Since April, we’ve had a male bluebird singing from a tree in our yard. He even goes in and out of our birdhouse, chasing away any bird that gets too close. Yet, there’s no nest. What gives? - Sharon, Eastham, MA   I’ll try, Sharon, I’ll try to...

Dear Bird Folks, Do they make any hummingbird feeders that actually don’t leak? – David, Brewster, MA   Yes, David, There are indeed hummingbird feeders that don’t leak. They’ve been around for at least forty years, and probably longer. Dripping feeders are a...

A visit to the Garden in the Woods: Behind our shop we have a small garden. Over the years we’ve filled it with whatever plants we thought looked pretty, and, of course, whatever plants happened to be on sale that week. One day a lady told me that the plants in our...

  A new yard bird: A new “yard bird” is simply a bird species that you spot in your yard for the very first time. It’s different than seeing a “life bird,” which is spotting a bird you have never seen before in your life. (Pretty complicated stuff, eh?) Seeing a...

Dear Bird Folks, For the first time ever, we have a pair of Eastern Kingbirds in our yard. Do you think they’re just passing through or might they be nesting nearby? Also, what can I do to keep them around? – Paul, Sudbury, MA   Let me check my calendar, Paul, A...

A Yellow-headed Blackbird comes to Truro: I work with a fairly new and considerably younger staff these days, so whenever the phone rings, I tend to eavesdrop on the conversation. It’s not that I’m nosy (although I am); I just want to stay close in case I’m needed to...

Looking for birds in Hanson: Yes, you read that right. I went looking birds in Hanson, MA. Why? Because Mary Jo suggested it, that’s why. Plus, I’ve been searching for an off-Cape site to visit ever since I stopped writing about local birding spots. It’s been brought...

Dear Bird Folks, Please take a look at the photo on my phone and tell me what birds these are. They appear to be a mother bird with babies and I found them huddled under some vegetation along the side of my driveway. – Bill, Eastham, MA   Those are woodcocks,...

Dear Bird Folks, An off-Cape friend sent me a note about a Tricolored Heron that was being seen in Harwich, but she didn’t know the exact location. Have you heard about this sighting? Do you know where it was, and if so, can anyone go there to look for it? – Ida,...

Dear Bird Folks, I was surprised to learn from one of your columns that Wild Turkeys sleep in trees. They seem too big and clumsy to be able to fly that high. What about nesting? Do they also build their nests in trees? – Jackson, Falmouth, MA   You are so right,...

Dear Bird Folks, I don’t know if you’ve answered this question before, but I’d like to know how robins are able to find worms on our lawn. I was told that when they cock their head towards the ground, they are actually “listening” for worms, but I’m not sure if that’s...

Dear Bird Folks, We have several active birdfeeders in our yard and we are now thinking about putting up some birdhouses as well. Do you have any advice about doing that? – Tom, Harwich, MA   I remember you, Tom, In case anyone who’s not Tom has forgotten, last...

Dear Bird Folks, We have several active birdfeeders in our yard and now we are thinking about putting up some birdhouses as well. Do you have any advice about doing that? – Tom, Harwich, MA   Yes I do, Tom, I have all kinds of advice about birdhouses and I’ll be...

Dear Bird Folks, Last week you wrote about the Wood Duck being our most colorful bird. I disagree and contend that the American Kestrel is more beautiful. Did you forget about them? Also, has something happened to the kestrels? I haven’t seen many lately. – Kyle,...

Dear Bird Folks, I’m thinking about putting out a nest box for Wood Ducks. Do you have any suggestions? – Carole, W. Barnstable, MA   Yes, I do, Carole, I certainly do have a suggestion…get going. Here in the north, Wood Ducks start laying their eggs in April,...

It’s almost April: In past years at this time, I’ve written not-so-true columns in honor of April Fools’ Day. I didn’t do it in 2020 because we were all worried about the coming virus, and while things are slowly getting better, I still don’t feel it’s appropriate to...

Dear Bird Folks, When I walk by my local pond, I hear loud “peeping” coming from some ducks on the far side. (Please listen to the attached audio clip.) Why are the ducks peeping instead of quacking? - Leslie, Orleans, MA   It’s a stereotype, Leslie, In these...

Dear Bird Folks, The pandemic has given me a lot of free time, so I’m thinking about taking a bird class online. Have you ever taken one and if so, do you have one that you would recommend? – Paul, Pembroke, MA   Nope, Paul, Even though I look like a college...

Dear Bird Folks, I’m one of those guys who is too lazy to wash his own car. I’d rather let the rain do it for me. Rain does a good job on dirt, dust and pollen, but it never seems to remove old bird droppings. Why is bird poop so hard to wash off? – Dennis, Kingston,...

Dear Bird Folks, I’ve been reading a lot about the breeding behavior in birds and have noticed that much of their courtship activity is similar to ours. What do you think? – Kerry, Waltham, MA   Here’s what I think, Kerry, I think this would have been a great...

Dear Bird Folks, Please take a look at the attached photo of this Red-breasted Nuthatch. It seems to have an extra long, hummingbird-style beak. We call it a “hum-hatch.” Any explanation? – Rocky, Eastham, MA   This could be big, Rocky, One of the major drawbacks...

Dear Bird Folks, Please take a look at this very bad photo of a strange duck that I saw on Lily Pond in Pocasset. It was far away and the lighting was bad, but hopefully you can see enough details to help us identify what it is. – Fran, Pocasset, MA   You are...

Dear Bird Folks, Do woodpeckers lay their eggs in the winter? We’ve been seeing a Downey Woodpecker going in and out of one of our birdhouses lately, but it seems too cold to be having babies right now. – Maggie, Cranston, RI   It sure is, Maggie, Even though...