The Kingfisher — — VOLUME 31 ISSUE I The Cape Cod Bird Club Newsletter SEPTEMBER OCTOBER, 2002 Making so many new and special birding ?ugIdet Ms.ga.s friends along the way, especially here on Cape Cod...our dream destination! Cape CodBird Club Thank you for your vote of confidence in me as your new President! I will do my meetings are 7:30PM Early in 1997, Sylvia and I fell in love with a the secondMonday best to continue the tradition of presidential pondfront property in Marstons Mills after excellence with this challenging and exciting ofeach month seeing a Kingfisher and several Bufflehead opportunity. at the Museum of active on the pond. We buik our dream home, Nawra!History I’m thankful too, for the capable people and then decorated our land with bird feeders you have also elected to serve with me on and bird houses! We love all the great birds Rte 6A, Brewster, your new leadership team. Ready or not... M4. that we see on a regular basis! HERE WE COME!!!! I could go on and on, but it’s time to wish For the record, I have been a lifelong you all GOOD BIRDING as we enter the Fall where Season ... a terrific time to bird here on the Inside this issue: birder. I grew up in jamestown N.Y., my junior high math teacher introduced the Cape! My motto is ... whether you are Programs for Sept - Oct 2 class to birding. ft quickly became my #1 enjoying the birds at your backyard feeders, hobby, and has delighted my entire family on a local field trip, or in an exotic location, Ludlow Gnscom Award 2 ever since! have f birding .. and let the good times coil!! Jackie’s Lost Cape Walk 2 Just a few memorable birding highlights over the years P14 7w4ows4i 2001-2002 ReId Trips 3 - When I was IS, attracting a Brown (Bored) Chickadee to my suet Sept — Oct Field Trips 3 Capped feeder and my surprise (and pleasure) W7iot’s Around 4 to find that experienced birders would journey 100+ miles to see it! Wow... Twitching Across 5 ‘I what a hobby!! Northern Australia - Driving as newlyweds through upstate New York and spotting an American Bittern in a marsh, and realizing happily that my bride was just as excited as I was! - Seeing colorful Painted Buntings at the The Kingfisher ispublished Rattlesnake Springs, NM IBA in May. bi-monthly. Our New Look Deadline for submissions for Working on earlier copies of the newsletter, “The Kingfisher.” This idea and name met next issue Is: October 10th. Send to: cthc_kingfisher it occurred to me that ‘Cape Cod Bird Club’ is with approval by the other members of @hotmaiLcom the name of our organization which celebrated the CCBC Board. its 30th birthday last year. I felt that perhaps We hope that Website: http: / /www. our newsletter deserved its very own name YOU, the reader, massbird.org/CCBC and identity. also approve. Webmaster: Jane Carter With the Belted Kingfisher as our club logo, it was suggested that a logical choice would be PAGE 2 THE KINGHSHER VOLUME 31 — ISSUE I CCBC Programs — September & October Our Last Walk with Jackie Svptember 9th - Southwest Birding October 14th - Central America by Ruth Connaughton On Monday, September 9th, René Laubach, Director of the (Jackte Sones is now working with the Joyce Leary will take us on a photo Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries since Nature Conservancy in Oregon.) graphic tour of many of the birding hot- 1985, has led tours for the Massachu spots in Texas. She invites us to travel setts Audubon to Belize and Tikal, April 26, 2002 — We come to Beech with her along the Gulf Coast, through Mexico, the American Southwest, and Forest in many moods. It is Jackie’s last the Rio Grande Valley, up to Texas hill the Mid-Atlantic states. Since his first walk with us before leaving for Oregon! country, into the Davis Mountains and trip to Belize and Tikal in 1992, That realization makes us intensely will surround us with the beauty of Big René has returned annually to this aware so a couple of Spring Azures, Bend National Park fascinating and wildlife-rich area of a blue-violet aerial merry-go-round, Central America. For four months this past winter whirling above the leafy floor, really and early spring, Joyce took slides of His natural history interests include heightens our excitement! Spring sun 70 — 80 bird species including: Black- birds, bats, and butterflies, and he has shine floods through the shadow-green necked Stilt, Acorn Woodpecker, been an active bird bander for many of the woods where the young leaves Golden-fronted Woodpecker, years. are just beginning to unfurl. The melody Pauraque, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, He has authored and co-authored of the birds, a sign of lengthening light Plain Chachalaca, Phainopepla. Greater five books on natural history, including and returning flight, reflects our happier Roadrunner and many shorebirds, The Backyard &rdhouse Book which he mood. And happiness is the Pine and including the Long-billed Curlew. wrote with his wife, Christyna. Palm Warbiers back in full voice, their Several days were spent capturing Join us as René shares his fascinating colors dazzling against the blue sky and images of nesting adults and new chicks experiences with us. the emerging buds. One special Palm in the rookeries on High Island, Texas Warbler flaunts its yellow and brown and in Layfayette, Louisiana. beauty from a few conspicuous branches The beauty of Joyce’s photography and the light reflecting from him gives us a delightful, daring display. A couple of has thrilled us in the past. You won’t want to miss this special evening! Golden-crowned Kinglets flit in and out of branches and shrubs, all the time sing ing their high thin notes. Suddenly Jackie points out the snappy Ludlow Griscom Award Recipient — MarkTuttle “chick-a-per-weeeoo-chick” of the ] VVhfte-eyed Vireo. Most of us can actu At the May I 3th CCBC meeting, Wildlife Sanctuary to help fund a ally see the yellow spectacles, if not the the 5th Annual Ludlow Griscom bird-related exhibit. white eye. Fluttering persistently and Award was presented by Art King An active Walk Leader during his singing clearly, this bit of soft yellow and to Mark Tuttle. years with the Club, Mark is still gray reminds me of how my bird list is Since joining the Cape Cod Bird serving in this role. Congratulations, every bird moment How much we will ear Club, Mark has been an involved Mark, on this much deserved award! all miss Jackie’s and eye! participant, serving as Treasurer Disconsolate for a moment! Then, from a distance, a Phoebe belts out his from 1992 until 1996. In the Fall exuberant song and our longing shifts of 1992, Mark also founded the A special thank you to everyone who articles, rapidly to exhilaration. That jubilance Cape Cod Bird Club Hotline and submitted poetry, and art work Ior this newsletter. lasts for most of the walk and especially acted as its Coordinator. In 1995, when loud cheery warbling announces OCTOBER 10 - Cut-off date for Mark was the main coordinator for the Purple Finch. Even before we see next newsleftr submissions! Note it, Jackie tells us what to look for and, the Club gift to the Wellileet Bay the NEW email address. (Continued on page 5) VOLUME 31 — ISSUE I THE KINGASHER PAGE 3 Report of Field Trips for 2001 -2002 StautTer Miller BIRD WA TCHERS (1 la Rudyard Kipling) The bird club offered about 30 field Some of the higher trip totals were if you can keep your mouth shut trips over the period September 2001 Stauffer Miller’s Maine trip which pro While all about you are listening to July 2002. A total of 187 different duced 75 species and Bob and Alison’s carefully, species were seen on these 30 plus Falmouth outing of May (2 with 52 spe If you can tread lightly while ears trips and there were about 20 or 25 cies, including 9 different warblers. are cupped :1 different leaders. Mike Dettrey’s trip to South Beach in and hands are pointing frantically, For the past few years the compos Chatham in June contributed 5 species If you can point your glasses and fte field trip total has been about 170 not found on other trips (VVilson’s focus immediately, species so this particular season ex Storm Petrel, Piping Plover, Red Knot, ii. if you can identify markings and celled. Black Skimmer and Parasitic Jaeger). winter plumage readily, if you can balance book and scope Some of the more unusual species As always, several relatively common to see the wing-tip clearly, seen were: Red-necked Grebes (seen species were not seen at all -- Lesser See black-capped, hooded, red only on Mark Tuttle’s Corporation Scaup, Lesser Yellowlegs, Whimbrel, beffied, long-billed, yellow-legged, Beach trip of March 16), the Snow American Woodcock, Screech Owl, white-throated, checkered or Geese seen at Plum Island on the House Wren, Bay-breasted Warbler, spotted writer’s October trip to Maine (only Ovenbird and Northern Warerthrush. thousands of species, ones), the Sandhill Crane at Province- Again, I would like to thank all You can be called “a birder,” town seen by Diane Silverstein leaders and trip participants who, mydear. and Mike Dettrey’s trip at the Beech together, made this a banner field by Marts Zanfmno Forest of May 25 and the Fox Sparrow trip season. Good birding and found February 10 in Falmouth by Bob see you in the field.