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Bird sightings on Cape Cod

THIS STORY APPEARED IN

December 21, 2011

A peregrine falcon was spotted recently in downtown Provincetown. (norman smith/file )

Recent bird sightings on Cape Cod (as of Dec. 14) as reported to the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

The brown booby, who must be missing his Caribbean homeland lately, was still being seen in Provincetown.

A Western kingbird was found in South Orleans this week, and the ash-throated flycatcher continues at Fort Hill in Eastham.

Both Wellfleet and Provincetown harbors have provided amazingly close looks at winter seabirds lately, including a thick-billed murre, 16 razorbills, a dovekie, 65 red-throated loons, 60 Bonaparte’s gulls, and a pomarine jaeger in Wellfleet Harbor, and 2 thick-billed murres, several razorbills, and some harlequin ducks in Provincetown Harbor.

Interesting Chatham seabirds included at least 6 Manx shearwaters, 3 great shearwaters, and a Pacific loon reported from Chatham Lighthouse.

First Encounter Beach in Eastham had a nice seabird flight highlighted by 2 Northern fulmars, 11 Cory’s shearwaters, 3 great shearwaters, 850 Northern gannets, 460 black-legged kittiwakes, 75 Bonaparte’s gulls, 18 pomarine jaegers, 14 unidentified jaegers, 11 dovekies, 80 razorbills, and 500 unidentified alcids.

Great egrets were seen in unusual numbers for this time of year, including one at South Cape Beach State Park in Mashpee, two at Tern Island in Chatham, and two at Mill Pond in Truro. In other sightings around the Cape, a clay-colored sparrow was reported from Pocasset, 2 Western willets were seen at Muddy Creek in Chatham, a black-throated green warbler continues in Marstons Mills, an Iceland gull and 2 snow buntings were at Cahoon Hollow in Wellfleet, 5 Northern saw-whet owls were reported in Truro, and a peregrine falcon was seen in downtown Provincetown.