Month: October 2019

Cape Cod October Big Day

Team BirdNation spent a majority of October Big Day in Provincetown, Massachusetts. We visited 3 Provincetown locations: Race Point Beach, Herring Cove Beach, and MacMillan Pier. In the evening we went to Skaket Beach in Orleans. Overall we observed 20 different species and over 2,000 individual birds.

Race Point Beach, Provincetown, MA (14 species, 1068 individuals)

  • Large flocks of White-winged Scoters
  • 5 Gull species: Bonaparte’s, Laughing, Great Black-backed, Ring-billed, and Herring
  • Other bird species: Double-crested Cormorants, Common Eiders, Northern Gannets, Sanderlings, Rock Pigeons, Tree Swallows, European Starlings, a Common Loon
  • 2 Harbor Seals
  • Harbor Seal (Image by David Horowitz)
  • Laughing Gull (Image by BirdNation)
Male and Female White-winged Scoters (Image by BirdNation)
A variety of gulls: Black-backed, Bonaparte’s Laughing, and Herring (Image by BirdNation)
Northern Gannets (Image by BirdNation)

Herring Cove Beach, Provincetown, MA (9 species, 212 individuals)

  • Rafts of Common Eiders and White-winged Scoters
  • Large flocks of Double-crested Cormorants and mixed Gulls
White-winged Scoters (Image by BirdNation)

MacMillan Pier, Provincetown, MA (3 species, 48 individuals)

We didn’t do much birding at MacMillan Pier because we were on our way to lunch but we did see some Common Eiders, Herring Gulls, and Rock Pigeons. The Pier is a cool little area of town and has great views of Provincetown Harbor. You can also see the Pilgrim Monument in the center of town, a tower that commemorates when the Pilgrims landed the Mayflower in Provincetown in 1620.

  • Pilgrim Monument (Image by BirdNation)
  • MacMillan Pier (Image by BirdNation)

Skaket Beach, Orleans, MA (10 species, 701 individuals)

We went to Skaket Beach around sunset. I didn’t have the camera while we were there, but we saw hundreds of Common Eiders and White-winged Scoters flying over the bay.

  • Golden Glow (Image by BirdNation)
  • Skaket Sunset (Image by BirdNation)

We had an amazing day birding in Provincetown and Orleans. Did you go birding on October Big Day? If you did tell us about it in the comments.

To read about our October Big Day trip in Cape May last year click here.

Time for October Big Day!

October 19, 2019 is the 2nd annual October Big Day. October Big Day was created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The goal of the event is to count as many birds as possible in one day. The data contributed by citizen scientists around the world is used to track bird migration. Last year, 6,331 species were counted in one day!

There are a number a ways that you can participate in October Big Day. You can count birds in your backyard, go to a favorite birding hotspot, or even participate in a Big Sit event where you spend the day birding in one location. Whichever way you choose to participate, Big Day is not only fun but a great way to help ornithologists study migration trends. Here’s how to participate:

  • Choose a birding location (or multiple locations)
  • Observe/hear as many birds as you can.
  • Record your findings on eBird. The easiest way to do this in the field is using the mobile app, but you can enter data through the website on ebird.org. If you don’t have an eBird account signing up is free and easy.
  • Enjoy watching the birds!

Last year, Team BirdNation participated in the first October Big Day at Cape May, New Jersey . This year, we are spending the day in Cape Cod, Massachusetts; primarily at Race Point Beach.

Are you participating in October Big Day? Tell us where you plan on birding in the comments!