Although the calendar says spring has arrived, on Cape Cod we are still dealing with temperatures in the 20's and 30's!  However a few 'rites of spring' are occurring here in the bird world.  Earlier this month the first courtship displays of American Woodcock began!  On March 19th I led a group of birders to a Mass Audubon Sanctuary called Long Pasture which offers several acres of fields and is a reliable spot for displaying woodcock.  At around 5:45pm we gathered in the cold and a passing snow squall to await the show.  We weren't disappointed.  By 6pm, upwards of a dozen male woodcock were 'peenting' and doing their fabulous flights all around us.  A few even landed just a few yards from us and in the fading daylight we had great looks. 

Another harbinger of spring is the return of Red-winged Blackbirds...hearing their 'conchareeee' call is a highlight for many of us. One day they aren't here and the next, everyone is reporting sightings!  And our first Osprey of the season has been reported near a regular nesting area close to the Nantucket Sound.

The Cape Cod Bird Club has 2 nest box trails ready to welcome E. Bluebirds, Tree Swallows and other native cavity nesters.  Our newest trail of 38 boxes is set around cranberry bogs, and our Crowes Pasture trail of 12 boxes is in its 3rd season.  A corps of volunteers monitors these trails and a few boxes are already being checked out by some bluebirds!  Happy Spring from Cape Cod!