With the arrival of summer, throngs of people escaping the heat come to the Cape and Islands. Beaches are the place to be. Our area has a remarkably varied and long shoreline, with fabulous beaches, adjacent tidal flats and abundant salt marshes. Fortuitously, these are also a great place to look for birds.
Surprisingly, the first southbound migrants, globetrotting Arctic-nesting shorebirds, waders to the Brits, begin to arrive on our shores right near the end of June. Some have already completed their parenting chores; others were unsuccessful in their nesting attempt. While birds nesting locally are fully engaged in rearing young and completing nesting chores, these birds have devised a different strategy that takes them to the far corners of the planet.
These incredible birds, far and away the most mobile life forms on the planet, are able to take advantage of briefly hospitable areas when they are at their peak of their seasonal bounty. They nest over vast stretches of tundra in the 24 hours of daylight in June and their young hatch amidst an incredible abundance of insect food. The adults leave the young to fend for themselves after a brief time and head south to feed, rest and grow new feathers as they are bound for the other end of the planet.
Making use of abundant summer food supplies birds are taking in lots of calories. The adult birds are eating, resting and growing new feathers. For virtually all the warblers and flycatchers, all the Neotropical migrants, time is short. Having completed their “mission”, the powerful and critical need to breed, if you will, they have only a few short weeks to replace their worn out feathers and store critical energy reserves in the form of subcutaneous fat deposits that will power them during the upcoming migration.
One of the best ways to find and see birds at this season is time sensitive - it involves getting out early in the morning. Bird activity then is far greater, the birds are hungry and obvious, and you avoid the heat of midday when activity quiets.
Particularly rewarding and a great way to observe birds, especially their behavior, see what they are eating and doing is by doing a BIG SIT. A BIG SIT is exactly as its name implies-you sit, watch and listen. Find an area with considerable bird activity then find a nice unobtrusive spot to sit. Along the edge of a bubbling brook, by an edge habitat at the border of fields, woods or thicket, a hilltop with good views and lots of flowers or anywhere that one enjoys spending time outside.
Once you arrive at your spot it is time change gears, settle in and tune in to what is going on around you. It is time to attempt to become one with your surroundings. Binoculars are essential equipment for any big sit. As you would naturally assume, rapid movements and loud noises do not enhance the experience.
Take note of what is the most common bird and try to see what they are eating. When sitting, an observer becomes essentially invisible to bird life and they go on about their business ignoring the unobtrusive observer. A keen observer will see birds preening their feathers, bathing, taking dust baths as well as interacting with other members of their own species and many kinds of other birds. Indulging in a big sit is a most pleasant summer activity that benefits the patient observer. It is a relaxing and educational exercise in sensory perception that borders on a form of meditation. It allows you to interact in a non-intrusive way with the natural world.