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This Week’s Bird Sightings

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Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, March 12 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

Sightings at Race Point in Provincetown included a Pacific Loon, a Black Guillemot, 254 Razorbills, 3 Common Murres, a Dovekie, a Thick-Billed Murre, a Glaucous Gull, 25 Iceland Gulls, 25 Horned Larks, and 10 Tree Swallows. There was also a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet in Provincetown this week.

Around the world there are many species of larks, but the Horned Lark is the only one native to North America, according to Washington state’s Eastside Audubon entry on the species. They nest on the ground on open landscapes, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology reports an oddity in their nesting habits: females collect pebbles, clods of dirt, corn cobs, and dung, placing these things beside their nests. “The ‘paved’ area resembles a sort of walkway, though the birds don’t seem to use it that way. While nobody fully understands the function of these pavings, they may help prevent collected nesting material from blowing away while the nest is under construction.” (Photo by Dan Streiffert/Eastside Audubon)

A Townsend’s Solitaire continued at High Head in North Truro this week. A Marsh Wren was also seen in North Truro.

There were 2 Red Crossbills reported in Wellfleet.

The Lark Sparrow continued at the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. An American Bittern was seen elsewhere in town.

If you have questions about these sightings or want to report a sighting, call the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary at 508-349-2615 or send an email to [email protected].

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