Calendar
So that the people of Falmouth may learn more about their land,
water and air, and better protect and enjoy all of Nature.
The Earth is your habitat.
Try to keep it as healthy as you found it, in every respect.
All of life is interdependent. What we give will return to us.
What we take we must return. All life is circular.
Whatever we do must be sustainable for generations to come.
I recommend:
Butterflies Through Binoculars,
Boston through Washington by Jeffrey Glassberg
Butterflies Across
Cape Cod, by Tor Hansen and Mark Mello
Newcomb's
Wildflower Guide, by Lawrence Newcomb
Nabokov's Blues,
by Kurt Johnson and Steve Coates
Peterson's Bird Guide, East; and
Newcomb's Wildflower Guide.
Plan B 2.0 Rescuing a Planet Under Stress by Lester R. Brown
A Safe and Sustainable World by Nancy Jack Todd
And come join us.
Nature's Circle Invites You
to Any and All Walks and Events
Nature's Circle
Calendar 2016
Out of date? Need the latest
schedule? Call or email Nature's Circle to find out the
latest
schedule. New Articles: Bird Migration Through Falmouth
in Spring
Alison Robb Migrating birds look for sites in their long journey from
wintering
places south of here in warmer climes to breeding areas to the
north.
They need to find food and shelter, to replenish their energy.
They tend
to gather at sites well provided with food that is easy to procure so
that
their stay may be brief. On their way north along the east coast of North America, Cape
Cod
presents itself, literally stands out, as a stopping place.
Probably the
most enticing site for a stopover on the Cape is the Beech Forest in
the
Provincelands. It is a densely forested valley between the dunes
at the
final northern end of the Cape. It is where all Cape birders head
sometime from mid-April to mid-May to observe as many warblers and
other
migrants as they could see in one area. A large pond provides water, fish, insects, and
moisture. The
forest provides shelter, food and plenty of company. The
interaction
among birds is obvious. One observes flocks and groups of birds
gathering, moving together among the trees, and calling to each
other.
Large and small groups of birdwatchers also gather, move together among
the
trees, and call to one another, often exchanging news of what has been
seen
when and where. Once replenished, migrators take off across the last lengthy
ocean
crossing as they head northward -- over Stellwagen Bank and the Gulf of
Maine
-- to their breeding grounds. More than twenty species of
warbler
may be seen in the middle days of May in the Beech Forest, along with
tanagers,
orioles, Black-capped Chickadees, Eastern Kingbird, American
Redstart,
Swainsons Thrush, White-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and a Spotted
Sandpiper. Birds migrating on a more inland route may stop over in
Falmouth. There are plenty of species to find without going
beyond the
boundaries of Falmouth. On our migrating warbler walks, the Town
Forest
that surrounds Long Pond is a favorite. Where we park just off
Gifford
Street, for several years we have seen Baltimore Oriole nests hanging
from the
nearby trees. In the open areas where the tall pines were topped by
Hurricane Bob in
1991, and the trunks later removed altogether, Prairie Warblers, Pine
Warblers
and Yellow Warblers were common. A pair of Red-tailed Hawks were
often
seen watching us and the smaller animals from the top of a pair of
Norway
Spruce trees at the edge. As we moved on, past the Lady Slippers and into the deciduous
woods,
Palm Warblers were heard. There was once a large flock of
Yellow-rumped
Warblers at the edge of Long Pond. A Black-and-White Warbler
called but
was not seen. In the pine-oak forest east of the pond we could
hear
Hermit Thrushes and Ovenbirds teasing us to find them. A Brown
Creeper
crept head-downward on a pine trunk. Farther on a pair of Scarlet
Tanagers was spotted, which stayed on, we discovered, to nest and bring
up
their young. Black-throated Green Warblers were heard and seen
nearer the
pond. After a good walk of discovery in the Town Forest, we usually
moved on
to the west end of Morse Pond, which we reached from Dillingham Avenue
where
the tennis club used to be. That is next to a town conservation
parcel
which we hope never becomes anything but a conservation
parcel. Our
first season there we were delighted with a Northern Parula, a
Black-and-White
Warbler, a Blackburnian, a Chestnut-sided and a Bay-breasted Warbler --
all
within a minute. Someone called out that they had seen a Palm and a Pine, while
a
Yellowthroat made itself heard. That day there were also
Red-breasted
Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, Chickadees, Red-bellied Woodpeckers,
a
Rose-breasted Grosbeak and our year-round Carolina Wrens. It is a
tiny
open space surrounded by small deciduous trees, and very near to the
pond. Water is important to all animals. Later that day, in Hatchville at Coonamessett Pond off
Boxberry Hill
Road, we heard and saw a Black-throated Blue Warbler, a White-throated
Sparrow,
Red-tailed Hawks, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Common Grackles, Red-winged
Blackbirds, a Great-crested Flycatcher, as well as Mockingbirds
and Blue
Jays. Bluebirds had returned to some nesting boxes in a
Hatchville field.
Peterson Farm on Woods Hole Rd. has become another favorite
birding
site. Red-tailed Hawks can commonly be seen year round.
Barn and
Tree Swallows -- the Barn Swallows contentedly using the sheep shed as
a
nesting site -- zoom after insects and decorate the fences. House
Wrens
occupy the roofs and interiors of the new bird houses. Song
Sparrows,
Mockingbirds, Flickers, Peewees, Phoebes, Goldfinches and Catbirds add
to the
Spring welcome. There is the annual return of a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird
which
signals spring as well as anything. He perches on the tallest
tree or
vine at the northwest corner of the open fields, probably to announce
his
return and his control of that territory. In the woods we
have seen
and heard a Solitary Vireo and a Red-eyed Vireo, Black-and-White
Warblers
and Chestnut-sided Warblers. The visiting northern Robins have
been
replaced by the resident Robins, returned from their southern wintering
spas,
out on the field feasting on spring worms and insects. Another day of birdwatching may bring us to Salt Pond Areas
Bird
Sanctuaries, Inc.'s Salt Pond parcel, which includes all the
shores of the
pond and forty acres of woods, upland and wetland. Besides being
my
favorite field trip site for showing people the diversity of plants --
about
150 species of plants that I am aware of -- those acres of successional
fields
now sparsely treed and shrubbed make good nesting and feeding for
woodland
birds, as well as hawks, owls, American Woodcocks, and an occasional
Northern
Shrike. The wintering waterfowl on the pond have flown off to
their
northern nesting areas, leaving our returning Double-crested
Cormorants,
Ospreys and terns to share the pond with the resident Belted
Kingfishers,
gulls, and Mute Swans. In the autumn we will have another chance to sight some of
these same
birds on their passage south. The warblers will have lost some of
their
bright colors and will be difficult to distinguish one from the other
bur we
shall be out there watching, and we welcome everyone to join us. _____________________________________________________________________ Suggestions for backyard planting
In My
Yard Are Many
Habitats by
Alison Robb Gulls are wheeling and calling overhead Red-tailed hawks glide high
over my
neighborhood looking for small mammals in the fields. From April to
October
ospreys can be heard and seen, and in the spring they are gathering
nesting
material for their very large nests atop poles and towers near the
shore. My
yard really has nothing to do with the presence of those high-flying
birds, but
I did choose a place to live which has clean air, and water and which I
hope
will continue to be protected by caring residents. At the front edge of my yard I have planted native trees and shrubs,
probably too densely for their future health, but when one is planning
a
"woods" where there is none present, one tends to want it to be a
thick screen from the road in a year or two. So there are two dogwood
trees, a
lilac, blueberry bushes, a white pine, and raspberries on the edge. In
the 16
years since then bayberry has arrived and spreading, black cherry trees
increase in number annually, and a five-foot "red cedar" has sprung
up. Now the "woods" is dense and provides cover for rabbits, birds
and who knows what else. A black oak and a maple mark my driveway, while a pin oak and a
scarlet oak
dominate the side yard -- they were there 50 - 100 years ago. Tall
sassafras
trees and many cherries fill out the boundary at the rear. I have since added Buddleia bushes to attract butterflies, currants
and
gooseberries to feed birds. Without invitation, bittersweet and
multiflora rose
are trying to cover everything on the north side. They do provide
berries and
rosehips for the birds in winter. On the south side is a privet hedge
whose flowers
provide nectar to american lady butterflies, monarchs, wood nymphs, and
little
wood satyrs. What was lawn when I arrived has been put to better use: The only
parts that
are mowed these days are paths around and between patches that contain
the woods,
a wildflower meadow, a vegetable garden, an herb garden, a quince bush
for the
hummingbirds and orioles, and more buddleia. In the meadow for nectar are black-eyed susans, butterfly weeds,
clover,
daisies, bergamots, phlox, goldenrods, verbena and coreopsis. Host
plants for
butterflies (the plants that butterflies need to lay eggs on that the
larvae
will feed on) are queen anne's lace, carrot, dill, parsley, milkweed,
snapdragons, plantains, and thistles. My driveway is crushed stone bordered by clover and milkweed. It is
important to cover one's driveway and parking areas with a permeable
surface.
The earth needs the rain filtering downward to replenish the soil and
the
aquifer below. Any material that stands in the way of that natural
process is
not a good ecological choice. This includes cement without perforation
and
asphalt. Added to the demise of healthy soil beneath an impermeable
surface is
the problem of run-off of the rain which washes the oil and other
chemicals off
the asphalt and carries them in a channel or stream to the place of
least
resistance which may erode your yard or someone else's yard or else
drain
straight into the road drainage system and then into the nearest pond,
bay or
sound. Asphalt and cement should be used only on roads where speed is
necessary. Crushed stone, flag stones or mowed areas are best for
driveways and
parking lots. The same drainage system receives run-off from lawns and gardens. If
herbicides and pesticides have been used they will poison not only
weeds and insects
but also the air, the water, animals and humans. The very weeds
targeted by
herbicides are some of the welcome wildflowers in my meadow. So, as a
beginning
in my effort to live sustainably, I am not going to add chemicals of
any kind
to my yard. Before I take steps to use even organic methods of
controlling
weeds and insects, I will let the plants and insects come to a balance
of their
own. Birds and butterflies and dragonflies will control many insects.
Most of
the caterpillars that eat the plants will become harmless moths, flies,
beetles
or butterflies. Or they may be welcome dinners for our songbirds. I have just brought home
some plants
favored by nectaring butterflies -- lantana, impatiens, zinnias,
cardinal
flower, salvia, Mexican sunflower and echinacea. With a little luck,
and plenty
of rain, my yard will be enjoyed by many creatures. le. Alison Robb is a naturalist living in Falmouth. She leads walks all
over
Falmouth where she introduces people to the birds, plants, butterflies
and
ecological systems, in an effort to enhance their knowledge and
enjoyment of
their surroundings. She can be reached at Nature's Circle,
508-564-4331, email nature@cape.com and on
the website
http://www.nature.my.cape.com All
lectures
and field trips are without charge and open to the public. They are
sponsored
by Nature's Circle, a local nature center which endeavors to bring
residents
and nature together through education and many field walks throughout
the year.
Nature's Circle may be contacted at 508-564-4331. and at http://nature.my.cape.com Reading
List:
(moved to a new page)
*** Call Nature's Circle, 508-564-4331, for further
information for
these events and for additional scheduled walks. All local field trips
are
without charge and open to everyone. Do join us. You don't know what
you have
been missing ! See our links to other sites and sources. Call if you
would like
a slide lecture or walk especially for your group or organization. Back to the home page of Nature's Circle
508-564-4331
or nature@cape.com
This page updated February 2016