Crane Management Area and an Good Friend

Photo stolen without permission, but it is 11:30 pm
and I don't think he'd mind

Today I drove down to Falmouth to hang out with a friend I have known twenty years, Mike Tucker. Mike used to be a manager of an Audubon sanctuary I live near. We used to talk quite a bit when I went there. He also happens to be about the best birder I know. Mike has since moved to Woods Hole doing a job he loves in a great environment. For the past couple of years we have talked about getting together to go birding at Crane Management Area in Falmouth. After talking on the phone to confirm plans, today was the day.

I met Mike at 7:15. Crane is a huge grassland area, maybe a couple of square miles. Large grasslands are a rare habitat in New England. Because of this fact, birds that are pretty rare in New England are common there. One such bird is the Grasshopper Sparrow. I have only seen them in one place in Rhode Island where they breed regularly. I had seen a total of four in my few years of serious birding today I heard or saw close to twenty.  

On our walk he came across an Eastern Kingbird just posing for us in a Cedar Tree. They are a common bird and I have some decent photos of them. But when one is asking for its photo taken, I don't want to disappoint it. More text below photos of Kingbird

I had never gotten a photo of the four Grasshopper Sparrows I had previously seen. So any shot would be a "life photo". A few of the sparrows were very cooperative. I got photos where I was a little closer but these are my favorites.

One grassland species I kind of take for granted are Killdeer because they are a common bird. However! when you get to see one of their little fuzzball chicks you can't help but enjoy how adorable they are.

One of the parents

One species I didn't consider seeing was Orchard Oriole but they were everywhere. They nest in the few trees in the grassland and along the edges. I saw multiple. This isn't a great photo, but I think they are beautiful. 

All in all, I had a great morning. Just getting to talk to an old friend would have been enough. I also got to see great birds. We also saw an Eastern Meadowlark (heard others) and heard a Yellow Billed Cuckoo.

After birding, we went back to Mike's house where we talked some more. We saw Great Crested Flycatcher, Osprey, Crows, and nesting White Breasted Nutchatch in his yard. We walked down to see Nobska Light and the view of the ocean.  I will definitely be going back.