Two Mississippi kites flew by Mass Audubon's Pilgrim Heights Hawk Watch last week. The passage of a few of these aerially insectivorous southern hawks has become a regular spring event at Pilgrim Heights.
Another southern visitor, a summer tanager, was seen in a yard in Harwichport, and a red-headed woodpecker was reported from Wellfleet.
The previously reported tricolored heron was still at South Cape Beach as of May 10th.
Warblers abound, so prepare your neck muscles. At least 12 species have been recorded this week at hotspots such as the Beech Forest in Provincetown and the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, including northern parula, yellow warbler, magnolia warbler, black-throated green warbler, black-throated blue warbler, American redstart, and ovenbird.
Common and least terns have returned this week, ready to provide the ambient beach sounds for another summer on Cape Cod.
In the nightjar department, Whip-poor-wills are back, and a chuck-will's-widow was reported from Chatham. Mass Audubon is conducting a study of whip-poor-wills and would like your sightings. You can report them at http://www.massaudubon.org/whippoorwill/
Up to 20 bobolinks were seen in Barnstable village, as were an American bittern and a solitary sandpiper.
Seen at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary this week were 2 wood ducks, a northern bobwhite, a yellow-bellied sapsucker, a white-eyed vireo, a marsh wren, a brown thrasher, a field sparrow, up to 12 Baltimore and 7 orchard orioles, and a purple finch. Fowler's toads and Pickerel frogs are now calling at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and elsewhere.
The Cape Cod Natural History Hotline is sponsored by the Bird Watchers General Store in Orleans and Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
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 e-mail to sightings@massaudubon.org.
