Day One – The Trip
After being out on the road for 10 long hours, you start to find yourself doing some 65m/hr nature watching. My adventure started at 5:30 this morning with a few mammals like the Deer, Raccoons and an Opossum. Further down the highway it started looking a bit like large snow flakes in the air! Nope, to warm for snow but there were many little moths that were attracted to my headlights. Finally the sun came up and I started seeing many of those common roadside birds like the Canada Goose, Red-tailed Hawk, American Crow and even a few American Kestrels. I did happen to see many Turkey Vultures flying around which is a species that I have been looking for my first for 2007 list! Finally – CHECK.
I didn’t think I would ever arrive but finally made it to Cape Cod for my Eastern Bird Banding Association conference. I planned on getting some birding in Friday morning before my first meeting is scheduled. As most know already, this will be my first “ocean” birding trip that I have taken. I quickly checked into my hotel and threw everything into my room; I had an hour or so to get a quick taste of birding here in Cape Cod!! I quickly ran down to the beach and within seconds added my very first LIFER in about 2 years. LIFEER CHECK – Brant is now on my life list!! Tomorrow should be fun day and I already located some great hot spots for tomorrow! I will post more on the trip once I get some time. I promise to catch up on everyone’s blogs/photostreams when I can.
Mon@rch's Nature Blog 
Great that you saw a brant – that’d be a lifer for me too! Hope you continue to have great results on your trip!
23 March 2007 at 12:59 am
:-)) Enjoy !
23 March 2007 at 1:02 am
Congrats on the Brant! Very cool!
23 March 2007 at 1:42 am
Brant! Right on. Enjoy the waves and the sea air.
23 March 2007 at 2:48 am
Wonderful!! I look forward to pics from your trip 🙂
23 March 2007 at 10:13 am
Congratulations on the brant, Tom! Unlike you, I’m pretty much tripping over lifers at my stage in the game 🙂 I love that hawk in flight!
23 March 2007 at 12:32 pm
Congratulations! That’s great to find a lifer right away. (I’ve never even heard of Brant – I’m still a noob)
25 March 2007 at 12:28 am
I love Brant…never seen one. But I love that delicate little necklace.
If you ever get over to Ohio, I can show you about 50 turkey vultures at once. There’s a huge roosting area near my house.
Or you can come meet Earl.
25 March 2007 at 10:09 pm
@ Adam – I have some good things, keep tuned! They are very cool birds, hope you get one some day.
@ Didi – thanks
@ Liz – thanks
@ Trixie – wish it was warmer to enjoy the waves, but did like watching them!
@ Aya – thanks, wish I could have taken more time to take pictures! Was very busy working around the conference.
@ Mary- enjoy it now because after a while it gets harder to add to the list!
@ Barb – you can get them along Lake Ontario from time to time. I just have never had any luck finding them.
@ Susan – thanks! We can get large kettles of TV’s flying together! At Hawk Mt. I have seen kettles into the hundreds!!
25 March 2007 at 11:19 pm
Great- a Brant your first day, congrats! Looks like you’re in for a super time
26 March 2007 at 9:24 am
Marg – was very much a super time! thanks!
26 March 2007 at 8:52 pm
I like the Turkey Vulture photo.-I enjoy watching them fly.-They have all kinds of variations in gliding, elevation etc.
26 March 2007 at 10:07 pm
Larry, thanks but do note that I took the TV picture during the summer time. Thanks for visiting!
27 March 2007 at 12:16 am
Ohhh, I saw tons of turkey vultures on my trip, too! They’re so cool! Congratulations on the new lifer!! Yay!
30 March 2007 at 5:57 am
Did you have any black vultures out there? It has been a few years since I have seen any of them!
30 March 2007 at 8:52 am