I have just become one of the NIMBY crowd (Not In My Back Yard) as far as these Canadian Geese are concerned. They have been next door for years, but recently they have decided that our grass is pretty tasty. The battle is on, now that they have dared to cross over. Once our snow melts again, I have three systems in mind to let the geese know that they are not welcome to come decorate my yard. None of these methods will harm them, just hopefully discourage them. As you see on my neighbors’ driveway, they leave a massive amount of “debris”. While I believe in natural fertilizers, this is not what I had in mind.

This is the scene of what kept me from posting for much too long. Right here where the geese are making themselves at home, we had two weddings for our daughters on a weekend in September. One was married on Saturday, the other on Sunday, and we worked for months to get everything ready for the wonderful events. It was a magical weekend. All went very well, but my available time did not allow for posting on this blog. Gardens, cleaning up and growing green grass take an enormous amount of time and effort.

I’ve had fun photographing the geese over the years, but where once there were six, now there are up to 36 that appear on a daily basis.

Slippery grass is one thing we don’t want. Just imagine what problems we would have had if the geese had decided to make themselves at home prior to the weddings.

Yes, retreat all you goose and ganders. Just wait.

Too Friendly Geese

Yum! Want some? I’ve mentioned trips to our favorite seasonal waterfront dining spot in the past; come along to The Clam Shack again. This image tantalized many of my Facebook friends when I posted it last night, so I present it for more public drooling here.

Located at the mouth of Falmouth Harbor, The Clam Shack serves some of the best fried fish/clams, etc. around on the Upper Cape.

The menu board offers other things for those not fond of seafood; we have never tried these options, going for the fish, clams or scallops ourselves. As with any seafood venue, prices are subject to change according to the market price.

Inside is a small seating area for the not so adventurous, boasting a delightful view.

Our preference is the upper deck in most any weather. I’ve been there in wind (hold on to your plate), fog (eat fast to avoid getting soaked – didn’t work), as well as calm and delightful evenings such as last night.

There was no shortage of spots to sit. As local residents, we know the times to go to avoid the tourist crowds. It is still pre-season, and a Friday at 5:00 in peak season, you can be sure that there will not be empty tables. We had the whole upper deck to ourselves this time.

The seagulls are always looking for a handout (please don’t feed them).

It was a beautiful evening. Once summer is here, there won’t be quiet times like this in the harbor entrance; a parade of boats will go in and out constantly.

Memorial Day to Labor Day – that’s it for The Clam Shack, and we anxiously await its opening each year, and they didn’t disappoint!

Dinner at the Clam Shack in Falmouth, MA

Arriving at the Hyline Ferry terminal in Hyannis for a pickup several weeks ago, I found a very busy pier. Large trucks from fish buyers were everywhere, and the commercial boats were pulling in with their catch.

The first in line was Seafox, carrying a large load of Surf Clams, all tagged and ready for market. The scent of the parking lot allowed no question of the business occurring.

Hydraulics are essential for offloading of these very heavy, large sea clams.

More and more boats arrived in the harbor to line up, each awaiting its turn at the proper truck.

The curious lined up to watch the proceedings while various ferries came and went.

Once done, Seafox departed, the fish trucks shuffled positions, and the next boat in line moved in.

Fishing Boats in Hyannis Harbor

It has been an unusually busy spring this year, for me and for the birds. This Purple Finch sat quietly for a while, long enough for me to get the camera and capture it.

Although a sick tree, this dogwood has continued to flower year after year.

I’ve missed posting, and hope that I will be able to be more consistent than I have been lately. Keep watching.

So Many Birds Singing

I can guarantee that there is probably more than one turkey in the neighborhood, but I managed to come across this one while driving by the other day.

I’m not sure how long this two legged type will last, what with all the foxes and coyotes around. Outside in the early hours of the day, songbirds sing, gulls squawk, squirrels chatter, and now we hear this strange new sound of turkeys gobbling.

This one wandered away to the marsh, and I haven’t seen it again since this sighting.

The look of my photo blog has been changed as of today. I was finding the previous theme format too restricting for customization. Please bear with me while I catch up with the new format; I hope it pleases.

Watch out for the turkeys in your neighborhood!

A Turkey In The Neighborhood

Happy Easter to all!

Happy Easter

Yes, that’s my hand holding a bird. The other hand is holding the camera – which became quite heavy while waiting for the birds to land. Thanks to a good friend, we now know that chickadees love oatmeal cookies.

I’ve read that the Beech Forest in Provincetown is mainly a birders’ attraction with its trails and pond. We went solely to view the beauty of it, and wondered why there were so many birds flying around us as if expecting something.

It turns out that this is a popular place to feed the birds from your hand. My friend just happened to have some cookies in the car, so she decided to try it.

Well, once she had success, and rather quickly, we all had to try it.

This one appears to be waiting its turn.

It tickles when they land. They only set down long enough to grab what they can, then they are off as quickly as they arrived.

Why not try to capture this through the lens? It was a lot easier than you’d think. In fact, it was easier to capture them when on my hand than when on others’. (The trick is not to laugh too much while you are shooting.)

This photo is my favorite for seeing now irresistible the huge cookie crumb was to this chickadee and for seeing the delight visible on the face of my friend.

The Beech Forest in Provincetown

The Audubon Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary in Falmouth was a delightful place for a visit last week.  Grassy Pond, with its trail around the perimeter, had us looking intently to identify some of the wildlife in and around it.

The sanctuary is located right off Rt. 151 in Falmouth, and is open daily. Trail maps are available at the entrance.

We walked many of the trails, but found most delight at the pond.

The trails are well marked and easy to walk. Ashumet Holly is named for the 65 varieties of holly trees planted throughout (according to Audubon’s membership booklet).

Although this is not the tallest holly tree at Ashumet Holly, this is the largest one I have ever seen.

There is a Holly Trail, a Mystery Tree Trail, and other aptly named trails throughout the acres of land.

I was surprised to see berries still on many of the holly trees and wondered why the birds hadn’t devoured them all yet.

In the middle of the trails and trees bearing winter’s colors sat a sole crocus grouping, with one brave bloom.

Our round about way brought us back to Grassy Pond; the sights were beautiful despite the lack of spring growth. A pair of hawks flew over head, and small songbirds were everywhere.

Mirrored reflections were my favorite subject.

Going full circle brought us back to the entrance where the Swallow Barn is located. From May to August, the resident barn swallow colony returns each year.

I’ll be interested in a return visit once the swallows have arrived, and can only imagine the activity that will be here.

I have no clue what type of tree this is, but it reminded me of pussy willows for some reason. The fuzzy buds outlined against the sky were so attractive.

More information about the Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary can be found on the Audubon website.

Audubon’s Ashumet Holly Wildlife Sanctuary

We are anxiously awaiting our “herald of spring”, the osprey – which should arrive any day now. For a moment, I thought they had arrived the other day, as I came upon this sight at a nest on Seconsett Island.

Alas, not an osprey, but a Cooper’s Hawk taking advantage of the perch to survey the area in search of something to eat. I was pleased to see this other harbinger of spring, however. The hawk activity has been amazing everywhere. I shot a few photos and left, only to return a while later…..

…and discovered that the hawk had returned as well, this time sitting in the next. There won’t be much opportunity for that once the osprey arrive.

I was off to the side of the road shooting out the car window, and all of a sudden it flew off. I had no hopes for this shot at the time, but was pleasantly surprised once home when I saw it.

What’s In The Osprey Nest?

I was searching my archives for my recent slideshow “video” over the past week, and came across these photos of a schooner just outside Waquoit Bay. The house I was highlighting is on Monomoscoy Island in Mashpee with a dock and access to Waquoit Bay. Since I’ve been in the bay so many times with my camera, I had quite a few to add to the show.

These were taken on an August day. The top photo is of Washburn Island near the jetty, where boaters gather on the beach of this uninhabited island all summer long; this one at the breakwater.

The little bird was irresistible sitting on the red buoy with the sails in the background.

And now, let this load for a bit before playing, and take a look at what you can get for just under a million bucks. Don’t you wish it was yours?

Got A Spare “Mil”?