Though it was great to see all, most importantly was in mom, Marie, celebrating her 75th birthday August 14th, 2010.
My sister Nancy spent dozens of hours researching rental properties on Cape Cod with the help of my sister-in-law, Maria, and niece, Krisztina (labor possibly induced this coming week).
The property chosen in East Sandwich was pulled off the rental market at the last minute and a beautiful alternative was found in New Seabury on Cape Cod.
Uncle Mike arrived on the scene with a pair of feathers in his hat.
He described his stop at an Osprey nest on the way in which explained one of the feathers, but it was undecided which species the other had come from.
When I told him of my personally exciting sighting of Wild Turkeys recently made, he pulled out his camera and showed me the same species that he had photographed the day before.
Nancy and her husband Jack told of their experience of observing a bird eating a rabbit on their way in.
An Osprey was heard and seen every day at the property while a Great Blue Heron made its way overhead on a few occasions.
The first day was the most active for birding by ear with a lot of action though it became quieter thereafter.
Brothers Jim and Jack were at the helm of a day trip to the east while a stop was made at a few points of interest.
Jim brought to my attention a bird collection at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.
Nancy had made her way to the marsh there overlooking Wing's Island Conservation Area and advised me of an Osprey nest she had seen.
The historic Lighthouse Inn, approaching its 73rd year, overlooking Nantucket Sound at West Dennis Beach, offered Double-crested Cormorant that shared a jetty with Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, and gulls.
In addition, a solitary Least Tern working the surf over several hundred yards showed evidence of its bill turning black as the breeding season ends.
On 13 April 2010, a Piping Plover egg was observed on a private beach in Hyannis Port which was the earliest seen plover egg by four days in Massachusetts.
A bumper sticker at a local t-shirt shop noted that Piping Plover tastes like chicken, in reference to disruptive beach closures, while none of the stickers were observed on any vehicles in the area.
My nephew, Larry, and his wife and children had made a trip to South Cape Beach State Park early in the week to amazingly observe a small plane crash in the water which is still under investigation as to the cause as of this writing.
On the final morning of the trip, I observed a Carolina Chickadee at close range at the rental house which I remember mom favored in her porcelain work with the delicately painted birds perched on Dogwood.
The flight home offered a great view of Fort Myers Beach, Estero Lagoon and Lovers Key State Park on the plane's final approach to the airport.
The camera was stowed away as I had used up all the memory on the 2GB card.
Happy 75th Birthday Mom!
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