‘A meaningful day’: Birdability program inspires at Cold Brook Preserve

Low clouds rolled across the Harwich Conservation Trust’s (HCT) Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve on a recent spring afternoon, but the damp conditions didn’t deter a cheerful group from Cape Abilities. They were here to learn about birds, guided by Birdability Captain Michele Burnat.

Birdability is a non-profit organization that seeks to share the joys of birding with folks who have disabilities. Part of that mission is to find places that are accessible to people who might need to use a wheelchair, or benefit from an even walking surface with regularly-placed benches.

Birdability volunteers scope out spots before a program is scheduled to see if a location offers accessibility, like the new All Persons Trail at the Cold Brook Preserve.

Cape Abilities supports individuals with disabilities on Cape Cod through a variety of services including residential, therapeutic, social and employment. The birding group was composed of participants in a Community-Based Day Supports program, which seeks to enrich lives with fulfilling community activities as well as providing some with pre-vocational skills training.

‘Get out and do things’

What immediately stood out was the kindness, friendliness and curiosity of the wonderful Cape Abilities group. We laughed and joked along the way, happy to share this time in a beautiful spot.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to get outside, enjoy nature and have a meaningful day,” said Chris Graham, Cape Abilities staff member. “Experiential education — get out and do things.”

Michele Burnat and Birdability were delighted to help out. “A lot of us walk outside and don’t even think about birds,” said Burnat. “I start by trying to get people excited about what they might see and maybe tell a little story to help introduce people to birding.”

The Cape Abilities group was ready to learn and raring to go, so we walked along the All Persons Trail, coming to rest in front of some bird boxes. Burnat told us that the likeliest residents of these avian apartments were tree swallows or Eastern bluebirds and showed us photos of both birds.

There seemed to be general agreement that the bluebirds had a more pleasing appearance. “They love catching insects, including mosquitoes,” said Bunat, which increased our regard for the flying blue jewels.

Listening to bird songs

We crossed over Cold Brook on one of the delightful new bridges. It was thrilling to look down at the free-flowing water, one of the many splendid results of the recently-completed eco-restoration project at the site.

Burnat stopped us at a convenient bench and we launched into an intriguing experiment. She asked us to close our eyes for a minute. “And in that minute, all we’re going to do is just listen,” said Burnat. “Sometimes we forget to listen to birds.”

This was a beautiful and peaceful slice of time. With eyes closed, the bird songs seemed to rise around us. Or maybe we were just paying attention in a new and exciting way.

While we had our eyes closed, Burnat used the Merlin app on her iPhone to identify the birds we had heard in just a matter of seconds. The roster included an American goldfinch, a red-winged blackbird, a yellow warbler, a catbird, a song sparrow and a blue jay. 

In another triumph of technology, Burnat affixed her iPhone to a bird spotting scope so we could all get a good look at a swan in one of Cold Brook’s new ponds.

Ospreys don’t eat pizza

We finished up near an osprey pole, where Burnat provided an astounding fact about these beautiful birds. “Their entire diet is fish. Think about it: every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all they have is fish. No cereal, no sandwiches, no pizza, just fish.”

This certainly provided food for thought. Some in the group stood up for the deliciousness of sushi, but the general idea of life without pizza went over like a lead balloon. But a good nature walk spurs discussion, and the gentle chatter continued as we arrived back at the parking lot.

The Cape Abilities crew bid us a fond farewell and headed off to their next adventure. HCT’s Cold Brook Preserve was a wonderful place for the program, and is well-suited for anybody looking for a small but fulfilling nature walk on the splendid All Persons Trail.

Tom Evans, President of HCT’s Board of Trustees, accompanied the Birdability program, and was delighted with the results “It’s a tribute to the Trust’s vision of developing a resource that emphasizes partnerships and that is available to everybody, regardless of age, interest or ability,” he said.

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