WELLFLEET — On hearing there was a solar storm on the way, Jeremy Storer went online to find maps of where the northern lights might appear for those of us […]
Environment
BIRD LIFE
Truro’s Ospreys Are Partial to the Transfer Station
An electrical fire and multiple power outages are traced to a bird nest
TRURO — Of the osprey, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Its shrill scream seems yet to linger in its throat, and the roar of the sea in its wings.” At the […]
FISHERIES
Fishermen Join Fight for Herring Trawler Rules
Push to save river herring may help protect the oceangoing species
The marine ecosystem around Cape Cod is built on the backs of Atlantic herring. These baitfish school in massive numbers, providing food for marine mammals, seabirds, and large fish like […]
HABITATS
A ‘Cape Cod Lawn’ Can Be a Haven for Turtles
Invite nesting by keeping a scrubby yard with sandy patches, not a swath of green
When people design a back yard suitable for wildlife, they tend to create places that are appealing to birds and butterflies. That makes sense, because these animals are appealing visitors […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
The Whales Have Moved North, and the Stripers Are Here
Special speed rules to protect whales are lifted for the season
The bass are here, and the right whales are not. The whales left a week ago, and the latest aerial survey found no right whales in the area, so NOAA […]
CHEERS
Say It With Sassafras
The native Sassafras albidum is a tree full of wonders — scents of cinnamon and citrus from root to bark to tip; whimsical leaves shaped like mittens and tridents and footballs; resplendent […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, May 14 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ENVIRONMENT
U.S. Proposes 8 Wind Energy Areas in Gulf of Maine
Local fishermen’s alliance will question effects of offshore turbines
The U.S. Dept. of the Interior announced last week the proposed auction of eight offshore wind lease areas in the Gulf of Maine. The areas selected by the department’s Bureau […]
MORNING FLIGHT
The Magic of Peak Migration
Over the next two weeks, millions of birds will be coming our way
As I sit down to write about the birds I’ve seen recently — classic summer birds like barn swallows and Baltimore orioles, the first yellow warblers, and common terns are […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Too Soon to Tell, But Not Too Soon to Worry
Seeing fewer striped bass and bigger storms in the Caribbean
The striped bass are continuing to move into our area, and there seem to be a fair number of fish in Buzzards Bay, but the fishermen to our south in […]
DIG IT
The Shuffle Bushes Are in Bloom Again
The spring-blooming shrubs and trees of the widespread, mostly North American genus Amelanchier have a long list of common names, many referring to their timing. Some people call them Juneberries because their […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, May 7 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
BLOODSUCKERS
Winter Floods Set the Stage for More Mosquitoes
Flood waters abate and larvicide is sprayed, but a lot depends on the weather
WELLFLEET — Barton Morris stands in the Duck Harbor parking lot and surveys the floodplain to the north. It’s a cool April day, and it’s been about two weeks since […]
KINNIKINNICK
Give a Bear a Grape
There’s a path off North Pamet Road in Truro that slowly climbs around a bearberry-covered dune up to a soaring overlook of the Atlantic at the top, but there’s another […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, April 30 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]