WELLFLEET — A few weeks ago, Heidi Clemmer was walking her dog on Corn Hill Beach in Truro when she noticed a sea turtle lying in the sand. Clemmer, a […]
MORNING FLIGHT
A Saw-Whet Owl, by Night
These smallest predatory birds are well adapted for darkness
As the sun sets on a late fall evening, an unfamiliar silence falls on the marshes of Wellfleet. The frogs, whose calls are inescapable all summer, are silent now, and […]
PLOVER PLIGHT
It’s Been a Record Year for Piping Plovers
The ‘cultural norm’ and the numbers have shifted on a threatened shorebird
WELLFLEET — Nearly 40 years ago the plump, sand-colored shorebird known as the piping plover was on the verge of extinction in Massachusetts. Now, following decades of conservation, the birds […]
MARINE LIFE
Speeding Boats Are Still Threatening Right Whales
Enforcement lags in waters that were once ‘open cowboy plains’
PROVINCETOWN — When right whales visit the seas around Cape Cod in the winter and early spring, large boats in the whales’ favored areas are barred from going faster than […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Rare Birds in Truro
A blackbird and a lark sparrow illustrate the ‘Patagonia Picnic Table Effect’
Late fall is a good time to find rarities on Cape Cod. A few far-flung birds can be counted on to arrive from the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and […]
ROADKILL
The Unseen Toll of Traffic on the Outer Cape’s Animals
Closures, crossing signs, culverts, and just slowing down can prevent squishings
EASTHAM — Eight downy ducklings tried to cross Route 6 near Nauset Road in Eastham on Aug. 1, led by a streaked brown hen. Sometime before 7:30 a.m., a car […]
ASSISTANCE
As Cold Arrives, So Does Help With Heating Costs
You don’t have to be a homeowner to get funds
As the Outer Cape braces for winter’s heating bills, it’s also the season for finding help paying those bills. Nov. 1 marked the beginning of the heating season for the […]
THE RESTORATION
Superstructure Arrives for Temporary Bridge Over Herring River
The new 320-foot one-lane span should be drivable by January
WELLFLEET — The construction site where Chequessett Neck Road crosses the Herring River was bustling on Oct. 24 as pallets of enormous metal squares called truss panels arrived on trucks. […]
CLEAN ENERGY
They’re Getting Smart About Solar in Eastham
It’s more affordable, but fewer people are adopting it
EASTHAM — Massachusetts has a problem, and Eastham is here to help. The state’s Clean Energy and Climate Plan calls for net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, which the plan says […]
SEAWALL SAGA
House on Cliff Listed for Sale as Lawsuit Fails
Trustees of the former Blasch house lose appeal on building seawall at ‘the Gut’
WELLFLEET — The house teetering on a coastal bank at 1440 Chequessett Neck Road is for sale again, less than two years after it was purchased by New York attorney […]
MORNING FLIGHT
A Visitor From Old Cape Cod on Wellfleet’s Great Island
A sighting of a prairie specialty is a reminder of local landscapes past
Wellfleet’s Great Island on a mid-October morning was full of the usual suspects for this time of year — the beaches were dotted with black-bellied plovers, the bayberries were dripping […]
ENVIRONMENT
Climate, Not Wind Farms, Is Called Threat to Whales
Scientists say turbine noise pales in comparison to ship strikes, entanglement, and loss of feeding grounds
PROVINCETOWN — The first turbine of the Vineyard Wind offshore wind project, eight miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, was successfully installed on Oct. 18. Meanwhile, some who are working against […]
MORNING FLIGHT
The Unusual Sex Life of the White-Throated Sparrow
In October, a bird with four sexes comes to winter with us
For birders, fall is not just one season. The whole period from July to December is characterized by southbound migration, sure. But really, a birder’s fall is a string of […]
ARTISTS
Daniel Ranalli Records the Drama of Stranded Whales
A 31-year project culminates in an exhibit at the New Bedford Whaling Museum
NEW BEDFORD — The whaling museum here celebrates bigness. Two whale skeletons hang from the lobby ceiling. The centerpiece of the museum is a three-story replica of the whaling vessel […]
EXCURSIONS
Provincetown’s Fifth Grade Finds Beauty in the Dunes
Digging and rolling, finding tracks and foraging to learn about the natural world
PROVINCETOWN — As he trekked across the dunes with half of the fifth-grade class from the Provincetown IB Schools, Mark Adams slowed the pace for a moment to call attention […]
