For nearly two weeks, people across Cape Cod have been watching the weather with the danger of wildfires in mind. Since Oct. 26, a National Weather Service red flag warning […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Late Fall Brings Rare Flycatchers to the Outer Cape
The cause of ‘vagrancy’ remains hard to discern
It was a warm late October evening — one of those days when summer doesn’t seem ready to leave — when I spotted the rarest bird that I’ve ever seen […]
ANIMALIA
After-Dinner Research on the Outer Cape’s 81 Coywolves
Scat reveals they eschew shorebirds, hunt deer, and also eat our garbage and pet food
Fewer than 50 years ago, there were no coyotes on Cape Cod. Now, they seem to be everywhere.
ON THE BALLOT
Question 4 Would Legalize ‘Psychedelics Centers’ and Personal Use
PROVINCETOWN — Among the many choices that Massachusetts voters face on Election Day is ballot Question 4, which would legalize and regulate several psychedelic substances. A “yes” vote would OK […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Bird-Watching From a Different Cape
Huge numbers of birds fly by Cape May on their fall migrations
By late October, migration is winding down on Cape Cod. Many of our summer visitors are gone, our warblers are filing out to be replaced by sparrows, and our winter […]
GREENER PASTURES
In the Shallows of Cape Cod, a Key Habitat Is at Risk
Work to restore eelgrass meadows begins in Orleans and Wellfleet
PROVINCETOWN — As recently as 100 years ago, the shallow waters around Cape Cod were home to thriving eelgrass meadows. These lush, rippling green stretches of habitat were hotspots of […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Bird-Watching From a Different Cape
Huge numbers of birds fly by Cape May on their fall migrations
By late October, migration is winding down on Cape Cod. Many of our summer visitors are gone, our warblers are filing out to be replaced by sparrows, and our winter […]
AMPHIBIANS
Threatened Toads That Struggle Elsewhere Thrive in Provincetown
Scientists are studying how eastern spadefoots evade deadly fungal disease
PROVINCETOWN — The coordinates came with a warning: “The information I just shared … is protected and confidential.” The sender, Alexander Richards, a Ph.D. student at UMass Boston, had gotten […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Breakfast With the Birds
Seeds and suet fuel migrant flocks and year-rounders
A couple of weeks ago, I felt a chill in the air, and I knew it was time. I drove to Orleans, purchased a 40-pound sack of sunflower seeds, and […]
PUBLIC SAFETY
Sharkfishermen Alarm Surfers at Wellfleet Beach
White sharks were likely target of men armed with bluefish and a drone
WELLFLEET — Surfers at LeCount Hollow Beach called the Wellfleet police on the morning of Sept. 28 to report that three anglers were fishing for sharks there, one of them […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Breakfast With the Birds
Seeds and suet fuel migrant flocks and year-rounders
A couple of weeks ago, I felt a chill in the air, and I knew it was time. I drove to Orleans, purchased a 40-pound sack of sunflower seeds, and […]
TURTLES
Conservationists Seek ‘Endangered’ Designation for Terrapins
Funds for local research and challenges for dredging could come with listing
WELLFLEET — A petition submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service on Sept. 19 by a coalition of 20 nonprofit organizations led by the Tucson, Ariz.-based Center for Biological Diversity […]
ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
How Puritan Beliefs Shaped Cape Cod’s Landscape
At John Doane’s Eastham home, evidence of rapid deforestation but no wild meat
EASTHAM — Somewhat surprisingly, given that Cape Cod is an enormous glacial sandpile, the first European settlers to build permanent homes on the Outer Cape were in search of dirt. […]
GULLY-WASHER
Downpours Cause Flooding, Beach Stair Collapse, and Shellfishing Closures
Eastham got 6.6 inches over the weekend; Provincetown got 3.2
After three sunny, dry weeks, parts of the Outer Cape got over half a foot of rain between Sept. 19 and 22. The National Weather Service reported that Eastham recorded […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Turn Your Ear Skyward for Bobolinks
The birds that helped reveal migration’s secrets are overhead now
Bink! The sound pinged overhead as I walked along High Toss Road in Wellfleet. It was a crisp early autumn morning, and the north winds overnight had dropped a smattering […]
