WELLFLEET — Plans for permitting the construction of wind farms in the Gulf of Maine have been in the works at the U.S. Dept. of the Interior since at least […]
MORNING FLIGHT
The Rare Work of Seeing Birds as Individuals
Two scientists study Wellfleet’s pine warblers, bird by bird
When you walk into the campground area north of the parking lot at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary, you’ll likely hear the twittery trill of birdsong emanating from the pines. […]
WILDLIFE
Dolphins’ ‘Signature Calls’ Could Predict Strandings
A 2021 study done in Wellfleet Harbor suggests a possible early warning system
WELLFLEET — The unique sounds known as “signature whistles” that all the dolphin species found in Cape Cod waters use to identify themselves may be the key to finding out […]
POND SCUM
Bacteria Monitoring Expands in Outer Cape Towns
Runoff and climate change will likely make blooms more common
PROVINCETOWN — Sophia Feuerhake and Jacob Scola meet at the entrance to Clapps Pond off Route 6 and unload a box full of equipment — tubes, nets, bottles, and a […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Whale Watching Is for the Tubenoses
Going offshore for a closer look at seabirds
I’ve always loved visiting nature in ways that make me feel out of my element. We have so dominated nature, so domesticated it, so segregated it from our normal lives […]
THE DREDGE REPORT
In Wellfleet, Mooring Means Your Rudder’s in the Mud
The upside: there’s no waiting list for a spot in the field
WELLFLEET — It’s been so long since the mooring field in the harbor was dredged that those most familiar with the marina can only guess how many boats it might […]
BLOODSUCKERS
Rains and Floods Set Stage for Another Mosquito Boom
Mosquito control experts worry home-rule petitions could prevent larvicide use
WELLFLEET — It’s not just you — even the county’s mosquito control experts say 2024 is shaping up to be a bad year for the bugs. They’re also worried that […]
CAPE COD RAIL TRAIL NORTH
Pedaling an Unofficial Route to Provincetown
It’s possible to avoid the highway, but you can’t get away from cars or hills
Every year since I was 15 years old, I’ve biked the Cape Cod Rail Trail end to end. The tradition started when I was even younger; my best friend and […]
MORNING FLIGHT
In Wellfleet, Watching a Bird That Relies on Us
Pushed out by starlings, purple martins need nests made by humans
At this time of year, a unique birdsong rings out over the parking lot at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s jumbled and metallic, almost bubbly, and unlike any […]
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
Lighthouses and Windmills
When my friend Elizabeth came to visit me in Wellfleet for a weekend, one of the things she wanted to see was a “real” Cape Cod lighthouse. We drove over […]
THE HIGH ROAD
Bound Brook Island Road Unbounded by Temporary Fix
DPW’s just-in-time job will do until the Herring River Project’s road-raising begins
WELLFLEET — For most of the winter and spring, repeated flooding has left Bound Brook Island periodically cut off from the rest of town. For months, the island’s 11 property […]
ERRATICS
Go Ahead, Climb the Rock That Holds a Place in Eastham’s Heart
‘No Climbing’ sign at Doane Rock will be removed by Park Service
EASTHAM — For at least the last couple of hundred years, the boulder near Coast Guard Beach known as Doane Rock has been a popular spot for rock climbers and […]
ALLERGIES
Peak Pine Pollen Is Upon Us
With a burst of sticky yellow dust, the forest’s sex life comes into view
WELLFLEET — The beginning of summer brings a few things denizens of the Outer Cape are wary of, bridge traffic and a bump in gas prices among them. But perhaps […]
BUG SEASON
Lobstermen and Scientists See a Fishery in Flux
This summer, watching for warming trends and easterly winds
PROVINCETOWN — This year, May 15 marked the beginning of the lobster fishing season on the Outer Cape. The fishery is not an insignificant one here. There are 42 fishermen […]
MORNING FLIGHT
Dispatch From the World Series of Birding
In New Jersey, watching and listening to win — or not
“Competitive birding” sounds like an oxymoron. People think of birding as a deeply personal hobby. It’s supposed to be about one’s connection with nature and desire to know one’s place […]
