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
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Oct. 31 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
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 […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Oct. 24 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ZONING
ZBA Again Denies Permit for Wellfleet Contractor’s Yard
The board’s decision sends the case back to Land Court
WELLFLEET — The well-groomed entryway to the GFM Enterprises contractor’s yard on Route 6 may score high for good looks, but the zoning board of appeals wasn’t interested in those aesthetics […]
ENVIRONMENT
Beeches Get ‘Old-Growth’ Designation Amid Uncertain Future
The Beech Forest is inaugurated into the Old-Growth Forest Network despite its decimation by beech leaf disease
PROVINCETOWN — Nearly two dozen tree enthusiasts, some with binoculars slung around their necks, others carrying walking sticks, hovered around the head of the Beech Forest trail on the morning […]
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 […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Oct. 17 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
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 […]
REBOUND
Researchers Find Horseshoe Crabs Thriving in East Harbor
20 years after Truro opens a valve, sea creatures continue a comeback
NORTH TRURO — For nearly 150 years, North Truro’s East Harbor was an oxygen-depleted saltwater-turned-freshwater lake, cut off from Cape Cod Bay by a manmade dike. Now, thanks to the […]
FIRST RESPONDERS
Saving the Misfits of the Ocean
Most Mola mola strandings on Cape Cod happen in Wellfleet Harbor
WELLFLEET — Every fall, Carol “Krill” Carson gets a little bit busier. Carson’s nonprofit, the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA), is the only organization in the region dedicated to […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Oct. 10 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
MOSQUITOES
Awaiting First Frost, and Meanwhile, Precautions
EEE is detected, but the risk of infection in humans is still low
PROVINCETOWN — Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) was detected in a sample of mosquitoes taken here on Sept. 21. Like the August discovery of West Nile virus in Eastham mosquitoes, the […]
SURFWATCH
How Many Sharks Are Out There?
Study suggests that white sharks are recovering
Summer on Cape Cod has become synonymous with sharks. Spotter planes patrol the skies for dark shapes in the water. Signs at ocean beaches post warnings with menacing illustrations. News […]
THE TWITCHER
Fall Warblers Stop at Fort Hill on Their Journey South
Wearing their ‘comfortable’ plumage, they look nothing like they do in spring
This article was updated on Oct. 7, 2023. EASTHAM — When cold northern air pushes into New England in the fall, it carries with it waves of warblers. These tiny […]
