There is some good news about the population of North Atlantic right whales: after seven years of declining numbers from 2013 to 2020, there has been a small increase in […]
Environment
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 […]
UNDISTURBED
Thoroughly Hyssop-Leaved
A meadow plant that thrives in sandy soil with good drainage, hyssop-leaved thoroughwort (Eupatorium hyssopifolium) will show up at anthropogenic sites with similar conditions. The pictured specimen is a volunteer […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 5 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
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.
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Chesapeake Bay Results Are In, and They’re Not Good
Striper spawning success is low for sixth year in a row
The results are in from the annual seine in the Chesapeake Bay to determine the status of the juvenile striped bass population, and the news isn’t good. Samples of fish […]
ON THE BEACH
The Emotional Comfort of a Go-To Lure
Even scruffy and worn, favorite lures create the confidence necessary for fishing success
Halfway through the upswing of my cast, I heard a snap and watched my silvery popper fly lazily overhead and plop in the fast-moving water a few dozen yards in […]
HOCUS POCUS
The Witch of the Wood
When certain shrubs are in the vicinity of fir trees, they can become infected with Pucciniastrum goeppertianum, a rust fungus that needs two different species to complete its life cycle. On […]
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. 29 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
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 […]
FISHERIES
DMF Wants to Draw New Clam Dredging Line
Conservationists and fishermen eye revised rules to protect eelgrass beds
PROVINCETOWN — Hydraulic dredging for surf clams has long been a contentious topic in Provincetown — where the town has been active in managing fishing off Herring Cove. This is […]
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 […]
DON’T PANIC
A Trail for Times Like This
If you’re feeling a swell of anxiety as we approach the first Tuesday in November, maybe some panicgrass can help. The serene walking trail from Province Lands Road to Hatches […]
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. 22 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
