As we wrap up the year, there’s some recent news: the early arrival on Nov. 18 of two North Atlantic right whales. Scientists from the Center for Coastal Studies were […]
Visual Stories
MORNING FLIGHT
Not Just Birds of a Feather
In the off-season, mixed flocks of disparate birds work together instead of apart
Winter is not easy if you’re a bird. The abundant food supply you relied on all summer is gone, you use a lot of energy keeping warm, and without leaves […]
GAMBITS
Nauset Chess Is a Winning Tradition
Lucas Wilson-Bevington bests Joey Smith in Miles Tibbetts Tournament
EASTHAM — Few onlookers were surprised when Joey Smith and Lucas Wilson-Bevington sat down across from each other at a table in Nauset Regional High School’s new cafeteria for the […]
BULLY FOR YOU
Cats ’n’ Dogs
There are three species of cattail that one might find around these parts — a meatier one that’s well behaved and local, a slim one from Eurasia and northern Africa that […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Dec. 3 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet […]
ASTRAL PROJECTIONS
Most Everyone Is Mired in Making Hard Choices
A time to react gently and be quick to forgive
The transits indicate things are going to be challenging for the next few days, so the best thing to do is cultivate a can-do attitude as you work through the […]
TO THE MAT
How to Open Your Heart Without Losing Your Mind
The Locust Pose strengthens you to face the stresses of this season
For some people, the gatherings and celebrations of the winter holidays might be a welcome relief after an anxious election season. But for most, the winter holidays aren’t necessarily an […]
THE DAY AFTER
Leftovers Fit for a Diva
With ties to an opera legend, Turkey Tetrazzini is more than a mid-century memory
We ate a lot of convenience foods when I was a kid growing up in the 1970s. There were dinners of Hamburger Helper and Chun King chop suey, but the […]
CYMRU DISPATCH
Of Quakers and Whalers on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path
Walking in Wales, a Wellfleeter encounters a parallel universe
The way markers were all odd, deceiving us, leading us astray, bending our perception of reality. It seemed like we’d entered a parallel universe. By the time the bulls charged […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Fisherman’s Glimpse of a Simpler Life
Awaiting whales, watching corals, and avoiding parrotfish in Tortola
Greetings from sunny, warm Tortola — a place my mate and I love so much we visit twice a year. I often write about the challenges fishermen face in our […]
ON THE BEACH
Searching for Solace on Gull Pond
Fly-casting as a cure for a case of ‘intolerance of uncertainty’
On a recent mid-November afternoon, I was the only person on the pond aside from a paddleboarder barely visible in the distance. A week after election day, it was sunny […]
ROOTING AROUND
A Mage and a Bard Turn Up at a Library
21st annual Eastham Turnip Festival brings visitors from near and far
EASTHAM — Caroline DeBrota and Shawyoun Shaidani’s road to the Turnip Festival began in 2023, when the Medford pair decided to dress up as fish and chips for Halloween. They […]
ISN’T IT GOOD?
Sugar, We’re Not in Norway Anymore
If your Acer turns a dull yellow in the fall, it’s probably not a native tree; while the sugar maple can hit that end of the spectrum, it does so […]
RARA AVIS
This Week’s Bird Sightings
Highlights from bird sightings on the Outer Cape over a little less than the usual one-week period. The Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary tally for us ended a day […]
TURKEY TROT
The Trot Must Go On
Truro’s first-ever ‘Gobble Hobble’ makes its rainy debut
TRURO — Saturday dawned, but only barely. The light was low, and the rain was heavy as I exited the car at Truro Vineyards and sloshed my way over the […]
