An Independent-minded calendar of arts and events for Outer Cape Cod

Advertise in the Indie.

Reach more readers from Eastham to Provincetown.

Unchained news for Outer Cape Cod

The Provincetown Independent

Let us bring you the paper.

Your subscription supports real community journalism.

Stilt Sandpipers

    RARA AVIS

    This Week’s Bird Sightings

    By

    Confirmed bird sightings on the Outer Cape in the week preceding the Independent’s deadline on Tuesday, Aug. 19 included the following, based on a report prepared by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.

    Even in coastal areas, Stilt Sandpipers are most often seen on freshwater ponds rather than on the tidal flats, according to the Audubon Field Guide. It has long green-yellow legs and is often “passed off as either a yellowlegs or a dowitcher, depending on what it is doing.” Standing or walking, it’s mistaken for a yellowlegs; feeding, it looks like a dowitcher. These birds nest in the Arctic tundra and migrate through the Great Plains, wintering, it is thought, mostly in South America. They are uncommon on the East Coast, the Audubon guide says. (Photo by James Hurt/Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)

    Two Stilt Sandpipers, an Arctic Tern, and an Atlantic Puffin were seen at Race Point in Provincetown.

    That’s all she wrote out here from Outer Cape Cod.

    If you have questions about these sightings, or want to report a sighting, call the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary at 508-349-2615 or send e-mail to [email protected].

    © 2025 The Provincetown Independent, all rights reserved.

    terms of service