As we have noted, and all Cape Codders know, Spring comes late to our little sand spit in the Atlantic. Looking for spring signs of returning migrants has been one of our most enjoyable pastimes the past couple of years as we patiently wait for the water to warm so we can get back out on the sea. We have ventured into some of the more remote parts of the Cape and recently discovered a treasure in our midst, Barnstable’s Sandy Neck and its adjoining Barnstable Marsh. To fully appreciate this Cape Cod wild wonderland one should commit to hiking out the entire neck…. a round trip commitment of 13 miles! Though quite a walk which also must be timed to account for tidal pools that obstruct the trails at higher tides, the experience is worth it and spectacularly beautiful – by far the “piece de resistance” of Cape Cod trekking.
Tree Swallows jockey for the right to a nesting box and a mate!
Little House on the Neck -100 years old.
Lighthouse and colony of cottages at the point
Entrance to Barnstable Harbor
Mockingbirds followed and fooled us along the trek
Explorer, photographer, author and Chatham conservationist, John King will share insights into his personal voyage of re-discovery of the coastal and ocean wildlife that spend time each year in the waters off Cape Cod.
If you are curious about the “back story” behind this photograph be sure and come on May 23rd!
A chance conversation with Brad Pease, master craftsman an co-owner of Pease Boat Works in Chatham, gave me a heads up that they planned to haul the beautiful schooner Tyrone on the spring high tide. As she is quite large for their yard and a full moon, clear sky was promised we scrambled to witness the event. And it was the perfect way to usher in the beginning of my 62nd year on the planet. The evening was cool and with the wind calm everything went according to plan.
High tide in the Mill Pond, Chatham, MA
If you are interested I found the following on her web site…”Tyrone was designed by S. Sturgis Crocker and built by Simms Brothers, Dorchester, Ma. in 1939, to be an offshore passage maker. She is very ruggedly built, with 1 and 5/8-inch Honduras mahogany screwed to 2 and ½ – inch double sawn oak frames, on 16 inch centers. Garboards are two inches thick. All bronze fastened, her decks are constructed of teak. She carries outside lead ballast. Power is a Cummins 210B diesel. Gross tonnage is 48 tons. Tyrone is 75 feet over all, 60 feet on the deck and 50 feet at the water line. Beam is 15 feet, depth 8’6”, and carries 1805 feet of sail. The schooner has made several trips to Ireland, has sailed to Hawaii, and cruised in Alaska. In 1994, she was awarded “Most Beautiful Boat” at Antigua Race Week.”
And by the way – Pease Boatworks is an absolute Cape Cod treasure. Brad and Mike Pease and their crew are doing the traditional work of building and caring for magnificent wooden boats the way it has been done by master craftsmen for generations. They keep a sacred tradition very much alive in Chatham that is sadly fading from modern memory. We salute them!
Just in case you may have missed this opportunity to visit the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History to see their new exhibit featuring White Sharks AND help raise money for Atlantic White Shark Research and local education….here are the details
SPOTLIGHT : FUNDRAISING EVENT
Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and Cape Cod Museum of Natural History present, “A Great White Shark Night“ on Thursday, April 18 at 5:30PM. The museum will be open late for an intriguing and informative evening for all ages, featuring Dr. Greg Skomal presenting his latest shark research and an exclusive viewing of the museums exciting new shark exhibit. 100% of the evening’s proceeds will benefit the Massachusetts Shark Research Program and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Summer Camp Scholarship Program.
Putting a plug in for joining us for our presentation in Chatham at the Community Center this Saturday, April 20th, at 2:00PM. The event is sponsored by the fine people at Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary. The lecture will be appropriate for all ages (11 and up) so if you know of young people (and their teachers) who might like to get charged up about Cape Cod wildlife please pass the word. And a note for those who have heard John speak before – we will be presenting some exciting new images and stories behind our recent adventures.
See the link below for more details or call Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary – 508-349-2615
We are happy to back home on Cape Cod and over the past week have started to get back out in the field to see how the slow warming trends of spring here are signaling the changes and new wild visitors. Here are a few images we captured.
American Widgeon (male) in Ryders Cove
Eastern Bluebird returns! - Chatham
Common Eiders getting up and heading North
Very rare vagrant visits - a King Eider
Male Woodcock set to perform his amazing mating dance at dusk - Long Pasture Sanctuary
Northern Bobwhite pops out after a brief rain shower - Falmouth
Yellow Crowned Night Heron - looking for lunch - Sandwich
After leaving Dominica and our fantastic experiences swimming and observing Sperm whales we made the 1000 mile journey northward via Puerto Rico to join the team at Aquatic Adventures in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. Since it is not easy traveling in the Caribbean our journey took several days travel but we finally climbed on board the Turks & Caicos Explorer, our live-aboard dive boat home for the next 6 days and headed out 80 miles to the NNE finding the Silver Bank. These grounds were made famous in colonial times when Spanish treasure ships came to grief on poorly charted coral reefs and deposited lots of treasure on the shallow banks in storms. This was a return trip for us having had the experience in March 2012 and been so moved by it that we vowed to come back for more. We were not disappointed.
Tender platform we used to track the humpbacks specially designed by Tom Conlin
Mom and calf in a fly by
Tail breach in process
Mother is looking for a wandering calf
Fading light distant breach
Calf exhibits "Spinning head breach"
Chin breach
Curious calf approaches JJK. Likely a yearling born last year due to size
Up close and personal with a large female
Very distinctive hump
Another close encounter
Massive Pectoral fins are used to communicate
Fluke headed down
Humpback whale Zen Master Tom Conlin (Photo by Diane Byrd)
Soft encounter with an adult female
Mother nurses her calf
Breacher with the Explorer in the background
Sea Turtle makes an appearance
Humpback female comes up for air about every 25 minutes when with a nursing calf
