It’s that time of the year when birds start gathering together for their winter migration. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
These Double-crested Cormorants were all enjoying some relaxing time crowded on these rafts by Little Pleasant Bay. There were hundreds of them! They must be getting ready…
It was a gorgeous fall day to take a walk at Kent’s Point. The sun was shining brightly and the reflections off of the water were spectacular!
We’ve only seen a Savannah Sparrow once before, so it was a big treat to see several of them hopping along the fence rail at Fort Hill. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
The Savannah Sparrow is a small, brown-streaked grassland songbird easily recognized by a distinctive yellow stripe or spot above or in front of its eye. Have you ever seen one?
Yesterday morning was a bit chilly but a gorgeous morning just to be outside in nature. We decided to have an early picnic breakfast at Fort Hill and then a nice walk. Perfect! (Click on blog link for other photo.)
As we headed down the trail, we saw this beautiful White-tailed Deer enjoying his breakfast in the woods. A birder, that we had bumped into, said that he had seen 7 of them out grazing in the meadow as the sun was coming up. What a special place…
Yesterday was a beautiful day for a hike at Fort Hill… the sun was shining and the winds were quiet. We had gone out to see whatever there was to see in nature, but these two paddle boarders caught my eye. They must have launched at Nauset Marsh pretty early as they were almost out to the outer beaches. What amazed me was the expansiveness of Nauset Marsh and how tiny these two looked…
I’ve seen so many of these red berry bushes on the trails and wondered what they are. In doing some research, I learned they are called Smooth Sumac. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
This particular Sumac is called Smooth Sumac, which is not poisonous, and grows from 8 to 15 feet tall. It provides winter food for hundreds of bird species and nectar for pollinators. An interesting fact is that you can also soak the red berries in cold water to make a tart, vitamin-C-rich drink.
Have you seen any of these Smooth Sumac bushes along the trails?
As I was hiking at Wiley Park yesterday, you could see the wind really picking up, as there were pretty big waves on Great Pond. It’ll be interesting to see how the weekend weather pans out… these waves might look small!
I always love hiking the Nauset Marsh Trail which takes you right along the banks of Nauset Marsh. The views are just beautiful! Have you ever done this hike?
It’s always fun when you do a double-take walking down a trail wondering if that is really an animal up ahead. And then, as you get closer, you realize it’s just a piece of driftwood washed ashore. But so much fun when you first see it and your imagination takes over!
There are so many places to picnic on Cape Cod where you can either the enjoy the bustling crowds or enjoy the serenity of a quiet place in the woods. This is one of our favorite picnic tables at the beginning of the trail from Doane Rock to Coast Guard Beach. What’s your favorite picnic spot?
