This Long-tailed Duck has been hanging around Boat Meadow Creek for a while. We read that thousands of them had stopped off on the Cape with the last couple of storms. This is the first one that I have ever seen.
A Long-tailed Duck is a small diving duck which has a dark brown back and a white head with a large black cheek patch. It spends the longest time under water relative to its time on the surface. They can dive to depths of 200 feet. Pretty cool, huh?
I had noticed some new shore birds swimming about Boat Meadow Creek, so we went over to investigate. There were quite a few sea birds in the creek so I got my camera out and just clicked away. When I got home and put them up on my computer, I realized that I had gotten photos of 4 different kids of sea birds. This first one is the White-winged Scoter.
The White-winged Scoter is a medium-sized duck, which is mostly black with white eye patches and large white wing patches. The male has a red, yellow and orange bill with a small black know while the female has a dark gray bill with a small know. This looks like a female.
We have read about so many different kinds of birds that have been sighted so far this winter on Cape Cod, it will be fun to try to find them. Have you ever seen a White-winged Scoter?
I love cloudy, windy days… the windier, the better! Yesterday I took a walk to Boat Meadow Beach in the morning before the high winds and the rain started. It was fairly windy out but the water was still calm. You can see the Canada Geese and Brants swimming about in the bay.
We went back at lunchtime and it was a different story. The waves were cranking and the wind was blowing. We were ready for a big storm!
I loved this photograph of the “lull before the storm.”What do you think?
The flats at low tide on Cape Cod Bay are always beautiful. I took this photograph at Boat Meadow Beach. You can see the sailboat on its mooring sitting on the sand at low tide.
Have you ever walked on the flats at low tide?
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
