I’ve seen this little Eastern Phoebe hanging about our yard quite a bit the past few days. We’ve never seen a Phoebe in our yard before. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
He seems to like to perch on top of our bird houses, but the only place I’ve managed to get a photograph is in the bird bath. It’s been such a treat to see him here!
The wind was blowing and the sun was shining making for a perfect day to take this Catboat out for a sail on Wellfleet Harbor. So pretty, don’t you think?
Any day, any weather, any season, any time is always good to enjoy some Indian summer on the beaches of Cape Cod!
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?
It really is amazing how much beauty is right in your neighborhood, if you just open your eyes and look. I frequently walk by this view on the salt marsh, but hardly ever stop to admire all its beauty. Phil said it looks like a painting…but it isn’t.
These Double-crested Cormorants have certainly found the perfect place to perch… a beautiful sailboat without a cover. I wonder what the owners will say when they try to go out on their boat and find a bit of a mess…
Yesterday I couldn’t wait to go out for a walk between the rain showers. While I was gone, Phil saw this beautiful Monarch butterfly that was feasting on our still-blooming Zinnias. (Click on blog link for other photos.)
It stayed for over an hour just flitting from flower to flower while we both had fun taking so many pics.
It was very cooperative as it posed in every position possible. Just beautiful!
It really was one of the prettiest Monarchs I’ve seen in a long time… such vibrant colors! I sure hope it starts its long southern journey soon and there are a lot of flowers along the way!
The view driving down to Nauset Beach is always spectacular, but look at those waves! Wow! I wonder what the beaches will look like after this monster storm…
The waves were really big yesterday afternoon at Coast Guard Beach and that was just the beginning. (Click on blog link for other photos.)
You can see that the water is up to the dunes already at high tide.
I wonder what Mother Nature has in store for these beautiful beaches over the next few days…
We took a ride out to the beaches yesterday to see how big the waves were before the storm and they were cranking! This photo is from the parking lot at Nauset Light Beach. You can see how much erosion there is on the dune by the parking lot… there’s not a whole lot of land left between the parking lot and the water below, especially at high tide. It’ll be interesting to see what Mother Nature has in store for this weekend!
