I looked out the kitchen window yesterday and saw a huge flock of Canada Geese in our yard here in Orleans on Cape Cod. So I got my camera and clicked away.
And the I looked up in the tree by the water and saw about 15 birds perched on the branches. What were they? A quick look with my binoculars told me they were all Northern Flickers. Wow! What treat!
And then, not 10 seconds later all the Canada Geese and Northern Flickers were all of a sudden in flight like something had frightened them.
Lo and behold…a huge Red-Tailed Hawk flew overhead and the mystery was solved! Pretty exciting for a stretch of about 5 minutes!
This beautiful Red-tailed Hawk, which is probably the most common hawk in North Americ,a was sitting patiently up in this tree by Boat River in Eastham on Cape Cod, eyeing everything in sight.
Red-tailed Hawks soar above open fields, slowly turning circles on their broad, rounded wings. Other times you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or a rabbit, or simply waiting out cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky.
Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail in Wellfleet on Cape Cod is a mostly shaded 1.2 mile loop which explores one of the Cape’s few remaining stands of Atlantic White Cedar, located on the former site of Camp Wellfleet, a U.S. Army base.
Early settlers split White Cedar into boards for houses and farm buildings as well as joists, frames, doors, rafters, floors, fence posts and even organ pipes. Being so easy to shape it was very versatile.
This is a great hike for the whole family any time of the year, but make sure you bring bug repellent if you hike it in the summer as there can be many mosquitoes on the boardwalk over the swamp.
The last time I saw a Bufflehead was way out in the ocean off of Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod many, many years ago. I always loved their black and white coloring and their little diving antics. They are a small, compact duck with a relatively large head.
Male Buffleheads are striking black and white, with iridescent green and purple heads with a large white patch behind the eye. Females are grey-toned with a smaller white patch behind the eye and a light underside.
The name bufflehead is a combination of buffalo and head, referring to the oddly bulbous head shape of the species. This is most noticeable when the male puffs out the feathers on the head, thus greatly increasing the apparent size of the head.
It was such a treat to see these diving ducks so close on the river near my home and so many of them together.
It seems like every holiday meal we have Brussel Sprouts. They are delicious and everyone loves them. But how do they grow?
As I was walking through the grocery store the other day I saw these in the produce department. As I looked closer, I realized they were Brussel Sprouts. They grow on a huge stalk. I had no idea…
Did you know that?
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
