One of our favorite hikes is the Nauset Marsh Trail by the Visitor’s Center in Eastham. It has so much diversity that there is always something new to see… like the kayaker out in the river!
I love this bridge over the salt marsh. It is such a beautiful view. Have you ever hiked the Nauset Marsh Trail? Does this bridge look familiar?
Once you’ve heard the call of the Great Crested Flycatcher, you’ll never forget it! We have one that lives in the woods by our house and it is constantly calling out as it flies from tree to tree. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
We heard its call the other day and it sounded pretty close, so we kept looking up in the woods hoping to spot it… and there it was, high up on the limb of a nearby tree.
The Great Crested Flycatcher is very noticeable with its olive-green upperparts and its yellow belly which is very easy to see as it flies about. Have you ever seen a Great Crested Flycatcher?
Did you know that there used to be a golf course near the Eastham Salt Pond and Nauset Marsh? You can see the old cement roller for the greens in the grass by the marsh. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
I hadn’t seen it in a couple of years and presumed it had washed away, but it re-appeared a while ago covered in sea grass and barnacles.
The course was created by Quincy Adams Shaw in the 1920s and described by a Boston newspaper as “one of the finest natural layouts in the world.”
“Shaw was a Boston Brahman whose fortune came from Michigan copper mines. The Harvard graduate suffered a nervous breakdown in his 40s and after a long confinement, his doctors recommended he find something to occupy his time. He turned to building a golf course on family land. Using local laborers, a horse and an earth scoop, it took three years and in 1928, Cedar Bank was ready for play.” Cedar Bank was essentially an estate course for family outings and friends.
“The Eastham Historical Society has photographs and maps of the 18-hole design. The course played 6,490 yards to a par 70 and was in operation until the late 1940s. Among the best holes were the 140-yard par-3 11th over the pond. Players had to cross the hazard on a small barge with a rope and pulley. The 310-yard 17th around the inlet was memorable and the green reachable, but the challenge was how much of the marsh could be carried with a driver.”
Its always so much fun to learn about new things where you live and what it used to be like back in the day. I certainly learned a lot researching this cool golf course!
It was such treat to see this Bobolink land on the fence at Fort Hill the other day. It was pretty far away but we were able to identify it and get a couple of photos. It was the first one that we’ve seen on the Cape and the first one that I’ve seen in many, many years. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
The male Bobolink sings a bright bubbly song while in flight starting with low reedy notes and rollicking upward “bob-o-link, bob-o-link, pink, pink, pink.”
I found this interesting tidbit on the internet: “The Bobolink’s common name originates from a poem written by William Cullen Bryant back in the late 19th century. William wrote about a bird he then called Robert of Lincoln. This name was shortened to Bob of Lincoln, and finally became the name it has today: Bob-o’-link.”
Have you ever seen a Bobolink or heard its call??
