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.
The wind was up and the waves were good for Stand Up Paddleboard Surfing at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham on Cape Cod. This surfer was taking advantage of the beautiful weather that we had in December.
Cape Cod Stand Up Paddleboard Surfing is growing in popularity as more and more people experience the pure adrenaline rush of being propelled by the sheer power of ocean waves. And Coast Guard Beach is one of the favorite beaches on the Outer Cape to get out that paddleboard and enjoy that rush, any time of the year.
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
