Won’t You Let Me Take You on A Seal Cruise?

On one of our frequent “jump in the car and see where it takes you” adventures, Rich and I discovered the Monomy National Wildlife Refuge, a division of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in Chatham. Around the corner from the Coast Guard Station, off Morris Island Road, we followed the signs for the Rip Ryder Monomoy Island Ferry. Pulling into the lot, we tucked the Miata into a parking spot and headed towards sign holding a large map of the area. It was here that we were first introduced to Captain Keith Lincoln and his crew, who operate the Rip Ryder IV, a 32 foot, twin-engine vessel that takes passengers to North and South Monomoy Islands on fishing excursions, lighthouse adventures, and our favorite, the seal cruise.

Rich, or Chatty Cathy as some of us like to refer to him, struck up a conversation with a gentleman in the parking lot selling tickets and handing out brochures for the Rip Ryder. He and his wife (we assume) man their mini-van from 8AM to 5PM daily offering a variety of trips and tours, including beach, birding, and fishing shuttles to South Beach; day trips to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge and the historic Monomoy Lighthouse; sea duck tours in the fall; and the ever-popular seal cruise, which is the subject of this missive.

Apparently Cape Cod is a great spot to see seals, although until this encounter we were unaware of that fact. What we did discover is this: the two species of seal predominantly found along the Cape and islands’ shorelines are the harbor and grey seal. According to our informant, there are as many as 3,000 to 5,000 seals inhabiting the waters of Cape Cod year-round, but, according to him the best time to spot them is November through April.

For some reason Chatham seems to be a popular spot for these seals, especially along South Monomoy Island. Our guests have also spotted them in nearby North Beach, Tern Island, and Aunt Lydia’s Cove (which is across from the Chatham Fish Pier). They have also been know to sun themselves on the beaches in Wellfleet, Provincetown, and Woods Hole, and many of our guests have photos to prove it.

The seals begin to arrive in the waters off Cape Cod generally between September and October. The breeding season, especially for grey seals, runs from late September through early March. During this time, the pups are born on the barrier beaches or the shores of the Monomoy Islands. Most experts agree that the best time to view seals is at low tide. As the tide goes out and the sandbars are exposed, the seals hoist themselves up on the sand bars to conserve energy and soak up the heat from the sun.

Of course, if you’re not interested in spending your day sunning next to a seal, a seal cruise is your best bet. The Rip Ryder offers 90-minute tours along the west side of the Monomoy Islands with a trained naturalist onboard to offer educational information and spot the seals for you. Although they appear as bobbing heads in the surf at a distance, up close they will treat you to a cacophony of  barking and chattering as they frolic in the in sea.

Of course, if a seal cruise doesn’t interest you, you can always do what we do at the wildlife refuge. Start by packing a picnic and a couple of beach chairs (you may have to have a vehicle larger than my Miata to comfortably transport these items). Find a good parking spot in the lot, walk the nature trail along the top of the cliffs, stopping at the frequent overlooks for spectacular views of the ocean, then mosey down a set of wooden stairs to the beach below. At the bottom, take off your shoes, stroll down the beach a bit away from the stairs (which is the launching spot for the shuttle), park your chair at the edge of the water and watch the parade of boats, birds, and sea life until the sun sets (or the tide comes in, or you get hungry or thirsty and the picnic basket is empty, or nature calls). At any rate, its a helluva great way to spend the day.

It’s A Bird…It’s A Plane…No, Wait, It IS A Bird: Cape Cod, A Birder’s Paradise

I grew up in New England, and one of my parents’ favorite pastimes was watching the birds at various feeders and bird baths they had placed around the yard. They weren’t birders, mind you, they just enjoyed watching the antics of birds bathing and munching on seed. It seemed pointless to me at the time, if not downright boring, but I’ve come around.

Rich is a bird lover of sorts. Not all birds, mind you. Oh, he marvels at the size and color of our summer hummingbirds and the sheer beauty of the male cardinal with his crimson breast. He gets a kick out of the chic-a-dees who seem indifferent to his presence on the deck as he fills the feeders. But some birds he categorizes as just plain “nuisance birds”, more trouble than they are worth. The grackle, crow, and blue jay would fall into this category for him.

He can spot a red-tailed hawk from a distance and an osprey by its wings. He puts out oranges for the Baltimore orioles in spring in hopes that they will linger longer. On his recommendation, we put binoculars and

bird books in all our guest rooms, primarily for our foreign visitors who seem equally impressed by a sparrow as a downy woodpecker. He is, in a word, an admirer and protector of our winged friends. But he is not a birder.

He does not go off on long hikes armed with spotting scopes and bird logs, nor does he stand motionless as if a bird dog “en pointe” when he spots a great blue heron. It’s a simple pleasure for him, I suppose, to watch unnoticed from the kitchen window as he prepares the morning repast for our guests. First the tit mice, then the sparrows. Next, the chickadees and cardinals. The downy woodpecker comes and goes as he pleases. He is protective of their seed, admonishing the gluttons with a quick “ssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhttt” to get them moving, and letting the squirrels (those interlopers) know who’s boss.

It was Rich who introduced me to my favorite harbinger of spring. As the gray of winter gives way to longer days and milder temperatures, the gold finches shed their winter khaki green for their summer garb of yellow. Long about April, when you yearn for summer breezes but cannot yet feel them, a gold finch appears at the feeder with one bright yellow feather, (canary yellow, you might say) amidst the green. And in that moment you know, just as you know that the leaves will fall in autumn, that spring has arrived on Cape Cod.

According to some experts, Cape Cod, it seems, is one of the best spots along the Northeastern seaboard to view birds, especially during the migration seasons, when more than 260 different species of birds may make a stop on Cape Cod. They feed on local delicacies, such as marine worms, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks before continuing their journey. Having started in the Arctic Circle, the trip might end in South America, 12,000 miles away. Cape Cod lies about half way along this busy flyway, and places like Monomoy Island and Nauset Marsh are regular stopovers for these birds.

Spring is the best time to view migrating birds, and August is best for observing shorebirds. Winter birds are plentiful, too. Herons, egrets, and sandpipers, all birds associated with wetland habitats, are abundant in winter.

Some of the best spots for observing birds are in wooded areas, such as the Crane Reservation in Mashpee, or the Beech Forest in Provincetown. The Wellfleet Bay/Audubon Sanctuary and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster offer short hikes that take you through upland areas and marshlands to Cape Cod Bay.

Sandy Neck Recreational Area in Barnstable and Monomoy Wildlife Refuge in Chatham offer a beach and wetlands habitat.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, birds are omnipresent on Cape Cod. They share this fragile ecosystem with us, and add a layer of enjoyment to those of us who appreciate them. Come visit Cape Cod and catch a glimpse of any number of the birds that frequent our shores, including:

• pine warblers
• rufus-sided towees
• common yellowthroats
• Carolina wrens
• gray catbirds
• northern orioles
• black-capped chickadees
• tree swallows
• ospreys
• red-tailed hawks
• red-winged blackbirds
• willets
• sparrows
• common terns
• common grackles
• least terns
• kingfishers
• oystercatchers
• great blue herons
• laughing gulls