A Day in WellFleet

Birds: Song sparrow, Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Brant Goose, Laughing Gull, Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Baltimore Oriole, Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Green Heron, Eider, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon, Cormorant, Crow, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel.
Turtles: Painted Turtle
Mammals: Gray Seals, Harbor Seals, Red squirrel
Other: Fiddler Crab, Horseshoe crab,

Wellfleet Bay

A mixed group of Harbor and Gray Seals. The orange or brown coloration comes from diet and water composition. Click for larger image.

Today, I drove down to Wellfleet Bay (on Cape Cod) to visit the Wellfleet Bay Audubon Sanctuary and take one of their cruises out into the bay to see wildlife, in particular seals.

Gray and Harbor Seals lounging on the southern most tip of the barrier islands of Wellfleet Bay.

Gray and Harbor Seals. The Gray Seals are larger and have much longer noses. Harbor Seals are generally lighter in color and have a much more "dog-like" profile or finer features.

The light colored female Harbor Seal is the textbook definition of a healthy seal. Nice and fat.

Wellfleet is located halfway between the tip and the "elbow" of Cape Cod. Since colonial times it has been known for its oyster beds. The name origin of the name Wellfleet may be derived from "whale fleet" as whaling and fishing also helped drive the area's economy until the late 1800's. Today the town faces the challenge of severe coastal erosion. Even so, nearly 70% of the town consists of protected lands consisting of the Wellfleet Bay Audubon Sanctuary, the National Seashore, and other small parks and beaches. It is also home to seals, whales, hundreds of birds, painted turtles, box turtles, and the endangered terrapin.

Its an interesting time on the Cape as birds are migrating north to their breeding grounds. New arrivals from southern climes show up every day and those that wintered over are still waiting for a nice southerly wind to take north. The Brant geese are still hanging around and Surf and Black Scoters, and Common Loons are too. The Willets have arrived as have the Orioles. The painted turtles are out and so are the Fiddler crabs.

Laughing Gulls

Juvenile Laughing Gull (foreground)

Red squirrel

Red squirrel

Red squirrel chowing down on a pine cone.

Fiddler crabs

Fiddler Crabs (click for larger image)

Red-winged Blackbird, male

Juvenile Redwing Blackbird.