Cape Cod Summer 2020 |
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I don't think any of us will ever forget 2020 and Covid-19. Life had been disrupted in a way that none of us could have possibly predicted and the pressure of isolation weighed heavily on all of us. So, with the greatest of care, my wife's family decided to share isolation. Susan and I had been quaranteened for weeks and the other members of Susan's family had done the same. So, we got into our cars and made nonstop drives to Mashpee, MA where we rented a home with a pool and access to the water. There were no whale watching trips this time, but I did get out during those early morning hours when I could be sure that I would be alone...and it was glorious! As always, I engineered a working safari in such a way that the others I was with didn't even realize that I was working. |
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My First Day Photography is all about location and time. Where are you and what time of year is it? This year I was at the cape much earlier than normal and I had selected a rental that was just a bike ride away from a natural area known as "the spit." A long barrier island between the ocean and Popponesset Bay, the spit was more than 50% protected nesting area for least terns and piping plovers. It didn't take me long to find the terns. Here a male has just delivered a fish to his mate as part of a charming pair-bonding ritual.
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My First Plover Chick Because of the timing of my visit I was able to see the tail end of the breeding season for the endangered piping plover. I saw adults all over the place and my camera was blazing away as I captured one photo after another. But the real magic occurred when I noticed a movement on the bay side of the spit and discovered that I had found piping plover chicks. Little balls of fluff on thin yellow legs, these little birds had me completely captivated. |
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What the...? It was all on the same day! I had encountered least terns, piping plovers and all sorts of other shorebirds, but what may have been the biggest surprise of them all came a little while later as I rounded the end of the spit and began my trip back home. There on the sand...standing right on the sand...were several barn swallows. Familiar birds in my rural yard back home, the sight of a barn swallow standing on the beach was so strange as to boggle the imagination. Once again my camera went to work. |
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A Change of Heart Two weeks later, on my final day of my photographic safari, I made my way out to the Waquiot Bay Estuarine Research Center and found a beautiful stretch of beach where I was once again the only person in sight. I sat in a lifeguard chair for a while, but it was quite windy and there just wasn't too much activity to keep me occupied. So, seeking further adventure, I headed off down the beach toward another section of sand that had been set asside for nesting birds. Before I arrived there, however, I discovered a small radio antenna with an osprey nest built on top of it. The nest was active and I spent the next 3 hours watching as a female osprey fussed about with the nest while her 3 large chicks impatiently waited for the male to bring back a fish. My vacation nemesis from my 2014 trip to Martha's Vineyard was suddenly a much more cooperative and photogenic ally.
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Copyright 2020 William Danielson |
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