Because we’ve been to Cape Cod so many times in our lives something I’ve wanted to do was visit a place there that we’ve never been to before. Bass Hollow Boardwalk in Yarmouth sounded enticing.
This long boardwalk extends out over a salt marsh on the bay side of the Cape and offers some breathtaking views and lots of birds to observe close-up. It was very windy the afternoon we went!
I don’t know what kind of shorebirds these are – would appreciate any help with identification!
greater yellowlegs
To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.
~ Rachel Carson
(Under the Sea Wind)
In the early days of my employment, we had several conferences on the Cape. We were in Hyannis, the Port, Plymouth etc. It’s a beautiful place. I’m glad you got to see it.
It was good to hear from you, Ron! The Cape has so many unexplored nooks and crannies, even though we keep returning to our well-known and frequently visited favorites. I have to say, the only time I’ve spent in Hyannis was when I went visited my grandmother in the hospital there after she fell. Incredibly, I’ve never been to Plimoth Plantation!
I now live only 2 hours from the Cape, but the traffic is so daunting I don’t go there. But it’s almost November. Less people traveling to the Cape for the beaches, so I’m going to make a point of checking out Yarmouth. Your photos are delicious.
Thank you, Pam. Ah, yes, the infamous traffic! We did get caught in some terrible traffic on our way up on a Friday evening, which we expected, and caught in a torrential downpour from just before the canal all the way out to Provincetown, which caught us off-guard. It gave us something to talk about with all the shopkeepers we met the next morning. 🙂
Bass Hollow Boardwalk looks lovely. What a beautiful fall day!
It was a beautiful autumn day and a very windy, scenic place too!
Wonderful photos as always, Barbara, and you have captured a beautiful serene atmosphere by the sea. Your unidentified shore bird seems very content too, pecking around in the still water. 🙂
Thank you, Joanne. I’m not holding out much hope of identifying the birds. I am reminded of a quote: “Human names for natural things are superfluous. Nature herself does not name them.” ~ Sally Carrighar. It is enough that we enjoyed them. 🙂
One website had this to say: “There are at least fifty types of shorebird species in North America, not including vagrants, these are birds that are blown off course during high winds or storms, and others that just happen to drop in for a short visit. … Shorebirds are among the most difficult birds to identify. Some species are quite similar to other species and their calls are the only true way to distinguish one from the other. Most of these birds will change from a colourful plumage in their breeding season to dull greys and browns in the fall and winter months.”
I love Rachel Carson. Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos.
You’re welcome, Reaching Joy, and thank you for stopping by. 🙂
I agree with your assessment on the birds~lovely, not needing to be named. I agree, your photos are delicious!
Thank you, Melissa! A couple of years ago I bought a book on identifying gulls which only helped a little bit teasing out the differences between them. 🙂
How nice and serene place! I tried to ID the birds, but since there are at least a dozen “extended sandpiper clan” members, it is almost impossible to know for sure. Some are so similar looking that one has to hear their call to ID them 🙂 One clearly has orange/red legs, but I couldn’t see whether there was some red at the base of the bill. If there was, it could’ve been a Spotted Redshank. The last bird looks like a Willet to me. Beautiful photos!
Thank you, Tiny! I appreciate your thoughts on the identities of these birds and have added willet and sandpiper to my tags. We don’t see birds like these here at our little city beach, although in 2014 we had some oystercatchers nesting on the rocks – their presence caused quite a bit of excitement. Connecticut does have a wildlife refuge, though, which I hope to visit one of these days. Photographing birds is fun and the ones I see on your beautiful blog have inspired me to search for more of them around here!