What is it?

I bet you've seen it but do you know what it is?

You can find it on area beaches at any time of year but the winter beach seems to be full of it, especially after a big wind that stirs up the waves.

We found this specimen on Sandy Neck in Barnstable  today. In fact, we saw a lot of them.

When I was a kid my mom told me it was whale poop ;-) It isn't, though. It is actually an organism--or more correctly, a colony of organisms called zooids, encased in a layer or layers of cellulose. It feels a bit rubbery and can come in various shapes, sizes and colors though the average seems to be about 4-6 inches wide.

I found this information on Sea Pork to be helpful and this blog on sea pork has lots of interesting photos.

Early spring or what?

I saw a whole bunch of busy bees today....on a sunny patch of crocus while wandering about in Sandwich....

this is also my first YouTube video so feel free to give it some love ;-)

Buried in the sand

This is the time of year when the wind blows down the beach with howls and the surf hits the sand with a roar....it is the time of year when shells appear half buried in the sand like long lost skeletons...

driftwood and seaweeds add to the sandy compositions...

Feathers that have been shed show their wear and tear...

And some days you just play with the shells you find in the sand and make a sand and scallop design...

Sometimes it is fun to take the time to stop and look at the little things closely, even when the big picture is so enticing...

Early bloomers....

One of the earliest blooming shrubs we have on Cape Cod is this one...

We may come across it in the woods, along an old farm trail or like this one, at a nature sanctuary. They always make me smile and although this year many things have been budding and blooming early, this one is right on time. It will bloom in mid February whether it is snowy or balmy. Many people assume is is an early forsythia and think no more about it but this special shrub was an honored plant in early native cultures as well as colonial ones here in New England.

This is a variety of witch hazel and this early blooming shrub is Hamamelis vernalis, which is easily cultivated. The native witch hazel shrubs bloom in late fall and early winter but most of the ones I've seen on the Cape bloom in February with one big exception in Bourne where there is a little grove of native witch hazel. Over the years the bark and twigs have been used to make teas and also cleansing agents to sterilize areas around wounds, etc. Click the link for more uses and information about witch hazel.

This is one plant worth cosying right up to no matter how cold it is outside because it smells just wonderful.

It blossoms for a couple of weeks and then forms some funky seed pods that can actually "toss" their seeds when split open.

If you're out and about, especially in areas that were once farmland, keep your eyes--and nose--open for a sighting or scenting of this wonderful harbinger of spring.

Happy Valentine's Day

Thought I'd just share some nice Cape photos...

And from me to you ;-)

Brant geese

Brant geese are locally common on the Cape throughout the winter and their arrival in our coastal waters in the late fall is a sure sign that the seasons are changing. Found in areas where there is a good amount of eel grass brant can be found in many of our south facing beach areas, especially around estuaries. You may also find them in marshy areas and occasionally grazing in grassy areas. These brant were hanging out with the gulls at the Sandwich Marina on the canal on a recent blustery day.

Many people see brant and just think they are Canada geese but if you look closely you will see they have a dark front whereas the Canada goose has a light front (photo by NaturePhoto.com)

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Canada geese are also quite a bit larger which is easy to see if you see the birds together. Imagine a herring gull and a Canada goose standing next to each other and what the medium size bird between them might be and you will have an idea about the size of a brant.

Here you can see them in relation to the gulls around them.

Brant don't nest here but are arctic nesters, like many of our winter visitors. They come here because our coastal waters often stay open and their favorite foods are plentiful They will eat seaweeds, especially sea lettuce if their favored eel grass is in short supply. Back in the 1930s when eel grass crashed the brant population crashed along with it but they have steadily been increasing in numbers and are once again flourishing.

And if you are an old school birder, yes, brant used to be spelled brandt ;-)

Watching an owl released to freedom...

A large female great horned owl was hit by a Mack truck on December 31 on Rt. 151 in Falmouth but lived to tell the tale. She was pretty banged up but with the help of the Falmouth Animal Control Officer and Cape Wildlife Center she has been nursed back to health.

Over the last few years the Cape Wildlife Center has teamed up with the Mass Audubon Long Pasture Sanctuary to have a few public releases along with informative natural history programs and each release and program attracts more and more people.

Yesterday Ian Ives of the Long Pasture Sanctuary gave a talk and slide show at the Falmouth Library to a house that was so packed some people got stuck listening to it out in the hall. After the program we drove over to the Ashumet Holly Reservation to watch the owl get released.

The almost full moon had risen above the trees as the van arrived and Dr. Bob carried the container that had the owl in it. By keeping the owl confined in a small, dark space she was able to remain calm and not injure herself by flapping around.

We were asked to stand back and give the owl room and we were also told that the owl could be unpredictable when let out of the box...

Everyone's eyes were on the blue box (in the center) to see what would happen when the box was opened...

She may have been in confinement for a month and a half but this lady knew just what to do....fly away! That's her in the center of the photo....

We were told she might land in a tree to assess her situation and her surroundings but she chose the roof of the house in the distance...

At first she kept her back turned to us but then...

she turned to look at all of us as we all looked at her....

As we left, under the light of the rising moon, my little grandsons skipped along singing, "We saw an owl, we saw an owl...." and I think the rest of us sort of felt the same way. Not only that, we saw an owl that had been rescued and released and her release helped educate people about both wild birds and animals but the efforts if takes to rehabilitate and care for them as well.