Nature Connection: Watching For Whales And Other Things

After what felt like endless days of waking to rain pummeling the house, I finally woke in the darkness of an April dawn to silence. I quietly crept downstairs, went outside to look at the waning moon playing hide and seek with a few clouds, and settled in to begin my day.

The sky began to lighten, and as I watched, a few heavy clouds moved in, tinged with pink around their edges. In just moments the clouds turned crimson, then violet, then gray. It was a breathtaking show. If I’d blinked or walked back into the kitchen I would’ve missed it.

When the day begins so auspiciously it is difficult to focus on the ordinary chores and errands of daily life. I gave up on my to-do list and headed for a beach, one where 30 right whales had been seen frolicking offshore just the day before. The tide was wrong, and whales rarely hang around in exactly the same spot, but I had to try. Even without a whale sighting the beach was a beautiful place to start my day. I grabbed a cup of coffee from one of my favorite local coffee shops and headed to the beach.

The tide was very low, and several large sandbars were exposed. Gulls were resting on the sand while farther out in the water a small raft of eiders floated. It’s getting late for sea ducks, but some, like mergansers, seem to take their time leaving. In this area close to the canal, eiders have begun to nest in the jetties along with cormorants, so not all leave with crowds these days.

The rain had passed, but the wind had not. All sorts of little treasures had washed up on the beach, and the wrack line was well worth a look. All the usual suspects for this time of year were there. Dozens of skate egg cases, long strands of kelp, a few choice examples of sea pork (a tunicate), sea clam shells, periwinkle and dog winkle shells and lots of sea-smoothed stones were scattered along the wrack.

The piping plovers were busy flirting and pairing up, running between the roped-off areas where hopefully they will nest and the exposed damp sand flats where they were actively feeding. One of the ospreys that nest nearby was flying out over the water, and a small number of gulls were flying along the water’s edge. Every now and then one would descend, grab a shellfish or a crab and then rise higher in the sky to drop it on the stones below. Other gulls would arrive, hoping to pirate the goody, but this time, anyway, the gull that caught its breakfast kept it.

Beach or dune grass, beach peas, and the rosa rugosas are all putting forth new shoots. The beach plum and bayberry bushes are still in bud and the poison ivy is thinking about putting out leaves, but on this day, they weren’t quite ready. 

April is always a bit damp, a bit chilly, but it is also a lovely time to get out walking and explore our favorite areas and walks in the woods. It’s when the first blossoms of trailing arbutus, also called mayflowers, bloom, and more mourning cloak butterflies may be seen. Keep your eyes out for the comma butterflies, the red admirals, and the painted ladies, as they will soon appear in warm, protected areas. The skunk cabbage is leafing out as its purple and green flowers fade, and the pussy willows are fluffing out and passing by.

Vernal pools have been busy with all this rain, and many are full of salamander and wood frog eggs that will hatch and develop quickly over the next few months. Vernal pools, by their very nature, dry up as summer looms, so those little guys have to be ready to move on or they could die. Usually by early July tiny frogs and salamanders will leave the water to bury themselves under leaf litter. Most of this activity will happen at night, but not all. 

Now is the time that other frogs and toads are thinking about mating and laying eggs. Snakes will be doing the same, though some of them, such as garter snakes, will have live young in late summer. 

Although you may see some turtles on the move as they begin to look for mates, most won’t lay eggs until it gets much warmer, usually in late May or early June.

Squirrels are in the nest, and baby bunnies, too. Watch for little possums hanging on to moms and little fox kits playing outside their dens on sunny days.

It’s also a great time for watching whales off the beach in Cape Cod Bay. Provincetown is always the best bet, but you never know. They show up off Sandy Neck and even off Corporation Beach in Dennis some years. Take your binoculars with you when you go to the beach. You never know when one or more may show up.

We are incredibly fortunate to have right whales visit our bay. Soon they will move north and the humpback whales will arrive. For a short time, both species will be here ,and don’t forget the lovely finback and minke whales as well as several species of dolphins. 

If anyone asks where you’re going over the next few weeks, just say you’re going to watch for whales from the beach. Who can argue with that? Even if you don’t see a whale, you’re sure to see something wonderful.