Cape Cod for shorebirds

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Dancogan

Dancogan

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We will spend the week of July 4th on Cape Cod at a family reunion. Hoping to find some time to photograph the birdlife of the Cape. It's been well over 50 years since I've visited the area so any advice/spots/thoughts will be appreciated. (It wasn't my idea to be there for the 4th!) Thanks in advance.
 
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We have been to the Cape twice in recent summers and are going again this summer (early August.) We've found it surprisingly not great for shorebirds (in late August) but it could be the timing. July 4th week is probably not great, a little late for spring migration and early for fall. But there's always something. The best spots I've found specifically for shorebirds is the Morris Island beach trail of Monomoy Island National Wildlife Refuge. There are tide pools/mudflats on the beach that attract shorebirds--go at low tide! https://www.fws.gov/refuge/monomoy/visit-us/trails

Not far from there is Chatham pier which is fun to stop to watch the seals feed from the fishing boats that dock there.

A great place to visit for general birding is the Mass Audubon Sanctuary at Wellfleet. It's not great for shorebird photography, as while there is a shorebird pool most of the birds are too distant for photos. Same with the beach access. But again, you never know. We've seen Whimbrel there and it can be good for Seaside Sparrow and other marsh and forest birds.

Where you might go also can depend on where you're staying. Don't underestimate how long it takes to get from one end of the Cape to the other in the summer traffic.

Wherever you go, bring tons of mosquito repellent! I'll follow this thread as well because I'm sure there are folks who've spent more time on the Cape than me.
 
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Thanks very much for your response, Janet! I guess I got lucky because we'll be staying in Chatham so it won't be a long drive every time we want to get out with the camera. And thanks for the advice on mosquito repellant - I wasn't thinking they would be a problem along the coast.
 
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Right now the Oyster Catchers are just starting to hatch on Long Island (Nickersons Beach). The skinners usually hatch in July. The Terns were still nests in August last year with chicks..

So the cape isn't that much further north to make any real swing in timing i would think. So you may see some but definitely towards the end of the season where some will have started to move on. There are a few places you might find along the National Sea shore I was there 3 years ago on memorial Day weekend and it was pretty good.
 
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Okay if you are in Chatham you are very close to Monomoy so that's a must. You won't be too far from Wellfleet either, maybe 45 min if you go early.

Yes the terns are just hatching out in Nickerson (I was there this week) but I don't know of any nesting areas on the Cape that are accessible for photography--there are colonies in Monomoy but they are on the main island, not accessible unless you have a boat and I'm not sure of the regulations. There may be others though.

The mosquitos are fierce on the Cape, also plenty of ticks if you hike in the woods.
 
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Dancogan said:
We will spend the week of July 4th on Cape Cod at a family reunion. Hoping to find some time to photograph the birdlife of the Cape. It's been well over 50 years since I've visited the area so any advice/spots/thoughts will be appreciated. (It wasn't my idea to be there for the 4th!) Thanks in advance.
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Nauset Marsh is a great spot, as are the tidal flats around Wellfleet. Mass Audubon maintains a sanctuary along Wellfleet Bay.
 
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This trip was more family reunion and far, far less a photo outing. No opportunity to shoot shore birds, but a whale watching tour out of Provincetown was surprisingly successful. So I thought I'd share these shots, taken with Z8 and Z100-400.

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