Mark Faherty
Mark Faherty
Mark Faherty
Deep in one of those Plymouth county towns checkered with cranberry bogs, there’s a nest that looks like any of the hundreds of Osprey nests in the region. It sits on a platform erected by Eversource to get it off the adjacent high voltage lines, and overlooks a pond. It’s no bigger or smaller than other Osprey nests, but the occupants are not Ospreys – they are Bald Eagles, and I was lucky enough to be present for the banding of their babies by wildlife officials earlier this week.
Few birds are as recognizable or charismatic as the Bald Eagle, our national symbol. Once common, the persistent pesticide DDT, habitat loss, and hunting drove them to local extinction in many parts of the continent by the 50’s and 60s. Here in Massachusetts, they were already gone by then – the last nest in the state was at Snake Pond in Sandwich in 1905. In 1982, with DDT banned, the state and Mass Audubon teamed up to bring them back, and began reloc
Kalmus Beach in HyannisCape Cod Times file
Covell Beach: Just down the road from popular Craigville Beach, Covell Beach is very similar but slightly smaller and only for residents who have beach stickers. Located on Nantucket Sound, in-season water tends to be gentle and warm. Craigville Beach Road, Centerville.
Craigville Beach: Disabled accessible. Long, wide beach. Beautiful view. Very big. Lots of parking. Can be crowded. Located on Nantucket Sound usually means gentle and warm water. Craigville Beach Road, Centerville.
Craigville Beach in Centerville
Eric Williams, Cape Cod Times
Dowses Beach: Disabled accessible. Fishing platform. Breakwater to explore. Good-sized parking lot. Nice sandy beach. Located on Nantucket Sound usually means gentle and warm water. 348 E. Bay Road, Osterville.
Closing three of the townâs freshwater ponds to nonresidents and postponing Fourth of July fireworks until the fall are among the recommendations made to the Sandwich Board of Selectmen Thursday, February 25.
The suggestions for another COVID-safe summer came from the town department officials whose employees oversee summer activitiesâRecreation Director Guy Boucher, Natural Resources Director David J. DeConto and Harbormaster Michael Dunning.
Mr. Boucher recommended that the public beaches at Snake Pond, Ryder Conservation Area and the townâs Oak Crest Cove property on Peterâs Pond be open only to Sandwich residents with stickers.
âLetâs continue to help reduce the COVID numbers and help staff manage the smaller waterfronts,â Mr. Boucher said.