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Cape Cod Amidst the Crowds—of Birds
by Stephen Jermanok

"Traveling a desert" is how Henry David Thoreau described Cape Cod's coast, a barren and desolate landscape. It's a far cry from what most travelers find today on the Cape - except for in the off-season.

He went on to describe Cape Cod in his book of the same name: "Her feet planted on the floor of the ocean, like an athlete protecting her bay-boxing with northeast storms and heaving up her Atlantic adversary from the lap of earth." Better known for the two years he spent at Walden Pond, Thoreau walked the coastline from Eastham to Provincetown three times, in 1849, 1850, and 1855. Today, there are still those times one can walk for miles on desolate beaches, like Thoreau, yearning for "peace of mind."

The welcoming committee at the entrance to the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in spring or fall is a cacophony of chirping birds. White-crowned sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, and rare pine grosbeaks are a small fraction of the bird life found on the sanctuary's splendid trails. The Massachusetts Audubon Society, who own and maintain the property, claim sightings of more than 250 different species in all.

Take a leisurely ramble on the Goose Pond Trail though marshes, forest, ponds, and fields. A right turn at a cabin will bring you to a boardwalk and the sandy white beaches of Cape Cod Bay. Here, you'll find graceful great blue herons and large goose-like brants. On the return trip, sit down at a bench overlooking Goose Pond. Northern hummingbirds fly in and out of the branches overhead forming a chorus whose voices could soothe any man's restless soul-even Thoreau's.

Practically Speaking
Wellfleet is a 90-minute drive from Boston. The clearly marked sign for the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (508/349-2615) is located on Route 6, .3 miles past the Eastham/Wellfleet town line at the southern end of Wellfleet. The sanctuary maintains a small campground for people who have been members of the Massachusetts Audubon Society for at least one year.

Related Links
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce
Boston-based writer Stephen Jermanok is a columnist at National Geographic Adventure, a contributing editor at Outdoor Explorer, and author of Frommer’s Great Outdoor Guide to New England (formerly Outside Magazine's Adventure Guide to New England).

Photo: Henry Holdsworth/Pictor
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