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Walking to Great Island in Wellfleet |
There were other wildflife encounters that were more pleasant. We found hermit crabs on the beach and Jim put them in a bucket for the kids to watch for a while before returning them to the sea. There were seals out in the water, who come to a protected area near Head of the Meadow beach in Truro to have their pups and feed. From a distance they look like black Labrador retrievers swimming with just their heads above water until you realize that they are far too large and long to be a dog.
On a walk up to the lighthouse we saw a Black Racer snake. It reared up about 8 inches off the ground when we walked into its space. It was around four feet long and really quite beautiful. I pulled the kids back not knowing what kind of snake it was and deciding to err on the side of caution. I later asked the woman running the gift shop about the snake and she told me what it was and that it was not harmful. I wished I had let the kids look at it longer instead of rushing them away from it.
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Wild Turkey |
One afternoon, when driving back to the cottage we saw a very large wild turkey on someone’s deck. The photo does not do it justice. Another afternoon we saw a fox come bolting across the road with something in its mouth. It was large and at first I thought it was a small coyote but Jim thought it was a fox. I think Jim is right and it is a gray fox.
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Gray Fox |
Even around the cottage we rented in the woods were were inundated with wildlife. We saw deer and hawks. The kids loved chasing rabbits, chipmunks, and quail around the cottage. Early one morning, Jim saw a weasel chase a rabbit out from under the deck. The poor rabbit did not make it.
At Pilgrim Lake we saw a swan from the vantage point of the bluffs above the lake.
I was surprised to see so many different wild animals. It was wonderful to get away from the city and enjoy the woods, water and wildlife.