What a strange fish! This giant ocean sunfish, seven feet from tip of dorsal fin (bottom right) to tip of ventral fin (top left), sports the signature abbreviated tailfin, called a caudal fin or clavus (rudder). Her head is at the top right of the photograph with her tiny rounded pectoral fin immediately behind the eye. While one can come across an ocean sunfish at sea basking on the surface in a flat position similar to the stranded Mola mola above, normally one finds an ocean sunfish swimming with dorsal fin cutting through the water, looking for all the world like a SHARK!
SHARK!! (NOT … Ocean Sunfish)
Turtle Journal reached Wellfleet Harbor in mid afternoon as the late morning high tide receded. Thick low clouds dumped torrents of rain on the pier, and schools of menhaden swam slowly along the floating docks largely camouflaged in the murky, plankton-thick water. We visited the Wellfleet Pier today to check for signs of the large ocean sunfish we had discovered one week ago on September 29th. (See Giant Ocean Sunfish in Wellfleet’s Chipman’s Cove. ) As Sue Wieber Nourse walked near the harbor master’s shack, she spotted a dorsal fin circling the harbor among schools of menhaden.
Ocean Sunfish Pair in Wellfleet Harbor
This giant ocean sunfish was quickly joined by a smaller Mola mola as the pair foraged in tandem among the menhaden, while dodging diving gulls and busy shellfishermen boating out to their aquaculture grants. The sunfish crisscrossed between piers and along the docks, then disappeared for several minutes, only to reappear and resume foraging behavior with dorsal fin occasionally slapping from side to side.
Ocean Sunfish Pair Forage among Menhaden Schools
The pair continued to forage and gradually swam into the deeper channel leading out to Wellfleet Bay as the receding tide lowered water levels near the pier. Soon their dorsal fins blended into thick low misty clouds as they swam beyond the harbor jetty. We will continue to observe these gentle giants during the coming weeks because many ocean sunfish strand during astronomic tides each fall along the Cape Cod bayside shoreline. If you see an ocean sunfish in distress or merely circling close to shore within the next several weeks, don’t hesitate to call the Turtle Journal hotline at 508-274-5108.
Giant ocean sunfish (Mola mola) strand in the shallows of Cape Cod Bay each fall. These enormous, seven-foot diameter creatures, the largest bony fish in the ocean, are exotic and impressive.  Four young boys joined Turtle Journal last October to examine an ocean sunfish that had washed ashore on a Mid-Cape bayside beach. For background information on ocean sunfish and their strandings on Cape Cod, see Exotic Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola), which includes a hyperlink to an interview on Mola molas by Mass Audubon’s Bob Prescott, director of the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
Large Dorsal Fin Pierces Chipman’s Cove
This afternoon Turtle Journal visited Chipman’s Cove in Wellfleet Harbor as high tide flooded its salt marsh edges to check to see if any diamondback terrapins remained active or whether they had slipped into winter brumation. The weather was early fall perfect with open sunshine and mid-70 temperatures. If turtles were active in Wellfleet, they would be visible snorkeling in Chipman’s Cove. We saw no sign of turtles, but as we watched, we spotted a prominent dorsal fin about a quarter mile across the cove.Â
Prominent Dorsal Fin Splashes and Flails
At first sight, we suspected either an ocean sunfish or perhaps a basking shark. But as we continued to watch, we became more convinced it was a Mola mola until finally, the fish surfaced completely to confirm our assessment.
Ocean Sunfish in Shallows of Chipman’s Cove
The eratic movements we witnessed, as well as the slapping and flailing of the dorsal fin, were reported by an observer who reported another ocean sunfish in nearby Wellfleet Harbor about two weeks ago. That ocean sunfish was discovered stranded several days later. Turtle Journal alerted the NEBShark network and Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. We will all continue to observe the area for the next few days in case the animal reappears.
A perfect summer ends and fall brings dramatic change to Cape Cod.  Not just foliage, but the whole fabric of coastal life transforms from easy summer to harsh winter. Summer’s gentle breezes, cerulean skies and toasty beaches are blown away by autumn storms that howl across the bay. Summer ripples grow into towering breakers that reshape beaches and deposit oceans of treasure on the shoreline. Buried among seaweed, flotsam and jetsam lie adventure and discovery in the form of marine creatures that are tossed ashore to helplessly succumb to the elements. Yet, thanks to beach patrols launched by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, more than a thousand of the most endangered sea turtles in the world have been rescued from these impossible circumstances and restored back to the wild. Countless marine mammals, giant ocean fish and amazing denizens of the sea have been recovered, yielding breakthrough discoveries chronicled in nature magazines and scientific journals. And now you’re invited to experience this adventure first hand in Mass Audubon’s Marine Animal Stranding Weekend.
On the weekend of November 5th to 7th, Mass Audubon invites a few adventurous souls to join its crack team of coastal rescuers. From Friday to Sunday, teams will scour beaches, day and night, from Provincetown to Sagamore in search of distressed animals. In between high tide patrols, participants will take a bayside cruise to Billingsgate Shoal to gain a sea critter’s eye-view of the coastline, to search for pods of pre-stranding animals, and to investigate harbor and grey seal colonies, as well as overwintering seabirds and sea ducks.  Experts will reveal secrets of marine biology and coastal ecology in seminar settings and one-on-one lab work, and still have time to join participants for quiet dinner conversation about the future of the world’s oceans and their most precious species.
Still, the most extraordinary adventures come with midnight high tides. In crisp November skies, stars hang like Christmas tree ornaments suspended in a shimmering Milky Way garland stretching from Sagittarius in the south to Cassiopeia’s “Big W” in the north. Footsteps fall silently in the soft, moist sand. The only sound comes from pounding surf that explodes in your path as a 12-foot flood tide recedes to reveal secrets left behind in the seaweed strewn wrack line. The beam of your flashlight arcs from dune to sea and back again, searching for mysterious shapes hunkering in the dark shadows.Â
You never know what the night may reveal. Perhaps a cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley sea turtle tossed upside down on the beach by a northwesterly gale. Recovering this semi-tropical animal from the cold darkness before hypothermia sets in will make the difference between life and death for this turtle and may make the difference between survival and extinction for this critically endangered species.Â
Around another bend might lurk a giant ocean sunfish trapped on the flats by a receding tide. This bizarre looking creature represents the largest bony fish in the ocean and can be found on Cape Cod beaches each fall.Â
For an electrifying experience, don’t discount a large torpedo ray that stuns its prey with 220 volt charge. Ouch!  Last year brought nearly a dozen torpedo rays onto bayside beaches from Truro to Sandwich.Â
Nature, especially on the Outer Cape, offers no guarantee of weather or animals. Stranding events are driven by prolonged wind conditions, dropping water temperatures and tidal flows. Yet, early November marks the beginning of the historical stranding period. And, no matter what has been found in the past, what is absolutely guaranteed to greet you around the next bend in the shoreline is the challenge of the unknown and the adventure of a lifetime.
Mass Audubon’s Marine Animal Stranding Weekend offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the adventurer deep inside you; the one who remembers so fondly those great moments of summers past and who finds the walls of boardroom, classroom, operating room, living room, corner office or office cubicle a bit too claustrophobic to endure the whole, long winter without a refreshing breath of cutting edge discovery. Welcome to a weekend unlike anything you have ever experienced. Welcome to the Marine Animal Stranding Weekend at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
For more information about this unique opportunity, contact Melissa Lowe at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary at mlowe@massaudubon.org  or 508-349-2615. For a virtual preview of the experiences that may greet you, click on Turtle Journal at http://www.turtlejournal.com/?p=3515 for photographs and video clips from last year’s stranding weekend.
Turtle Journal explored Mass Audubon’s Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary in Westport this week. We hadn’t visited the sanctuary since March 21st when we discovered piping plovers who had just returned to Buzzards Bay for spring nesting. See “They’re Back!!†— Piping Plover Pair Sighted on Buzzards Bay Shore. Our aim was to search for signs of diamondback terrapin nesting in the sandy dunes abutting the pond, but instead we spent most of our time enjoying the wonderful shorebirds that are protected at this sanctuary.
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Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)Â Foraging Frenzy
As we reached the stream that connects Allens Pond to Buzzards Bay, we encountered dozens of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) diving into the ebbing waters to snatch minnows streaming out with the receding tide. While their name is “common,” Common Terns are rare enough to be protected in Massachusetts as a species of special concern.
Common Terns Diving on Fish
The tidal current gushed into the bay, carrying millions of small bait fish with it. We were hypnotized watching terns in their aerial ballet, hovering over the stream, taking careful aim at the center of the fish mass, and then plunging into the fast moving current.
Least Tern Glides over Allen’s Pond Barrier Dune
In the still waters behind the barrier dune we found pairs of Least Terns (Sternula antillarum). Like the Common Tern, Least Terns are listed as a protected species in Massachusetts within the category of species of special concern.
Least Tern Surveys Nesting Exclosure Area
A very large nesting exclosure area has been marked by Mass Audubon with symbolic fencing to protect terns and plovers. Fencing emcompasses several acres of barrier beach walling off Allen’s Pond from Buzzards Bay.
Piping Plovers Forage behind the Barrier Beach
Protected by the barrier beach from the sometimes turbulent Buzzards Bay, piping plovers forage in the shallow, calm water undisturbed by frenetic terns or equally frantic human beach goers desperately seeking that one perfect spot to spread their beach blankets in summer seclusion (sic).
Piping Plover Savoring a Perfect Summer Day
The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) enjoys both federal and state protection as a threatened species, and this largely secluded area of the Allens Pond offers a wonderful sanctuary for these tiny, pint-sized critters.
Piping Plover Foraging in Shallow Tidal Pool
The Turtle Journal team enjoyed a few moments watching as plovers crisscrossed the peaceful tidal pool looking for food. To our eyes, they seemed a great deal more at ease than when we first saw these birds in March at the end of a long springtime migration.
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
We were delighted to find semipalmated plovers foraging the same tidal pool as the piping plovers at Allens Pond. According to Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, “The Semipalmated Plover does not breed in Massachusetts but is present on sandy beaches and intertidal flats from late July to early September during its southward migration.”Â
Semipalmated Plover Foraging at Allens Pond
To us, the semipalmated plovers appeared a tad larger than the piping plovers, yet equally hungry and intent on getting the most nutrients from these rich tidal flats.
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
No trip to the shoreline would be complete without spotting a greater yellowlegs. This one decided to join the Common Terns working the bait fish stream flooding out of Allens Pond with the ebbing tide. While the terms dive bombed the fish from the air, the yellowlegs waded by the edge of the stream and scooped up stray fish that scattered shoreward during the tern attacks.
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Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) in Allens Pond Stream
The small salt marsh stream that flows through culverts under the Allens Pond dirt road hosts a nice population of blue crabs.  Individual crabs seem a bit undersized from my Chesapeake Bay days, but they are healthy, active and … as always … feisty.
 Watching Blue Crabs in Allens Pond Stream
Beyond seering flashbacks of steaming crabs dumped on our table at the Crab Claw in St. Michaels, Maryland, the evening air so thick with the smell of Old Bay seasoning that even cold beer tasted like sparkling Chesapeake water; beyond those faraway, long ago memories, the dance of blue crabs through the murky shallows of Allens Pond brought our day of discovery to a perfect close.Â
Blue Crab Gives Rise to Thoughts of Seafood Dinner
I guess it must have been the flashback to the Crab Claw, because after quick good-byes to the sanctuary director, we sped away from Allens Pond to the nearby Back Eddy Restaurant in Westport for an outdoor seafood feast. Now, that’s a perfect close to a perfect day!
As Turtle Journal waded through the submerged tidal flats south of Lieutenant Island on Outer Cape Cod Saturday, April 24th, we encountered several moon snails actively sliding across the sands. These specimens marked the first active moon snails we had seen this season.
Moon Snail Gliding along Submerge Tidal Flats
Moon snails glide across the bottom on their “foot” as gracefully as Olympic skaters on ice.
Examining Moon Snail (Lunatia heros)
Since these specimens were the first we had seen this year, we couldn’t resist the chance to examine them up close & personal. And it was clear from the action of this critter that it wanted to examine us as much as we wanted to examine it.
Moon Snail Retreats Behind Safety of Operculum
After a while, the moon snail had enough of our intrusion and snapped into safety behind its protective operculum.
Exquisite Shell of Cape Cod Moon Snail (Lunatia heros)
