Had the chance to jump on the F/v "Ari Two" with our good friend Armin this week to try for bluefin tuna. Couldn't pass it up since most of our time on the water is taken up with our white shark research efforts close to shore on the outer Cape. We set out in blustery conditions before dawn and ran offshore about 30 miles looking for fish sign. We hit the jackpot with sign! Whales, humpback, fin and minke, Atlantic white sided dolphins - several large pods, hundreds of seabir

We took a break from our field work tracking and photographing white sharks here on Cape Cod to head to a favorite birding spot on Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge and take a look at birds that are passing through the refuge on their southerly migration. We also include some images of shorebirds that were still in breeding plumage heading north that were taken in May. #capecod #birds #monomoynationalwildliferefuge #migration #shorebirds #conservation

Our summer adventures here on Cape Cod have once again been breath taking and the time has passed quickly. As in the previous 3 years we are primarily engaged in a white shark population study which is being conducted by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries with the support of Atlantic White Shark Conservancy based here in Chatham. Since mid- June we have made over twenty research trips into the field on our vessel the Aleutian Dream with a team of researchers. We w

Autumn is in full swing here on the elbow of Cape Cod and it is a time for transition for most observers of the marine natural world in this parts. Ocean and air temperatures are slowly cooling and easterly storms are more frequent. And the boats have now been hauled and stored for the long winter season. They will not see the water again for 6 months! Yikes that seems like a long time. Thus we are turning our attention to enjoying all that one can from a perch on land - wate

The languid and steamy summer that we enjoyed on Cape Cod has transformed into cooler autumn weather pattern with ever more easterly winds and slowly cooling water temperatures. Sea ducks have begun their return to their winter feeding grounds here from the Arctic and in the white shark world larger and more mature fish have moved into the area in strong numbers eager to sample a seal meal. Throughout the summer whale watchers were treated to spectacular surface behavior from

Summer is a siren that woos us on Cape Cod each year here into a state of contentment with warm breezes and sunny days and spectacular natural history in our maritime environment. Summer 2016 has been no exception though it seems to be passing at an ever accelerating rate as we age. As in the previous two years we have been engaged in supporting the white shark research ongoing in outer Cape Cod waters conducted by Dr. Greg Skomal and John Chisholm with the dedicated support

Our work with the Massachusetts White Shark population study is winding down with only a couple of weeks to go to the end of the field season. The air and water temperatures are dropping and with the onset of autumn the weather in New England has added some drama to our trips when we can get out. The work continues to be exciting as we have observed changes in the shark behavior and especially in the size of the sharks that are in the area. Larger sharks, both male and female

The last six weeks of summer have been a blur of intense activity on the Outer Cape Cod area. Emotional highs and lows and the awe of natural history in action have provided opportunities to witness some unique beauty here. Thought I would leave you a few impressions of a Cape Cod summer in the field as I now take a two week break to travel west. Most of our time in the field here as been in support of the white shark population study being directed by Dr. Greg Skomal, pictur

Heartfelt thanks to the Nickerson Art Gallery in Chatham, to all those who turned out for our reception last night and to those of you who visited our show during the past Shark Week! Very pleased to say that most of the images are going to great homes around the country spreading some shark love. For those who could not make it to Chatham, here is the line up of images including two limited edition posters that are being exhibited. The show closes today. #CapeCod #chatham #c

With Discovery Channel's Shark Week fast approaching, the adrenaline in this household is starting to increase with anticipation as it has every year at this time in recent memory. And now imagine our thrill at having the honor to be a (small) part of this year's lead show for the Shark Week line up, titled Shark Trek featuring our very own Dr. Greg Skomal and his important shark research being conducted right in outer Cape Cod waters. In honor of the weeks' coming events we

On the outer Cape as most Cape Codders know, spring comes later than on the mainland. Sea temperatures are cool from the long winter and warming comes very slowly. Notice the deep blue color on the image below indicating water temps in the 40s F. This "tongue" of cold water has occurred each of the past three years that we have been looking and others have told us they have seen it regularly here in the spring. As you can see the northern tip of it touches the area just south

A large male tagged earlier in the season is called Chex (nicknamed Darth Vader by the DMF Team). He is riddled with battle scars indicating that he is likely the dominant male white shark in the Chatham/Orleans habitat this summer season. The tag is visible in this image behind the dorsal fin. I read a recent article in National Geographic Traveler about cage diving with white sharks in the Neptune Islands in South Australia. Local eco-tour operator Andrew Fox describes the

Hard to believe that the dog days of August have come and gone here on Cape Cod and we are welcoming that wonderful time of year known around here as "Septober - Sixty-one Days of Heaven". As many of you who follow this blog are aware our summer has been dominated by the support we are providing to the Massachusetts Shark Research Program led by Dr. Greg Skomal and John Chisholm of the Department of Marine Fisheries here. That said we did manage a visit into the Monomoy Natio

The summer is now more than half over and the various activities in the wild world here on Cape Cod have been both numerous and exciting to witness. As readers of this blog are aware, we have been supporting the White Shark Population Study field work under the direction of Dr. Greg Skomal through our involvement with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy since the study initiated in June. This has us out on the waters of the outer Cape two to three times a week on the Aleutia

Like a moth to a flame......it is exactly a year since Shark Week 2013 kicked off and since we are off the water today took some time to reflect on the adventures with these magnificent creatures during the past year. Here are some of the highlights... #whitesharks #CapeCod #sharkphotos

Summer has now commenced in full swing here on Cape Cod and many summer visitors have arrived to enjoy all that a warm and sunny Cape Cod has to offer. Our attention has turned to supporting a research project that is being conducted in Cape Cod waters and when completed will answer the question most people ask about Atlantic white sharks. How many are out there? This work is being funded by donations of time equipment and $ from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy in cooper

Summer brings with it many changes to the marine environment in and around Cape Cod and surrounding islands. As the ocean currents slowly bring warmer currents from the south the water temperatures rise and some of our migrating fishes return to New England waters along with seabirds who also feast on the bounty that the ocean yields at this time of year. We have longed to hook up with shark conservation legend and filmmaker Joe Romeiro to go offshore to find and swim with Bl

The month of May is fast moving to a close and the spring migration continues to be an adventure. Launching our boat , Aleutian Dream into the water this past weekend finally enabled us to get out in the Atlantic and off shore to investigate reports of massive schools of sand eels and voraciously feeding Humpback Whales. We were joined by friend Ted Cheeseman a Conservation Biologist and whale naturalist visiting from California and scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic In

Among the birding community there is great pleasure in tracking, spotting and identifying migrating warblers and other song birds each spring and fall as they pass through on their yearly migrations to and from the Canadian arboreal forests. Cape Cod is a target refueling stop as it is one of the very easterly most pieces of land drawing birds in when the southerly winds shift to the west thus pushing flocks of high flying birds to the east and out over the ocean. One favorit

We are still sifting through the images and savoring the experience of our recent trek down Sandy Neck here on a frozen Cape Cod but this has not stopped us from continuing to get outside in the frigid but beautiful winter landscapes here to find the wild things. The weather is forecast to change and warmer temperatures with lots of rain and wind are expected shortly....so we thought we would post some of the images we have recorded in the past week including a host of beauti