Cape Cod Bird Sightings — Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Cape Cod Weekly Wildlife Sightings is sponsored by the Bird Watchers General Store in Orleans and Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. The following sightings were reported between October 14 and October 20, 2026.
An immature Purple Gallinule was discovered at Stay Fresh cranberry farm in West Yarmouth on the 16th, where it has delighted birders and photographers by allowing very close approach.
A Rough-legged Hawk was seen near Sandwich marina on the 19th.
Birds at Race Point in Provincetown included 3 American Wigeon, 6 Northern Pintail, 335 Surf Scoter, 1500 White-winged Scoters, 1000 Black Scoters, 5 American Golden-Plovers, 7 Pectoral Sandpipers, a Razorbill, 2 Parasitic Jaegers, 155 Bonaparte’s Gulls, 25 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, an Iceland Gull, 2 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, 250 Cory’s Shearwaters, 155 Great Shearwaters, 2 Sooty Shearwaters, 8 Manx Shearwaters, 1200 Northern Gannets, 5 Common Ravens, 350 Tree Swallows, and 24 American Pipits.
Birds at Cold Brook Preserve in Harwich included 4 Blue-winged Teal, 2 Northern Shovelers, 9 Gadwall, 6 American Wigeon, a Ring-necked Duck, an American Coot, 2 Northern Harriers, a late Green Heron, and 17 Eastern Bluebirds.
Other sightings around the Cape included up to 5 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons in West Barnstable, a Hooded Warbler at Wing Island in Brewster, 3 Western Sandpipers in Nauset Marsh in Eastham, 48 Pine Siskins and a Black Guillemot in North Truro, and 4 Purple Sandpipers flying over Stellwagen Bank.
If you have questions about these sightings, or want to report a sighting, call the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary at 508-349-2615 or send e-mail to [email protected].