Because of the fragility of the plants and soil, horseback riding is restricted to three bridle paths located in the Provincetown area and on designated dirt roads. Horses are not permitted on nature trails. The =Sunset Trail= starts near Race Point Road and leads through dunes to the ocean. The =West Trail= starts at the same point but passes through shady pitch pine and black oak forests and by freshwater ponds and cranberry bogs. The =Herring Cove Trail= traverses a narrow barrier beach along Cape Cod Bay. Allow 2 hours for a round trip on each of the bridle paths. Ask for more information about these trails at the visitor centers. ############################################# Birdwatching [Illustration: _Black duck_ _Clapper rail_ _Belted kingfisher_] Cape Cod is one of the best places for birdwatching on the East Coast. Besides the terns, gulls, and ducks common to most seashores, the Cape is a seasonal home to a great number of marsh and lowland dwellers and a stopover for numerous migratory species traveling the Atlantic Flyway. More than 360 species have been recorded. Some of the best places on the Lower Cape for birdwatching include Fort Hill, Coast Guard Beach, and Nauset Marsh in Eastham, the heathlands near Marconi Station, the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in South Wellfleet, the Pleasant Bay area and the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham, and, of course, all the beaches in between. With the right weather conditions, the Beech Forest in Provincetown is good for seeing spring migrants. Also in the spring, migrating hawks may be seen from many vantage points, and autumn falcon flights on Cape Cod can be spectacular. Watch for seabirds from Race Point Beach any time of the year but particularly after northeast winds. Ask at the National Seashore visitor centers about checklists and other birding publications. Piping Plover, a Threatened Species _All birds are protected within the National Seashore, but the piping plover is getting special protection. This small, sand-colored bird once was commonly seen along the Atlantic Coast, but its numbers dwindled greatly because of habitat loss. In 1918 the piping plover came under the protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty. Its numbers rose until the 1940s, when increases in beach recreation and development again threatened the bird. In 1986 the piping plover was listed by the Federal Government as a threatened species._ _The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are jointly making efforts to protect piping plover nesting areas on the outer beaches. As a result, the piping plover’s U.S. Atlantic coast population now totals nearly 1,000 pairs._ _To help protect this threatened species, respect all areas fenced or posted, stay away from the birds and their nests, keep pets leashed on beaches where they are allowed, and do not bury any garbage on beaches, because it attracts predators._