Vinalhaven Sightings

Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report

March 7 2022

Thanks to the support of VLT and MCHT – wouldn’t be here typing / you wouldn’t be here reading without their support!

And thanks to those who sent in photos and stuff!

‘Just looking out the window, minding my own business’ – Mike Mesko

Highlights – Cooper’s Hawk, Harp Seal, Tracking, Otter stuff, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Cardinals, State Beach Report, winter mushrooms, and so much more

Business - PSA – just a reminder that it’s a wonderfully beautiful time to visit and experience the island trails. But be prepared! March is a transitional month, and snow and warm and cold and more snow (Sn + Wa + 0 + Sn) results in icy trails (= Ice) which can be unpredictable and if unpredicted a slip can turn into a fall and a fall unpredicted can be less than positive. So wear your spikes! Or at least bring them in your back pack to use (and use), just in case. In a pinch you can put those cramp-ons (worst name ever) on and enjoy the outdoors. Just do what you can to not get hurt while still getting out there. Getting hurt while doing all you can do to not get hurt is better than getting hurt while not doing much/nothing – if you know what I mean. Meet the ice half way and bring/wear/use tools that give your footwear better teeth, better connectivity, better ‘standing’ when on the trails these days. Nothing wrong with being the first set of prints on a trail … and being safe.

Contact us – vinalhavensightings@gmail.com is your ‘sure shot, one stop’ email to share island nature and outdoor photos and experiences with others. No quicker way to becoming a legend than to send in a sighting or two and have others read and nod their heads in approval with what you have to say about what you saw. Run on sentences welcome!

Tiit trick – click on the photos to make them big, honor my father in the process.

coopers hawk with dove brand food
photo by Mike Mesko

Sightings – Old Harbor - Mike Mesko sent in these incredible photos of a Coopers Hawk mackin’ on a Mourning Dove in his (and Stevie’s) yard.

photo by Mike Mesko

‘just looking out the window, minding my own business’ is the quote from Mike. Death outside the window reflects on a somewhat healthy ecosystem encouraged by a maintained feeding station.

The next morning Mike sent more photos of death/leftovers in the yard.

photo by Mike Mesko

You know you have a quality feeding station when it attracts predators. What an ecosystem out there.

Thanks to the Meskos for sharing these photos and the experience!

raccoon tracks
photo by Acacia Berg

Starboard Rock - Acacia Berg, newly crowned as VLT’s Programs and Communications Coordinator of VLT, sent in these trail photos of a raccoon that worked its way up Starboard Rock for a portion.

Great ‘capture’ of a raccoon waddling trail pattern.

raccoon trail
photo by Acacia Berg

Raccoons move the front and hind foot on the same side of their body at the same time as they waddle. This results with an alternating front foot (smaller)/hind foot (larger) pattern as the trail goes.

5 harlequins
photo by John Drury

State Beach – (2/12) John Drury sent in this report - 5 harlequin ducks, 9 snow bunting, 5 purple sandpiper, Several red-breasted merganser,’ Common Eiders, Common goldeneye, Horned grebe, Great cormorant, Ye Olde-tale Ducks, Common loons, Great Black-backed & Herring gulls, Crows, Black Guillemots.

otters
photo by John Drury

Polly Cove/Bathing Pool - John Drury sent in this fantastic photo of otter tracks, trails and slides from the greater Polly Cove/Bathing Pool area.

This is an area of historic importance, and for the last few years (at least) signs of hefty use of an Zekes Point Peninsula crossing otter trail the via VLT’s Eleanor Campbell Preserve and the Bathing Pool area have been especially notable. Cuts through the heart of the preserve. Great photo!

Classic Sand Cove/Old Harbor Pond otter crossing – quick visit to an historic crossing provides just more evidence that otters are critters of habit and that makes them ‘super easy’.

When driving around the island last week I couldn’t help but notice the current otter trail/scene between Sands Cove and Old Harbor Pond. Sign of multiple otters passing through was evident/obvious, but possibly two groups – one with multiple individuals and then an individual otter also using the route/den along Old Harbor Pond shoreline.

Nice when the current matches historic, or at least overlays.

looking down on an otter den

So that’s 12 years (or this is the 12^th year – using the Gregorian calendar of course) of use for this route, as far as I observed. Undoubtedly started years earlier, whenever otters got established themselves on island.

There are different scattered reports from the early 2000s and 1990s (?). Certainly here before the first sightings. The island has a healthy population now, and still sightings are random and somewhat rare.

With a life span of 8-12 years, the island river otter population is on its (pick a number between 2-4) generation, let’s say. They are creature of habit, and this trail route (and many others around island, as well as latrines) are now on their 3^rd (+) (?) generation of users, otterly speaking.

Makes things easier, just like snow. And for some reason I find that cool. Which it is.

Singing around island – Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Dark-eyed Junco

Who’s acting up around island – Ravens, Woodpeckers.

Lane’s Island – (2/10) Had a wonderful session with a small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers as they fly-catched from the (invasive) Rosa regosa s over Lane’s Island beach.

Lane’s Island is the place to look for overwintering Yellow-rumpeds, as they are the only North American Warbler that can digest wax, and thusly can subsist on the heavily-waxed Bayberry fruit found on Lanes. Healthy and hefty bayberry population on lanes.

Warm(ish) winter days can inspire insect flights and the yellow-rumpeds are more than capable of supplementing their waxy diet with a binge of high protein insect morsels. What?

Anyway, on the 5^th of February, Dad’s birthday, Yellow-rumped Warblers were gorging themselves on whatever insect was on the beach scene.

Fly-catching, gleaning off beach and branch, and preening (gotta look good) happens fast on the beaches of Lane’s Island on a warm February afternoon. Probably happening right now, and probably way more comfortable to watch then when I did. Enjoy!

And in conclusion, it was fun to watch.

Orange Jelly mushrooms – with wet days mixing with warmer ones, it’s been quite the winter for mushrooms species that take advantage of such conditions (bad sentence). One such mushroom/fungal species is Orange Jelly, which is a species that one can count on/expect in most moist conditions/scenerios any time of the year. Their presence in winter is especially gratifying as often a wnintery landscape and weather leads to minimal or less observable nature activity.

There was an island visit in February where they (orange jelly) seemed especially numerous. So here is a photo gallery collection of undoubtedly the most important mushroom species of my life taking advantage of warm days on preserves on island.