Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report

Dec 15^th – Dec 31^st, 2025

Thanks for the support VLT and MCHT

And to you – thanks for checking out the VSR

saw-whet pellet and snowshoe hare scat

 

“I’m pro winter and I vote’

 

Highlights – Red-bellied Woodpecker, Mink scat, s’more Cats, the concept of a ‘Spraint Spectrum’ and a few Owl stories from early 2025

 

Business: vinalhavensightings@gmail.com

 

Send sightings and photos – to the email address above! Don’t forget to cher! Sonny did and look what that got him – a face-to-face meeting with a tree. I am just saying. Anyway …

 

Welcome aboard & welcome back everyone – you are now face to face with the recently rebooted VSR! 4 months’ worth at this point, and I’ll give it a hearty - ‘So far, so good’ as they say. It already feels like the solid groove that is the VSR and that’s a good thing.

 

Welcome back and apologies to those who’d been inadvertently ‘left off’ of the new (and improving daily) VSR email list! I recently came across a bunch of addresses from the old list and plugged them into the new list, so you may be getting your first email of the reboot now. Welcome back. And let me tell you - you didn’t miss much really. If you are curious, you can always go back and peak. You really should go back and see Bill and Bouzha’s otter video though, I think that was September 1^st.

 

Long-eared Owl pellet 
Hunged-up

The email list is never full, so if you, or someone you know, isn’t on the list and you/they think they should be on it – well then send their email address to the email address above. It’s just that simple! And that’s how the list groweth!

 

Tiit trick - click photos to enlarge!

Pet sightings –

Circe
photo by Bill Lehr

In the previous VSR I included a photo of a cat that looked to be staring at a gull on a lamp or a cup or something. That was Pat Paquet’s cat Shadowlina. Pat and I were hanging out at her table and Shadowlina decided to join us and sat very Zen-like in a bowl or tray or something. It was a cool moment or two.

Not surprisingly, that photo got some reactions – all good of course – and probably was part of the inspiration for these Maine coon cat photos from Bouzha and Bill (famous for their otter video in the original VSR reboot September 1 – do yourself a favor and go look at that again) sent in. Thanks for sharing Bill and Bouzha! Take a look at these cuties!

 

Stuckley 
photo by Bill Lehr

And so here we go – A while back we posted a photo Kay sent in of her pup Rosie (?) sitting very well behaved by Mick the Red-belted Conk. Some good pet tradition developing, so, let’s make it official – we are now welcoming any and all pet photos! And why not? Photos of pets having fun on the trails/preserves or zenful animal moments (such as with these kitties) would be great. Probably would be better if they don’t have dead birds in their mouths (dead red squirrels are fine, however. Encouraged actually!). Maybe if the dead bird was rare, it might be more interesting. Maybe. Probably would still be weird. Not totally sure what we are encouraging here, but let’s let ‘er rip – send em in! Pet pictures! No pressure! Dead squirrel photo contest!

 

snowshoe hare track

Sightings – Linnell Mather reports that a Red-bellied Woodpecker has been frequenting her feeder station for a while – a month or more if I remember correctly. Time will tell if it sticks around all winter, stays through the spring to mate, or simply becomes Cooper’s Hawk food. Only time realistically will tell! Keep us posted Linnell! And thanks for Chering!

 

In the meantime – I’m going to momentarily send you away to a thing I wrote about red-bellied woodpeckers in the neighborhood I live in in St George and about a guy – and his family really – that I think all of you would enjoy being friends with. See what you think and then come back!

 

https://www.mcht.org/story/it-all-started-with-coffee/

 

North Haven Mink - Oakley Jackson

Mink scat
Photo by Oakley Jackson

sent in this photo of a mink scat he crossed paths without in the wilds of North Haven. Note the tight & twisted nature of the scat – total Mustelid – the family of Weasels. And when it comes to Mustelids in the Fox Islands there aren’t too many choices. Essentially 3 choices, which makes things ‘easy’. The size (3 inches orzo) gives it away as Mink. Small(er), downright cute, twisted mustelid scats would have been from the somewhat recently arrived Short/Long-tailed Weasel population (hopefully more on that to come). River otters are also Mustelids, but their spraint ain’t twisted at all. Instead, they can take a formation anywhere between a beautiful, totally tubular log and a splash zone you are happy you weren’t under when it came out. That’s the spraint spectrum: tubular to splashy.    And that’s one to grow on.

 

Short-eared Owl

Owl Stuff - So it’s a new year, a time when many folks are excited about a new beginning and new potentials. It is also a time when folks look back on the previous year and, no matter how crazy it was, look for things for which they are thankful for. I have the microphone at the moment, so I’ll share a couple of things I’m thankful for.

 

saw whet face circa 2014

The first thing I'll mention is this reboot. Like seriously, I am pretty jazzed at the moment to share and see what others have to Cher. I will not bring up Sonny again but remember what happened to Gregg Allman when he forgot to Cher. It was his cross to bear. Now its your move

 

Another thing I’m thankful for is Owls.

 

can you see Spot?

And with that – here’s a couple (three even) of owl stories from early in 2025, or at least earlier than this VSR ‘boot was re’d up’.  Owl stories are always a nice way to wrap up the VSR in 2025. Right on – here we go

 

Barney Point Trail - Way back at the end of February (2025) I was clearing some downed logs from the Barney Point Trail – winter is the time for chain sawing! – when I spotted a red spot in the snow maybe 20ft from the spot I was standing on the trail. I ultimately named the red spot ‘Spot’, but that’s not the whole story here.

 

Where the spot named Spot was - I had glanced over with purpose, and that purpose was to see if there were any fresh river otter slides or tracks as I had seen them in the vicinity before. The red spot was a ‘bi-catch of looking’ – and we do love ‘observational bi-catch tangents’! If I hadn’t looked where I had noticed otter slides before I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have noticed this spot. Spot. The spot would have been there regardless of course, so thank you River Otters! And thank you Spot! Here’s more…

 

There were enough patches of soft fur at Spot to ‘figure’ that something had happened to a Snowshoe Hare at this spot. I know – it was a bold, but good looking, ‘figure’ for sure! Turns out the red was blood that had (somewhat) recently been pumping around the inside of a Snowshoe Hares’ heart, presumedly the same hare that was missing chunks of fur. The bleeding hare (maybe a good name for smoothie bar?)  had bled (that’s what blood does!) through the very light dusting of snow and into the thick, icy crust just below the snow dust. It was kind of a bloody mess, and that’s what bleeding hares leave behind.

 here's some more bloody shots.

crow tracks

Anyway – there were 3 obvious sets of tracks in the dusting of snow. They were all in great condition as the ice crust below was thick enough to support most island critters while the dusting was perfect to pick up details. Wouldn’t support deer or bald steward types, so my approach was cautious. Last thing I want to do is wreck a track or trail with a thoughtless step that might send a seismically destructive (to tracks) shock wave/crack through the crust even several feet away from the action. The last thing I want to do…

 

raccoon and Great-horned tracks

Some tracks were from a ‘merican Crow, and because the crow had stepped on top of other tracks it may have been a late addition to the scene. A scavenger ‘looking to scavenge some dead bunny’ maybe. Who could blame it?

 

A second set of tracks were from a Raccoon. An even later addition to the scene – as it stepped on the crows tracks! How late is up to debate. Who knows what time of day this scene was laid out.

 

Great horned Owl track

There were some Snowshoe Hare tracks close by, which made sense I guess. Sad sense? Nature is nature, and critters gotta eat. No such thing as a free lunch? Not anymore at least. Dead bunny.

 The third set of tracks were from a Great Horned Owl. (I know, cool right?!?) Never seen owl tracks in snow beyond the face plant of a kill site (typical, standard, ha ha). The owl took a couple of steps on the crusty ice layer, maybe strolling around it’s ‘bleeding/bled out bunny prey’ or possibly taking a step or two to readjust its grip before taking off with it. Whatever the case, things were’t looking too good for Lil’ bunny foo-foo (that one is for Storm). Dead bunny.

 

I switched these photos to Black and
white to emphasize the tracks more.
the black is small debris and shadows.
I think they look cool

The bunny bled at the spot, Spot, but was not eaten there – didn’t even look like it was caught there when it comes down to it. Anyway, probably not too far away there was another spot (not Spot) with a pile of fur, and maybe a couple of legs under where a feast took place. Didn’t see that spot, which would have been cool, but also didn’t look for it. Like at all.

 

wing tip drag

What we (the royal ‘we’) did see at the spot (Spot) was what tracks look like when a Great Horned Owl drags feather tips through the snow. (I know, cool right?!?) From looking at the track, you can imagine a Great Horned on the snow (Spot!), on its prey (Hare!), with wings extended to look large and cover its quarry. Then, slowly its wings close while dragging their tips through the snow. Yes, it was cool. And then I got back to work.

 

wing tip 

Did the owl drag its wing tips because the crow and raccoon were close by? Or is it instinct and owls/raptors always do that? Feel like I’ve seen hawks do this, but not every time, not every time at all. Maybe the size of the prey plays a role.  Anyway, this was months ago - End of story.

 

but not end of photos - here's some more track photos ...

Great horned walking

short eared owl over lanes

Lane’s Island – March – A forestry day of small fire burning (in an effort to reduce the chance of fires - makes total sense) turned into a late afternoon with a couple of great Short-eared Owl sessions. 

 

great horned nest - Pescadero Valley, CA 2004

Just putting it out there - Lane’s Island is my all-time favorite place for owls, and that includes the Pescadero Valley area in CA which is just loaded with 'em. Here’s a couple of shots from some old, old days out West (2004).

 

check out that rodent skull!
pescadero valley, CA 2004

It’s almost too easy out there, where a day with zero owls kinda meant a day that you weren’t looking or you didn’t put yourself in the right spot (not Spot) for success. This is based on more than slightly ‘enhanced memory exaggerations’ – let’s just say there were a ton.

 

short eared over lanes

And even though there were loads of owls out there, Pescadero Valley is not the topic here – but for those with history/knowledge of that sweet stretch of coast between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz I’ll toss out a classic shout out to the region – Oh, Pescadero! I digress…

 

Owl watching/looking on Lane’s, on the other hand, is more likely to be a humbling experience. There are plenty of pellets (just gotta look) and sign to be found for sure, but there are also loads of ‘Zeros’ for sightings, if you know what I mean. But then comes a day when that zero gets bumped up to a ‘1’ and it’s always epic. And Zero owl days doesn’t translate to Zero sightings at lanes – there is always something to see at Lanes Island.

 

On this particular March afternoon, a visitor to the preserve (sorry dude – your name escapes me, but in my defense I did just learn it that day) mentioned that while he was driving onto the preserve he’d seen a hawk with a flat face flying over the marsh along the driveway. To generalize - Hawk in flight with flat face = Owl. Often equals. It being March and it still being daylight, this sounded like a Short-eared – maybe one hunting, maybe one that got scared up from its perch on the ground. As I excitedly asked him (the human) questions, I scanned the sky and sure enough, there were the stiff wingbeats and flat head of a Short-eared Owl flying pretty high in the sky over the preserve. Or fairly high for a short-eared. It was cool.

 

We watched it for a bit, snapped these photos and then it stiff winged away. I finished up with the fires and since it was close to sunset time I headed to my favorite spot (Not Spot) to look for owls – the picnic table by the graveyard. Some might even say that ‘owl watching’ is the only, or at least the main, reason why that picnic table is there in the first place as there are limited views of the ocean from there (I mean, you can see the ocean, but you can see that big wet spot (not Spot) from just about everywhere). Being a steward has some bonuses. Or is it bonusii?

 

Long eared Owl on Lanes - 2006

From this picnic table one literally ‘turns their back’ on any ‘traditionally’, ‘socially accepted’ definition of a ‘good vista’ – you know – the ones that ‘the man tells you to look at and take photos of’. (Hey! That’s what the other picnic tables are for!). Instead, the ‘better’ view’ (don’t just take my word for it - see for yourself – don’t make me ‘the man’) is of the largely unobstructed corridor that extends over bayberries and grasses and eventually over to the wetlands on either side the driveway. Total punk view. Owl freaks unite!

 

Long eared Owl on Lanes 2006

And so, I was facing that direction – some call it ‘North’, others argue its ‘North-east’, while still others simply point and say it’s ‘that way’ – when the Short-eared re-emerge at dusk (late dusk). It worked it’s stiff wingbeated hunting magic over the marsh, made its way over the fields and bayberries and circled/repeated a few times before it got too dark to see. There was no ‘Zero’ that day but still humbled in a different way.

 

Northern Shrike in the
Lane's Island Graveyard
2006

That was the 5^th Short-eared Owl I’ve seen at Lane’s, all on either side of winter (Nov and March/April). Historically they have stayed for a couple of days and then migrated on, and it ‘may be safe to figure that this one may have acted similarly’. I love the ending of that last sentence. Anyway - ‘5’ in 20 years – and undoubtedly ‘missed’/’did not cross paths with’ a lot more than 5 over those years. That means a lot of ‘zeros’, but that ‘5’ is so, so sweet. Sweet 5. Gotta love Lane’s. Short-eareds are ‘our bird’, for Amy and I – lot of history there. One of a two ‘our birds’ (Thick-billed Murre being the other one), but the main one in my mind. Question everything!

 

Final owl story, and it’s saw-whet one!

 

8 (orzo) years ago I found myself widening a trail in the Basin Preserve that frankly needed some widening. The day was spent lopping back branches for the comfort’s sake of any hikers or critters who might use the trail. I like these days because you move slow and you just never know what might turn up when (re)moving branches, even within a few feet of a trail.

 

So, I was a lopping my heart out (spring of 2017?) when I worked over a patch of Spruce saplings – lots of small branches to remove – and I noticed a small owl pellet below one of the saplings. It turned into a classic pellet story - that one pellet turned into 10 on that particular day, under that particular group of saplings and it became clear that a Saw-whet Owl or Owls had spent some time in this group of young trees. Classic spot (not spot) where a Saw-whet would seek (and find) protection from larger owls (did I mention Great Horneds earlier? They eat Saw-whets.).

 

I now check on that spot every time I go by – which is maybe 8 times a year –and it only takes a moment or two since it’s literally right next to the trail. Turns out there are pellets under these trees every year, but the ones I’ve seen seem to accumulate only in the winter(s). No (to few) additions after the snow melts. Seems like maybe a seasonal, protected staging area for Saw-whets. Where they spend the rest of their time is only known to them, but seasonal pellets are pleasing enough!

 

8 (orzo) years have gone by – time flies when you are hanging with pellets - and this year (March 2025) marked the first time I noted pellets under a different section of the same sapling group – maybe 30 feet down the trail. Still close to the trail – maybe 5 ft off - this spot (NS) was located via the healthy amount of whitewashed, owl scat on a sapling trunk and branches. That scat was glowing white - demanding to be seen! Demanding scat – not the worst sign to see. Not the worst at all.

 

saw whet pellet supported in the air

Reminds me of that ol’ Estonian saying –

‘The demanding scat gets the attention’. Something like that. Better than ‘Demanding killed the scat’ – that one makes no sense.

 

Sprinkled around the scat were 17 pellets, with a handful of pellets being caught (hung up?) in the branches. All but one of the hung-up pellets (are you hung up?) had landed on needle covered/heavily twigged branches that essentially made soft, cozy horizontal beds which supported the pellets. Quite a lovely image really. 

 

The last of the ‘hunged up’ pellets in the tree, some might call it the ‘wellest hung’, was a little different in that it (the pellet) was hanging from a branch by the tail of the prey that had been eaten! Like – quite literally. This is where the catchy new phrase ‘by the tail of the rodent processed’ comes from. That phrase has recently replaced ‘by the skin of their teeth’ as the number one saying all the kids are using.

 

Picture this

April 2025 - by the tail of the rodent processed

– a tiny Saw-whet owl coughs up a pellet made up of mouse bones and fur, and that pellet bounces its way from branch to branch as gravity pulls it to its ultimate destination – the ground! But wait! For some reason the mouse’s tail has not been totally cleaned, it’s still attached by cartilage and skin and is hanging out of the pellet – tail loose and flapping with each branch hit! The pellet’s bouncy voyage comes to a sudden halt as the tail flaps, slaps and somehow (somehow!) wraps itself around a branch!  For the moment, gravity loses the game. A pause or delay in the inevitable – cause by a tail’s final function. Good for you rodent – still stickin’ it to the man (gravity) from the grave. Question gravity!

 

May 2025

I first spotted this pellet hanging ‘by the tail of the rodent processed’ back in March and was so happy with it I took friends to see it. About once a month through June – that would be three times – whenever I worked that trail (or beyond) I would take a moment to see if the pellet was still hanging. The first two times it was! On the third visit – early June it wasn’t hanging anymore. Gravity had ultimately won (it’s a destination, not a contest!) and so the pellet had become one with the other pellets below.

 

And there were a lot of pellets to be seen on that June morning – a lot more than the 17 I had found in March. There was even some fresh owl scat (even). Owls had been there recently, and it was June! ‘This spot isn’t just for winter anymore!’

 

I decided to come back and put up a motion sensor trail camera to see if I could get the owl(s) to trigger it and maybe pick up a little more about what was going on. I returned several days later to remove tick habitat from the trail (weedwacked) and after I was done I went to the pellet zone. I couldn’t help myself and looked (hopefully) to see if that famous pellet was back up in the tree (it could happen) and maybe I had just missed it last time. Nope. So, I was looking around at the pellets and the fresh scat and then I remembered that I should look up every now and then and so I looked up and sure enough – there was a Saw-whet Owl looking at me.  I had totally forgotten that seeing one was an option – it was 8 years of ‘zeroes’ for crying out loud! I was happy with ‘just’ the pellets!

 

I still had the trusty weedwhacker in my hands when we met eyes (it must have been so loud for it, I had been weed whacking like 5 feet away a few minutes prior!). So, I put it down, took a few shots with my phone, went back to my stuff and got my camera camera and took some more.

 

The owl never moved other than to turn its head to see me. Nor did it seem bothered at all, if it had been the owl probably would have flown. No, instead it just had those big ol’ eyes staring at me – maybe the owl was just as surprised as me that I saw it – it had forgotten that option too! Ha ha!

 

More likely it’s seen me a bunch (certainly heard a lot of people), and a bunch of those times it’s seen me poking around at it’s pellets. Looking at me looking at its vomit – wonder if it ever gave me a head shake – inadvertent or purposeful. A kind of a ‘That human is entertained by my vomit and scat’ head shake – I’m shaking my head now just picturing the scene from the Owls point of view. 

 

The last two paragraphs was all anthropomorphizing (or something like that) of course. Doubt that owl (or any other) has judged much beyond ‘is that food’ and ‘is that a threat’. Glad the answer was ‘not’ (or ‘no’)to both questions that day.

 

And that’s a lot of us in a nutshell – not food and not a threat. They are also good goals to strive ‘to be’ on every walk in the woods – to be not food and to be non-threatening to wildlife or other hikers. Doable goals. 

 

 

So there you have it – all of us here at the VSR want to wish everyone a peaceful 2026 – and that each time you are in the woods you do not become food and are not threatening (or threatened for that matter). Or at least those are kept to a minimum – mosquitoes will be mosqeetering, so we are all prey (food!) at some point! When you are not in the woods you are on your own. Good luck!

 

And with that – we look forward to seeing you out there in 2026.

Happy new year! Hope you have a pleasant time!