Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – May 20th, 2013
Brought to you by MCHT, VLT and U
Drury trifecta with 3 brothers reporting – Quadfecta with Elaine’s
observations as well
Good times
Good times
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| shaggin' at fox rocks - mother's day note the 3 shags flying over |
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| there are plenty of these guys around these days |
Highlights –
Songbirds including…..Baltimore Oriole, Indigo Bunting, Rose-breasted Grosbeak
(beauty trifecta!), Warblers, Otters (not songbirds), Swallows, pellets, raptors….man
it’s all happening these days – butterflies… Tropicbird is back!
Email issues – The email lists have hit a snafu or something when I send out the
reminder announcements for when a new post is posted Yahoo is not on the team currently. So you may have noticed things are coming from vinalhavensightings@gmail.com .
That is probably the way things will continue to be sent.
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| i like black and white warbler butts and i can not lie |
If you have sent in addresses recently they will be added...I swear! Got to get over the hump, so to speak, with yahoo first.
other issues - this one is a little thing on meat, but full of photos. there have been some distractions as of late. so it goes...
And a quick reminder – if you send in sightings to the vinalhavensightings@gmail.com
your sightings will make it into the post for sure. If you send them to
baldfulmar, they may get buried and never see the light of day again. These things
happen. And have probably happened here…
Tiit Trick - don't forget to click on images to make them larger than life.
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| beautiful. photo by sally. |
Sightings …. So
lots of songbirds coming thru these days – let’s start with Sally…
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| dude photo by Sally |
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| here she comes photo by sally |
Lots of warblers stopping in her yard – Yellows, Yellow-rumpeds, Black-throated Greens, and this wonderful
photo of a wonderful White-crowned Sparrow. Thanks again Sally!
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| white-crowned photo by sally |
(5/19) Blackburnian, Palm(er), Black and White Warblers,
House Wren, etc – “etc” undoubtedly stands
for a slew of warblers that coming thru in big numbers these days – “the
regulars”. We love it when they are regular….
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| black and white singing |
(5/15) Great Egret fly by on Green's headed for town.
And from Willie and
Elaine – Indigo Bunting and Rose-breasted Grosbeak spent about 5 days at
feeders…two males….what a beautiful sight that must have been….”they came together,
and they left together” as Willie put it. Insert first comment that comes to
mind here.
Armbrust Hill – it’s
just right there, and yet it can be full of birdies. (5/8) Yellow-rumped,
Parula, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-bellied Plover, Goldfinch...(5/13) parula,
Black and white, Black-throated Green (BTG), Yellow-rumped, Common
Yellowthroat,
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| philly vireo soft face |
Lane’s Island (5/17) –
Philadelphia Vireo, Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, “etc”
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| Northern Parula - belting it out! |
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| got your back cool marking - olive patch on a parula's back |
Species focus –
Northern Parula – Parulas are one of the top 5 breeding warblers on vinalhaven.
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| does this look good to you? |
Makes a hammock/pendulum nest out of old man’s beard lichen
in New England, Spanish moss in the south. Check out this happy couple checking
out a bunch of Old Man’s Beard (not mine!) in the yard……
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| she isn't completely sold |
Classic song – a
rising trill with a firm drop off on the “shoot” - “ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,shoot”
–one of our favorite warblers.
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| this Blackburnian Warbler is eating a winter moth caterpillar |
And here’s something cool – kinda – I have seen 4 species of Warblers eating winter moth
caterpillars. Black-throated Green, Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian and Northern
Parula. In no way does this make the situation any better. But we do have the
birds on our side.
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| sometimes black and white warblers camoflauge with birch. |
From the Ferry - Captain
Pete Report – (5/7- 5/13) we had fog this week. Did not see
much else…Migration
- There were large flocks of ducks and cormorants.
Lots of Scoters probably Surf. On the 10th and 11th. We saw many flocks of 50 to 75 birds.
On the 11th the first Terns this year. We saw only 4-5 razorbills. I also saw Bonaparte’s Gulls.
Lots of Scoters probably Surf. On the 10th and 11th. We saw many flocks of 50 to 75 birds.
On the 11th the first Terns this year. We saw only 4-5 razorbills. I also saw Bonaparte’s Gulls.
Thanks Pete!
From
me from the ferry – (5/7) – Barn Swallow trying to land on the boat in the fog.
Trying. Red-throated Loon as well. Razorbill too!
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| injured, rehabilitated, and ready to go photo by john drury |
peregrine, Merlin, ww scot in matinicus roads.
three hundred gulls worming in the reach last week. (very cool, and very late)
(5/18) -Iceland gull at Matinicus Rock.
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| this moss is turned up by otters. |
Around the island - ….(5/8) Poor Farm Road – Broad-winged
Hawk (don’t worry – they don’t like to cross water), Parula, Brown Creeper…
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| 3 otter getting ready to tear it up |
Tip-toe Mtn area – (5/8) Golden-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren,
Black-throated Green Warbler….a nice Great Horned Owl pellet – full of Snowshoe
Hare remains….and Otter Stuff.
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| snowshow hare in the form of a pellet |
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| its all in the belly, its all in the slide |
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| got a pellet on my leg |
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Another owl pellet – from the long cove area – this looked more like a Long-eared Owl pellet – but very cool with a shrew skull in it!
and there is too much more to remember or report. and that's a good sign.
And then there is Leify. We made a quick run to Cape Cod a
few weeks back (old stomping grounds for me). Best shots I have of the little
man from May.
Enjoy, rock on and everything else good……
