 |
| when was the last time you were as stoked as Addy? photo by Susan Raven |
Welcome to the
Vinalhaven Sightings Report
May 22nd,
2014
With a little help from VLT & MCHT
“I win!” – Linnell
Mather
 |
| this is what the baby salamanders look like now |
Highlights – all kinds of songbirds – featuring scarlet
tanager, indigo bunting, rose-breasted grosbeak, Baltimore oriole, Warblers
galore, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-billed Tropicbird, Snakes, Owlets, Slime
molds, Fungus. Harbor Seal pups! Other things….
 |
| caught in the cold. never moved |
And so yes,
another VSR in May 2014 – it may seem excessive but there is too much
life going on this time of the year. And this VSR is insane – way too many
pictures, too many stories and way too much going on. I miss winter when the
learning and sightings come at a reasonable pace.
 |
| die juniper, die photo by Tim Swan |
And with that said – why
don’t you send in some sightings or photos or whatever to the VSR! vinalhavensightings@gmail.com
is the place to send things if you want the things to be looked at.
 |
| this is not the question |
Updates, events, burns, flies and
shameless plugs and placentia…
But first a question – is there
a market for baby seal piñatas?
 |
| ruby-throated Hummingbird photo by Sally |
 |
| Eleanor loved that spring peeper |
Here’s a link to John’s sea bird cruise page on the
Vinalhaven Chamber of Commerce webpage – full of nice shots and cool sightings
- http://www.vinalhaven.org/boat-rides-seabird-cruises
Upcoming Event – And
speaking of Captain John (as opposed
to Doctor John) – VLT’s famous annual
Warbler Walk is coming up and John will be leading the troops in search of
everybody’s favorite family of songbirds – Parulidae (eat it Olive Warbler!). the
walk will be from 8am -10amm, Sunday June
1st (like next Sunday!) – meet at VLT’s Skoog Park for carpooling.
See you there!
For more info and a schedule of hikes around the island check
out VLT’s “Going’s on” page - www.vinalhavenlandtrust.org/goingson.html
. Right on.
 |
| Joe and Charlene were all smiles "rolling the flies" down the sands! |
Recent events – Winter Moth Action update - “Fly…be free” – Mork. (5/21) The entire island (represented by 19
folks or so) teamed up with Maine State
Forest Entomologist Charlene Donahue and Massachusetts “Flies-r-us” guy Joe Elkinton to witness the release of
the long awaited parasitoid tachinid fly
Cyzenis albicans. How does this affect
your weekend? Simply stated, these are the
flies that make winter moth issues disappear. Yes, the flies are here! So turn
off your bug zappers!
 |
| "muscles" |
And they are knocked
up! About 1500 (VSR guess) “prego” female flies were released along the
Sands where they will lay eggs in Winter Moth infected trees. Here’s what Todd “who the hell is Todd Murray?” Murray has
to say about the parasitic fly…
 |
| getting ready for release |
“This fly is a smart
one. It is able to smell areas damaged by winter moth and deposits an egg along
the chewed margins of the leaves and buds. This egg is then accidentally eaten
by the winter moth as it chews on the leaf. The fly maggot waits in the
salivary glands until the caterpillar turns into a pupa when it then consumes
the winter moth.” - Todd Murray
 |
| the flies were a little chilly and needed a little help getting going |
So cool – Smartfly! And so cool that the VLT sponsored “Vital Signs
Club” members – who both banded and monitored infected trees - helped release the flies. So cool to
have so many folk who helped out with
the Winter Moth group present at the release as well. We here at the VSR
are proud to have participated in spreading the word on Winter Moth and for
helping in any way (most likely our own way) in getting the flies out to our
island. It still will be a few to ten
years before the flies become established and we see results – but we
needed to get the flies first. And we got ‘em!
 |
| I love the smell of burnt juniper in the morning photo by Tim Swan |
Burn baby Burn – (5/16) - MCHT teamed up with the Maine State Forest
service recently to have another
prescribed burn on Calderwood Island.
With one of the stated objectives being “burn the damn juniper”, a portion of
the central section of the island was lit up like a torch.
 |
| that's me making sure no fire snuck up on us from behind photo by Tim Swan |
Some will remember that another prescribed burn took place
on Calderwood a few years back in the hopes of replacing the old-growth juniper
with a more socially acceptable flora – like violets, grass or raspberry. 3
years later and the original burn was deemed successful enough to warrant a
“return of the drip-torchers” type sequel. Another great day! Looks pretty
shocking now, but give it some time….
 |
| epic trifecta photo by Linnell Mather |
Sightings - Feeder stations – or where to begin – maybe
with the award winning shot form Linnell Mather – the epic trifecta of color –
Bunting, Grosbeak, and Oriole. All in one!
(5/13) Jim Clayter
sent in a photo of the first Indigo
Bunting he has ever seen at his feeders (VNM). The bunting spent the better
part of two days visiting Jim’s station – “Shy and skittish” is how Jim
described the little blue dude. Doesn’t look too skittish in this one!
 |
| indigo bunting photo by Jim Clayter |
 |
| scarlet tanager photo by Sally |
 |
| Baltimore oriole photo by Sally |
Skin Hill Sally
has had a flurry of a good time as of late, as she always seems to be having fun
with the birds. The Scarlet Tanager
was the first she’s seen (VNM), and her yard has been lit up with Baltimore Orioles, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds,
Indigo Bunting, and the continuing Carolina Wren.
 |
| sally's Carolina wren - and it is her's photo by Sally |
Kate Bennard at the
Friend has a memory stick or two loaded with bird photos she’s taken recently,
and today I was fortunate enough to get a peak at some of them – the photos not
the memory sticks. Out at her Calderwood
Neck feeding station she had shots of Red-bellied
Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrow, Blue Jays, Purple Finch and Ruby-throated
Hummingbird. Oh yeah, and some of her dog hanging with the birds and
staring down squirrels.
Thanks everyone for sending in your photos and reports,
that’s what the VSR is here for…
here's a springtail video....enjoy!
 |
| big mouth wood thrush |
Around the island –
Dyer’s Island – (5/11) Carol Thompson reports both Rose-breasted Grosbeak and
Indigo Bunting at her feeders….Town Hall – Carolina Wren continues to
singing in the woods around the parking lot...State Beach – (5/20) – 34
Black-bellied Plover, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, 1 Dowitcher, Spotted Sandpiper,
Savannah Sparrow… School –(5/21) – Wood Thrush singing its heart out. First one I’ve heard out on
Vinalhaven, or seen for that matter. Catch this video! Side note – the Wood
thrush is “Jim Doyle’s bird” way back from my Nature’s Classroom days – and
it’s the state bird of the District of
Columbia! They may not have representation – but they have a cool state bird! And they are not even a state!
 |
| black-throated blue warbler |
Common Loons –
have been heard calling from Carver’s
Harbor, the Reach and Long Cove. Now that that’s been said, will someone
please go shut them up! Migrating loons
is a common sight these days when looking up. Well, somewhat common – how about
often?
 |
| female black and white warbler |
Sea ducks – From the
ferry – (5/12) 9 old tails in Old Harbor, 6 old tails in Rockland
Harbor…Thorofare (5/16) 5 Surf Scoter….Huber/Seal Bay (5/18) – 132 Surf Scoter
& Common Eiders cloacal kissing!… (5/21) Basin – 2 Red-breasted Mergansers…
 |
| Blackburnian Warbler |
Lists – Armbrust Hill
– (5/12) Black-throated Blue (several), Black-throated Green, Black and White,
& Yellow-rumped Warblers, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat,
White-crowned Sparrow, Least Flycatcher….(5/17) –Black and White,
Black-throated Green, & Yellow rumped Warblers, Northern Parula, American
Redstart, Least Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Carolina Wren…(5/20) – Magnolia,
Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Yellow-rumped, Black and White, Black-throated Green,
and Chestnut-sided Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, Ovenbird,
Cedar Waxwings….(5/21) Blackburnian, Black-throated Green, Black and White
warblers, Northern Parula, Swamp Sparrow (my favorite sparrow)
 |
| cedar waxwing |
Huber – (5/18) –
Yellow-rumped, Nashville’s and Black-throated Green Warblers, Ovenbirds, Brown
Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrush, Ironclad beetles, Winter Wren,
 |
| common yellowthroat |
Basin/Wharf Quarry
road – (5/21) – Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Yellwo-rumped,
Magnolia, Parula, Ovenbird and Redstart. Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned
Kinglets, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, White-winged
Crossbill, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Junco, 2 Seal Pups! White-throated Sparrow
as well. – most importantly – First slime of the year (fresh) – Coral Slime!
Get out your clickers – its slime time!
 |
| may 14th |
 |
| may 19th |
Owlets – apparently
that is how you are supposed to spell that word. Anyway, to my delight the
Great Horned Owlets were still in the nest as of (5/19), which is “late”
compared to my other single year of data. Look how big they’ve gotten – or at
least how their wing feathers have come in!
 |
| proud parent |
 |
| scope eyes photo by amy Palmer |
Kid Stuff – Speaking
of owlets and Vital signs – as a treat for the Vital Signs kids I took them and
a couple of my favorite 5 year olds to “the motherload” Vernal pool up at Perry
creek and then over to see the little owlly ones. We all had scope eye by the
end of the trip!
 |
| the motherload 162 sets of eggs total |
 |
| vernal pooling builds muscles |
 |
| looking for treasure photo by Susan Raven |
Armbrust Hill – Kids
and ponds = fun. Had a great time with the ARC “perspectives” afterschool
program – what a blast! The kids were great – salamander eggs and we even
caught a Spring Peeper for all to see. Tons of Dragonfly nymphs, and I learned
that if you call them “dragonfly babies” kids *sigh* and like them a lot more.
Thanks for the good times “perspectives” and thanks to Susan Raven for all the
work she put into the program!
and a hike to Huber resulted in...
 |
| orange jelly eatin.. |
 |
| a visit to roger, the red-belted conk |
 |
| lickin' water off lily of the valleys |
 |
| good times, rising from the ashes photo by tim swan |
