Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report
–
March 8th, 2015
Brought to you in part by the kindly
support of VLT and MCHT
Highlights – Glaucous Gull, Northern
Pintail, great horned owls, woodpeckers, otters, mink, snow, other things…
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| callin' the shots photo by Pat Lundholm |
So share –
it will make you a better person and an angel will get some wings - preferably
buffalo wings!
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| bagged a "K" in otter slides.... |
Tiit trick – click on the photos
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| ...and and "I" with the tunnel opening the "sweet, sweet dot on the top" kind of looks like an anchor |
Business – Upcoming events – VLT/MCHT Woodcock Walk – April 5th, 7pm at Lane’s Island. Come and watch North America’s coolest avian flight display (no offense Snipes and Nighthawks) as male American Woodcocks fly in buzzy circles hundreds of feet into the air only to zig-zag, free fall back to earth and announce their landing with an authoritative “PEENT!”. We’ll meet in the parking lot. This is a low to non-active outing so dress appropriately.
Editor’s Note: End of February- this is
the time of the year – 2/3rd (plus) of the way thru “winter” – when
I get a little sentimental. The snow will melt (at some point) and take all of
its stories with it. Winter transition to spring is the only seasonal flow
that’s tricky for me. Bittersweet. I miss the snow already, and treat every
snowshoe like it will be my last for the season and one will eventually will be
(the last snowshoe of the season). So
with a heavy heart we look at the bright side thru “woodcock, salamander, and
warbler colored” goggles. But we never move on. Really – what compares to a
good belly slide? Looking forward to next winter! 
And on that
note…the Basin
looked pretty great after the month of snow (Feb).. Tides, snow and
ledges working together like I have not seen before on island, but
apparently happens somewhat frequently on the mainland. Or something like that.
I like to think that aliens made these, or Incas….enjoy!
Kid’s Stuff – Thanks to the “Perspectives”
crew of Susan and Deb (not Debbie)
for having me over for an afternoon of tracking fun in the woods around the
school with 10 3rd and 4th graders. For a trail we
(the royal "we") meandered thru the woods around the school with snowshoes for a few days before. It was
super fun and the timing was right for lots of snowshoe hare, red squirrel, and
local cat.
Perspectives is a cool program Susan Raven runs thru the ARC, which is no longer sells coffee (pomegranate tea is where it’s at – judgment) but still does some successful stuff.
Perspectives is a cool program Susan Raven runs thru the ARC, which is no longer sells coffee (pomegranate tea is where it’s at – judgment) but still does some successful stuff.
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| Lincoln is in there |
Also, thanks
to the 5th Graders for having me over for a tracking walk the other
day. Good times with some recently active snowshoe hares in the fresh snow.
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| bunch of kids having fun in the snow |
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| there's a phat grebe, in the bathroom |
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| horned grebe photo by John Drury |
Here’s some
shots of a horned grebe that John Drury got in the harbor area. Amy and I spotted a Horned Grebe in the southern end of the
reach (2/28) from the ferry. Could be that same grebe. Thanks Chase!
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| Horned Grebe on the water photo by John Drury |
And thanks
john. More from john in a little bit…
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| horned grebe in the air photo by John Drury |
“Darned good window bird” – “window sightings” are a category of observation that takes special note in my mind. This is not birds killed by your window – or stunned or whatever. This is more when you see something cool from your window.
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| trail to nowhere |
“Darned good window bird” – “window sightings” are a category of observation that takes special note in my mind. This is not birds killed by your window – or stunned or whatever. This is more when you see something cool from your window.
“Be it
from bathroom, bedroom, bkitchen, basement or below!” window sightings are always special. How
about a coyote on Vinalhaven from your window? It’s happened.
Anyway – Adam and Heather White watched a Great Horned
Owl from their windows recently. By the way, you know you live somewhere
cool when you get owl window sighting. Adam and Heather have been hearing the
local Great Horneds for years, often in the distance, and this was their
first sighting. And from the window no less. Now that is cool.
Norton’s Point - (2/26) – I saw a great horned that agitated a few crows.
I learned it’s really hard to sneak up on owls
in snowshoes.
in snowshoes.
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| the deer have been spending a lot of time at the shore. who can blame them? |
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| glaucous gull on ice |
As Don
Reimer always says … “With its light yellow eye (juvs have dark eyes),
this guy looks like a second-winter glaucous. The huge size, flat crown and
long sloping forehead (not to mention his under-sized primordial eye) and heavy
dark-tipped bill all look good for glaucous.”
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| glacous gull, relaxin' |
As Frank
Zappa said “Thanks Don”. Glaucous Gulls
are seen yearly in Maine, and John often reports them from trips to seal in the "non-tropicbird" seasons. A "white-winged" gull, the Glaucous is famous for not having black at the wing-tips.
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| pintail on ice |
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| pintail on ice, relaxin' |
Black ducks on ice-
Good winter to be a Mink - as mentioned in previous VSRs, the mink sign is numerous to more than numerous this winter, and recently I even got some rare otter cam photos of a local mink. |
| mink crossing - deep bounds |
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| this is a triple bounce, without the pounce |
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| this one has the dip in it |
this dip in the snow had the creek that feeds mack's pond underneath it.
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| one mink comes in from the right |
but it was more than a dip - two mink made their way thru the dip.
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| the snowshoeing is great right now |
riddle :why do mink hang out together?
answer: because spring is in the air...
I'm not a big fan of riddles. or the riddler.
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| please step away from the camera |
just a mention - having the camera focused on otter latrines is a fun excuse for a snowshoe from home. and when the camera says 365 photos there is a level of anticipation on the way home, that maybe there are otter photos by the dozen captured on that memory card held within. 
only to get 365 photos of this deer sniffing the camera, sniffin me!. ugh.
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| otter tunnels, spraint, slides and prints hefty activity, den underneath photo by John Drury |
otters- den on greens! john drury has been tracking otters out on greens for many years now, and has wondered and now has confirmed an otter den out on "ma's point" across from the harbor opening and Norton's point.
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| the downhill slide photo by John Drury |
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| the uphill bound photo by John Drury |
While checking in on marking areas and land crossing John found signs of tunneling thru the snow and we all know what that means....under the ice or into the ground (or both!).
John also found slides and sign in reliable otter spots around Greens.
That is one of our favorite things about tracking otters...they're habitual.
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| otter stuff |
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| Oscar seems a little grouchy, and a little too aware of the camera |
Anyway - I am calling him Oscar. he is the first otter I have ever named
also . old harbor pond the return snowshoe from Mack's Pond (and the mink) turned up otter activity - slides, tunnels and possibly scent marking on trees. Looked to be made by the two otters that we have been tracking for much of the winter.
I saw no sign of spraint or much venturing, beyond the letters written and a loop to connect a network below the snow. Undoubtedly the tunnels led to under the ice where the fish wait so patiently.
could be a den, but maybe not. their other options around the pond might just be frozen at this point.
this was the first sign I have seen at this particular point, and was very lucky to find while bushwhacking back to the pond after wandering. And I picked up the letters "K" and "i"! what a day! and with the days there has been sledding, skiing, legos and friends.
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| photo by susan raven |
see you out there!
