Welcome to the
Vinalhaven Sightings Report
April 21, 2015
…with the helpful
sponsorship of VLT and MCHT
Highlights – woodcocks,
killdeer, fox sparrow, eastern towhee, flickers and other wood peckers, belted
kingfisher, great blue heron, osprey, harriers, kestrel, harlequin ducks, great
cormorants, palm warbler, winter wren, hermit thrush, brown creeper,
ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets, mystery webbing, mink, otter,
salamanders, snakes,
Business – Contact us –
check out all the tasty photos that were sent in for this post! Imagine your
photos right here in the mix. You feel better about your life already, I know.
So send in your sightings and photos to vinalhavensightings@gmail.com .
And feel better about your life.
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| American woodcock photo by Karen Oakes |
Another year, another website…getting all geared up to get
out to the islands and check out some birdies and the such? Well, then you
gotst to check out John Drury’s new
website (#2 for those keeping track at home) - www.maineseabirdtours.com . So
check it out and reserve your spot on a boat trip before they are all gone!
Sightings - What a year
for woodcocks! (is there ever a “bad
year” for woodcocks?). they are everywhere, and not just out on Vinalhaven
apparently. Good to hear! And here are a few amazing woodcock photos Karen Oakes took recently – right in
her back yard! (I think…maybe).
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| American woodcock photo by Karen Oakes |
--news flash – I
did my good deed for the year this morning and brought the school announcements
to the Wind. While I was there “the wind women” or “the women of the wind”
gossiped to me (well, told me really) that
Karen’s woodcock shot made it onto
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website. “Gossiping Wind Women are far from the most trustworthy” (ancient Estonian proverb) – and far
from the least trustworthy characters I have met as well (sorry botanists!) –
so I checked it out for myself and behold its true! Here’s the link – check it
out!
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| Killdeer photo by Karen Oakes |
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| Fox Sparrow photo by Karen Oakes |
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| American Tree Sparrow photo by Karen Oakes |
Thanks for sharing Karen! Keep ‘em coming!
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| Squirrel Feeding photo by Karen Oakes |
One warbler – (4/16)
Ocean view road – Palm Warbler – so we lied – one warbler here.
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| Pileated Woodpecker photo by Erin Creelman |
Wharf Quarry Road
– (4/12 – recent) Erin Creelman sent
in these shots of a Pileated Woodpecker near
the beginning of Wharf Quarry Road. Andy
Creelman confirmed the authenticity of the photos and commented recently
that they still have been seeing and hearing the woodpecker. Pileateds, while numerous and quite
pleasant on the mainland, are an uncommon sight out here, with one a year
spotted if that. And they are often pleasant when spotted.
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| pileated giving the cold shoulder photo by Erin Creelman |
Erin also reports
Great Horned Owl activity along Wharf Quarry Road.
Niall Conlan sent
in these shots of some deer activity out towards the end of Wharf Quarry Road. These “digging in the dirt” kind of
scrapes have been observed with somewhat regularity around the island over the last few years, leading to much
speculation as it what the deer are looking for. Or maybe they are just playful,
and that’s how deer play – by digging in the dirt. If this was done by an otter
it would be interpreted as play!
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| when deer scrape photo by Niall Conlan |
Anyway, in these particular scrapes Niall found these “tuber like things” that might make a
tasty treat for a hungry deer. Looks
juicy on the inside! Lots of animals will dig for roots, bulbs and truffles (false truffles in our case – but
don’t tell the fungus that!) and after a pretty tough winter for the deer I
bet that sniffin’ out those fresh bulbs
and mackin’ ‘em must have hit the spot! Thanks for sending Niall!
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| these almost look yummy photo by Niall Conlan |
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| juicy photo by Niall Conlan |
While we’re there
– wharf quarry road – (4/11) Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron – both first
of the season for me, or a seasonal VNM. But that kind of defeats the purpose
of the VNM in the first place. Anyway….
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| Fox Sparrow photo by Sally Conway |
Skin Hill Sally
sent in these photos of Killdeer and Fox
Sparrow from “up in the hood”. Nice shots and thanks for sharing!
Who’s singing – Brown
Creeper (Huber, long cove), Winter Wren (long cove), Hermit Thrush (Huber, long
cove) Chickadees, Purple Finch (lane’s), Song Sparrow, Red-breasted Nuthatch,
Goldfinch, Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Cardinals, golden-crowned Kinglet eastern towhee and spring
peepers of course! First heard/reported on the woodcock walk (4/11)!
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| Killdeer catchin' and mackin' photo by Sally Conway |
Fallout – impressive
numbers of Killdeer, Song sparrow, Woodcocks, Robins observed around the island.
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| mink photo by Karen Oakes |
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| are so cool photo by Karen Oakes |
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| otter on ice photo by Ali McCarthy |
Otters – Ali McCarthy
took this shot of a solo otter on
the ice in Carver’s pond. Johnny
McCarthy mentioned it looked pretty big (pictures can be tough to judge
size from), and since it was solo (and big) it might be Oscar, the lone otter that goes between Greens and Norton’s Point.
Maybe – either way it’s cool! Thanks for sending in the photo!
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| otter trail from the pond |
Trip to Calderwood - (4/15) Rough-legged Hawk, Norther Harrier, American Kestrel, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Harlequin Ducks, Great Cormorants. And of course - Calderwood sheep!
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| the webs look something like this |
Anyway, in many places around the island the retreating seasonal
glaciers have also exposed a layer of what appears to be some sort webbing.
Makes you wonder what the hell was going on under all that snow for so long? It’s
all part of the mystery.
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| coming right out from under the snow |
What we know – snow can be a buffer from harsh weather for
animals. The thicker the snow, the thicker the buffer. This year’s snow was a
bumper buffer. They call the world below the snow “the subnivean”, but I’ve
never heard it refer to itself as that. It stays somewhat warm in the subnivean
zone, around 32 degrees, no matter what kind of windy coolness is going on
above. As for snow I’ve read that to have a “minimum subnivean” you need at
least 6 inches but I have no further comment on that.
Anyway – what we don’t know (we being the lower case, royal
“we”) is if the subnivean sticks around as it gets warmer above does it (the
subnivean) warm up over time? Warm enough for a spider or some sort of cold
blooded critter to cruise around and pump out some web. I mean, as it got
warmer out here – in the real world!- and the snow didn’t go anywhere could it
have gotten warm enough for undersnow cold blooded activity. Doesn’t take too
much warmth for snow fleas to get going, other insect species must have been
chomping at the bit to get moving – which probably looks like an insect
sleeping.
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| this is not webbing, but owl pellets are cool |
I wonder if it started to really smell like a pet store
after the second month, with all those voles and such.
Anyway – any thoughts on the webbing? Maybe not from a
creature at all? Not from an earthly creature that is!
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| I bet skunk cabbage tastes like spraint! |
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| tracking the wild honey mushroom its right there |
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| found this dude - lead back phase of a red-backed salamander in the snow! I didn't put it there! that would be cruel. |
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| 62 spotted salamanders are like a gang |
(4/20) With Sophia in town and rain on the forecast we hit the road
for some “mandering” this week. A total of
13 spotted salamanders (and two tadpoles in the ditch!) were seen on two passes
of Round the Island Road (including the ride home). Quite a difference from
two nights prior, but still so exciting! Half the fun was the salamander dances
in the headlights!
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| dancing in the street |
And that’s where we are going to leave it. Lots more birdies
coming with this storm! More warmth too!
Hope this VSR found you doing well. We look forward to
bumping into you out in the woods!
