Welcome to the Vinalhaven sightings report
– October 1st, 2015
Brought to you with the undying support of
VLT and MCHT
“a passel of woodies”
– Bill Sheehan.
How many woodies in a passel? The answer
(in this particular case) is somewhere in this report.
We start with a video of “wind lapped”
cattails at state beach.
Highlights – raptors, warblers, owls,
couple of walks. Not much meat, fresh start
“Anyway” and “whatever” into the future
– so the hiatus is over and we shall see what form this “report” takes as it
morphs into “VSR phase 5” (or maybe is it 6?). this is just more of a starters
whistle than a full on report I guess. It was a lovely hiatus and thanks for
asking by the way.
“Regardless”
and “as always”, the more people sharing their sightings the more successful
the VSR will be. So continue to send sightings, questions, photos (appropriate
photos only please) about nature things to vinalhavensightings@gmail.com.
Get in the habit! Let’s get this VSR thing back up and kicking butt again!
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| Coltricia is the only genus of polypores that are mycorrhizal. Thank you Shiny-Cinnamon Polypore |
Sightings - Welcome back my friends, to
the show that never ends…go outside, go outside.
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| a bunch of us were present for a 6 liverwort hike with "Mr. Liverwort" himself - Javier Penalosa. a highlight of the summer |
Middle Mountain - Rick Morgan reports
watching a Northern Harrier hunting
out at Middle Mountain while doing some trail work on the preserve. Thanks to
Rick, Kerry Hardy, VLT and their volunteers for opening up that trail again
this year!
(9/21) John Drury reports - Peregrine,
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel at brimstone
Greens
Island – Cooper’s Hawk…Yellow-rumped
Warblers
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| hanging in the basin |
Great Horned Owl – Rick Morgan and Kay
Hendrick both report hearing a Great Horned Owl out on Lane’s several (or a
few) evenings in August/September. Very cool on the owls.
State Beach – red-necked grebes have
been back for a while
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| young tree swallow - swallow on the wire! |
Bird walks – thanks to those who either attended a bird walk or intended to attend a bird walk (or whatever) for a really successful summer of weekly outings. Some of the highlights – the 3 whimbrels, this (somewhat confusing) young Tree Swallow and the other Tree and Barn Swallows we saw on one bird walk (only swallows on any of the 5 years of bird walks), the teacher named Jane, some great Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow looks, and I don’t know – tons of great looks at some cool birds. We ended with a nice green heron session in the Lane’s cesspool. Where all walk sessions should end.
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| rose pogonia |
Retrospect –
great summer for wilson’s storm petrels
and red-necked phalaropes. Cedar Waxwings as well. not going to dive too deep
in the hiatus time, it was a true hiatus.
It was dry,
plants were around, fungus too, but it was dry. Here are a few plant photos just
to prove we looked at plants this summer! Fungus photos next report.
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| pine sap |
Differences – regardless of whether we
like to celebrate differences or not, it is going to be tough to continue the
VSR without some references to observations we (the royal “we”) have made and
will make in the St. George region. It will also be tricky to not point out
differences between here and there, and there will be plenty we are in such close
proximity. Some things will be pretty much the same. Probably won’t mention
many of those, but maybe we will. Anyway –
“new section”
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| tenants harbor |
Noted Difference #1 – this is the
harbor in Tenants Harbor where we live. Funny that I have this picture since I
hardly ever see this harbor –I can go days, weeks without seeing the harbor
here in tenants harbor as the main roads and my early hang out spots don’t take
me by there much. So far at least. Will undoubtedly see it more in the winter
after the ducks arrive!
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| sunrise in the marsh |
Anyway – here is what I am seeing way
more often than the harbor. This is a place called “the marsh” (creative name)
and its within walking distance of our place (but really – all places are
within walking distance if you have enough time).
Here’s a video of 2 of the
local otters snorting at me from “the marsh”.
You see I
was standing on their latrine, one I had just found, when
these two otters popped up and started snorting. Possibly they were planning on
coming to land to “lay a spraint” down on their latrine and I was in the way. All
about timing. I have revisited the latrine many times since and have seen
nothing (and like it!). The microphone on my little cybershot picked up none of
the snorting, but with a little imagination you may see their nostrils flare at
times.
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| we got an "F"! alphabetic otter spraint |
The marsh
has inspired this writing….
“I think I
know
where I am
going to go first
when this
place freezes over.
It’s that
rock out there, in the lower section
The one that
appears to have otter spraint on the top.
Yeah, that’s
the one, you can see it from the school trail.
Unless there
is some distraction on the way – and there are always distractions –
That’s where
I am going to go first
When this
place freezes over.”
here's a video of a beaver slappin' her tail in the marsh...
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| this is Don Reimer and that is the otter latrine and otter run he found in the westkeag don was nice enough to give us a dead otter he found. the gift that keeps on giving. |
Anyway, this
place has the best of both worlds. Otters and owls. Both great horned and
barred in the neighborhood, 3 barred owl pellets found so far. And 4 otter
latrines (including the one on the rock), as well as 2 beaver dens and dams
(see the tail slapping video), a “passel of woodies” or 52 wood ducks leaving
the marsh a few evenings past.
Noted Difference # 2 - Road kill –
sorry, the mainland has much more interesting road kill than all the dead green
snakes on round the island road. We’re talking porcupine, skunk (spraintloads),
ccoyote, fox, and the regulars. Nothing like road kill to teach you about the
larger animals in the area. we appreciate the information.
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| leif, nanni, marshall point and the Jonah crab. |
Noted Difference #3 – the entire VSR
crew advocates folks riding the 7am ferry to rockland to look for
wildlife, especially as fall turns into winter. One (dreadful – judgment) difference is the lighting while riding the 7am (or 845am) FROM rockland. Everything
is back lit and glarey, calling it “Sprainty” might be a little too gentle and
kind (and we’d never want to be like that).
Maybe “we”
have been spoiled by wonderfully westward direction the 7am from vinalhaven has
followed all these years. So now it is time to adapt and do a little cloud
dance – “overcast days never turned me on” but it looks like those will be the
better light mornings. Better for observation. The troubles I deal with.
Shout out to
Yogi Berra who has passed recently at age 90. I hear he was a great player, but
around the VSR newsroom he is known for more for the mantra “you can observe just by watching”. One of
our favorites, right up there with Chili Palmer’s “ I’m only going to say what I
have to, if that”.
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| torches and 6 year-olds- not the best idea |
Big “Thank
you” for the letters, the kind wishes and good food folks shared with us (the
royal “us”) as we packed up our stuff and then unpacked it in Tenants Harbor.
11 years is a good long stretch, and we (the royal “we”) have gone thru some
major changes and learned a ton during our run on Vinalhaven. We have felt a
lot of love over the last few months – actually last 11 years. Glad we can
continue to learn on Vinalhaven.
See you out
there!
