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| this porpoise is dead |
Welcome to the
Vinalhaven sightings report –
march 7 , 2016
Brought to you in
part by VLT and MCHT
It’s a good thing –
KG
Highlights – urchins, Great horned owls,
otters, eagles, woodcocks, spring peeper, red crossbills, and so much more
(well, not that much!)
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| megalodon sunset....from the ferry |
Business - Note on winter – I guess there
was blizzard like conditions monday, but really - was that it for winter? Wow, first winter on the mainland and (so
far) the meat of the season has not
been overly impressive when considering traditional “wintery” condition
definitions (judgment). (Just kidding (for the most part)). March has come in
like a lamb (chilly one at that) and
possibly may leave like a ka-bob. So
it goes. Maybe another snow or two. That would be nice. Anyway, just a couple of weeks left of winter,
enjoy it while you can!
Contact us –
vinalhavensightings@gmail.com
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| yes, that stock woodcock picture again |
Upcoming events – Woodcock Walk – classic outing at lane’s – Saturday April 9th at 7pm. Come on
out to look for the aerial courtship display of the “coolest shorebird that
doesn’t live at beach”. Please dress appropriately (this is not a clothing optional event!), woodcock “walks” are not
active at all. “Walk” is not the right word at all. More on this next
time…VLT/MCHT event! – this just in – as Amy Palmer predicted…Woodcocks showed
up in the yard this week! Well, the soccer field below our yard, but close
enough! Welcome back woodcock friends!
Basin clean-up – Saturday April 9th. Come,
chip in, and let’s see how much trash we can remove. More info next VSR.
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| shriveled varnish shelf |
Sightings
– Greens – (2/27) John Drury reports “Sat feb 27, pair of Great horned Owls calling mid day,
also Eagles calling, and Ravens sailing around being conspicuous”
Also from John – purple sandpipers on Bull rock ,
Copers hawk on East Main Street.
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| otter tracks are really cute |
not sure why those colors showed up with John's report.
Anyway – Juncos, Cardinals, Chickadees singing. Browncreepers, Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles as well
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| urchins - not in natural habitat photo by Gabe Peter Harp |
Long Cove – Red
Crossbills – Everytime we go we hear/see them. Apparently the islands are
where crossbills (or crossbliss) are being reported. Like Vinalhaven and
Frenchboro.
Boat rides – ferry to
and from isleboro (2/26)– I saw 2 black guillemots total from the boat that
day…(2/29) 3 Razorbills, 4 Black-legged Kittiwakes, 40+ Common Loons…..
Another island, another otter – (2/26) - and
so there is this “thing” out there called
the “Maine Land Trust Network” or MLTN (mltn.org). It’s a good place to
go to see what jobs are out there, but MLTN does a number of other “things” as well. One of these “things”
apparently is providing a forum where a land trust that might have a concern or
a situation develop can reach out for perspective from folks who may have
experienced something similar. (What a boring sentence that last one was).
Anyway, it seems like a good thing and is run by MCHT, so I probably should say
it’s a good thing. There, I said it. I think. It’s a good thing.
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| the nice thing is that pictures of spraint and anal slime never get old! |
Anyway, a few weeks or so ago Stephen Miller from Isleboro
Islands Trust (IIT) reached out thru MLTN with a concern about a new trail that IIT had put in over the winter. Turns
out when “they” (the royal “they”) built the trail, a dog came along for the
day. At one particular spot the dog became focused on and consumed with a hole
in the ground. One thing led to another, a game camera was put up and an active
otter den was documented. The otter den was like, right next to the trail. And
the dog’s reaction was classic dog. It was like the odor of otter spraint and anal slime was so
overwhelming that when it tickled the olfactory corridors of the dog’s nose it
inspired a crazed and insatiable canine state of mind where the otter just “had
to be had” (possible exaggeration).
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| spraint collecting at a den opening |
‘Regardless of
whatever really was reality”, after a trail camera captured several photos
of otters active at the spot concern grew over impact that the new trail would
have on this (at the moment) pretty active otter site. Valid concern. Folks may
be familiar with this, but back when the VLT’s Granite Island trail was constructed it was routed in a way to give an active otter den a wide birth,
as well as by- pass a wetlands and other “assorted
reasonings” (good word!).
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| another great entrance |
(2/26) After a short ferry ride to a pretty long island we (the
royal “we”) hit the beach and it didn’t take long to cross paths with an otter’s
tracks and trail. It had been left that morning, heading up the beach, over a
bank and into a fresh water pond/wetland maybe 50 feet away. We followed the
trail up to the first view of this small pond, Lawson quarry size (overall) maybe
but with lots of deep tributaries and fingers that feed into the main small
pond.
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| I wich this picture was scratch and sniff it was truly pungent |
Anyway, the view across the pond was maybe 100 ft and as clear
as day the cattails on this tiny island/hump close to shore across the way were
completely matted down. No other matted cattails were observed. When I pointed out
the otter sign Stephen said that was where the den he was concerned about
impacting was. “Good for you” he said. I was feeling the same thing. It is
good.
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| one of the dens was in the roots of this tree |
To make a long story short, we walked around this entire
pond wetlands complex, crossed several of these 10-20 feet deep tributaries
with trees washed down them. We walked whatever trail was closest to the
shoreline of the pond. 14 latrines (a large one out on a separate island) and 3
more dens (4 total) later the habitat was summed up as “otter city”.
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| this otter had eaten a lobster |
The three dens we found were very cool, all were old,
abandoned beaver lodges along the banks of the pond. A few organized sticks were found at each
spot, but little else said beaver lodge. The otters would’ve used whether the
beavers had lodged up there or not, the banks apparently very suitable for
resting dens. I have not found otter dens in old beaver lodges before. I was
very psyched.
Anyway, it was fun get a little bit more information about
the otters of coastal maine and to check out another great Maine island. Check
out the IIT website for more information about the island and events taking
place out there- http://islesboroislandstrust.org/
. On July 30th! – Mom’s B-day! – I’ll be leading a walk around the
pond looking at otter sign. That will be the spraint! |
| yellow belt photo by Amy Palmer |
getting his yellow belt...
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| breaking boards photo by Amy Palmer |
breaking boards.....
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| photo by Keeley Felton |
rock climbing!
see you out there!
