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| velvety polypores never looked so good! finely melted ice cream? |
Thanks to MCHT and VLT for their continued support...
...and to you the reader! the photo looker! the sightings sharer! whatever your role is thank you!
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| so pleasant |
Highlights – Monarch butterflies, shorebirds, raptors, seal bay paddle - which was a 5 gull and 5 shorebird species paddle. Can you guess them? Bird walks, Wasps and more…..
Business - Contact us – vinalhavensightings@gmail.com – with comments, sightings, and photos or to get on the email reminder list!
Tiit Trick – click on the photos to have them fill your screen!
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| the mad pooper strikes again! |
Sightings – Bird walk (9/15) Lane’s and State Beach - Black-capped chickadee, American goldfinch, American redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Blue jay, Herring
gull, Common crow, Raven, Gray catbird, Yellow-rumped warbler, Red-necked grebe,
Common loon, Least sandpiper, Savannah sparrow, Song sparrow, Double-crested
cormorant, Common eider, Osprey, Flicker – report by Rick Morgan –
Rick reports that the chickadees and
yellowthroats were impressive at Lane’s and that 3 red-necked grebe and several
eider were some of the best views at state beach. Thanks again rick!
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| Butterfly and Bee photo by Karen Oakes |
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| greater |
Have you been seeing Monarchs this
year? Let us know!
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| plenty of scat in seal bay. the place is lousy with it! |
(9/6) Seal Bay/Winter Harbor Paddle - shorebird rocks – 45+ Black-bellied Plover, 10+
Semi-palmated plover, 6 short-billed dowitcher, and 1 least sandpiper. Belted Kingfisher,
great blue heron, osprey, black guillemots and their incredibly annoying
begging babies. Greater Yellowlegs, Merlin with shorebird in talons and then in
belly. 5 gull paddle - Bonaparte’s and Laughing Gull, Herring Gull, Great
Black-backed gull and Ring-billed Gull. Shags everywhere.
What a great paddle it was that day. Shorebird rocks just off of Huber were a delight. Loaded with the high tide not a single bird flew off because of me. That went for the whole paddle except for the Great black-backed gull, but for some reason I didn’t mind making him fly.
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| black -bellied plovers |
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| semi-palm plovers in front of glacial art |
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| a couple of dowitchers thrown into the mix |
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| black-bellied plover with the dark wingpits! |
A Merlin falcon with shorebird in talons
flyover was a bonus as well.
As was seeing the Bonaparte’s gulls. Seal bay is pretty regular with the Bonaparte’s and the Ring-billed.
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| there is a merlin on the top of the tallest spruce in this photo. it's macking on a shorebird |
As was seeing the Bonaparte’s gulls. Seal bay is pretty regular with the Bonaparte’s and the Ring-billed.
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| Bonaparte's and laughing gull. "eye to eye" |
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| lots of kingfishers today |
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| Huber Pine a little more than half way up there is a thick, well needled branch coming out towards you. directly to the right of that there are two long, scarcely covered branches sticking out to the right. right below where they seem to make an "x" is a light colored thing hanging. that is the raccoon. |
Two of my favorite White Pine trees on island were also visible from seal bay. The one at Huber, where the lollipop trail first meets Seal Bay. So many folks have sat, stood and observed from that spot. There is a raccoon skin hanging in the tree as it has for about 4 years now. Take a close look at the photo and read the instructions underneath.
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| Penobscot pine, with eagle nest! |
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| I can see an otter or two checking out this root scene |
The second pine is the Bald Eagle nest on Penobscot or Long Island. Just a lovely twist of trunk, and a closer look shows the toll the tree is taking on the lower trunk and roots. The exposed roots have a good look to them – seems like a place an otter might mark or spend the night in! Should be noted that most trees along the shore look like places an otter should spend the night!
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| there are two flickers in this tree |
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| Bonaparte's subtle beauty |
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| bunch of bonies |
Here is the otter latrine/potential den on the north side of Hen Island. Looks like there has been a lot of traffic coming out of the water and up that nook. next time!
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| adult loon |
(9/15) Ferry Rides – Loons, bald eagle, osprey,
guillemots
On the roads –
lots of caterpillars, Monarch and White
Admiral butterflies.
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| folly pond with eagle |
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| Ruth's sink snake |
High Mountain –
Bald eagle flyby, 3 raven fly by,
ring-necked snake in sink, 2 Harbor seals chillin’ on the rocks.
Folly Pond – 12+ Wood Duck, Bald Eagle, black duck, greater yellowlegs,
belted kingfisher
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| folly pond bald ealge |
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| some of the dozen semi-palmated sandpipers at carrying place |
Carrying Place Bridge – 12 semi-palmated sandpiper, belted kingfisher
State Beach – 6 least sandpiper, osprey.
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| four at play |
nice wasp action lately....
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| American Pelecinid Wasp (Pelecinus polyturator) |
(9/6) - 31 Reach Road - Pelecinid Wasps always demand attention if for no other reason than their somewhat scary looking abdomens.
no threat to us, but beetles on the other hand....
"females probe soil for the grubs of May beetles (Phyllophaga anxia and P. futilis); they lay 1 egg on each grub. the hatching wasp larvae burrow into their hosts to feed internally, killing them" - National wildlife Federation field guide to insects and spiders of north America. Evans, Arthur
there were about 8 f these Pelecinid wasps around the yard that day. no males were seen, but to my knowledge I have never seen a male pelecinid wasp. Here's more from Arthur Evans...
"male extremely rare in North America, and reproduction may be by parthenogenesis". in other words - sorry dude, you are not needed here!
very cool. and then I found this home on the official Vinalhaven MCHT shed!
this structure was built by a rowdy group of Bald-faced Hornets (Dolichovespula maculate) which are a type of Vespid Wasp, in the family Vespidae.
here's what Arthur Evans has to say about them...
"these wasps are related to yellow jackets and are not true hornets...usually building their football-shaped paper wasp nests low in trees or in shrubs. By summer a nest will contain 100-400 wasps. Adults prey on other yellow jackets and flies and also eat nectar and sap. They will readily sting to defend themselves or their nest"
so there you have it. a little more about the some of the buzzy stuff in the neighborhoods these days...
Fungal photo gallery…..
no threat to us, but beetles on the other hand....
"females probe soil for the grubs of May beetles (Phyllophaga anxia and P. futilis); they lay 1 egg on each grub. the hatching wasp larvae burrow into their hosts to feed internally, killing them" - National wildlife Federation field guide to insects and spiders of north America. Evans, Arthur
there were about 8 f these Pelecinid wasps around the yard that day. no males were seen, but to my knowledge I have never seen a male pelecinid wasp. Here's more from Arthur Evans...
"male extremely rare in North America, and reproduction may be by parthenogenesis". in other words - sorry dude, you are not needed here!
very cool. and then I found this home on the official Vinalhaven MCHT shed!
this structure was built by a rowdy group of Bald-faced Hornets (Dolichovespula maculate) which are a type of Vespid Wasp, in the family Vespidae.
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| bald faced hornet |
here's what Arthur Evans has to say about them...
"these wasps are related to yellow jackets and are not true hornets...usually building their football-shaped paper wasp nests low in trees or in shrubs. By summer a nest will contain 100-400 wasps. Adults prey on other yellow jackets and flies and also eat nectar and sap. They will readily sting to defend themselves or their nest"
so there you have it. a little more about the some of the buzzy stuff in the neighborhoods these days...
Fungal photo gallery…..
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| thin maze polypore ventral |
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| thin maze polypore dorsal |
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| ramaria of some sorts |
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| golden thread cordyceps! they attack false truffles! |
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| that same old indian pipe patch we've been photo documenting all summer! |
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| you can tell me someone put that there to get on the way back but just forgot but I don't have to believe you |
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| wild turkeys couldn't drag me away |
Anyway, it was cool and its become a favorite, easy mellow evening ride now. thought you'd want to know!
also on the mainland - while leading a mushroom walk at MCHT's Erickson Field Preserve in Rockport we came across another poop bag!
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| broad-wingeds are everywhere on the mainland |
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| more poop |
come on dog owners (yes I am lumping all of you together) - get your scat together! there. I am done. until next time!
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| I found this snake skin in my kayak. in early august I found a garter snake living in there. it was a pain to get it out. |
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| mink live under this pier |
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| leif's lego building has really taken off... |
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| legos are awesome, the worlds are fluid and in motion at all times |
and an action leap!!!
mom - leif says thanks for the jumping couch!
see you out there!
