Vinalhaven Sightings

Welcome to the Vinalhaven sightings report –

September 1 2017

with the support of VLT and MCHT

“there’s a nice bird on top of that tree” –

woman pointing out a merlin falcon

on a recent bird walk

scrambled egg slime

Highlights – mink, great egrets, bobolink, osprey nests, leopard frog, shorebirds, mushrooms, phantom crane flies, baby black guillemots, young common terns, raptors, flower things, 3 dead shrew hike, monarchs, report from the Skua

lots of gannet sightings from the ferry these days

nothing can stop the yellow patches!

Business – contact us – vinalhavensightings@gmail.com . the place to share nature photos and sightings. Thanks to those who have sent stuff in this round! We can also add your email address to the “list” if emails to whom we send a short announcing email to when a new post has been posted. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

Tiit trick – click on photos to make them jumbo sized.

not sure who these two are
sent in by tom gentalen

Feedback on Raccoons – a couple of readers responded to our (the royal “our”) inquest about your local experiences with raccoons this summer. Long time VSR reader, great guy and Gabe Peter-Harp was kind enough to offer some of his neighborhood raccoons. So apparently there may be an active (as opposed to dead) population in his neck of the island. My Uncle Tom (Gentalen) sent in this photo of two women wearing racoon hats. Maybe trapping for raccoon pelts played a role? Are raccoon hats back in style? I hope so! I’ve never felt as cool as I did as a 5 wearing a raccoon fur hat in the middle of summer in Jersey. Sweat much?

this is a dead dear

However - two more folks have mentioned not seeing as many raccoons as in years past. We have found a few recent raccoon scats on the preserves, but none of the piles of scat - stacked and packed – in the latrines of the past (ohhhh the piles! Those were the days!). Anyway, does anyone care about raccoons?

mink
photo by Burt Porter

Sightings – White Islands – Burt Porter (hope I got the last name right) was kind enough to send in these awesome photos of a mink from the white islands. From the looks of these photo’s Burt’s session with the mink was lengthy and entertaining.

mink
photo by Burt Porter

awesome shots! thanks for sharing

mink
photo by Burt Porter

harris three spot
photo by Beth Gilford

Moth (nocturnal butterflies?) – Very cool moth found by Beth Gilford – Harris three spot. This little beauty (judgment) is part of a group called “Dagger moths” – mostly small grey nocturnal moths. Harris three spot is definitely a stand out in the group – but clearly has more than three spots. I might even count six, but I am notorious for not counting that well. And I get it – it has three spots on each part of front/hind wings, but why not count them all? We are not “human 5 fingers” after all!

ocean sunfish
photo by John Drury

On the water – john drury trips to seal on the Skua have been going great this August – the latest report from John mentions lots of Manx shearwaters, days of 500 terns roosting on Saddleback Island, sunfish, tuna and minke whales. It’s always a good time to get out on the water with John!

northern gannet
photo by Rick Morgan

Rick Morgan reports of a recent trip to seal with Norbert and Sally Lessner and friends. Northern Gannet…..

northern harrier
photo by Rick Morgan

….Northern Harrier….

peregrine falcon feasting
photo by Rick Morgan

…and a Peregrine Falcon feasting on a kill were some of the highlights.

(8/24) A pair of Bobolinks were spotted crossing Crockett Cove by Kat Parsons. Good spot!

leopard frog
photo by Jim Conlan

Jim Conlan was kind enough to send in this photo of Leopard Frog. Jim is almost an honorary herpetologist with the number of frog photos he sends in.

Old harbor pond – great egret…Jim Clayter was kind enough to send in these photos of a great egret in Old Harbor Pond. Karen Oakes reports seeing two great egrets by the old harbor pond dam, and an other great egret up at Pleasant River. So good to see, egrets show up almost every year, but not in such numbers! go see one!

great egret
photo by Jim Clayter

lots of shorebirds in pleasant river lately

Thanks everyone who’s share in this round. You all are seeing great stuff – send in your reports! vinalhavensightings@gmail.com

Dyer’s island – blue winged teal, great egret

8/16 pleasant river – good shore bird day shorebirds – 137 semi-palmated sandpiper, 43 black bellied plover, 50 semi-palmated sandpiper, 17 least sandpiper, 17 greater yellowlegs, 4 lesser yellowlegs, 5 short-billed dowitcher

8/16 state beach – 23 least sandpiper, 10 semi-palmated sandpiper, 4 spotted sandpiper,

most of the little dots are shorebirds.
semipalmated sandpipers and plovers

semi palmated plover

Bird walk – we've had some good ones – 8/31 – lanes- common eider, northern gannet, common loon, black guillemot, common yellowthroat…

State beach – red necked grebe, common loon, northern harrier, semi-palmated plover, least sandpiper, greater yellowlegs, common tern, great blue heron,

(8/17) lanes – catbird on the beach, great blue heron, cedar waxwings, black guillemot, lesser yellowlegs, semi-palmated sandpiper, common eider, American goldfinch, northern flicker, black-bellied plover, double crested cormorants, common loon (circling),

Common tern

white tail skimmer

State beach – bald eagle, least sandpiper, semi-palmated plover, sharp-shinned hawk, osprey, common eider, common loon, great blue heron, lesser yellowlegs, short-billed dowitcher, raven, black guillemot, double crested cormorants, common tern

(8/10) lanes – great blue heron, a flounder, and a black backed gull, common tern

Monarchs – lots of them around these days, and the past three weeks or so. remember those years of seeing none? this gives a little hope

looking at you (or me actually)

young destroying angel, ready for action

Mushrooms – dry times in the woods, even with a recent day of over an inch of rain. That said, the random wonderful mushroom turns up on every trail…here’s a few I have crossed paths with recently

fresh dye makers polypore

split gill
and all time favorite

hard to believe there have been any mushrooms
with excess water...august was so dey!

yellow patches will not be denied

see that brown along the edge of this old tinder conk?
that's the amadou layer from the newly tinder conk that is
forming within last years version. that's a lot of amadou!

largei-ish puffball in port clyde

same tinder conk, different angle. velvety amadou layer.
very flammable - otzi - the glacier mummy had amadou on him
when he was killed 5300 years ago. historic importance.

the blusher looking really good

the one that got away...or rather was
eaten by a slug. bastard!

young black guillemot

Paddle up the Red Sea (8/16) – turned up the first young Black Guillemots of the year for me….

ommon terns were resting and feeding young on the ledges….

eiders were swimming around…and a visit to the otter den in the old stone pier was great.

the otter den opening is on the top, right in the middle of the pier

no VSR is complete without some spraint!

"aint the same without the spraint"
"not without the spraint"
this spraint is cold!

and I got to stop at the old granite pier. otter den still active! love it!

common terns took over the marsh in tenants harbor
for a few weeks in in mid august

while we are at it....

St. George terns – here are a couple of photos of young common terns in the Marsh in st George.

yellow jackets in the ground. nice nest!

Wasps/hornets – or whatever they have been (somewhat) turning out in force. Some in the ground –

torn up. what would have dug this nest/hive
up? no, I am asking you.

nice blend in with the granite.
if I ate rocks I might have eaten that by
accident! glad I don't eat rocks.

And some in the ground that have been torn up

And then many bald faced wasp nests hanging, like this camo one on granite – so that’s what wasp nest blend in with! I’ve been stung/bit more times this year (5) than the last 12 years combined. Actually, I’m not even sure if I’ve been stung/bit by wasps/hornets 5 times before this year. Granted I have been messing with their nests, but still – be careful of those buzzy dudes – somewhat aggressive these days.

here's a video -

not a bad year for indian pipe
these aren't from this year.

Plants – old indian pipe look cool

pitcher plants are in bloom these days

I am a sucker for sea lavender

Sea lavender looking good these days…

Basin - and before I forget... I had another great dead shrew stroll in the basin 8/24. 3 dead ties my record for one walk. there was a rain a night or two before, was it exposure, disease, or just the right time for shrews to die?