Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – June 18th, 2018
Brought to you with the kindly support of MCHT and VLT
Highlights – Ancient Murrelet, Red-billed Tropicbird, Red crossbills,
mushrooms including Dye makers Polypore, Mourning Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker, and so much more!
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| motherly love |
Business: contact us – hey – ain’t too proud to
beg – send us your sightings, photos, nature reports, whatever– you name it,
we’ll take it! vinalhavensightings@gmail.com . Sharing is good, so be good and
share.
Tiit Trick –
click on the photos to enlarge. They’ll fill up your screen magically! But it’s
not magic, like it’s not magic that I can be in the middle of nowhere and talk
on a cellphone with my mom in South Carolina. You can tell me the science behind
it, but you can’t convince me witchcraft is not involved.
Upcoming events
– Vinalhaven bird walks – Thursdays
starting on June 21st, 8am at Skoog Park. There are good times
to observe in the woods, and birds are a great window to learning about your
neighbors (not human ones that is). Check ‘em out! Thursdays from now through
the end of summer! Who else is looking forward to the end of summer? Just kidding.
Off island – “Nature Bummin” - St. George Historical Society - June 28, 7pm at the St George Grange at
Wiley’s Corner. The historical
society was kind enough to invite me to speak at their next meeting which happens
to be next Thursday! Should be a fun show – and there is a potluck before the
meeting – at 6pm. With a title like “Nature Bummin” the show will ride the
spectrum of nature topics and kingdoms to the fullest. Whatever that means. If you
are on the mainland swing by!
Side plug –
Seal Island is a sea bird nesting island like no other, and no one can take you
on a tour like Captain John Drury on the Skua. Spaces are filling up quickly so
contact John today to make your reservations for the “trip of a lifetime” (I just made up that quote – but it is an
awesome trip). Contact John through his blog – sightingsfromskua.blogspot.com .
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| red-billed tropicbird |
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| black guillemot |
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| common tern with fish |
Alcid lovers
(you know who you are!) are aware that Ancient
Murrelets are more of a northern Pacific phenomenon and that sightings in
the Atlantic are few and far between. That said, an Ancient Murrelet was spotted at Seal Island last week, which makes the second Ancient Murrelet sighted in the three or four years. Could it be
the same bird? Can this be a new tradition similar to the tropicbird? Is Seal
Island big enough to accommodate both the Tropicbird and the Murrelet with
their associated egos? Good times!
From the ferry
– Seals and pups are the early June thrill from the ferry – for me. The teams
of moms and pups seem to be breaking up – they grow up so fast!
Speaking of growing up fast – June is the “easiest” time to find woodpecker nests as
young woodpeckers continuously beg and cry from their nest cavities from dusk
til dawn (pretty much). I found 12
active woodpecker cavities this year – 4 on Vinalhaven, 8 on the mainland -
which may be a personal record (it’s really all about me). 10 were Hairy Woodpecker cavities and 4 were. Downy. At this point the nests I crossed
paths with are empty (what a syndrome!) So
look (and listen!) for youngsters flying around and begging from their parents
for the next few weeks. Good luck and welcome!
Pileated Woodpecker – Calderwood Neck - Walt Day reports a Pileated Woodpecker regularly
visiting his property all spring. More and more reports of Pileateds over the
last few years, they are everywhere on the mainland, only makes sense that they
would be on Vinalhaven! Very cool news!
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| male Red Crossbill |
Singing around the island – Brown Creepers have “turned it up a notch” in my time in the wood s recently – lots of singing. American Redstarts, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, Ovenbirds, Black and white, Yellow, Black-throated Green, yellow rumped, and Magnolia Warblers, Song and White-throated Sparrows, Hermit Thrush, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Purple and Gold finches, Golden-crowned Kinglets….lots of song still being blasted in the woods and along roadsides. Seems like the Kinglets and Creepers may have moved on to brood two – good for them!
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| female Red Crossbill |
Speaking of Red Crossbills – while “getting stuff” from the MCHT shed on Reach Road a
family of Red Crossbills visited the
few, heavily coned Spruce trees that are left standing on the property after the October wind storm. Actually
makes it easier to figure out which they are in when there are only a handful
to choose from!
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| youngster red crossbill |
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| sticky tongue |
Check out the photos – the crossing of the bill is clearly visible and one shot got a quick view of a crossbill tongue which is rumored to be very sticky.
Basin Preserve – platform trail – young Hayscented
Ferns are a favorite kind of green. Hope folks are getting out to see that color!
Macks pond trail – young, developing Dye-makers Polypores are slowly growing mushrooms on a log that lays across the trail (who’s the steward over there anyway?). I didn’t have the heart to cut up and remove as the Dye-makers has grown on this log in years past – when the tree was perpendicular with the ground. Anyway – Dye-makers often bloom in the same spot for years so check out your favorite Dye-makers spot…especially with the (little) rain we’ve gotten. Could use some more!
On the mainland – bike rides – they have been good – a
four woodpecker nest ride hit the spot.
Couple other highlights – mushrooms – Oyster mushrooms love late May rains ad have been numerous on Big-toothed Aspen
And on father’s day I rode to
Rockland to meet up with Leif for our radio show (every Sunday night on
WRFR.org, or 93.3 in Rockland Maine. 7-8pm!) when I spotted this King Bolete
(the king!) in a front yard in South Thomaston. I think this may be the first time I have ever found a King in June, which is now one of my 12 favorite months to find a King! July for sure, September is even better around these parts – in California they were a January –March kind of thing. Well, anyway! Happy June everybody!
reptiles on the road – always love crossing paths with reptiles and seeing them from my bike
and their actually being alive (rather than roadkill) just makes the experience
that much sweeter for me (and it is all about me). Anyway, riding by an area in
“downtown” Tenants Harbor called Ripley’s Creek I spotted this huge Snappin’ Turtle making its way from the
traditional “mound in the middle of the turn around/parking area” towards a
marsh called The Marsh and the safety of the waters held there within. It hung
out long enough for me to contact Amy and Leif (thank you Verizon!) and they
got to watch her make her way back to a more aquatic world. Very cool.
I like this Garter Snake.
And some of Leif – with Zo and Leif’s
“most improved player” award – great to see Zo on the mainland or on island !
Checking out seals and puffins on a
great field trip to Eastern Egg Rock
Getting free tacos – thank you golden state warriors!
With an unhatched Robin egg that
remained in a nest after our local robins fledged. among other adventures
see you out there!
see you out there!
