Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – January 20, 2019
Supported by VLT, MCHT and You! So Thanks!
Highlights – Owls, otters, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Red-tailed Hawk,
Greens Island sightings, Limited Editions, and so much more
Welcome back friends to another VSR post – we are excited to post another post – still
catching up on the late fall sightings – I think this will bring us (the royal
“us”) up to speed to a certain extent. It’s a snowy day today, so the writing
will be smooth (in theory) – and just in time to get out there tomorrow and
check out some tracks! Love Winter!
Business – contact us – we (the royal “we”) love getting
photos and sightings sent our way. Thanks to those who have sent stuff to us in
the past, and a pre-emptive thanks to those future sightings! Keep ‘em coming! vinalhavensightings@gmail.com
Tiit trick –
click on the photos to enlarge! Its fun and its safe!
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| bobcat track - from the mainland! |
Upcoming events
– if you happen to be on the mainland and looking for a good time….
“Winter
Wildlife of St George” slide show and talk - this Thursday – January 24th at 7pm at the St George Town
Hall, Tenants Harbor – MCHT and the St George Conservation Commission.
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| river otter track |
“Tracking Mammals in Winter” – Tuesday, January 29th at Noon –
Merryspring Nature Center in Camden – MCHT and Merryspring
“Winter tracking and Wildlife Habitat Walk” – Thursday January 31st,
10am-Noon – CMLT Hodson Preserve, Molyneaux Road in Camden. MCHT and
Knox/Lincoln Soil and Conservation District.
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| turkey tracks in the Marsh |
“Animal Tracking” – Saturday February 9th, 10am – Erickson Field
Preserve – Rte 90, Rockport - MCHT
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Keith and spraint
Photo by John Drury |
Sightings – Greens Island – John Drury was kind enough to share this photo of Keith Drury
inspecting the “Ma’s point” River Otter den on Greens over the holidays. From
the amount of spraint (otter poop) welcoming any visitor to the den area it
would be safe to assume the den is active and has multiple residents when it is
in use. John points out that any “old spraint” (Sorry to offend any old
sprainters out there!) would have been washed away from the high tides and
storm surge in the fall. The den itself
is most likely in the ground along the immediate shoreline, protected from
storms by the rocks in the photo. This is a den of historic use, one that John
has been visiting/observing for well over a decade (at least). Good to see
Keith in there as well!
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Milkweed nirvana?
Photo by John Drury |
John was also kind enough to send in
a couple of cool shots – one of the happiest milkweed seed – or luckiest.
Imagine being happy to have landed in scat…..
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white-sided dolphins
photo by John Drury |
And this sweet White-sided dolphin
photo from early September. Underwater shots are super cool – thanks for
sending this in!
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| owl scat on rock cairn |
Fox Rocks – (1/15) – went up to the “top” for sunset and to listen for owls. Both happened!
The sunset was a beauty, and two Great
Horned Owls were calling to and fro from the direction of Perry Creek. To
make things even better – how could they be? – one of the rock cairn things
that let you know that you are on top of Fox Rocks (for those who need help to
know they are on top of something) had some reasonably recent owl scat on it.
So good to get back up there! What a great place for owls!
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| fox rocks sunset |
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| long-eared owl pellet |
Lane’s Island – (1/7) a quick search turned up a single Long-eared Owl pellet under some of
the spruces out there. Finding one pellet is possibly a reflection of the
storms that hit in November and December, storms which might have encouraged
any lane’s island Long-eareds to move on. Or, and more likely of course, there
are a bunch of pellets out there, just not under the trees I search below!
Either way, Lane’s is the best!
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| yellow-rumped warbler |
plus, a small group of yellow-rumped warblers were present on Lane's. They have spent the winter on Lane's before (not these individuals specifically, maybe), we'll see if they stick around til spring! Hard core songbirds!
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| Seal Bay |
Huber – (12/2)
– Finishing up some bridge work turned up a few cool sights. Saw-whet owl pellet in the middle of
the trail was cool. Several late season
(not sure what that means) mushrooms were
around. Orange mock oysters, orange
jellies ……. .
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| saw-whet owl pellet |
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| frozen orange jelly |
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| orange mock oyster |
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| orange mock oyster underside |
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| vernal pool |
Hard to believe (not really) that in
just two months there will be Spotted
Salamanders making their way to the trailside vernal pool, and before you
know it…..egg masses of the next
generation will be laid! Winter is already a 1/3 over! It goes too fast!
Greens Island – Visit back in the
fall. Lots of cool stuff. Like ice and this burl.
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| cool burl |
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| xanthoria lichen |
Mink scat and Otter spraint was conspicuous as well....
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| mink scat |
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| otter spraint |
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| white-tailed deer slide |
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| coyote slide - mainland |
Been taking pictures of animal tracks
where the subject slips on ice below the snow. It’s been fun….here are a bunch
of them….
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| turkey slide - mainland |
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| snowshoe hare slide |
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| bobcat slide - mainland |
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| kirk gentalen slide |
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| leif track |
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| little big foot? |
While we are at it.......some ice art......
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| I love this one |
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| this one is a little disturbing |
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| double eye and otter slide |
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| raven wing print |
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| splashy otter belly slide |
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| raven art |
December can mean a lot of different things
for people, but one thing that everybody agrees on is that December is the “limited
edition” month! Here’s a bunch of classics we found while wandering around
stores in December….
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| and now we move on to the next limited edition holiday |
and some food just come across as gross - I admit I have not tried these, and I won't
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| taking apart owl pellets |
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| and keeping the cat away from the bones and fur! |
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| weasel project |
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| leif and vespers |
and a little bit o' Leif
Hope you all we are well and we look forward to seeing you out there!
Rock on!
