Vinalhaven Sightings: February 2019

Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – February 9, 2019

Supported by VLT, MCHT and U – the essential readers!

“with you, these reports simply would not be read. So thank you!” – VSR staff

above and below

Highlights – Pileated Woodpeckers, Thick-billed Murre, Raccoon, Perspectives afterschool, otter, house cat, mushrooms and so much more!

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Tiit trick – click on photos to make them jumbo sized! Fill your screen with ice monsters from Old Harbor Pond

Big Thanks – to the Perspectives afterschool kids and adult supervisors for two great afternoons of tracking and owl pellet dissection last week. Great to see everyone and to get outside with some great weather to boot! See you chittlins next time!

PSA – Vinalhaven trails in the winter are famous for having a layer of sheer ice on the top of them. Grips, poles and even snowshoes are recommended over the winter months. A thin layer of snow can make it even more dangerous with the ice “outta sight”. Take your time and go slow.

Sightings -

Old Harbor Pond – (2/7) even just a few hours spent on the ice can be magical. Frozen water flows and a couple of new (for me) otter latrines were the entertainment. Ice was smooth and slippery – no trails captured in time for these eyes to find! Once again – ice is freedom, ice is bliss, but be careful if you go out!

0tter latrine

macks pond - pond level view from the south west

this is what the end of the ice looked like at
macks pond the other day. like some hippy from
jersey with a chainsaw sliced right through it

Mack’s Pond – While the pond was a frozen spectacle, the outflow and associated connector creek that runs into Old Harbor Pond was flowing strong. The lowering of water in the pond had created an air space below the ice, and an interesting view when looking from about 2 steps down the creek. Above and below. Never know what you might see in winter!

it was a cool view from below

Basin - (2/7) – While clearing the platform trail in the basin I tracked a neighborhood cat that seems to use the trails as much as (if not more than) any human does. Its latrines are well documented (in my head) from over the years, and certainly showed sign of recent use (poop).

The tracks, however, were super fresh in the snow that had been fallen the night before. Four toes, no claws and an indirect register let you know it’s a domestic cat. And the tracks were way cute. Easy to picture the cat bouncing along the trail. Even sliding at times.

This guy has been feasting on (and pooping hair of) woodland rodents for years, which is certainly not the worst thing in the world. It can be noted, also, that rodents are probably not the only animals this cat impacts on its travels. That’s the way it goes with outdoor cats.

cat tracks

cat scat

dog scat. like middle of the road

The way it goes with dogs on the trails at times is poop in bags (“poopybags”) along the trails. We have documented this phenomenon at the VSR ad nauseum over the years. Winter can be a uniquely gross time as dog poops decompose at slower rates with the cold. They sometimes even collect/stack up on snow and ice (ever been to Lane’s Island?).

I found this beauty in the middle of the platform trail! A simple flick of a stick would launch most this out of sight, out of the trail, out of harm’s way, and mostly likely never detected by other human users.

shrapnel from a pileated woodpecker

Seal Bay – Some dead, standing Big Tooth Aspen showed sign of recent Pileated Woodpecker excavation work. spruce too. Shrapnel on the ground, huge chunks removed from sections, and even fresh work after limbs broke off and landed on the ground. Hats off to the Pileateds that are becoming a presence on the island! Good on ya mates!

raccoon front foot/hand

raccoon hind foot

Also, its somewhat refreshing to see Raccoon tracks and trails after a few years of seeing minimal sign. Not that numbers have totally rebounded, and not that anyone cares (I am not that lorax that speaks for the raccoons!) – but a few years back something (disease maybe?) swept through the raccoon population on Vinalhaven and surrounding islands. Spots that traditionally had “raccon latrines of plentiful collection” were empty, trails showed little to no use, and tracks were few and far between.

Anyway, its fun to see the raccoon “hands” tracks in the snow again. Little front ones and huge (comparatively) back feet. Makes for a good time.

orange mock oyster

Huber – a couple of mushrooms are still prevalent on the trails even with below freezing temps and mucho snow fallin’ at times (we can use more, please! Thank you!). The Orange Mock Oyster mushroom is still bloomin’ and letting out spores from a birch branch just before the Kiosk/welcome sign.

Orange jelly shriveled and shrunk – it is cold out there ya know! – can be found along most trails. Keeping an eye open for Turkey Tails is a good idea these days as well. Red-belted Conks look cool with a layer of snow on them as well – I am calling this one Junior.

From the ferry – and while conditions 12 to the mainland were nice – overcast, calm, and not bitterly cold – many of the sightings were of birds “getting the hell out of the way” of the massive Frank E. Thompson ferry barreling down their path. Many views of birds diving.

harbor seals and a Camden hill

Thick-billed Murre, Common Loon, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Purple Sandpiper, Red-necked Grebe, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Surf Scoter, Common Eiders, Bald Eagle, Harbor Seal.