Vinalhaven Sightings: April 2019

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – April 23 2019

Thankful for the support of VLT and MCHT. So thanks!

trash fears the Boones. Here's Jim terrorizes garbage in the Basin

Highlights – Snowy Owl, Sparrows, snow fleas, spring peepers, skunk cabbage, saw-whet owl pellet, red-bellied woodpecker, eastern phoebe, winter wren, vernal pools, gulls wormin’, ducks ducking, otters sprainting and bounding, and so much more!

Business: Contact us : vinalhavensightings@gmail.com send us your photos to share, sightings to share, inspirations to share. Sharing to share, as we share them with others interested in things that you (the royal “we all”) have to share. Send us your email and get on the list….what list? The list that receives an email whenever a new VSR is post…yes, that list. We are here to make this as easy and pain free for you.

sometimes things get burned

Tiit trick – click on the photos to enlarge. File up your screen with snow fleas why don’t ya?

Upcoming event – Tick Fest 2019 – May 4th - 10:30-2pm - Pleasant River chapel. Come and learn about the ticks in Maine and specifically Vinalhaven, options for dealing with in yards, personal protection, and how you - yes you- can volunteer to do your part in tick survey drags across island.

Ticks are part of the scene now. Lets deal with it head on...

greens island snowy owl
photo by John Drury

Sightings – Snowy Owl – Greens Island – John Drury sent in these wonderful photos of a recent snowy owl visitor to his picnic table on Greens. John snapped these shots after the owl re-perched on a spindly, nearby spruce.

snowy owl
photo by John Drury

John also reports a Thick-billed Murre spending some quality time around Sands Cove as well.

snow fleas

Thanks for sharing John!

Snow Fleas – Huber Preserve - now, we recognize that folks are probably done with seeing snow and snowy photos, but with that “last” snow (April 10) was a warm one, and you know it was a warm one when you see snow fleas! Check out this video…..

Yes, everyone’s favorite winter insect (eat chain Woolly Bears!) was back at it at the Huber Preserve (and undoubtedly all over the island). These hoppin’ little ones can be in groups of up to 250,000 (or so I have read) as they hop their way across snow migrating from one opening to another. On this particular day I saw 2 groups on the way out to Seal Bay, only to find about 15 groups trailside on my exit walk. Some groups were larger than others, but to say I saw 2 million of them would probably be a conservative estimate. Will probably go down as most wildlife I will see in a day in 2019. Not pound for pound of course, just counting heads!

edge of a snow flea population

bounding otter off pumpkin ridge

Basin – with that “last” snow (4/10) there was also fresh otter spraint and tracks in traditional otter locations. Always great to see! No shortage of otters on Vinalhaven!

nothing says love like a little spraint

And some finally snowy photos for the season….i think!

And ice….

Skunk cabbage – giving off that warm heat (as opposed to cold heat) , melting snow and getting the flowering growing. Big leafy greens in the woods coming up next!

skunk cabbage flowers!

red-bellied woodpecker

Who’s singing – Heard my first winter wrens last week. Both Golden and Ruby Crowned Kinglets chimed in this week as well. Nice additions to the growing chorus. Northern Cardinal, Brown Creeper, Song sparrow, white-throated sparrow, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, Purple Finch, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Phoebe,

Woodpeckers around – Saw two Red-bellied Woodpeckers (4/13)….one in town and one out by the Basin…..

some pileated rectangular excavations

….sign of Pileated Woodpeckers seems to be found on most of the explorations I have been on as of late. So much fun to find…

Plus downy and hairy woodpeckers….and many northern flickers have returned!

Lane’s – Peepin’, Peentin’. And moonin’ ! - Here’s a video with peepers and a woodcock peenting, with a phat moon

fox sparrow

Sparrows – Sparrows are here – and everyone is excited. Savannah Sparrows – long cove, lane’s island, and reach road…White-throated sparrows are singing around island… Song sparrows are loud and proud

tinder conk

Mushrooms – new erupting/growing out of the old…. Tinder Conk with new growth..

And how about this skinny red-belted conk – how old do you think this one is?

we love sydney

tree ears

tree ears - are everywhere with the recent rains

gulls goin' a wormin'

Low tide – just about every cove – Herring Gulls are gathering to feast on worms – what kind I am not too sure – but the shallows get crowded with gulls floating, spinning, and nabbing poking at the water. It’s a yearly occurrence. This shot was from Seal Bay.

apparently this is a remix

a few that should be limited edition.....

wavy and electric

And of course, Leif helping out removing nails…

…making puzzles with Nani…

…eatin’ tasty burgers at Elevation Burger…

And being overwhelmed by Funko-pops in Portland.

and lets just say the easter bunny was kind to Leif in a Demogorgon kind of way.

And on that note – hope April is treating you well

See you out there!

Friday, April 12, 2019

Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – April 9^th, 2019

….with the help of MCHT and VLT!

Thanks to both wonderful organizations!

Highlights – Northern Shrike, Migration!, Woodcocks, Blackbirds, Grackles, Roadkill, Loons, Guillemots, Raccoon tracks, and so much more!

Editors comment – this one should have been sent out a week ago now. A little dated, but still alright. Lots of photos…things were especially photogenic in late March.

dead mink

Another one soon to follow….with Snow Fleas being a central focus! Rock on!

Upcoming event update -– The annual VLT/MCHT Basin clean-up was scheduled for Sat. April 13^{th ,}but has been changed due to snow covered shorelines and trash. We are looking for a few folks to help out for a few hours next Wednesday morning picking up trash and schlepping, but an organized, Saturday volunteer Basin-cleanup rescheduling is in the works! Be on the lookout for a new date. Contact me if you have questions – vinalhavensightings@gmail.com .

Spotted Salamander migration! Undoubted some spotted salamanders made their way towards their breeding vernal pools last Sunday (3/31) when warm, evening rains provided them with the perfect conditions. Plenty of amphibians were on the roads of St George that night! Anyway, the next few warm (over 40! Scorchin’) rainy evenings will undoubtedly have more on the move! Either a good night not to go out, or a good night to go and look for them, all the while being aware that the twigs and small branches you drive over may be a salamander! Drive with caution (always) but especially those nights! Might be early next week! We’ll see, there will be more for shore.

Business : contact us! – we love getting your emails, your sightings, your photos, your limited editions, whatever you want to share as long as it passes the “this don’t smell bad” test. And trust me, we have very low standards. Don’t forget, I grew up in Jersey. Anyway – send in things and share – vinalhavensightings@gmail.com ! we ain’t too proud to beg, but it would be great if you just sent in things on your own! Rock on!

Dad was a fan of benches

Tiit trick – click on photos to jumbo size them! Limited editions are even better when humungous! Your welcome and enjoy!

(All) American Woodcock

Sightings – Lane’s Island – (3/25) Went to look for owls and woodcocks. Two male Woodcocks put on some nice flight displays. Nice way to wrap up a day.

northern shrike

But between sunset and the woodcock displays, this mature Northern Shrike hunted the wetlands for rodents (I suppose). I wasn’t ready “with a capital “L”” but got a few tree top photos before it took off.

A return visit the next morning failed to turn up the Shrike (had been a great night to migrate) but did turn up some nice early morning sunshine (see photos above)

Woodcocks are numerous around the island at press time!

From the ferry – Loons, razorbills, black guillemots, eiders, surf scoter, old tails, red-breasted mergansers, red-necked grebe, bufflehead. Harbor Porpoise

harbor porpoise

I have to admit, two of the loons and the guillemot I took photos of from the Rockland Breakwater, but these are the same birds we see from the ferry! Different stages of molt for sure..

common loon, good to go

Loons in molt – as you can see, some Common Loons are ready to go plumagely (and are already on partially thawed lakes on Mount Desert).

Others are on their way

this loon is not calling.

And others are just starting out and possibly coughing up pellets. This one, and others over the years, have been observed opening up their mouths in such a way, reminiscent of both northern shrike and greater yellowlegs I have observed regurgitating pellets in the past. Those were the days – fresh regurgitation on Lane’s Island and in the Basin!.

maybe helping a crab exoskeleton make its way down the shoot

Guillemot diving is classic Alcid dive(family Alcidae – puffins, razorbills, murres, guillemots, auklets, murrelets, dovekie, etc). Alcids move through the water by flapping their wings, so in essence fly under water.

To begin a dive alcids rotate their body so the head is facing downwards into the water, towards the “bottom”.

The seabirds then open their wings to start flapping and submerging.

Guillemots are nice (for several reasons) but we especially like that their white wing patches allow an observer to observe the first couple of flaps as an individual makes its way deeper.