Vinalhaven Sightings

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.