Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – March 29, 2020
Brought to you with the support of VLT and MCHT – Thanks to both
organizations!
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| tinder conk undercarriage |
This is the ‘lil’ bit o’ everything’ edition…Must be spring!
Highlights – Crossbills, peepers, snakes, butterfly, mushrooms, tracking,
spraint, and a few mysteries. A little bit of everything. Or at least most
things…
Contact us –
with all the observable nature stuff going on around Vinalhaven it sure feels
good to have a safe place where you can unload and share your sightings with
other humans. Send your photos, sightings and whatnots to vinalhavensightings@gmail.com . The place to be really, and to share.
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| discards from a squirrel feeding frenzy |
PSA – Hey – What
an odd couple of weeks, huh? As an earthling, and more specifically human earthling,
you are surely aware and concerned about the global Coronavirus situation. While
some of us have been practicing “social distancing” for decades, there are many
behavior adjustments one can make to decrease the chances of being exposed to
or exposing others to potential sickness. This is no time to be selfish, as if
there ever was a good time to be that way, but we need to think of and be
considerate of others. Heck, I’m even washing my hands and I don’t think I’ve
done that since high school.
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| feather, barbs, barbules |
Getting outside is fortunately not
off limits, and instead is being actively encouraged. Many folks are taking
advantage of the nice weather we’ve been having and hitting the trails both on
island and on the mainland. Be aware that certain points on preserves - picnic
tables, benches, kiosks – are points of contact for hikers. And while it’s
highly unlikely anything would come of touching these objects, washing hands
after hiking – that sounds so funny – is a good idea. With this in mind the
MCHT registration and map boxes at Huber and the Basin Preserves are shut for
the foreseeable future. My apologizes to the three people who sign in!
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| basin |
See you out there. From 6 feet away
of course!
Symbolology – (s) = singing
Sightings – lil’ bit o’ everything –
Hairy woodpeckers are out of control, on island and on the mainland. Drumming, chasing,
calling. Very active these days. This is your warning.
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| seal bay |
Lane’s Island
– 3/26 – an evening session on
Lane’s turned up 2 male American
Woodcocks performing aerial displays, both easily heard from the picnic
table closest to the Lane’s Island graveyard. Lots of spring peepers (peepin’), and American Goldfinch (s) and song sparrow
(s).
Story here – the
woodcocks were no surprise and yet they continue to entertain at the highest
level on Lane’s. So much fun to see their silhouettes in flight. The mass of
peepers peeping hit the spot as well.
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| wood/tree ear with springtail scat- little white dots |
Huber – (3/26) Golden-crowned Kinglets (s), Red Crossbill (s), Dark-eyed
Juncos (s), Winter wren (s), Brown Creeper (s), Bufflehead, Old-tail Ducks,
Garter Snake
Story here – Garter snake, 1st winter wren I have heard this year.
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| tinder conk with old springtail scats on it little black dots |
Carrying place – (3/26) – Red Crossbills (s), Seal Vertebrae, Black Hairy
Cup?
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| seal vertebra |
Story here – the
seal vertebrae was cool to find, and the Black Hairy Cups (Pseudoplectania nigrella) are a true harbinger of spring. Often
the first ‘non jelly’ mushroom I see each year, they add some nice blackness to
otherwise uniform patch of moss. I mean – who likes green? I hear it aint easy
being green…
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| black hairy cup |
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| seal vertebra |
Basin/Wharf Quarry/Williams – (3/27) – Dark-eyed Junco (s), Song Sparrow
(s), Purple Finch (s), Red Crossbill (s), White-winged Crossbill (s), Brown
Creeper (s), Red-breasted Nuthatch (s), Hairy Woodpecker, 2 Bald Eagles, Gulls
Wormin’, Otter latrine, Mink tracks, Mourning Cloak butterfly, skunk cabbage.
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| fun tracking a mink in the snow from Tuesday! |
Stories here – so many stories here – both
crossbills being heard and seen was a bonus. Crossbills are a constant
around island and have been for months. The majority of individuals I catch
views are often of the ‘Red’
flavor/variety. This may be a behavior differential between the species, as
from my limited observation data the white-winged
are more likely to fly over and around, chatting it up and making a racket. The
Red crossbills seem to call while
they are perched, are less chatty, almost subtle. This is not a scientific fact
by any means.
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| this was a mistake photo |
Seeing a Mourning Cloak butterfly was a real treat in March. They overwinter
as adults, and when the timing is right they emerge from tree cavities and from
under bark, adding a little adult butterfly action in the earliest stages of
spring.
Otter spraint –
A visit to the first latrine I ever knowing saw always brings a tear to my
eye. Man, I was no naïve about Mustelids
back then. There is never a lack of spraint there (13 years running!’, but it’s
not every day that you find spraint so fresh it’s tubular in shape and form. No
rain or snow had hit this particular spraint so it was tubular and beautiful.
In its own way.
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| rather reptiley scale arrangement wouldn't you say |
A closer look revealed what I would
refer to as a ‘non-typical’ scale/skin pattern’ mixed in with the ‘regular’
fish scales and bones. Looked more reptilian, even like a molted snake skin one
might find in the woods or the front lawn. Big
Al and I were ready to go with snake on this, especially since I had seen
the garter snake at Huber the day
before…
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| cone on the cob. gleaned and cleaned |
…Then we got thinking – how often do
otters come across snakes on Vinalhaven? There are no Northern Water Snakes on
island – unless recently brought out by the rod and gun club. So the otter
probably didn’t come across this snake – if it was a snake – in the water where
otters spent most of their hunting time. Otters crossing paths with a snake on
land would be most likely at a latrine or when using a ‘cross island path’ to get
between feeding areas. Both are valid possibilities.
Though, it would be a
combination of ‘bad timing’ and a ‘bad luck snake’ to be caught (and
eaten) where otters ‘do their spraintly
business’. Likewise, to be caught while an otter was running full speed
across island would also require some incredible bad luck. Otters are more than
capable of being active during the day, but the fact that otters are mostly
active at night makes the crossing of paths with a snake even less likely
during these colder nights. I am wondering if the snake was looking for shelter
and slid into an otter den. Easy meal. And incredibly bad luck for the snake.
That is, if it was from a snake at
all. What about turtle leg/neck skin? Possibly. As mentioned in previous posts,
otters will prey on snapping turtles they find under the ice in winter.
Possibly an unlucky turtle? Still leaning towards snake skin, but who knows. I bet
the otter had already forgotten. We will keep at it, any ideas?
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus
foetidus) mystery – man, no plant brings back childhood memories like skunk
cabbage does. Every spring it’s a pleasure to see the maroonish, hoodlike ‘spaths’ rising in wetlands. Inside the spath is a knoblike, flowering structure called a ‘spadix’, which is
pollinated by insects attracted to carrion and meat. It is thought that the meat-like
look of the spath combined with the
smell of the plant attracts these pollinators. Anyway.
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| shredded cabbage. slaw |
Apparently more than just pollinators
are attracted to the spath/spadix
presence! While many of the fresh, young skunk cabbage plants I observed in the
basin were intact, several had been ripped open, with spath parts tossed aside
and young spadixes eaten either partially or completely. There was no sign of disturbed
ground or scat left behind by the muncher. Deer
or raven/crow? Those are the usual suspects. Maybe somebody else? The perfect
crime….it’s nice to see wildlife tapping into the cabbage and its baggage.
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| would a deer tare and then toss |
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| partially eaten spadix |
Here are some other photos.....
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| barbs and barbules |
Limited Edition.
Probably my favorite one – Peeps cereal. Just in time for Easter! YES!
‘
'Marshmallow
flavored’. Is that even a flavor?
'With marshmallows’. would they dare make a 'marshmallow' flavored cereal and not have marshmallows in it?
‘Artificially
flavored’ – how could something marshmallow flavored not be artificially
flavored. unnecessary to mention
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| the dog would follow him anywhere |
Leif and the dog.
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| sometimes he doesn't know what to make of Leif |
Frankie has been a nice, timely addition to the scene here.
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| but it always ends up in hugs |
some fishing. he likes casting....
and a little mock cry for making the socially responsible decision to take a break from the radio show for a bit. no way to be 6 ft from grampy Keith, and he has first dibbs in the studio!
take care and take it easy!
