spotted salamander egg mass
photo by Banner Moffat

Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – April 19, 2020

Brought to you with the support of VLT and MCHT –

Thanks to both organizations!

 

mack's pond

Highlights – River otter videos!, Spotted Salamander stuff, Northern Harrier, half a shrew, red-backed salamander, Hermit Thrush, and so much more!




 

 

seal bay

Contact us – with all the observable nature stuff going on Vinalhaven, it 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’ really. Your yard may be a hot spot, time to become a legend.

 

Tiit Trick – click on photos to enlarge! And Enjoy!!!!!

violet plant thing

 

 

PSA – Hey – What a spring, huh? While many 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. The town has been posting daily Covid-19 updates and information on the town’s website –

 

https://www.townofvinalhaven.org/home/pages/covid-19-resources

  

 

For exercise of the mind and body many folks are 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 follow social distancing practices on the trails. And while it’s highly unlikely anything would come of hiking on the preserves, washing hands after hiking – that sounds so funny – is a good idea.

 





 

skunk cabbage so robust these days!

As for my MCHT work on island - I am replacing bridging on the Basin Platform Trails and at Huber this spring. These were scheduled projects for the safety of trail users. I stay with my truck for entire ferry crossing, then head directly to the trailheads and into the woods. I bring my own supplies and have been interacting with no one other than a wave on the road. I am also prepared in case I cross paths with hikers on the trail. At the end of the day I head off on the last boat(s) – not hard to get a line number these days – and will no longer be staying on island overnight for work.    

 

 

 

Sightings –  Erin Creelman was kind enough to share these videos and photo she took of a recent River Otter visit to the small pond right by her house! Erin mentioned the lack of frogs calling from the pond this year, and this may be the reason!

 

 



aftermath. spotted salamander tail!
photo by Erin Creelman

 

If you have a pond with water in it in mid-coast Maine, river otters know of it and visit it. On this particular visit the otter was macking on Spotted Salamanders! As Erin put it – they don’t like the tails!

 





 

Erin’s proximity to the Basin, Long Pond, Mill River and Folly Pond– all well established/documented River otter zones – puts her pond right in the “Otter Triangle”, aka “Otter Polygon” and makes the likelihood of an otter visit that much greater.  

 

gang of woodcocks
photo by John Drury

Awesomely incredible footage Erin! Thanks for sharing!

 

(4/19) This just in – just above Old Harbor Pond – John Drury spotted a family of Woodcocks crossing the road! Yep, it’s that time of the year again – “Drive Slowly, Baby Woodcocks are out!” – classic PSA.

 



 

the big one is the leader
photo by John Drury

Anyway, the adults have been back for a month and a half, and looks like they didn’t wait around to get going on the next generation! Cool to see and a cool reminder that even while many birds that breed locally aren’t even close to being here yet (mid-april is peak songbird migration in coastal Georgia) there are many species around that start early. Great Horned Owls, Bald Eagles, Ravens and Crossbills have probably also been ‘at it’ for a bit as well! Cool to see!

 

male Northern Harrier
photo by John Drury

 

Greens Island – More from John – John was kind enough to send in photos of a male Northern Harrier hunting the fields on Greens. Great sight and great shot! Raptors are showing up, passing through and many are still on their way! Always good to have an eye on the sky, as well as an eye on the pet guinea pig you are walking! Don’t always see that many male Harriers – treat to get photo of one!  

bald eagle on nest
photo by John Drury

 

Huber – Pat Lundholm spotted a Pileated Woodpecker on a recent visit to the preserve. Pileated sightings have been on the rise for the last five to 7 years – they are big, they are loud, but they are not always that easy to spot. Always a treat to see one.

 

spotted salamander spermatophores

 

(4/15) Spent the day at Huber. Hermit thrush, Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Dark-eyed Junco, Golden-crowned Kinglet, spotted salamander eggs with spermatophores nearby. Mourning Cloak Butterfly, Garter Snake, other stuff

 







 

The story here was with the spotted salamander egg masses and spermatophores. Things were super fresh, and it looked like the timing matched the vernal pools I have been watching on the mainland. A 2^nd, more robust round of Spermatophores were placed Monday night (4/13). Egg masses were laid Tuesday night (4/14). And then Kirky got to see them Wednesday (4/15). The trailside ditch pool only had one mass – it is a pool that fluctuates between 0-7 I would say. Maybe a third round this week?

 

With time constraints I only ventured to off trail to one historic pool. This particular pool is part of a treed wetland complex where an uprooted tree pulled opened a pool in the mossiness that surrounds. I counted 46 masses in the photo – give or take I would say – which is typical for this pool. In 2008 we came across this well-established pool, and while the branch had probably changed over time, it’s always wonderful to see a submerged limb covered in eggs. How many salamanders have emerged from this pool over the years?

 

The flip side is that many salamanders don’t leave this pool – life can be like that. While fish are not established in the pool system there, caddisflies apparently had no problem overwintering in the muck. The activity of the 9 or so present made the egg masses a lively spot. the caddisfly is the critter dragging along a protective casing they build around themselves
 

 

The outer matrix of the salamander eggs is to protect the eggs from drying out if the pool goes low, and also acts as a deterrent to critters like Caddiflies who like to feast on their eggs.

 

And apparently some get distractedby/feast on spermatophores. A lot of protein I guess?

this video was supposed to be horizontal.

 

 

The caddisflies may get a few eggs, fungus will get others, but many will survive to hatch and swim around with gills as larvae. Good luck youngsters!

 

(4/17) Basin – Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagle, Ravens, Crows. Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, White-throated Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, half a shrew, red-backed salamander.

 

Lots of activity, and the breeze kept things moving in the air above. Red-backed salamander was cool.

 
























 

One of the oddest things though was finding half a shrew. It looked like a finger puppet when I found it. I am guessing a cat was involved.

 

Anyway – here’s a poem I wrote about it

 

‘1/2 a shrew’ or ‘the ½ that got away’ by Kirk Gentalen

 

Today I found ½  a shrew

This much of my story is true

The other ½ I did not see

Even though they might have been in front of me

 

My gut said that even with a search we would not find

The ½ of the shrew that includes its behind

That got me thinking, if I had to choose

Which ½ of a shrew would I use?

 



 

Im not sure whats the deal

But I kinda like the way this one feels

Like a finger puppet or toy,

A treasure for a girl or boy
 

So I prefer the top, yes

I guess

 

Good stuff out there! Here’s a few of Leif!

 

keeping up with Don Martin!

 

See you out there!

 

Welcome to the Vinalhaven Sightings Report – April 9, 2020

Brought to you with the support of VLT and MCHT – Thanks to both organizations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights – Seal Bay sightings, Snake ball, spotted salamander eggs and spermatophores, White-throated Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, Hairy Woodpeckers, other stuff.

 

colors and textures

 

 

 

Contact us – with all the observable nature stuff going on Vinalhaven in spring it 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 really. Your yard may be a hot spot, time to become a legend.

 

 

 

more on these guys later

 

 

 

Tiit Trick – click on photos to enlarge! And Enjoy!!!!!

 

heads up - there may be some typos. The cat walked across the keyboard at some point.

orange jelly with old springtail scats
Forever tracking the wild springtails!

 

PSA – Hey – What a month, huh? While many 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. The town has been posting daily Covid-19 updates and information on the town’s website –

 

https://www.townofvinalhaven.org/home/pages/covid-19-resources

  

don't often see Violet Toothed Polypore (VTP!)
shaped like this.

 

For exercise of the mind and body many folks are 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 follow social distancing practices on the trails. And while it’s highly unlikely anything would come of hiking on the preserves, washing hands after hiking – that sounds so funny – is a good idea.

 

 

 

 

 

VTP! growing out of last years
tinder conk

 

As for my MCHT work on island - I am replacing bridging on the Basin Platform Trails and at Huber this spring. These were scheduled projects for the safety of trail users. I stay with my truck for entire ferry crossing, then head directly to the trailheads and into the woods. I bring my own supplies and have been interacting with no one other than a wave on the road. I am also prepared in case I cross paths with hikers on the trail. At the end of the day I head off on the last boat(s) – not hard to get a line number these days – and will no longer be staying on island overnight for work.    

 

 

 

backswimmer

 

Sightings – Seal Bay – Rubble Point – John Drury saw plenty in Seal Bay recently.

Plenty o’ duck in seal bay - 100 old tails, 100 eider, 20 skunk heads (aka Surf Scoter), 12 bufflehead, horned grebe - springy looking some, 5 common loons, 200 mostly herrings gulls, Red breasted mergansers. Mourning Cloak butterfly was the insect of report.

 

 

 

 

Cool to hear about Horned Grebes molting before heading north to breed. Take a look in a field guide – sorry, no photos available – they are striking! Thanks for the report John!

 

 

 

Basin Preserve – platform trail system (4/6) – Singing – Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red Crossbill, Purple Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Common Raven, American Crow, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee.

spotted salamander egg mass
Basin Preserve

 

 

 

Vernal Pools – Checked 4 of the many vernal pools in the preserve for sign of Spotted Salamander activity. Historically speaking - 2 of the pools I checked routinely have 20 or more egg masses each spring – 1 of these two pools often comes close or exceeds 100 masses – while the last two have 3-5 egg masses yearly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things are just getting going at this point, and the tally for the day was 9 egg masses total. They were beautiful (judgment, but correct) lighting up that subtle blue in the water. The breakdown was 5 egg masses at the most historically productive pool, 3 egg masses at the second most productive pool, 1 egg mass a smaller pool and one empty pool.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s still early in the courtship and egg laying stage, a ‘new’ish (‘new’ish for me) clue to salamander activity is the spermatophore packets (packets?) left by the male spotted salamander during courtship.

 

Photographs here are from mainland pools, the ones I found in the Basin were in trick spots to photograph.

 

Figured these would do

 

 

 

These white-ish dots are spotted salamander spermatophores.
Fairly easily seen in vernal pools when they are present.
Their presence is the key.

 

 

 

 

Here’s what Thomas Tyning says about courtship and spermatophores in “Stokes Nature Guides – A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles” – voted “Best in Stokes Nature Guide series” by the entire VSR staff.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

spermatophore close up

 

“The courtship dance of the spotted salamander consists of a single male and female circling each other on the pond bottom. Occasionally one or the other will swim up for a gulp of air, but then will slowly drift back down and resume activity. Males and females nudge each other and try to push their heads beneath the others body, especially near the tail. Males attempt repeatedly to rub their chins along the back of the female”

 

 

“At some point the male will walk away and slowly wiggle the tip of his tail. The female may follow, and, if so, he will deposit one or more spermatophores onto a leaf or twig. If fully stimulated, the female will walk forward and cover one with her cloaca and, in so doing, transfer the sperm to her oviducts”.

 

 
 

 

So apparently there has been some hot circling and nudging going on in the island’s vernal pools! (You could probably tell). I saw spermatophores in the three pools with egg masses in them, and in all three cases – and in groups I have found in the past – there were maybe a dozen or so placed on just a few leaves and branches. What does ‘one or more’ mean? Could all of the spermatophores I saw been placed by one or two males? It will be interesting to watch as more eggs masses turn up in the vernal pools on island and a few mainland pools I am keeping tabs on. Will there be more courtship and spermatophores or are there a whole bunch of pregnant salamanders out there waiting to ‘pop ‘em out’, as the Herpetologists say.

 

cute freakin' snake

Either way, it’s a great time to check out the action in pools around the island. See what you see! And we’ll keep you posted on what we come across.

Garter Snakes – While it’s easy to get sucked in the vernal pool scene in spring, there is a whole group of animals in Herpetology that aren’t amphibians. They are called reptiles, and while walking the loop with my chainsaw I saw 6 of these reptiles – all garter snakes, which I think is a personal best for both garter snakes and snakes in general in a day. 

 

To be fair, there was 5 in one bunch, so getting to six wasn’t really that hard. If heading counter-clockwise on the loop, I was just past the Mack’s Pond trail junction when I heard a rustling in the leaves just off the trail on the other side of a line of fir saplings. Sounded like a vole or a sparrow in the leaves, but taking a closer look I saw that it was a cluster of snakes. I’ve read about mating balls before, but had never seen one. Let’s go back to Tyning for more insight on the scene…

 

 

 

 

 

 

“If you see a number of garter snakes traveling together in April or May, or in a writhing mass of bodies, you may have happened on one of the most amazing courtship rituals in the reptile world. Often a single female, much larger than the males, is the center of attraction. Sometimes called mating balls, there may be as many as a hundred or more garter snakes intertwined in writhing mass.”

 

 

 

So that’s two “writhing mass”es and one “mating balls” in a single paragraph for those keeping track at home. I can only dream of a day I get to write a paragraph with those dynamics. Here’s more…..

 

“…little is known how a female garter snake chooses from so many potential mates.”

 

“When the female is ready to mate she stops her forward movement and slightly raises the rear part of her body and the base of her tail, exposing her cloaca. The nearest male in the best position and body alignment will evert his sex organs and the two will mate.”

 

I had to look it up, so Oxford says ‘evert’ is a verb meaning - turn (a structure or organ) outward or inside out.  Look what else might be up?

 

Male-female mimic

 

“Biologists have discovered that one mating strategy of the males, who clearly must compete for the few females that appear at any given time, is to try to confuse rivals by mimicking a female. Some males are able to produce pheromones that are similar to the ones females produce to attract courting males. While rival males are attending the mimic, he is probably able to spend time courting with a real female”

 

 

 

This is a great paragraph as well, one that opens itself to much commentary.

 

I think the videos and photos say enough on their own. Never know what you might see out there!

 

 

 

 

And that’s it for today. Stay healthy Vinalhaven!