An all too brief encounter with a young Bald Eagle, possibly 3.5 years old. You can tell by the tail feathers that are edged in brown, not yet fully white; and the amount of brown streaking around his eyes and the back of his head.
He flew in and out within a matter of minutes. What a beautiful scene though, despite being short lived.
The photos from the Lobster Trap Tree build were taken late Friday afternoon, where you can see the footprint of the tree beginning to take shape, through Saturday, when most of the building took place, and into Sunday morning, when the crew was installing the lights.
Lots of friends and family stopped by to check on the tree’s progress. That’s David’s wife and their three kids and David’s sister with her kids looking up at the tree top, and also ‘helping’ Shawn.
Shout out again to David Brooks, Shawn Henry, and the wonderfully dedicated tree building crew – Shane O’Neill, Dave D’Angelis, Peter Asaro, Devin Carr, John Cooney, Andrew Nicastro, Steve Larkin, Dave Pratt, and Peter Cannavo.
The Lobster Trap Tree is located at Solomon Jacobs Park, at Harbor Loop, in between the Coast Guard Station and Maritime Gloucester. Youth from around Cape Ann are painting buoys to decorate the tree with. The tree lighting takes place after the Middle Street Walk on Saturday December 9th at 4:30pm.
For a complete list of events for the Middle Street Walk, please click here.
One more for tonight. Incredible creation. I think you are going to be knocked out when you see the tree in its new location.
The most beautiful, the grandest, the best ever lobster trap tree. 400 traps for the 400th!
Built by these incredible ninjas 
A mini swirl of birds was heard overhead before scattering on the beach. At first glance, I thought of the little flock of American Pipits that was here last winter and was hoping for the same. Even more wonderful, it was a flock of eleven Horned Larks! Only ever having seen singleton Horned Larks mixed in with flocks of Snow Buntings, I was overjoyed to see the troupe scampering through the seaweed and along the wrackline.
Horned Larks are called as such not because they have actual horns, but because of the little tufts of feathers that stick out on either side of its head which are sometimes, but not always, visible. Black stockinged legs, feathered knickers, horned and masked, the Larks are wonderfully fun to observe as they forage amongst the seaweed and dried wildflowers.
At 54 seconds, through 1:05, you can clearly see the difference between the male, with the yellow mask, and the female, with the more subdued markings.
I haven’t been able to locate the flock of Horned Larks for a few days and think they have departed our shores. As one wave of travelers moves on, another soon follows. It’s a joy to see the bossy boy Buffleheads have returned to our waterways!
Horned Larks were formerly more prevalent in Massachusetts. With fewer farm fields and an increase in development, much of its breeding habitat has been lost. Look at the two maps created by Mass Audubon. These maps are called Breeding Bird Atlases. The Breeding Bird Atlas 1 was created from data collected during bird counts held from 1974-1979. The BBA2 Atlas was created from data collected from 2007 through 2011. Theses maps are of invaluable help for the future of conservation in Massachusetts and give clear proof of changing bird breeding habits over the past 45 years.
“During Atlas 1 Horned Larks were making a living at scattered locations inland, but their stringent habitat requirements meant that they were mostly coastal in distribution. The Marble Valleys had 10% Horned Lark occupancy, likely in areas of abandoned or fallow farmland. The Connecticut River Valley apparently had suitable breeding locations in 14% of the region, both in farm fields and at airports kept free of dense vegetation. Only a small scattering of occupied blocks bridged the gap from the Connecticut River Valley to the coast. The Coastal Plains had breeding Horned Larks on the beaches of Essex and Plymouth Counties, and the Bristol/Narragansett Lowlands reported several instances of inland breeding as well as nests found around the shores of Buzzards Bay. More than 60% of the species’ statewide distribution fell in Cape Cod and the Islands, where sandy dune habitat was readily available for Horned Larks looking to settle down.”
“Within the three decades between Atlas 1 and Atlas 2, the Horned Lark began to opt out of Massachusetts as a breeding locality. Distribution patterns in Atlas 2 weakly mirror those of Atlas 1: up the Connecticut River, sparsely spread eastward, with the species’ most notable breeding strongholds in the southeastern Coastal Plains and on Cape Cod and the Islands. Horned Larks completely retreated from the far west and almost completely retreated from the Bristol/Narragansett Lowlands. The birds posted only a symbolic guard in Essex County, and even in their stronghold on Cape Cod and the Islands they disappeared from a dozen of the most well-surveyed blocks.”
Our summer resident Ruby-throated Hummingbirds stayed at our Cape Ann garden well into the fall. Daily, and frequently throughout the day, they made their rounds from the back borders to the front borders, making brief stops at each nectar station. But the backyard was clearly their personal fiefdom. Here they spent a great deal of time splashing in the bird bath and preening while perched in the ancient pear trees.
The Monarchs and other late summer butterflies mostly stay in the sunnier front border however, whenever a Monarch ventured to the New England Aster patch round back, a hummingbird was sure to harass. The attacks were seemingly not vicious; the RTH would simply fly to and from the butterfly until it departed. I wondered if this was a juvenile RTHummingbird checking out a never-before-seen-butterfly-equal-to-its-size, or a more experienced female defending her territory.
Despite repeated attempts on my part, this was extremely hard to capture on film. I was looking at footage from this past season and was delighted to find a very few brief seconds of both beauties together.
As Monarchs are beginning to arrive at the butterfly sanctuaries in Mexico, one more was spotted in our garden, intently fortifying for the long journey south. I am so thankful to the friend who gave me a clump of these old-fashioned pass-along daisies. The asters and goldenrods have turned to seed but the Korean Daisies are still going strong, providing nectar to the late, late stragglers.
Monarchs oftentimes, but not always, arrive at the sanctuaries around the time when Dia de Muertos is celebrated. In the language of indigenous Purépecha, a group centered in Michoacán (one of the states where the Monarchs overwinter), the name for the Monarch is the “Harvester.”
Notes from Butterflies and Their People and the Moreno Family, November 3, 2023
We’re so happy to share the good news, just one day after Day of the Dead, It was 12:52 pm when Pato Moreno sent us a message saying they (BTP Guardians and CEPANAF Rangers) spotted the first monarch, and one hour later they’ve counted around 27.
Meanwhile in Macheros, Joel Moreno saw around 8 butterflies while he was staying on the rooftop at the B&B.
Also one of my sisters, Oralia Moreno, went to Zitacuaro and on the way back she saw at least 5 butterflies in a place called Rosa Santa, just like 20 minutes away from us, it was around 12:30 pm. (She came back to the village at 12:58 pm that’s when she told us she saw them).
The temperature right now is 63.8 F / 17.6°C.
Monarchs that emerge late in the year, when some are already arriving to Mexico, migrate nonetheless and have a good chance of reaching their destination.
What a thrill to see the Eagle close-up, and to see it fly by our City skyline!
After a great morning filming local wildlife and as I was heading home, flying down the road overhead was a large brown bird with an entourage of Crows and gulls in tow. Wow. That’s weird I thought, Crows don’t usually dive bomb Turkey Vultures. To everyone walking down the road’s utter delight, it was not a Turkey Vulture, but a gorgeous Bald Eagle.
The not yet fully mature Eagle hovered over Niles Beach at one location for some time, circling back several times. I couldn’t figure out what he/she was so interested in. Perhaps it was the giant fish head that had washed ashore several days ago. After a bit, the Eagle flew off to the tippy top of a pine tree overlooking the water.
Eagles are superb hunters and fishers, and also love to scavenge carrion.
I think the Eagle is a sub-adult, about 3 and a half to four and a half years old. The above photo is of a mated adult and a sub-adult, taken in Gloucester last spring.
The stunning Tall Ship Lynx rounded Eastern Point light just after sunset and headed in for its annual maintenance haul-out at the Marine Railways. Schooner Adventure greeted the vessel and they were firing off guns as they came into port.
The Tall Ship Lynx travels throughout New England in the warmer months and winters in the Golden Isles of Georgia at St. Simons Island.
For more information about the Lynx, visit www.TallShipLynx.org.
Tall Ship Lynx in Gloucester through the years
Dear PiPl Friends,
A huge shout out to our newest contributors to our Piping Plover film project fundraiser. My deepest thanks and appreciation to Alice and David Gardner (Beverly), JoeAnn Hart (Gloucester), Kim Tieger (Manchester), Joanne Hurd (Gloucester), Holly Niperus (Phoenix), Bill Girolamo (Melrose), Claudia Bermudez (Gloucester), Paula and Alexa Niziak (Rockport), Todd Pover (Springfield), Cynthia Dunn (Gloucester), Nancy Mattern (Albuquerque), Sally Jackson (Gloucester), and my sweet husband Tom 🙂 Thank you so very much for your support and for seeing the tender beauty in the life story of the Piping Plover.
Progress update – We are currently working with the stellar editing staff at Modulus Studios in Boston. Eric Masunaga and his assistant Shannon also worked on our sister film project, Beauty on the Wing. Keeping my fingers crossed and not wanting to jinx our progress, but the hope/goal is to have a cut ready to begin submitting to film festivals by the end of 2023. We have also received exceptionally helpful content advice from both Carolyn Mostello, the Massachusetts Coastal Waterbird Biologist and Todd Pover, Senior Wildlife Biologist for Conserve Wildlife New Jersey.
Thank you so very much again for your kind help.
Warmest wishes,
Kim
To contribute to The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our online Network for Good fundraiser DONATE HERE
To learn more about The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay documentary please go here.
After filling two bags with sweetly delicious little pink gems, we stopped at the gorgeous zinnia patch adjacent to the apple orchard. The patch was abuzz with myriad pollinators, including Monarchs, Sulphurs, Swallowtails, bees, and as is typical at this time of year, Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackers weren’t interested in Charlotte and I, only in pestering the Monarchs. One even alighted on a Monarch’s wings!
Russel Orchard’s zinnias are a knock this year and I believe the variety of zinnias is Benary’s Giant.
Flowers of the Air
Recently I was contacted by a gentleman, Bill Girolamo, who was a passenger aboard the magnificent Schooner Denis Sullivan during the Parade of Sail and race. He was hoping to find images of the Denis Sullivan from shore and after a google search he found mine. The Schooner Denis Sullivan is a 3-masted Great Lakes cargo schooner and was recently purchased by the World Ocean School. 2023 marks the first year the Denis Sullivan participated in the Gloucester Schooner Festival.
Bill shares that the Schooner Roseway, also owned by the World Ocean School, is in Mystic, Connecticut, undergoing a complete restoration. I hope this means we’ll see Roseway in next year’s festival! Bill writes that “The Roseway will be 100 years old next year. There will be a Centennial Celebration for it once it is out of Mystic CT, in one more year. Its life was amazing, having been built originally in Essex MA by the owner of the Hathaway Shirt company from lumber on his land in Ipswich as a Schooner fishing boat and the story continues for the next 100 years… amazingly.”
Last year, in 2022, Bill was invited to sail aboard the Roseway during Schooner Fest as his uncle was a pilot on the Schooner during the years it was a pilot boat in Boston Harbor. The Schooner was also a patrol boat during World War II and was was mounted with guns and painted gray. Bill wrote the lovely sonnet in tribute to the Schooner Roseway.
Many, many thanks to Bill Girolamo for sharing these wonderful connections!
Tiny Piping Plover chicks weigh about as much as a nickel at the time of hatching. Although capable of running about within a few hours after pushing out of their eggshells, one-day-old chicks are extraordinarily vulnerable. They are also adorably funny as they learn how to navigate the varied beach terrain and to forage for food. The hatchlings study their out-sized feet, stretch tiny wing buds, fall into mini fox holes, and tumble over even while only trying to scratch themselves. It’s not easy being one-day-old!
Mom and Dad spend a great deal of time helping the chicks to regulate their body temperature, especially in the earliest days of the chick’s life. In the last clips, Dad calls to the four siblings to warm up under his downy soft underwing feathers. And by the way, Plover Dads are truly super heroes in the life story of the Piping Plover, co-parenting equally, and even then some.
The footage in this short is from the forthcoming film, The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to our online fundraiser to help complete our documentary. Filming is finished however, post-production and festival costs have sky-rocketed; they are much greater than when we released our sister film project about species at risk, Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly. Without our community’s help, we could not have launched Beauty on the Wing. Working with the community to produce Beauty on the Wing made it far more meaningful.
We are deeply appreciative of any gifts given. Thank you.
Please donate here to our Network for Good online fundraiser https://filmmakerscollab.networkforgood.com/projects/55077-filmmakers-collaborative-the-piping-plovers-of-moonlight-bay
Over the course of past week, we on Cape Ann have been graced with a splendid mini Monarch migration across our shores, and many other species of butterflies too are on the wing. To my utter delight, yesterday while filming at what I like to think of as a butterfly hotspot, a pint-sized butterfly went zooming past. Wow, that is the smallest Monarch I have ever seen. But no, the butterfly traveled across the field, and when it paused for a few moments to warm its wings, I realized it was a Viceroy Butterfly! This was the first time I have observed a Viceroy on Cape Ann.
The Viceroy has a faster flight pattern than the Monarch and I was only able to get a few minutes of footage and only several photos before it disappeared over the horizon however; you can see from the photos how very similar the wing pattern is. To make a quick comparison when out in the field, the Viceroy does not have the mitten-shaped cell that the Monarch possesses and it has a prominent black line running along lower wings.
To read more about Monarch and Viceroy fakery, read the following terrific article from New Jersey Audubon here: “Monarchs and Viceroys: A Tale of Mimicry”
The ‘royal’ butterflies –
With tiny shapes of human figures for scale
Waves, wind, and a beautiful sunset –
Mother Ann awash in waves today
Filmed at my friend Paul Wegzyn’s sunflower field, at Felix’ Family Farm –
“Peter and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokofiev, performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra – downloaded from the Internet Archive of royalty free music.
Following mating, a female Monarch will be ready to begin ovipositing her eggs after only several hours. She travels from leaf to leaf and plant to plant, typically depositing no more than one egg per leaf and only one or two eggs per plant. It is thought that when the female lands on a leaf she is testing the plant for suitability with the sensors on her feet that are called tarsi. She curls her abdomen around, ovipositing a tiny golden drop that is no larger than a pinhead.
In the short video, in the second clip, you can she she ‘rejects,’ the leaf. She first tests it with her feet, then curls her abdomen, but does not leave an egg. In the third and last clip, success! She finds a leaf to her liking and leaves behind a single egg.
The female continues on her quest to find milkweed, possibly returning to the same plant, but more likely, she will go on to the next patch of milkweed. In the wild, female Monarchs deposit on average between 300 to 500 eggs during her lifetime.
It’s a very different story for Monarchs that are captive bred. The attendant will walk into the enclosure where the frantic males and females are kept, with a handful of milkweed leaves. The female is so desperate to oviposit her eggs, she will dump a whole load on one leaf, without even testing it with her feet. I have observed this behavior at breeding locations and it is really quite disturbing, knowing how wholly unnatural it is for Monarchs to deposit eggs in large clusters.
The Xerces Society, Monarch Watch, Journey North, Monarch Joint Venture, and the petition to list Monarchs as an endangered species all recommend the following:
How can I rear Monarchs responsibly?
Captive breeding and captive raising Monarchs in the hundreds, and in some cases thousands, is not the way to help the butterflies. You may feel you are taking positive steps, but we have learned over time that captive breeding and rearing in large numbers spreads disease and weakens the species. Captive rearing hundreds of Monarchs is HARMFUL. The following is a science based and thoughtful article published by one of the foremost authorities on Monarchs, the Xerces Society.
Many of us have been there: Finding a monarch caterpillar, collecting it in a jar, raising it on milkweed, and then waiting patiently for a butterfly to emerge and take flight. Helping a child (or an adult) learn about this captivating, up-close example of metamorphosis can be incredibly rewarding. Unlike many wild animals, monarchs are easily reared, so it is no wonder that bringing caterpillars into the classroom or home has been used by teachers and parents for decades as an educational tool—or just for the pure enjoyment of it. Rearing monarchs also has been a part of monarch research: From the tagging efforts started by the Urquharts in the 1960s to the multiple tagging programs of today. These programs, as well as other community science projects, have greatly expanded our understanding of migration paths.
Because rearing a butterfly in captivity enables people to share in the amazing transformation from a caterpillar to winged adult, it deserves a place in the future of monarch education and research efforts. However, we need to approach it thoughtfully and responsibly. Like any wild animal, we have to make sure that our interest in rearing monarchs does not harm the butterfly’s populations. This is particularly important today, with monarch populations down by 80-97%. These levels are so low that the migratory phenomenon to Mexico and coastal California is at risk. In an attempt to help reverse the monarch’s population free-fall, many people are attempting to save the species by rearing and releasing monarchs on a large scale. There are, however, serious concerns about this approach.
For more about how you can help the magnificent migrating Monarch, visit my documentary’s website here – Beauty on the Wing
How can I rear monarchs responsibly?
Dear Friends,
As many of you know that while we Piping Plover Ambassadors have been looking out over Cape Ann’s PiPls, I have also been working on a documentary film about Plovers nesting in Gloucester, along with filming Plover populations found at communities all around the north of Boston coastal region. Our GHB Plovers first arrived in Gloucester in 2016 and it was evident from the very first days that they were struggling to survive under the pressures of human and pet disturbances. As we were learning how to best help the Plovers nest undisturbed, I began to document Plovers at many other beaches to learn how other communities managed their Plover populations. I focused mostly on urban beaches as they are most similar to Good Harbor Beach.
Over the course of filming, I have spent several years documenting nesting Piping Plovers pairs that are extraordinary in their parenting skills, similar to our original pair of GHB Plovers, Super Dad and Super Mom. The documentary, The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay, is based on true life stories and is set in a fictional Massachusetts coastal town to protect the location of the Plovers.
Today we are launching our fundraising campaign. I am very proud to share that we have received our very first grant, from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Here is a link to our online fundraiser:
Link to our 501c fiscal sponsor Filmmakers Collaborative: https://filmmakerscollab.org/films/piping-plovers-of-moonlight-bay/
Link to the trailer: https://vimeo.com/818861213
Link to the Piping Plover Project website: https://wordpress.com/view/pipingploverproject.org
Gifts for The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay will support post production and distribution costs, including re-recording voiceover narration, color and sound editors, picture mastering, studio time, festival fees and applications, music and map rights, and an underwriting agent to bring the film to the wide audience of public television. Our goal is to raise $80,500.00 for post production with a total of $115,000.00 if the film is accepted to air on public television.
The names of underwriters contributing $10,000.00 and above will be proudly listed in the film’s special underwriting credit pod. What does it mean to be an underwriter? When you watch a film on public television and the announcer says (for example), “This program was made possible by gifts from Katherine and Charles Cassidy, by The Fairweather Foundation, by Lillian B. Anderson, and by The Arnhold Family, in Memory of Clarisse Arnhold,” that’s where your name, or the name of your foundation, will appear, at both the beginning and at the end of the film.
If you are interested in becoming an underwriter, please feel free to phone (978-290-3804) or email and I will be happy to send the formal proposal and budget.
All supporters, no matter how large or small the donation, will be listed on the film’s website. Any amount contributed is tremendously appreciated.
Thank you for being part of launching The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay!
Very best wishes,
Kim
I love trying to capture friend’s boats during the Parade of Sail. Here’s our neighbor’s Geoff and Mandy’s beautiful Schooner Strombus that they built and launched back in 2017, and the sweetest crew of East Gloucester friends!
The Schooner Strombus won the 2023 Betty Ramsey Award in the Marconi Rigged Class!
Strombus Schooner Launch Party, from July 2017-
A new schooner was added to Gloucester’s growing fleet. The schooner was launched today at 11am from the Rocky Neck Marine Railways. Strombus, built by Geoff Deckebach, with help from his wife Mandy, was twelve years in the making. They began gutting and restoring the boat all those many years ago when work and raising a family slowed progress. About a year ago, Geoff decided to turn his full attention to the restoration. The schooner is simply beautiful. More work will continue on the interior and it will be ready enough to motor along in this year’s upcoming Schooner Festival.
Come to our summer pollinator garden and see all the creatures, tiny and small, and the flowers that are planted to attract these beautiful winged wonders.
Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Internet Archive of Royalty Free Music
Featuring all manner of bees, including Honey, Bumble, and Sugar; Cedar Waxwing building a nest; Catbird fledgling and adult; Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Pipevine caterpillars and chrysalis; Cecropia Moth caterpillar, Pandora Sphinx Moth caterpillars; Clouded Sulphur; male Goldfinch; Monarchs; teeny only 1/2 inch in length male Spring Peeper; Ruby-throated Hummingbirds male, female, and juveniles; and my favorite creature in our garden, nature girl Charlotte <3
Dear PiPl Friends,
We at long last have our Plover Tees!!! And it was well worth the wait, better than imagined! When picking up the shirts at Seaside Graphics, a customer purchased one on the spot!
The tees are available for sale at our wonderful local bakery and home goods shop, Alexandra’s Bread, located at 265 Main Street in Gloucester.
These T-shirts are luxuriously silky soft, 100 percent cotton and wash beautifully! We have two different blues, basically because I couldn’t decide which one everyone would like better 🙂 The Cerulean is a pretty sky blue and the Celestial is a more like a dreamy foggy day, powdery blue.
Mostly Large and Xlarge are available with this batch, with a few mediums and one small remaining. The cost of the T-shirt is $30.00.
If you purchase a T-shirt or sticker, please send a photo. I am planning on asking friends and family to model the shirts, but in the meantime, our clothesline will have to do.
The chest measurements of the Unisex Tees are as follows.
Small – 18 inches (total 36inch circumference), to fit 34-37 inch chest
Medium – 20 inches, to fit a 38-41 inch chest
Large – 22 inches, to fit a 42 -45 inch chest
Xlarge – 24 inches, to fit a 46-49 inch chest
Example – the large measures 22 inches across the front, which equals 44 inches total chest circumference, which would fit a 42-45 inch chest, depending on how you like your Tee to fit.
If you are not sure which size you would like, measure your favorite T-shirt, across the front, from underarm to underarm seam at the chest line at the widest point, and then double that measurement.
Years ago we had Plover T-shirts, thanks to former PiPl ambassador Heather Hall, and ever since then, we have been wanting to do it again. We are so grateful to designer Beth Swan, who created our Plover logo for both stickers and for the tees (the stickers are also available at Alexandra’s Bread). Beth was so fantastic to work with and I highly recommend her beautiful, thoughtful (and fun) designs. You can see a small sampling of Beth’s work here.
Many thanks too, to Seaside Graphics Samantha and Will for their fantastic customer service and speedy printing!
All profits will initially go toward purchasing more stickers and tees and then towards the fundraiser for the forthcoming documentary “The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay.”
A wonderful houseful in August, with our daughter Liv home from LA, our sweet cousin Hannah, and my dear in-laws, Tom’s sister Auntie Amy and Uncle Arnold from Ohio. Already I am missing everyone so much. Whale watch, picnics, shopping, dozens of beach outings, seafood dinners (thank you Cape Ann Lobstermen for the best oysters, lobsters, and swordfish!) and the Barbie movie at the local Gloucester Cinema – everyone had the best time.
Thanks to Liv for many of the photos and video. Liv posts beautiful stories and photos on her Instagram account @livaroundtown, from both Gloucester and LA, and where ever her travels take her.
Think Pink for the Barbie movie
Cape Ann Whale Watch
Three schooner capture by Liv – is it 2023 or 1923? The Schooners Ardelle and Adventure are in the foreground and I believe the schooner in the background is the Lannon.
