Tip Top Tulips is at it’s peak beauty, just in time for Mother’s Day!
Tip Top Tulips is located at 20 Lowes Lane in Ipswich (Rt. 133), behind the Dairy Queen.
For more information visit the Felix Family Farm website here.
My friend Paul and his Dad have created one of the most enchanting family fun experiences imaginable. Tip Top Tulips beckons with rows and rows of exuberantly hued perfectly symmetrical cups of joy. Charlotte and I came home with an armful, that she easily picked herself. There are lovely and large Darwin Tulips, fancy Parrot Tulips, delicate Lily-flowered Tulips, Fringed Tulips, my favorite – the “Broken” Tulips with multi colored swirls, and many, many more varieties in a symphony of scintillating shades.
Paul and Paul Wegzyn, owners Tip Top Tulips, Ipswich
The afternoon we visited, there were dozens of families picking flowers and taking photos. Benches and chairs are placed strategically throughout the field for optimum portrait taking. Even though the light was not cooperating, as is so often the case on a New England afternoon in springtime, it didn’t stop us from having lots of fun and we managed to take some sweet photos for a lovely memento.
In the love language of flower giving, tulips symbolize a deep and perfect love, and also rebirth. Treat your Mom to a very special gift for Mom’s Day, which is this coming Sunday, May 12th, and bring her to Tip Top Tulips! Sundays are especially fun at TTTulips, with picnic areas, lobster roll truck, goat yoga classes, and a very friendly collection of farm animals.
Tip Top Tulips is located at 20 Lowes Lane in Ipswich (Rt. 133), behind the Dairy Queen.
For more information visit the Felix Family Farm website here.
Good morning PiPl Friends,
Just a quick note to let you all know that the Mass Audubon team will be on Gloucester beaches monitoring the Plovers. I saw someone there yesterday at GHB from the roadside but Charlotte and I were on our way to an appointment and I couldn’t stop to say hello,. We did confirm though that the contract was signed yesterday. Mass Audubon did a great job last year and the Plover Ambassadors are looking forward to working with the Audubon team again this summer.
I am flat out with film finishing and planning client’s gardens and tried my best to keep the two from happening simultaneously but as the saying goes – the best laid plans… Things should ease up a bit soon and I will hopefully be providing you with more frequent updates about our Good Harbor Beach PiPls <3
Happy May!
Warmest wishes,
xoxoKim
Super Dad floofing after a bath
Post Update – Thank you so very, very much to whoever cleaned the parking lot this morning. We are so appreciative of your good work!
Hello Twin Lights Half Marathoners,
I hope you had all had a great run along the beautiful shores of Cape Ann. You came from towns all around Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and even further afield. When you arrived at Good Harbor Beach to begin your race, you found a pristine parking lot. The past three weekends, three separate local organizations did an extraordinary job cleaning the beach, the dunes, and the parking lot. I stop by the beach early nearly every morning and Saturday, the day of the race, the parking lot was in fantastic shape however, when I returned after the race, that is not how the race’s start and finish line were left!
We are inviting you and the organizers of the Twin Lights Half Marathon to return to Good Harbor Beach and clean up your trash. I picked up a bunch of your plastic water bottles, discarded socks, Starbucks and Dunkin’ plastic coffee cups but there is still a good amount left.
Perhaps you aren’t aware that all that trash you leave behind blows into the marsh, the dunes, and eventually, into the ocean. Or perhaps you haven’t seen the no littering signs. Good Harbor is a Carry In, Carry Out beach. But whatever your reasoning for just dumping your garbage at the base of the dunes around the parking lot perimeter, and on the asphalt, from one end of the parking lot to the far end, we would greatly appreciate it if you would please return to our beautiful beach to clean up your trash. Thank You so much for your consideration.
Garbage left behind after Twin Lights Half Marathon at Good Harbor Beach
A huge shoutout to Rebecca Spencer, Colleen Meister Murdock, and all the volunteers with Seaside Sustainability for their tremendous clean up efforts at Good Harbor Beach.
This is the third week in a row that clean ups have been taking place at GHB, beginning with Cape Ann Climate Coalition Interfaith Group, followed by Applied Materials, and then Seaside Sustainability on Saturday. Each group of volunteers has come away with bags and bags of trash.
We are all so very grateful for these extraordinary good works by all the volunteers!
We would also like to give a ginormous shout out to USMC veteran Chris Cefalo. I have seen Chris often at GHB cleaning up trash but I didn’t realize until after speaking with him this morning that one of his main focusses is small pieces of plastics, roping, and monofilaments that you see entwined in the seaweed and debris at the wrack line. These bits of plastic are ubiquitous. They break down into micro plastics. We breathe them and they are now in our lungs and hearts. The bits of plastic are consumed by sea creatures of every imaginable shape and size. And it was monofilament wrapped around Super Mom’s foot that caused her to lose her toes.
Chris’s bucket this morning was overflowing and he had only traveled half the distance he had planned. Several years ago, Jill Ortiz, one of our Plover ambassadors, had been lobbying to get a (free) micro plastic bin set up at GHB. This would have helped volunteers like Chris dispose of the plastics. Unfortunately, the City showed zero interest and nothing came of her efforts. Perhaps now is the right time to revisit the topic. Just saying!
Many, many thanks again to all the super volunteers working so hard to keep Good Harbor Beach clean and safe for people and for wild creatures <3
Photos of just some of our incredible community members who make the annual Empty Bowl Circus a tremendous success. Thank you Open Door for the invitation to photograph; it was my joy <3
With thanks and our deepest appreciation to the crew from Cape Ann’s Applied Materials for the awesome cleanup at Good Harbor Beach today!
We’d also like to give a shout out to Cape Ann’s Climate Coalition’s Interfaith Group for the clean up that they did on Saturday.
Truly, Good Harbor Beach has never looked so pristine! We, and the PiPls, thank you!
Meet “Fierce” Dad. He arrived this year shortly after our original Mom and Dad returned. Fierce Dad successfully nested last year at Good Harbor Beach and he is waiting impatiently for his mate to also return. I write impatiently because he and Original Dad like to provoke each other over territorial boundaries.
A most welcome sign of spring!
Male Red-winged Blackbirds establishing their territory, in flight display and with their wonderfully varied courtship calls. Towards the end is a brief shot of the object of their desire, the elusive female.
Surfing at Good Harbor Beach as the nor’easter is dying out.
“Perfect Wave” by Peter Dayton.
Permission from the artist.
One hour before hight tide with, reportedly, 20 -30 foot waves and 67 mph wind gusts off the coast of Cape Ann.
Friday evening’s International Women’s Day event at the UUChurch was beyond fantastic – Cape Ann women authors reading Cape Ann women authors. I kept the program with the list of authors and can’t wait to dive in to the books shared by the authors. JoeAnn Hart did a simply stellar job organizing the event, held in conjunction with the Gloucester Writers Center.
I was so inspired after being with these wonderfully gifted women and listening to the poignant words of so many inspiring Cape Ann authors, I wrote a poem that night about the weary female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that has suddenly appeared in our garden. I’ll keep working on it but here is the beginnings –
Sap-licker
Startled songbird silently flings
from approaching steps.
Behavior not usually seen by the insouciant
feathered friends that call our garden home.
Why so timorous?
Neatly arranged squares and holes
riddle the bark of the Dragon Lady holly.
The masterfully drilled, cambium pierced checkered grid is glistening
in the sun – with deep wells and narrow streamlets of sweetness.
A sap-lick!
I wait to see her, half hidden and as
quiet as the owl after a long night
Weary and bedraggled, the Sapsucker returns
An arduous migration, no doubt.
She pauses guardedly
No one must know of her creation
with its treasured life fluid seeping down branches.
Her soft yellow belly and stippled feather patterning
Mirrors the spotty bark.
Her camouflage is not blown. She dives in with tender gusto
Delicately excavating the holes with brush tongue.
Wind rustles through leaves and she flings off
Only to return again and again and again
To her life-giving channels of gold flowing through tree veins.
A special event for World Wildlife day is being held at the UN tomorrow, March 4th, that anyone is welcome to tune into. Here is the link and more information:
#SaveTheDate 📅 🌱 Tune in online to watch the hashtag#WorldWildlifeDay 2024 UN Celebration!
When: 4 March (10AM-1PM EST)
Where: webtv.un.org
This year, we are exploring digital innovation and highlighting how digital conservation technologies and services can drive wildlife conservation, sustainable and legal wildlife trade and human-wildlife coexistence, now and for future generations in an increasingly connected world. 📱💻🐟🐯🌳
Meet our organizing partners: UNDP, ifaw, Jackson Wild, and WILDLABS Community
hashtag#WWD2024 hashtag#ConnectingPeopleAndPlanet hashtag#DigitalInnovation hashtag#TechForWildlife
Don’t you just love the gorgeous wing patterning of the Cedar Waxwing!
Cedar Waxwings dining on multiflora rose hips at Niles Pond
Full Mini Snow Moon rising over the dunes.
Also called Hunger Moon, the full Moon of February 2024 is at apogee, when the moon is at the furthest distance from the Earth during this orbit. Because it is further away, the Moon appears smaller and why this month’s full Moon is called a Mini Moon or Micro Moon.
The Moon shot above, with Saint Ann’s steeple, was taken during the full Snow Moon of February 2021.
Beautiful dramatic sky with a fast moving snow squall over Good Harbor Beach
With the warmer than average temperatures this past week, our winter resident ducks were in courtship mode. The spunky Hooded Merganser drake seen here positioned himself at the edge of the reeds. He threw back his head, exhibiting his striking crest, while calling repeatedly to his girl.
Listen to the Hooded Merganser’s distinct courtship call, which sounds more frog-like than duck-like. She, with her richly hued cinnamon colored crest, after a time appeared, and they then drifted off together to forage in the shallow waters of the pond.
Dear Friends,
I had to take the week off from posting wildlife stories as I am in the home stretch of getting our Piping Plover documentary back to the film finishing editing studio. The film is coming along beautifully and we are already getting requests from communities to schedule soft screenings (unofficial screenings). One of the primary goals of the film is to help beachgoers better understand why we want to protect these valiant little shorebirds that are nesting in our midst and I think/hope/pray it will be successful in that regard <3. I can’t wait to share it with you all!
Although I haven’t been posting, I am still filming on early morning walks and am getting a backlog of wonderful wildlife scenes to share. There just are not enough hours in the day!!
With thanks and deepest appreciation to everyone who has so generously contributed to our film. If you would like to make a contribution, please go here to our tax deductible online fundraiser. All contributions go to the film finishing studio and to applying to film festivals.
With gratitude to the following PiPl friends for their kind contributions – Lauren Mercadante (New Hampshire), Jennie Meyer (Gloucester), 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), Marion Frost (Ipswich), Cecile Christianson (Peabody), Sally Jackson (Gloucester), Donna Poirier Connerty (Gloucester), Mary Rhinelander (Gloucester), Jane Hazzard (Georgetown), Duncan Holloman (Gloucester), Karen Blandino (Rockport), Duncan Todd (Lexington), Sue Winslow (Gloucester), Amy Hauck-Kalti (Ohio), JoAnn Souza (Newburyport), Karen Thompson (San Francisco), Carolyn Mostello (Rhode Island), Susan Pollack (Gloucester), and my sweet husband Tom 🙂
If you do not see your name listed above, please, please let me know. I absolutely do not want to leave anyone off. My computer crashed again and am working like crazy to recover all the data lost. Thank you!
Stay safe in the pending storm, and have lots of fun, too!
Warmest wishes,
xoKim
The handsome drake Harlequin we nicknamed Quinnie is finding a veritable feast while staying the winter on the shores of Cape Ann. He dives into the fast moving incoming tide, surfaces with a crab, then heads to a nearby rock to floof and digest his lunch.
Alexandra has a bevy of delightful Valentines cards and gifts for your loved ones. The hand block printed cards created by Mary Rhinelander are wonderfully whimsical, and extra charming printed with Valentine sweetheart sayings. Mary is also making lavender scented sachets with her prints. Our Plover Lover Besties T-shirts and onesies are currently available in pink (perfect for Valentines) and blue (tees only).
THE EAST OF MAIN STREET IS OPEN, despite the construction. It’s very easy to cut through, either the parking lots or the side streets.
Shop for Valentine cards and gifts, Plover tees, onesies, and Plover stickers at our wonderful local bakery and home goods shop, Alexandra’s Bread, located at 265 Main Street in Gloucester. 
The amazing things we see! I have been observing from some distance a male Belted Kingfisher foraging at the Good Harbor Beach Creek. I write ‘some distance’ because he absolutely does not like it when people notice him and he will immediately depart the area.
While filming him on the footbridge and only hoping he would fly so I could see his beautiful wings, he also cast a ginormous pellet!
According to Cornel, Kingfishers “live mostly on a diet of fish including sticklebacks, mummichogs, trout, and stonerollers. They also eat crayfish and may eat other crustaceans, mollusks, insects, amphibians, reptiles, young birds, small mammals, and even berries.” I typically see them hovering over the water when foraging and they also hunt by looking from a perch overhanging water. Baby Kingfishers do not cast pellets, only the adults. By the time a King Fisher leaves its nest, it can no longer digest fish skeletons and invertebrate shells, and instead, begins disgorging pellets of undigested matter.
Kingfishers are one of the few species of birds where the female is more brightly colored than the male. We can see this is a male as he is minus the belt of rusty red feathers the female displays. Kingfishers have a handsome crest atop their heads and seemingly disproportionately large dagger-like bill.
We can usually find the Kingfisher by listening for their piercingly sharp rattling call, which I tried to capture but it was always way too windy. Kingfishers remain in our region year round, although this is the first Kingfisher I have seen foraging at Good Harbor Beach. He hasn’t been seen now for several weeks but I do hope he returns!
Elated to film Quinnie undersea! It was pure happenstance. The late day sun angled through the water, making for fantastic visibility. His highly contrasting feather patterning I think helped also to better capture her underwater. The long version is posted here and the shorter clip on Instagram and Facebook.
Notice how he moves rocks aside while foraging for prey. I think he was capturing baby fish, but I can’t really tell, even when the prey is splashing above the water. The biologists at the Seacoast Science Center in New Hampshire thought perhaps the fish may be baby flounder, but they only thought that from my description, not from seeing the clips.
It’s truly heartbreaking to learn that East Coast Harlequin numbers have declined from perhaps 10,000 birds in the 1800s to fewer than 1,000 currently. “This population is doing terribly and may be headed for oblivion,” says Jim Reichel, a zoologist with the Montana Natural Heritage Program. Before its prohibition in 1989, sport hunting was most likely the main mortality factor for eastern Harlequins. Now, oil spills and dams are the primary problems.
But the Lobster Trap Tree and Good Harbor Beach footbridge are intact (the footbridge is missing a few boards however the pilings held)!
David Brooks and Kathy and Shawn Henry taking down the buoys today.
The day before the most recent snowstorm, I was taking an early morning walk along a wooded lane and was delighted by the flurry of activity taking place. There were at least half a dozen woodpeckers (of three different species), busily foraging and storing various food items. I wondered if they sensed the pending storm. The Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers were tapping at deadened bark (and the shingles of a neighbor’s home), and the Red-belied Woodpeckers were calling from the treetops and tucking dried fruits and nuts into their carved out holes.
For a brief few moments I felt as though I was in an enchanted forest. Not only surrounded by the earnest yammering and quick flashes of black and white woodpecker wings, but three does charged past, the Coyote pair was spied at the edge of the woods, a small flock of Cedar Waxwings and winter Robins were dining on rose hips, and a cheery pair of Carolina Wrens,. perched on a granite outcropping, were all on the scene.
Red-bellied Woodpecker storing dried fruits and nuts
I shot a bunch of B-roll this morning, for various projects, and because it was so atmospherically mesmerizing. Here’s one more clip from today 🙂
These photos were taken at high tide at the Niles Pond/Brace Cove causeway. Powerful waves poured over the causeway, flooding the adjacent road.
I didn’t have a chance to check back this afternoon, but am hoping the berm wasn’t breached!
Saying goodbye to 2023 with a look back at just some of the magnificent creatures and scenes we see all around our beautiful North Shore.
The slide show begins with January and runs through December. When clicking through, you can see the photos are captioned and dated. If you would like more information, all the photos are from posts written throughout the year, and most of the posts have short videos featuring the animal.
Some of the highlights were a Northern Lapwing blown far off course, Barred Owls, flocks of Snow Buntings, successful Gray Seal rescue by Seacoast Science Center, the return of handicapped Super Mom and Super Dad to Good Harbor Beach, Great Blue Herons nesting, Rick Roth from Cape Ann Vernal Pond team helping me find frog’s eggs for my pond ecology film, Bald Eagle pair mating, Earth Day Good Harbor Beach clean-up, Osprey nesting,Creative Commons Collective native plantings at Blackburn Circle, mesmerizing encounter with a Fisher, Mama Dross Humpback and her calf, Beth Swan creating PiPl logo, PiPl chicks and Least Terns hatching, Pipevine Swallowtail pupa, PiPl t-shirts and decals selling at Alexandra’s Bread, rare Nighthawk, Spring Peepers, chicks fledging, trips to Felix’ Family Farm with Charlotte, Monarchs in the garden, Merlin, juvenile Glossy Ibis, and a flock of Horned Larks.
Perhaps the very most memorable moment was a wonderfully close (and extended) encounter with a Fisher. Read more about that here: Lightning in a Bottle
