Keeping Your Youngster Engaged During the Strike

Although Charlotte deeply misses her classmates and wonderful teachers, we’re all juggling our schedules like crazy to keep it positive and enjoying the extra family time. We’re so grateful for swimming at the Cape Ann Y and Heidi Dallin’s Holiday Delights rehearsals. Two of the local and very affordable activities we have loved doing this past week are a trip to the Peabody Essex Museum and Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Narwal Exhibit, often described as ‘Unicorns of the Sea,’ was Charlotte’s favorite at the PEM, along with the The Dotty Brown Art and Nature Center. The cost of admission at the Peabody Essex Museum is $25 for adults, while kids through age 16 are free! Parking at the garage adjacent to the Museum was only $3. and there are no crowds in Salem at this time of year.

The Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary is free if an Audubon member, if not, the fees are $7 for adults, and $4 for kids and seniors. We loved the walk through the north field, where we met a Red-tailed Hawk perched on a branch overhanging the trail. He/she appeared tame and was oblivious to humans, even a very large group of noisy kids. So fun for Charlotte to get a super up-close look. Walking around the pond, we were greeted by Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Tufted Titmice that eat directly from an outstretched hand. Be sure to bring your own supply of bird food and warn your youngster of the songbird’s sharp little clawed toes that can be very prickly to a child. We were astonished to see a Beaver lodge built right up and over the boards of the wooden walkway. You have to tip toe around the edge so as not to fall into the pond or damage the lodge. Truly amazing to see!

‘Loving’ Snowy Owls to Death Part One

A beautiful Snowy Owl arrives after an arduous journey from Arctic lands. The creature wants nothing more than to rest and to hunt. Within a day of its arrival, photos and video of the Owl  are slathered all over Facebook and the bird’s location is revealed. The following morning, the Snowy returns to his perch along the river’s mouth, but now there are 30 plus humans staring him down. The Owl, who would much rather stay at rest, finds the audience disconcerting and flies across the river to the opposite side. Soon enough, the gathering of humans has tracked him down, this time surrounding the Owl. Some humans move in even closer, much, much too close, causing the bird to flush yet again. This time he flies deeper into the dunes. The pursuit does not end. The humans are hot on his trail.

How does this end for the Snowy? I do not know. I was hoping to find Snow Buntings and seals  this morning but had to leave as I did not want to stay to watch the hunt of the Snowy Owl .

There were very few Snowy Owls in Massachusetts last year and I believe there will be much pent up desire to view them this year. Additionally, I think people have developed ‘Owl Fever;’ they just can’t leave these beautiful creatures alone. Perhaps if people understood their needs they would less selfishly pursue the Owls.

A Snowy at rest along the water’s edge or in the dunes is just that, resting.  The Owl needs to sleep and to conserve its energy for hunting and to keep warm. Snowy Owls are unique in that they are more acclimated to hunting during daylight hours than other owl species. They hatched and matured in regions where there has been continuous daylight for much of their young lives. That being said, they occasionally hunt during the day, but are mostly crepuscular and nocturnal, hunting at dawn, dusk, and during the night. Gatherings of humans have been known to park themselves for hours upon hours, waiting for the Owl to take off for its early evening hunt.

Human caused disturbance is not the only reason Snowies are struggling to survive. Like all raptors, they can become deathly ill from the widespread use of rodenticide. I am reminded of the story of the amazing Snowy Owl, Seabrook, who was rescued from death’s door by the photographer Jonathan Herrick and On the Wing wildlife rehabilitators. Seabrook was found by Jonathan as he lay dying on the beach, unable to fly from the rodenticide poison coursing through his body.

How can people help the Snowies?

As human stewards of these magnificent creatures, we are responsible for putting their needs ahead of our own desire to see them or photograph them up close. When you are out and about and happen to see a Snowy, take a few photos, and move on. The owls are completely and fully aware of your presence. Parking yourself for any length of time brings attention to the bird and will surely draw a crowd.

If you are able to capture a few photos, please, please please do not post them on Facebook and other social media platforms until the Owl has departed the vicinity. I have learned the hard way. For example, with other birds that are vulnerable to disturbance, nesting Piping Plovers for instance, I wait until the birds are fledged before sharing photos or footage of the chicks.

Most importantly, give them lots and lots of space, standing a minimum distance of 200 feet away.

A few more tips – 

Stay low and hide behind a shrub, tree, or car if possible.

Move slowly, and if with a friend, speak softly.

Again, please don’t park yourself for hours near a Snowy. Take a few photos and MOVE ON.

And, of course, never use rat poison (rodenticides).

On the Wing wildlife rehabilitator Jane Kelly and USFWS biologist Bri Benvenuti set Seabrook off on his flight for freedom.

Our Beautifully Industrious Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Has Returned!

Last spring I wrote about a female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that stayed in our garden for over a month. We were fascinated watching her daily activities; so much so  that I was inspired to write a poem and Charlotte nicknamed her Miss Featherton. We are excited beyond measure to see the return of our beautiful YBSS. Just as she did in the spring, Miss Featherton perches in the Dragon Lady Holly throughout the day.  She cautiously guards, and continues to maintain, the sap wells that she so pertinaciously dug. The sap is not flowing as vigorously as during the spring months but there is enough for her to take in a bunch of licks and the wells continue to attract insects. This morning I filmed her snatching a Yellowjacket that had stopped by to investigate the sweet sap.

We read that YBSS drill holes in unhealthy trees and were concerned our tree may beginning to decline. No need to worry though as you can see in the film clip, the holly is absolutely loaded with plump cadmium red berries.

My Yellow-bellied Sapsucker poem –

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.

YBSS are the only woodpeckers that are completely migratory. They breed further north and west of eastern Massachusetts and spend the winter months in warmer climates; some females traveling as far south as Panama. I wonder if we will see the return of the male this fall as well. It was just a year ago in December that we had our first ever Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a male, and he was eating the fruits of the Pokeberry bush. It was also the first year with a Pokeberry. The plant is rather ungainly and I had some trepidation about allowing it to take hold but if a bit of awkwardness is the price to pay for a garden inviting Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, I’ll take it!

Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Pokeberry – note the male has a red chin as well as a red cap.

Timeline of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Pokeberry –

Summer 2023 – Newly seeded Pokeberry bush grows six feet first summer (most likely the seed was deposited by a bird).

December 2023 – First ever male YBSS. Stays for several days eating Pokeberries.

March – May 2024 –  Female YBSS created striking grid pattern of sap wells on both the Holly and Magnolia trees, concentrating her efforts much more on the Holly. She spends many weeks drinking the sap, digging more wells, and eating insects attracted to the sap flows. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds discover the sap wells.

Summer 2024 – Ruby-throated Hummingbirds daily drink nectar from the small pinkish whiteish flowers of the Pokeweed.

October 2024 – Female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker returns, with daily visits into November. How long will she stay?

Grow native and they will come!

Cedar Rock Gardens Farm Fresh Produce Ordering is Live Online

Produce Ordering!

Our website is open for ordering farm fresh produce. Orders must be in by Tuesday at noon.

Please pick up your produce on Wednesday between 2PM and 6:30PM in the big red barn at Cedar Rock Gardens.

Order Here

We will be adding more produce and variety as it becomes available each week.

This week offers lots of greens and roots including some pretty spectacular looking spinach from the greenhouse. Check out our website for a full list of whats available now!

We also have some great products from our friends including backed goods and jam and soup from With Flour in Her Hair, Tea blends from Milkyway Apothecary and microgreens from Wildly Rooted. We have delicious veggies from Iron Ox farm and Alprilla Farm to fill in the gaps of anything we do not grow!

We will be offering a bulk price discount on all produce for the week of Thanksgiving – that pick up will be on a Monday – stay tuned for that email.

We will be at Iron Ox Farm on Saturday November 23rd selling lots of greenhouse greens, potatoes, carrots and amazing bunched chard. See the flyer below for a list of all the other vendors – it promises to be a very fun day!

The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay Awarded Best Documentary Feature at the Queen City Film Festival!

Dear PiPl Friends,

Beautiful words of wisdom​ to keep in mind, from Emily Dickinson –

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all

Two hopeful good news ‘things with feathers’ happenings to share – The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay was awarded the Best Feature Documentary at the Queen City Film Festival. I am looking forward to sharing the news with my father- and sister-in-law, and my husband’s entire family because they all live in, or come from, Cincinnati!

Even though we gave the location of the film a fictional name, Moonlight Bay, the locations look a great deal like north of Boston/Atlantic coast beaches. One of my greatest hopes for our Plover documentary is that it would have universal appeal, that people of all ages from regions across the country would find the film interesting. We are overjoyed audiences are finding it so!

The very day the news of the award came to my inbox, a story about Piping Plover chicks at the Cincinnati Zoo did as well. Three chick were hand-reared at the zoo this past summer. Due to nest abandonment, each summer a portion of Piping Plover eggs are rescued from their natural habitat.  Zookeepers from around the country work to hatch and rear the chicks in a project created by the Detroit Zoo. Volunteers monitor wild nests closely and if they find eggs in need of attention, they collect and deliver the eggs to the hand-rearing facility. This season, a total of 22 chicks were hatched out. The three hand-reared chicks at the Cincinnati Zoo were successfully returned to the wild.

The Atlantic Coast Piping Plovers are on the threatened species list however, the Great Lakes Plovers are at even greater risk. Great Lakes Plovers are l​isted as endangered. When the Great Lakes Plovers were given the ESA listing in 1984, there were only 12 Great Lakes pairs remaining. 2024 was a record year for GLPlover, with 78 pairs successfully fledging 122 wild chicks.

We are making headway in our grant writing and fundraising efforts and I hope to have some good news to share with you soon. In the meantime, I would like to thank once again all our friends who have donated so generously. Without your kind help, we would not be nearly as far along in production and in film festival submissions. Thank you.

With gratitude to the following PiPl friends for their kind contributions – Lauren Mercadante (New Hampshire), Jane Alexander (New York), Cornelius Hauck (Cincinnati), Sally Jackson (Gloucester), Cape Ann Garden Club, Brace Cove Foundation (Gloucester), JH Foundation/Fifth Third Bank (Ohio), Janis and John Bell (Gloucester), 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), Peggy O’Malley (Gloucester), Hilda Santos (Gloucester), Maggie Debbie (Gloucester), Sandy Barry (Gloucester), The Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution, Mary Keys (Madeira, Ohio), Barbara Boudreau (Gloucester), Suki Augusti (Rockport), Jonathan and Sally Golding (Gloucester), Sue Winslow (Gloucester), Cecile Christensen (Peabody), Marty and Russ Coleman (Dallas), David Brooks (Troy, Michigan), Karen Maslow (Gloucester), Lisa Craig (Winchester), Menotomy Bird Club (Winchester), Lyda Kuth (Belmont), and, my as always, wonderfully supportive husband, Tom <3

Kamala’s Brilliant and Inspiring Concession Speech – Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars

Thank you Vice President Harris – you are flawless.

I am taking her words to heart –

“Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.

I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case.

But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars.

The light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.

I thank you all, may God bless you and may God bless the United States of America. I thank you all.”

Full transcript of Vice President Kamala Harris concession speech

“Good afternoon. Thank you all, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Let me say, I love you back. My heart is full today. My heart is full today.

Full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for. But hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright. As long as we never give up, and as long as we keep fighting.

To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so very much. To President Biden and Doctor Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family, I know your service to our nation will continue. And to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much of themselves, to the poll workers and the local election officials, I thank you, I thank you all.I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us.

Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it. But we must accept the results of this election.

Earlier today, I spoke with president-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.

A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.

At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty, not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign.

The fight, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation. The ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up. I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspiration is where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do.

We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence. And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld.

And we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square.

And we will also wage it in quieter ways, in how we live our lives, by treating one another with kindness and respect, by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbour.

By always using our strength to lift people up, to fight for the dignity that all people deserve.

The fight for our freedom will take hard work. But like I always say, we like hard work.

Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work, and the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it.

To the young people who are watching, it is, I love you. To the young people who are watching it is okay to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be okay. On the campaign, I would often say when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing, here’s the thing. Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.

The important thing is don’t ever give up, don’t ever give up, don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place.

You have power. You have power and don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.

You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world.

And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair.

This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.

This is a time to organize, to mobilize, and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.

Look many of you know, I started out as a prosecutor, and throughout my career I saw people at some of the worst times in their lives, people who had suffered great harm and great pain and yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to take a stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge.

And I’ll close with this. There’s an adage an historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages.

The adage is: “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”

I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case.

But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars.

The light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.

I thank you all, may God bless you and may God bless the United States of America. I thank you all.”

American Golden Plover #ploverjoyed!

The American Golden Plover is a beautiful and uncommon visitor to our shores. The adults travel a spectacularly long distance, on average 20,000 miles each year. This one is really practically a baby, only several months old. She migrated from Arctic breeding grounds, stopping to rest and forage on Cape Ann for four days before resuming her journey to southern South America. While the Plover is sleeping in the sun, in the last clip you can see her golden spangled feathers.

I was reminded of this recording of ‘Simple Gifts,’ made by our daughter Liv and dear friend Kathleen Adams, by a posting of Yo Yo Ma’s “calming music.” 

Liv Hauck, vocals; Kathleen Adams, pipe organ. Recorded on the Jeremy Adams organ at the Annisquam Village Church.

“Simple Gifts” is an American Shaker dance song written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett. The song has been widely adapted. Perhaps the best known example is “Lord of the Dance.”

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free

‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain’d,

To bow and to bend we shan’t be asham’d,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.

American Golden Plover range map, courtesy Cornell

Orange = breeding range

Yellow = migration

Blue = wintering range

Get Out the Vote in Hampshire with Governor Maura Healey!

Massachusetts has the greatest Governor! And what a fantastic turnout for canvassing in New Hampshire. Governor Healey returned from voting rallies in Pennsylvania to boost voting in North Hampton. She is from the area and her family still lives there.

Learn how you can help this final weekend by logging onto SwingLeft.org. Click on I Want to Volunteer and type in your zip code. You’ll find a number of high priority opportunities to help.

Beautiful Autumn

Autumn scenes from around Cape Ann

 

 

Super Update on Banded Peregrine Falcon

Over the weekend, I wrote to our Massachusetts State Ornithologist, Andrew Vitz, about the banded Peregrine Gloucester that I had seen running on the beach. Andrew wrote back right away with lots of terrific information. The beautiful loping falcon is referred to as PEFA 71/CD. She was banded as an adult female after being rehabbed at Tufts Wildlife Clinic. She was released in May 2023 in Hingham. PEFA 71/CD was re-sighted on November 2023, in Hull.

Andrew ccd Dr. Maureen Murray, who is the Director of the Tufts Wildlife Clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Maureen wrote back that she and her team are delighted to know that one of their former patients is doing well and provided even more details.  “A Peregrine Falcon was brought to Tufts Wildlife Clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University by Hingham Animal Control back in March 2023 with a fracture of the right ulna. The injury was bandaged and the falcon responded well to treatment. Eventually the bird was moved to a small outdoor enclosure to begin strengthening the wing. By late April, the falcon was showing good flight in the smaller enclosure, and the bird was moved to a larger flight cage for final flight reconditioning. The falcon was released in Hingham on May 8, 2023.”

We are so grateful for the expert care given to local wildlife by the caring staff at Tufts Wildlife Clinic and Massachusetts Wildlife rehabbers, including our own Jodi at Cape Ann Wildlife Inc.Wondering where a falcon’s ulna is located, a quick Google search came up with the diagram of a Peregrine Falcon’s wing structure. You can see from the short video of Miss PEFA 71/CD that her wings are working perfectly!

 

Peregrine Falcon Running on the Beach

Peregrine Falcons may be the fastest animals on Earth, attaining speeds of 250 miles per hour, but they sure do have a goofy hop-along bow-legged manner of running! Perhaps because of  their enormous talons.

 

I believe the banding code  on this bird is black over green which means the falcon was banded in the Eastern US. The black band I think says 71, the green band, CD.


Banded Peregrine Falcon, Essex County

Cedar Rock Gardens Produce Opening for Wednesday Pick Up!

Produce Ordering!

Our website is open for ordering farm fresh produce. Orders must be in by Tuesday at noon.

Please pick up your produce on Wednesday between 2PM and 6:30PM in the big red barn at Cedar Rock Gardens. Order Here

We will be adding more produce and variety as it becomes available each week. This week offers lots of greens and roots including some pretty spectacular looking spinach from the greenhouse. Check out our website for a full list of whats available now!

For all those ALPRILLA FARM enthusiasts, we have some pretty special offerings from Noah and Sophie in the store this week. As most of you know Noah and Sophie moved their farm business up to New Hampshire and after a bit of time learning about the new land, planning operations and creating soil health they have grown some gorgeous crops!

We will be offering a bulk price discount on all produce for the week of Thanksgiving – that pick up will be on a Monday – stay tuned for that email.

Pocket-sized Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Only weighing about as much as a quarter, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet’s tiny stature belies its vigorous foraging habits. The Kinglet flits and forages along the pond’s muddy edge, energetically snatching insects, all the the while flicking its tail. He leaps from stem to stem then takes off to hover mid-air, simultaneously pecking spiders from slender stalks.

The Kinglet’s ruby crown is well-hidden and mostly seen in spring during courtship display. RCKinglets are so incredibly fast; I was just hoping to capture some tiny bit of footage/documentation and was absolutely delighted when one flew to an adjacent bush only several feet away. He began floofing after his bath, with brilliant vermilion crown on full display.

We are at the tippy northern range of the Ruby-crowned Kinglets wintering grounds. Perhaps with the warming weather trend, we will see more and more.

For comparison sake, two years ago (November 2022), a flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets graced our eastern most shores, staying for about a week.

 

I Choose Love

Choose Kindness. Choose Integrity. Choose Peace. The Planet. Inclusion. Dignity. Compassion. Respect. Honesty. Peace. Truth. Humanity. Science. Diversity. Reproductive Freedom. Equality.

I choose LoveMute Swan and Cygnet

Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the Hood!

A very curious bird looking back at me! He emerged through the dense shrubby understory with breakfast in mouth. With a proportionately oversized beak, strong-white eye-stripe, and feathers that looked like half-female, half male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, I wasn’t sure what interesting creature was in our neighborhood this morning. Then he flashed his red under wings in take-off and I knew it was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in some stage of development. This little guy is a male hatch year stopping over during his long migration south. Perhaps he will spend the winter in Cuba, or Panama, or even further south to Ecuador.

From Cornell – “Most Rose-breasted Grosbeaks fly across the Gulf of Mexico in a single night, although some migrate over land around the Gulf. Grosbeaks that winter in Panama and northern South America tend to be from eastern parts of the breeding range, while those wintering in Mexico and Central America tend to be from western parts.”

The second video is of a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak that stopped over at Niles Pond for a few days last spring.

Vote for Migrants of All the World’s Living Species

Working with all nations on solving the deepening threats from global warming, vote for long migrations through many seas. Your vote counts for clean water, land, and air –  and remaining in the United Nations Paris Climate Agreement.

Watch the clip on Vimeo for more information about Humpback Mama Dross and her 2023 baby.

From the Atlantic Whales website –

Ecological Importance of Humpbacks

Humpbacks have been likened to the canary in the coal mine – they are important indicators of oceanic health. Their ease of study, relative to other whales, makes them one of the best global indicator species for following the health of our oceans. If our blue planet cannot support humpbacks, then the humans who have depended on the oceans since they spread out from Africa millions of years ago will also be in trouble.

Don’t you love the scientific name of Humpbacks, Megaptera novaeangliae, which means long-winged New Englander? The “long wings” of the humpback are its pectoral fins. They are the longest in the world and can measure over 4 meters (12 feet) in length.

Your Vote Counts!

Vote for the voiceless among us.

Watching a butterfly eclose from its chrysalis never gets old. This butterfly’s caterpillar pupated in an an especially beautiful spot amongst the zinnias, and I was blessed to be in our garden the morning it emerged.

There’s no denying that pollinators need our help. Insect populations are plummeting world-wide. The Monarch migration through Cape Ann this year was profoundly and disappointingly diminished, the worst in the 18 years I have been keeping track.

Your Vote Counts!

Vote for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds!

Your Vote matters to the tiniest among us!

Note those teeny weeny toes 🙂

Supermoon Sequence Descending Over Maritime Gloucester

Perfect clear skies for Moon viewing this morning! Supermoon descending over Martime Gloucester.

Hunter’s Moon Gloucester October 17, 2024

 

Luminism

I just wanted to add to the many photos already posted- and write I think that it’s an extraordinary accomplishment by artists John Falk and Dana Woulfe in capturing Fitz Henry Lane’s beautiful luminous style of painting in this large scale mural. Gloucester’s newest mural commissioned by Awesome Gloucester is located at Harbor loop.

Sculpture of the artist Fitz Henry lane by Alfred Duca, installed 1998 

The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay Receives Best Environmental Documentary at the Chicago Women’s Film Festival!

Knowing of Chicagoans great love for the Montrose Bay Piping Plovers Monty and Rose (and their offspring Imani and Nagamo), I applied to several festivals in the Great Lakes region. We are delighted to post that last week The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay was accepted to the Chicago Women Film Festival. I was planning to share that when we just received notice that The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay has been awarded the Best Environmental Film at the CWFF.  In case you have PiPl friends in the area that may be interested in attending, as soon as we know when it is going to screen at the festival, we’ll let you know.

Thank you for this tremendous honor Chicago Women Film Festival! 

We are also very excited to share that we have been nominated to the Montreal Independent Film Festival.

The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay is an official selection and/or award winner at the following festivals:

Boston Film Festival – Eco Film Award
Chicago Women’s Film Festival- Best Environmental Documentary
F3: Queen City Film Festival – Best feature Documentary
Cine Paris Film Festival – Best Family Friendly Film
Boston International Kids Film Festival
Montreal Independent Film Festival
Dumbo Film Festival
San Diego International Kids Film Festival
Berlin Women Cinema Festival
France USA International Film Festival
Toronto International Film festival
Nature Without Borders Film festival
International Motion Picture Awards
Documentaries Without Borders Film Festival
WPRN Women’s International Film Festival
Newburyport Documentary Festival (withdrawn due to scheduling conflict)

United Nations World Migratory Bird Days!

In honor of World Migratory Bird Day, yesterday I visited the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. The Center is located in Manomet, a seaside village of Plymouth. Special free programming included a presentation by the Center’s bird banding experts, children’s activities, and a bird-a-thon. I was especially interested in learning how the Center bands songbirds. Banding takes place annually from April through November. Some days the Center bands as few as 10, on other days, upwards of 200. Manomet has records on migrating and resident birds dating back over 50 years and it was fascinating to learn about their banding protocols and population trends.

Juvenile Carolina Wren – The Carolina Wren population is growing in Massachusetts

while the Blue Jay population is in steep decline.

The theme of Wold Migratory Bird Days 2024 is insects and the importance of insects as a critical source of protein for migrating birds.

Insects sightings at Manomet on included Autumn Meadowhawk damselflies, American Lady Butterfly, skipper of unknown species, a variety of bees, and several Monarchs. Unlike Cape Ann, the Seaside Goldenrod is still blooming on Cape Cod.

Monarch Butterfly and Seaside Goldenrod

The public is welcome from dawn to dusk to walk the trails, enjoy the view from the bluff and bird watch.

Address:
125 Manomet Point Road
Plymouth, MA 02360
(508) 224-6521

From the Center’s Website:

Overview of the Bird Banding Lab

At the Trevor Lloyd-Evans Banding Lab, we use science and education to create opportunities that connect people to nature. Migratory and resident birds have been banded at our Manomet’s Plymouth, Mass. location since 1966.  Manomet’s Founding Director Kathleen (Betty) Anderson banded the first recorded bird – a Black-capped Chickadee.

For more than 50 years, Manomet has maintained a spring and fall migration bird banding program. Bird banding is an effective method of research that helps answer important questions on issues from conservation to climate change. Manomet’s banding lab, one of the first bird observatories established in North America, focuses on areas including:

  • Migration: When and where birds arrive can tell us about habitat and food availability. This information can be used to inform habitat management and land use strategies.
  • Population: With the data we collect in the lab, we can produce estimates on changes in population and notate trends over time.
  • Life history: Banding contributes valuable information on longevity, habitat, diet, and other physiological trends across species.
  • Productivity: Banding helps us detect shifts in age or sex ratios that would otherwise go undetected.

Manomet staff has recorded over 1,000 plant, animal, and fungus species on site, showing the value of our coastal forest and shoreline as a rich laboratory for research.

Why band birds?

Migratory bird banding operations represent an underutilized source of data about bird migration. Long-term data sets in ecology, like ours, may lead to discoveries often missed in shorter-term studies, and are critical for establishing baselines and tracking changes in the natural world. Because birds are widely surveyed by professional and amateur observers alike, and their natural histories are often well-understood, wild bird populations can be useful sentinels of environmental change and ecosystem condition.

Check here for weekly summaries of current and past banding seasons.

The banding team operates 50 mist nets on the property surrounding Manomet headquarters in southeastern Massachusetts along Cape Cod Bay. Nets are kept open during daylight hours, Monday through Friday, in the spring and fall. Banders walk the net lanes, safely removing trapped birds and returning them to the lab where their species, age, sex, weight, and fat content are measured and recorded. We have banded over 250,000 birds and handled over 400,000 since banding began on the property in 1966. We band around 2,500 new birds each year.

As Manomet’s longest-standing program, the banding lab has helped train hundreds of prospective researchers, educators, and conservation advocates since its inception. We educate about 1,000 visiting school children, volunteers, and college students every year. We strive to engage people of all ages with nature and to measurably increase people’s understanding of environmental change.

 

In 1993, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center created International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). This educational campaign focused on the Western Hemisphere celebrated its 25th year in 2018. Since 2007, IMBD has been coordinated by Environment for the Americas (EFTA), a non-profit organization that strives to connect people to bird conservation.

In 2018, EFTA joined the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) to create a single, global bird conservation education campaign, World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD). Continuing our tradition with IMBD, WMBD celebrates and brings attention to one of the most important and spectacular events in the Americas – bird migration.

This new alliance furthers migratory bird conservation around the globe by creating a worldwide campaign organized around the planet’s major migratory bird corridors, the African-Eurasian flyway, the East Asian-Australasian flyway, and the Americas flyway. By promoting the same event name, annual conservation theme, and messaging, we combine our voices into a global chorus to boost the urgent need for migratory bird conservation.

EFTA will continue to focus its efforts on the flyways in the Americas to highlight the need to conserve migratory birds and protect their habitats, and will continue to coordinate events, programs, and activities in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean at protected areas, refuges, parks, museums, schools, zoos, and more. As many as 700 events and programs are hosted annually to introduce the public to migratory birds and ways to conserve them.

CALLING ALL GARDENERS – MONARCHS NEED OUR HELP!

Please don’t tidy up your garden just yet. The Monarch migration is really lagging compared to other years. The weather has not been cooperating and they have been waiting for the winds to shift from the northwest. Finally, it happened and yesterday and we saw our first signs of the migration with several small passels. The issues are that because the migration is later than normal and because of the drought, many wildflowers have passed peak. In other words, the Monarch migration is out of sync with the blooming time of the most nectar-rich native wildflowers.

Monarchs and Seaside Goldenrods back in September

How can gardeners help? If we must tidy up, please at least wait until the end of the October. Leave your sunflowers, asters, goldenrods, dahlias, verbenas, cosmos, Mexican sunflowers, zinnias, butterfly bushes, and Montauk Daisies in place. Even if they appear a bit unruly, in many instances, the butterflies are still able to extract some nectar.

Monarchs migrating in October need our garden stalwarts, such as Zinnias

Tracking the migration overnight roost population numbers from Journey North, you can see that by October 10th, 2024, so far, the Atlantic Flyway population is way, way down.

The northwest winds are predicted for the next several days. Please write and share any Monarch sightings. Thank you!

Monarch and Mexican Sunflowers – safe travels Monarca!