Happy almost-Spring

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Dear PiPl Friends,

At last, spring-like temperatures! It won’t be long before the crocus are peeking through (and for some friends, you may already have seen signs of life in your gardens). I think we could all use a breath of fresh air.

Lots to share – we are extremely occupied getting the files ready for our American Public Television debut, which takes place on April 1st, to coincide with PBS Earth Day month-long programming. I am overjoyed to write that The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay will be airing on over 289 stations, representing 85.5 percent of the US TVviewing audience, including 9 of the top 10 stations, and 21 of the top 25 markets (the major urban areas). And we were accepted to the Santa Monica Film Festival! Which is also a lovely segue to sharing about my recent trip to Los Angeles to visit our daughter. I arrived at her home with the flu, left with a virus, as did she have an entirely different virus, nonetheless, it did not stop us from adventuring all along the Central Coast. My daughter had planned a wonderful itinerary for our visit (she travels around the world through her work and could be a travel guide if she wanted!) and she took me to all her favorite wildlife hotspots, which are also some of the most staggeringly beautiful places along the Pacific Coast.

From Malibu to Ragged Point, we filmed and photographed many species of wildlife that are considered conservation success stories, along with species continuing to struggle against habitat loss and a warming climate. Some highlights of which I will be sharing their stories include Snowy Plovers, Sea Lions, Elephant Seals, and Sea Otter Moms and pups (THE most adorable). We saw many splendid bird species, some that we see on the East Coast, and many only found on the West. It was so interesting to compare Snowy Plovers to Piping Plovers, her garden’s Allen’s Hummingbirds to our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Black Oystercatchers to American Oystercatchers, and Black Phoebes to Eastern Phoebes, to mention just a few. We visited bays and estuaries and along the way found heron rookeries, a Surf Scoter up close and actually in the surf (not far off as they are typically seen here in the East) and even met Malibu Lagoon’s resident Osprey.

Snowy Plover

Sadly, the Monarch Reserve at Pismo Beach was abysmal. The winter of 2024-2025 has been the second lowest count on record of the Pacific Monarchs however, I was very disappointed to see that there were absolutely no nectar plants blooming at the Reserve for the few Monarchs that were there. The butterflies were flying around, clearly looking for nectar. We did see about a dozen Monarchs further north at the Ragged Point Inn and Resort, but then again, the proprietors had taken the time and forethought to plant many nectar-rich flowering plants that were inviting to both the Monarchs and to the hummingbirds.

A reminder that our film screening and Q and A fundraiser is the afternoon of March 23rd at 4pm at Sarah Slifer Swift’s lovely MAGMA dance studio. As soon as I finish organizing the files to send to APT, I’ll send an evite postcard with information on how to purchase tickets. Thank you to all who are planning to come. I think it is going to be a wonderfully fun afternoon and I am looking forward to seeing everyone and talking about all things Plover!

Happy Spring <3
xxKim

Save the Date! Piping Plover Local Film Screening and Q and A

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Mote info to follow!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Happy Valentine’s Day Friends!

Pretty Snow Moon and Gloucester’s UU Church

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February’s Full Snow Moon descending behind the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church

Celebrity on Cape Ann!

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In case you happened to be driving along backshore roads over the weekend, you may have noticed the large crowds of enthusiastic bird watching paparazzi (myself included). We have a celebrity bird in our midst, a most beautiful Swainson’s Hawk. Why such fame you may wonder?  Doubly so, note on the range map below – Swainson’s Hawks are very rare to the eastern half of the US and at this time of year, Swainson’s are more typically found in South America! More than 90% of the global population winters in grasslands, from southern Brazil to northern Argentina. Reportedly, this Swainson’s has been seen in other areas of New England this winter, including New Hampshire and Plum Island.

Earlier in the week, I was fortunate to film him with no one around so he was very chill. He flew into a tree that I was standing near and began to preen his lusciously long feathers for perhaps twenty minutes or so. Mostly, though I just got to see his his backside. Then off he soared into the marsh to hunt. Swainson’s Hawks eat small mammals and insects and I read they have the habit of running on the ground to catch prey.  I would love to film that behavior, especially after filming the very funny lope  of a Peregrine Falcon running on the beach.

There are also a number of Red-tailed Hawks in the neighborhood. Easy field marks for a quick ID include the Red-tailed has its distinct red tail, the Swainson’s is striped buffy white, brown, and gray; the Swainson’s yellow feet and yellow around its beak is very bright compared to the paler yellow of the RTH; and the Swainson’s head is darker, with a reddish beard below the head.

Swainson’s Hawk with reddish beard and darker head

Red-tailed lacking beard, with paler breast 

Swainson’s Hawk deeper yellow beak 

Red-tailed Hawk paler yellow beak and feet

Two Wonderfully Unique and Enchanting Shorebirds in Our Midst – Northern Lapwing and Ruddy Turnstone

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Dear PiPl Friends,

Sunday morning when I set out to film it was only 7 degrees –  one minute filming followed by several back in my mittens. It’s just so hard to tear away with so many exquisite creatures in our midst!  Last week I wrote about the Common Goldeneye visiting our shores and the Killdeer that has been here all winter. They are mostly gorging on readily available food; the Goldeneye deep diving for pond vegetation and the Killdeer scouring the landscape for tiny mollusks and insects found in the seaweed. I was utterly delighted to come across another bird not usually seen at this time of year. We startled each other. I was looking for the Killdeer but first sighting was of a plumped-out, short-legged little shorebird, the Ruddy Turnstone.  He was at rest and as soon we noticed each other, he began foraging in the fashion for which turnstones are named, that of flipping over stones in search of food.

Ruddy Turnstones are great distance migrators, some traveling more than 6,500 miles between breeding and non-breeding grounds. Just as with Piping Plovers, males typically arrive first. They are very territorial at their nesting grounds. The females depart when the Turnstone chicks are only abut a week or so old, leaving the males alone to rear the chicks.

I wonder how long the Ruddy Turnstone will stay. I think his presence indicates the northward spring migration for birds traveling the greatest distance is underway. I didn’t recognize him at first because he was not in breeding plumage but his bright orange legs gave a good clue. The photo below, taken a few years ago, is what Rudy Turnstones look like when we see them towards the end of the summer on their southward migration.

Ruddy Turnstone, August 2019

The Northern Lapwing pictured below has been hanging out along the Rhode Island coast and the southern coast of Massachusetts. He is way, way off course. When I write off course, that is an understatement. Northern Lapwings are common throughout Eurosiberia and their southern range includes North Africa, northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, and parts of China. But every few years we who live in southeastern Canada and New England are fortunate to see one.

Lapwings are most often seen foraging inland at agricultural fields. Luckily, the day I spotted the Lapwing, he was flying around and landing on rocks in the intertidal zone. He was a bit too far off for my cameras nonetheless, you can see how striking is his plumage and crest (the long wispy plumes protruding from the back of his head). Males reportedly have longer plumes than do females. When the sun hit his wings the iridescent colors shone beautifully. It was worth it standing in Arctic-like conditions to document this rare plover beauty.

Northern Lapwings are a species of plover and as with many species of plovers, their population is in decline.

Avian flu is taking a deadly toll in Massachusetts, mostly on the southern coast and Greater Boston area. For the most recent report from the State, go here: https://www.mass.gov/news/state-officials-provide-updated-guidance-on-suspected-avian-flu-cases-reported-across-massachusetts.

Link to form to report dead wild birds: https://www.mass.gov/forms/report-observations-of-dead-wild-birds

We have good news to share for our Plover documentary – we received the Gold Award at the Spotlight Documentary Film Festival! And our film recently aired to an enthusiastic audience at the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia.

Stay well.

Warmest wishes,

xxKim

With deepest gratitude and appreciation to all who are contributing to The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay. We could not continue to bring the story of these valiant little birds to film festivals and public television without your kind and generous help.  Thank you!

With gratitude to the following PiPl friends for their kind contributions – Jane Alexander (Nova Scotia), Cornelius Hauck (Cincinnati), Sally Jackson (Gloucester), New England BioLabs (Ipswich), 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), Lauren Mercadante (New Hampshire), 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, Jonathan and Sally Golding (Gloucester), Sue Winslow (Gloucester), Cecile Christensen (Peabody), Marty and Russ Coleman (Dallas, Texas), David Brooks (Troy, Michigan), Karen Maslow (Gloucester), Lisa Craig (Winchester), Menotomy Bird Club (Winchester), Lyda Kuth (Belmont), Kimberly Bouris (Gloucester), and my sweet husband Tom 🙂

 

The Anything But Common, Common Goldeneye

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Why is Common the first name of so many beautiful birds?! Common Goldeneye, Common Grackle, Common Loon, Common Murre, Common Merganser, Common Kestrel… the list is endless and annoying. Perhaps in some regions the bird in question is common however, when seen in other regions it may not be.

While here visiting our shores, this striking male Common Goldeneye has been spending his days deep diving for  vegetation and, for the most part, keeping to himself and avoiding the larger Mallards. I am rather glad to see he is not very social. Hopefully l he won’t catch the avian flu.

At around nine seconds you can see the Common Goldeneye with a male Hooded Merganser in the foreground and a female Lesser Scaup in the background.

TWO MORE DEAD SNOWY OWLS

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Two more dead Snowies. I hope so much it is not bird flu however that is only one of a number of reasons why Snowies are struggling to survive in our region.  As quoted in the article by RI Department of Environmental Management “LaCross said the owls face new challenges when they journey south. Human disturbance, different predators, and lack of habitat are all contributing factors hampering the chances of survival for Snowy Owls in our area.”

We can add rodenticide. Testing was not done on the Rhode Island Owl, but the Duxbury bird was swabbed.

Well Hello There Visiting Plover Outside-Your-Winter-Range!

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For well over a month a Killdeer has been residing on Cape Ann. I am sure he is the same one we daily observe as he has a tuft of feathers protruding from the back of his head.Seeing for the first time from a distance and because of the protuberance of feathers, I initially thought it was a Northern Lapwing (!) but soon realized it was a Killdeer. Other than the tuft of feathers, which he has had the entire time he has been here, the Killdeer appears to be healthy. I wonder if he was injured during migration and has decided to spend the winter here. Whatever the reason, he appears to be managing the frigid temps and finding plenty of sand flies in the seaweed and mini mollusks along the water’s edge.

Date with an American Tree Sparrow!

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My first encounter with the sweet little American Tree Sparrow, but perhaps not; I may have been looking right at one all along and thought it was a Song Sparrow or any one of a number of little brown songbirds. Now that I know what to look for, most notably its beautiful rusty brown cap and that the bottom half of its beak is yellow, it may be easier to notice.

Several were foraging alongside a mixed flock of songbirds. They were feeding on the ground but at the tiniest disturbance, flew into the camouflage provided by neighboring trees. As territorial as was the Dark-eyed Junco, the Tree Sparrows behaved just as badly to one of its own kind.
American Tree Sparrow range map, courtesy Cornell

PLover and Monarch News, Full Wolf Moon, and Barred Owl in the Snow

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Dear PiPl Friends,

I hope you are doing well. We are keeping our family and friends in our hearts as they struggle to return to a normal way of life after the tragic LA firestorms. I hope the winds die down soon so recovery can begin in earnest. Our daughter shares that she and her boyfriend are bringing supplies to firehouse donation centers and she is keeping her hummingbird feeders well-filled as there are more birds than ever in her garden.

Thursday night I am giving a screening and Q and A of our Monarch film, Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly for the Carlisle Conservation Foundation at the Gleason Public Library. We have super good news to share regarding the Monarch film – the contract has been renewed with American Public Television, which means our documentary will be airing on PBS for another three years! We will have two nature documentaries simultaneously airing on public television 🙂 Our film about the magnificent migrating Monarchs provides a wealth of information not only about the life story of the butterfly, but also suggestions on what to plant to support the Monarchs throughout their time spent in their northern breeding range.

We had a beautiful snowfall this past weekend. Snow storms and snowfalls have become so few and far between over the past few years in our area that I hopped in my car before sunrise and headed north to film what I could, hopefully before the snow stopped. There was hardly a soul about. A wonderful variety of songbirds was foraging in the falling snow and also a very hungry Barred Owl was zooming from tree to tree surrounding an adjacent field. I pulled myself away before she caught her prey because I didn’t want to have any part in preventing her from capturing her breakfast. Fortuitously, the very next day, a friend shared a post on how to tell the difference between a male and female Barred Owl. You can read the post here. I concluded the BO flying to and from her tree perches was a female. It was magical watching her in the falling snow. Link to video of her flying –https://vimeo.com/1047197766 or you can watch it on Facebook or Instagram.

The deadline is fast approaching for underwriting opportunities for our documentary, The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay. We need to have all the names of underwriters in by January 20th to fulfill our contract with American Public Television. If you would like to join our underwriting pod with a contribution to our film and have your name or your organization’s name included in our underwriting credit pod please email me asap. An example of an underwriting pod  – This film was brought to you by the Apple Tree Foundation, The Shorebird Conservation Fund, Lark and Phoenix Bird, …, and viewers like you (these are just sample names). Please note that every time the film airs and streams on PBS over the next three years, possibly six years, the name of your organization will be acknowledged. Of course, we gratefully accept all contributions to our documentary at any time, but if you would like to be recognized in this way, please let me know.

Common Grackle Eating Plover eggs

I can’t believe that in only two short months Plovers and shorebirds will be returning to our beaches. Please contact me if you would like to join our Plover Ambassador team. Research from scientists in the Michigan Great Lakes region made Plover news this past week. Common Grackles were documented foraging on Piping Plover eggs. This is very noteworthy but not too surprising to our Cape Ann Plover Ambassadors as we have seen our Plovers defending their nests from Grackles. There is a very large roost of Common Grackles on Nautilus Road, opposite Good Harbor Beach. The Plovers distract the Grackles with their broken wing display and tag-team attack behavior. We wondered, were the Grackles posing a real threat or did the Plovers behave this way because Common Crows and Grackles look somewhat similar? Crows notoriously eat Plover eggs at every stage of development, from newly laid to near hatch date. We now know definitively the answer as to why our Good Harbor Beach Plovers are on high alert around Grackles!

Stay safe and warm and cozy,

xxKim

Beautiful Owl in the Snow – and How to tell the Difference Between Male and Female Barred Owls

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A photographer friend, Karen, recently shared a very helpful photo that shows how to tell the difference between a male and female Barred Owl, especially if they are not side by side. Females are generally  larger, but it’s less usual to see a pair together. Reportedly, the white feathers around the male’s eyes form a V-shape, while the female’s feathers form a backward and forward C-shape.

Gregory Wajtera Photo

The Barred Owl that was very actively hunting in the snow I think is a female based on the photo Karen shared. What do you think? 

Love the new Give Owls Space signs at DCR properties!

Wolf Moon Over Lobster Trap Tree

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Gorgeous Moon set this morning! I almost missed it as I was planning to be back home at 7am sharp to make pancakes and my various lookout places were not aligned correctly. Luckily and just in the nick of time, I found a new spot 🙂 Tonight the full Wolf Moon Eats Mars and rises at 4:06pm. Happy Moon Viewing!

Beautiful Mix of Amaryllis

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Such tremendous collective grief in  our nation as we watch the tragedy in Los Angeles unfold that I wanted to share this cheery batch of blooms in our kitchen. A friend gave me the Van Englelen Holiday Mix of Amaryllis bulbs. I potted them up about a month before Christmas. The apple blossom was the first to bloom, followed by the white. The red is just about to pop and so is what looks to be a fabulous salmon/carmine/pink. The fifth bulb is still a mystery as it is not far enough along to tell what color is the bloom. This was such a thoughtful gift, providing weeks and weeks of cheerful beauty.

Snow Bunting Toes!

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A favorite winter visitor to our shores is the wonderfully engaging Snow Bunting. Whether foraging on snow covered scapes or on windswept sand, they appear at first to the untrained eye to be convivial. Don’t let their social foraging habits fool. Snow Buntings spend a great deal of energy tussling amongst themselves for seeds, even snatching food from another’s beak. I have taken a number of images and much footage of little Snow Bunting fights and am looking forward to making a video of this behavior. In the meantime here is a short video taken on a super windy morning. Notice all the seaweed flies in the photo below. The tide was extremely high that day forcing all the flies to move out and up from the seaweed and onto higher ground, making for a very easily accessed breakfast.

Snow Buntings are Arctic specialist. They are ground dwellers with toes well adapted to snow and ice, which I think makes their toes also especially well-suited for running and hopping in the sand, along rocky shores, and in piles of seaweed. Their toes look like snowshoes as they bound about finding seeds buried in snowdrifts. When they are here in our region, I see them mostly feeding on  insects found in seaweed and the intertidal zone, along with a variety of wildflower seeds.

“The snow bunting is the most northerly passerine bird in the world. It breeds in a circumpolar range, south to Scotland and Iceland, and it is a common breeder in suitable habitats in northern Scandinavia, Greenland, Svalbard, arctic parts of Russia and the northerly parts of North America.” However, the species is in significant decline in North America  with reasons ranging from habitat redistribution to the heavy use of pesticides in croplands where the birds feed heavily during the winter months.

A snowy morning flock of Snow Buntings from a year ago January

Rarely Seen in the Northeast: The Wonderfully Acrobatic Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

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The very special Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was at Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary for several weeks before departing. For we in the northeast it was a rare beauty treat to see this exquisite little bird as she twisted and turned on a dime, snatching up insects before returning to her perch to devour. I filmed her late one afternoon eating loads of bittersweet twining through tree branches but couldn’t find much information about Scissor-tail berry eating. They mostly feed on insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, bees, flies, caterpillars, spiders, and Lepidoptera. Berries are typically only eaten in winter. The Ipswich S-tF appeared to be dining  very well, fattening up before (hopefully) resuming migration.

A collective sigh of relief was felt by all when she departed as she was so very far, far away from her breeding and wintering grounds. She needs to be in warmer climes.

The photos in the gallery above are not mine but were gathered from wikicommons media. They are included to show the beautiful salmon pink underwing patches and how long is the bifurcated tail of the Flycatcher. An adult’s tail may reach 9 inches!

The closely related Eastern Kingbird feeding its young a damselfly

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are closely related to the Eastern Kingbird and Eastern Phoebe, which are much more common in our region. According to several websites, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are reportedly tolerant of people, which appeared to be the case at the Audbon sanctuary.

As we can see on the range map from Cornell, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher breeds mostly in in the southern Great Plains and south Texas, wintering over in southern Mexico and Central America. The Scissor-tailed is the Oklahoma state bird and are not rare in their usual territory. There was one in Truro a few years back (2017) and they are known to occasionally wander far afield. S-tF reportedly make spectacular flocks of 100 or more birds as they gather for their southward migration.

 

Thank You Plover Friends!

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Dear PiPl Friends,

Thank you to all our Piping Plover ambassadors, volunteers, shorebird organizations, film donors, and well-wishers. Your kind support over the years for both our volunteer program and film project is so very greatly appreciated.

We have many people and conservation organizations to be thankful for, especially here in Massachusetts, where we are at the forefront of Piping Plover recovery. Organizations such as Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program, Mass Wildlife, Trustees of Reservations, and Essex County Greenbelt Association have created stellar programs to help protect , monitor, and engage in our communities. Nationwide, Piping Plovers were once on the brink of extinction. In 1986, there were fewer than 200 pairs breeding in Massachusetts. Preliminary data from MassWildlife reports that there were 1,196 nesting pairs in 2024, a whopping 500 percent increase from 1986. PiPl recovery is not as bright in other regions as it is in Massachusetts. Plovers are counting on Massachusetts peoples and programs!

We have new and expanded Plover projects and programs planned for the coming year and more good news to share for our forthcoming documentary. If you are interested in becoming a Piping Plover Ambassador, please leave a comment or email me at kimsmithdesigns@hotmail.com.

Wishing us all peace and joy and more conservation success stories in the coming New Year!

Warmest wishes,

Kim

Migrating Piping Plover “Elwood” News – Delaware to Florida Express!

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Piping Plover first-hatch-year Elwood, who was banded as a tiny baby in Delaware this past spring, was recently photographed in Jacksonville, Florida! Photographed by Jacksonville resident Brett Moyer, Elwood was spotted foraging at the tidal flats of Huguenot Memorial Park. Sightings of birds making their first year migration are particularly rare.

PiPls are listed as endangered in Delaware. Historically, they typically nest at Cape Henlopen State Park but since 2016, PiPls been breeding in increasing numbers at Fowler Beach in Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources.

Shout Out to the Fabulous Cast and Crew of “Holiday Delights!”

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Thank you to Heidi Dallin, the Cape Ann YMCA, and the Annisquam Village Hall Association for the 2024 production of Holiday Delights, a wonderful story written by Heidi and performed entirely by Cape Ann youth actors.

In my official role as backstage “Elf Wrangler,” I got to witness first hand the dedication and courage it took these young actors to perform on stage, some for the very first time. The kids have been practicing since September under the talented direction of Heidi at the Cape Ann Y theatre program. Heidi strives to make every single player feel valued. The kids love her and Heidi’s positive, team work vibe carries over to the cast. The young actors all look after each other onstage and off.

The actors play multiple roles including elves, dreidel dancers, Cratchit family members, Peanuts characters, and Little Women, to name only some. Our Charlotte was adorable as a Christmas tree, even when she was nodding off during a performance on the final day of the show’s run 🙂

The Annisquam Village Hall provides the perfect backdrop for a play set in Gloucester. We were marveling at the fact that the permanent backdrop on the stage, which was painted 20 years ago by my husband, Tom Hauck, is still holding up. Tom painted it for for another play set in Gloucester, Brigadoon. With artistic license, AVP Director Terry Sands turned the mythical Scottish Highlands location into the “moors of Annisquam.”If any parent would like a copy of the cast photo above, please email me at kimsmithdesigns@homtail.com and I can send you a high res file.

Holiday Shopping at Alexandra’s Bread!

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Are you looking for wonderfully whimsical (and also useful) last minute hostess gifts, stocking stuffers, handmade presents, and all around lovely and unique home goods?  You need go no further than Alexandra’s Bread. Located at  265 Main Street, Alexandra’s has extended Christmas hours as follows:

Sunday Noon to 3:00

Monday Noon to 4:00

Christmas Eve Day, Tuesday 8:30 to 2pm. Alexandra and John will be baking as well on Tuesday.

We Love shopping for baked goods and home goods at Alexandra’s. They are just the nicest family and there is always a steady stream of friendly customers, with lots of lively conversation. Jon and Alexandra have been huge supporters of our Cape Ann PLovers since they first arrived to Gloucester nine years ago. Support our local businesses and #shoplocal <3

Jon, Owen, and Alexandra

Our family has a cozy tradition of serving fondue on Christmas Eve and we always purchase the bread at Alexandra’s a few days ahead of time. Their homemade baguettes are the absolute perfect dipping bread. Awhile back we bought a second, vintage fondue pot (from Alexandra’s) and now we have two pots going, one with only cheeses and a second pot with cheese, artichokes hearts, and crabmeat (you could switch the crabmeat for lobster). In addition to the bread, we dip steamed asparagus tips along with broccoli and cauliflower florets. 

Holiday Farmers Market this Saturday

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Pop-up Market
Iron Ox Farm
Saturday, December 21
10am – 1pm

Cedar Rock Garden writes, Come find us at this wonderful indoor holiday market among many other friends, producers, growers and makers! We have harvested spinach, mixed greens, scallions, chard and kale out of the greenhouses along with cilantro, parsley, and dill. We also have delicious sweet orange carrots, pinto potatoes, elba potatoes, and watermelon radish. The greenhouses have not had a whole lot of sun the past month so growth has been slow but all the greens are kissed with the sweetness of cold nights and are small and delicious!

The following is a list of other vendors at the market: Iron Ox Farm, Pigeon Cove Ferments, Marshview Farm, Fat Moon Mushrooms, Mandarava, Lillooet Farm, Courser Meadows Farm, AL Rusticware, Sarah Wonson Jewelry, Em’s Wreaths, Perennial Ink, Nala Designs ,Nettlenook Farm, Circe’s Secret, Milkyway Apothecary, Crowsfell, Vine Street Cider Donuts, Hailey Small Prints, Robber’s Daughter, and With Flour in Her Hair

This event will be held in the cozy and warm greenhouse at Iron Ox Farm. Park in the lot and follow the road behind the farm stand to find us.

See you Saturday!

Festival de l’Oiseau et de la Nature and other good news!

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Dear PiPl Friends,

I hope all is going well with your holiday making. I am grateful for the return of warm weather even if it is only going to last a few days, not only for the sunshine but also because our visiting Wood Duck has also been spotted basking in the warmth.

I have excellent news to share. The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay has been accepted to the Festival de l’Oiseau et de la Nature! It is the largest nature festival in France and takes place over a nine day period at the Bay of Somme. Located in the North of France, the Bay of Somme is an internationally recognized migratory site. For the past 33 years, in celebration of spring migration, the Festival has offered documentary screenings, activities for children, lectures, courses, and photo and art exhibits. This is a festival we were really, really hoping to be accepted to and I am over the Moon. We also recently received Best in Festival at the Nature Without Borders Film Festival and Outstanding Excellence at their sister festival, Documentaries Without Borders. It’s been a very exciting last couple of weeks.

Many readers who receive this newsletter have already contributed to the first phase of fundraising, to bring our documentary to festivals, and we are beyond grateful. We are now in the second round of fundraising, to bring the film to public television.  A bunch of PiPl friends have mentioned they would like to contribute to this second round by year’s end. We are so appreciative of all the generous donations given to date and this is just a gentle reminder. If you are planning to contribute, or if I can answer any questions, please let me know. Again, all contributions, both through our online fundraiser and larger contributions, are tax deductible as we work with our 501c3 fiscal sponsor, Filmmakers Collaborative.

On a much less positive note, here is a link to a recent story that I wrote about the parasitic disease mange, the connection between the disease and rodenticides, and how rat poison is impacting both mammals and raptors. I shared photos of a local Coyote suffering from an advanced stage of mange, so don’t click on this link if you are feeling at all low.

Perhaps the most positive news of the month is that the Monarch may soon be listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Many organizations and individuals have worked tirelessly to bring this proposed listing about. USFWS is seeking public input on the Monarch’s ESA listing over a 90 day period, from December 12th through March 12th. If you would like to comment, please follow this link.

The photo below is of a Monarch and Seaside Goldenrod and was taken at the beautiful Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences this past October.

Happy Holidays and holiday-making!
Warmest wishes,
xxKim
Isn’t this bird just beyond exquisite?! The Pied Avocet. It returns each spring to the Bay of Somme to breed. I read that after mating, a pair will cross their bills as part of the bonding ritual, and you can see how absolutely adorable are the chicks. Composite image and chick photo courtesy wikicommons media.

Local Coyotes Suffering from Mange and Connecting How Household Rat Poison Kills Our Beautiful Wild Creatures Including Owls, Hawks, Eagles, Foxes, Coyotes, Bobcats, and Snakes

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The photos are of two neighborhood Coyotes suffering from varying degrees of the parasitic disease, mange. Both are slowly dying from pain and starvation. The two are elusive, yet seen frequently roaming backyards and roadways in East Gloucester and Eastern Point in broad daylight.

The photo below shows what a Coyote typically looks like at this time of year. His coat is full and lush and will keep him warm on the coldest of days. His eyes are wide open, alert, and bright  and he is standing strong.

The disease is treatable by wildlife rehabbers, if they can get to the animal in time however, it is especially challenging to capture Coyotes.

What exactly is mange? There are several types but the one that most often affects members of the Canid Family (dogs, fox, coyote, and wolf) is Sarcoptic Mange.

Sarcoptic Mange is a highly contagious skin disease caused by parasitic mites that burrow under the creature’s skin.

Signs of Sarcoptic Mange include hair loss, scabs, and foul smelling crusts as a result of secondary skin infections.

How does untreated mange kill? Mange causes the animal to lose weight, which leads to dehydration. Animals with mange are too weak to forage for food and usually starve to death. Hair loss from mange leads to hypothermia in cold weather and mange also leads to secondary infections that can cause blindness and impaired hearing.

What is the connection between Sarcoptic mange and household rat poison? Simply put, when a rat or mouse consumes rat poison (rodenticide), these toxins accumulate in the rodent’s body. When a mammal eats a rodent poisoned by rat poison, the poison accumulates in the mammal’s body, weakening  its immune system and making the mammal much more susceptible to diseases like mange.

How does rat poison typically kill raptors?  The household rat poison currently on the market and readily purchased is called second generation anti-coagulant rodenticides (the acronym is SGARS). These rodenticides work by depleting the body of vitamin K, which is critical for the development of clotting factors. Without these factors, blood cannot clot properly which results in hemorrhage both internally and externally.

SGARS do not work immediately and the rodent may repeatedly visit the bait station. The slowly dying rat or mouse often behaves erratically and is easily caught by a predator, whether avian or canid. The anti-coagulating properties of the poison do not stop working on the rodent prey once it is consumed by the predator. The poison enters the bloodstream of the predator that has eaten the rodent. Especially when the rodent has visited the bait station multiple times, a raptor may consume a lethal dose with only a single rodent. The predator suffering from secondary rat poison is also more susceptible to starvation and other diseases.  A recently completed study by Tufts Wildlife Clinic reported that 100 percent of the 43 Red-tailed Hawks treated over the past two years tested positive for SGARS.

Seabrook, the Snowy Owl found at death’s door, was successfully treated for SGARs in 2022

Is mange contagious? Mange is highly, highly contagious between members of the same species and across species. For example, Coyotes often use Red Fox dens for pupping where they would come in contact with the parasite. From Cornell,  “A host becomes infected by direct contact with an affected animal or by coming into a contaminated environment like burrows or nests where free-living mites can survive for several weeks in high humidity and low temperatures. Once infected, the mites burrow into the outer layer of skin and form tunnels where females lay their eggs. In 3 or 4 days, the eggs hatch into larvae, which either remain in the tunnels or move to the surface of the skin. The larvae develop into nymphs in 3 to 4 days and then into adults in another 5 to 7 days. The complete life cycle of a male take 13 to 16 days and a female about 18 to 23 days.”

To report sightings of mange infected mammals call MassWildlife at 508-389-6300 or email. MassWildlife@mass.gov

Cape Ann Wildlife specializes in treating raptors suffering from rat poison.

Newhouse Wildlife rescue specializes in treating mammals with mange.

Wildlife and Rodenticide

Support the petition to ban SGARS in Massachusetts

 

JOY! CONGRATULATIONS TO AIMEE AND DAVID BROOKS

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Sending best, best wishes to Aimee and David Brooks on the birth of their beautiful baby girl Naia Rumi Brooks. David and Aimee could not be present at the Lobster Trap Tree lighting with new baby born the night before, but we all want to thank David, Shawn Henry, the extraordinary Lobster Trap Tree building crew, Art Haven’s Traci Thayne Corbett and the sweetest buoy painters for their glorious gift to Gloucester.

Wishing the Brooks Family a lifetime of love, happiness, and joy.