Tag Archives: Hawks

Thank You Montclair Film and The Nature Conservancy!

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Many, many thanks to Debbi Bernstein from Montclair Film, Mary Conti from The Claridge Theatre, and The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey for a fantastic screening and QandA of The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay. We had a full house and a very engaged audience with many thoughtful questions. Thank you so much to everyone that attended!

I especially enjoyed sharing the Qand A panel with Damon Noe, who is the Critical Lands Manager at the Nature Conservancy in New Jersey. He has been working on the restoration of South Cape May Meadows, an area on the New Jersey coastline that was destroyed by storms in the 1990s. Least Terns, Piping Plovers, and American Oystercatchers breed at South Cape May Meadows. New Jersey Coastal land managers are dealing with all the same issues that we are struggling with along the Massachusetts coastline, including predation, flooding, and nest wash outs. I loved learning about the innovative methods they are trying and I think we too on Cape Ann can benefit from trying their very successful experiments.

Photos courtesy Montclair Film and The Claridge

Montclair Film and The Nature Conservancy – The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay One Night Only!

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For my New Jersey Friends and Family – Montclair Film and The Nature Conservancy of NJ are hosting a special screening of The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay on Tuesday, August 26th at 7pm. QandA with me to follow. To purchase tickets, please go here: https://theclairidge.org/events/the-piping-plovers-of-moonlight-bay/

I hope you can come!

PSA: Dogs on Beaches

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Why Can’t I Bring My Dog to the Beach?

According to the Gloucester City ordinance code, it is a $300.00 fine (doubled during the season) to bring a dog to Good Harbor Beach. For example, if you bring two dogs, that is 600. x 2 = $1200.

But stating the fines right off doesn’t explain why.

Health and Safety

Our beaches are wonderfully filled with beachgoers during the summer months. Can you imagine adding dogs, either on or off leash, to the mix? Dog ownership is at a record high, much greater than even a generation ago. In 2000 there were roughly 68 million pet dogs, today there are about 90 million dogs. What if everyone who owns a dog brought theirs to the beach?

Let’s face the facts, a great many dogs are not on voice command. We have dogs jumping on children, knocking over the young and old, biting people, and getting into dog fights and biting each other. That is not a safe scenario for any beachgoer.

But what if the law were changed to allow dogs on leash?

We would have half abiding by the leash law and half saying “I left my leash at home,” or “I thought it was okay to let my dog off leash after 5pm,” or “I thought it was okay before 8am,” etc. etc. How do we know this? Because we already hear these statements during the off leash/on leash days at Good Harbor Beach.Pile of poop at the Good Harbor Beach snack bar area

Dog Poop is a consequential environmental issue. During the season when dogs are allowed on the beach we see the gamut of poop-maintenance behaviors. Most people clean up after their pet. However, many people bury the poop in the sand or leave their poop bags behind. When someone leaves their bag by the footbridge, then other dog owners take it as a sign as a place to deposit their bag. The pile of dog poop in a rainbow color of bags grows and grows. Do we want beachgoers stepping in sand covered poop or being confronted with piles of dog poop? There is no poop cleaning fairy. It is left  to our awesome DPW or one of the very nice volunteers, like Chris Cefalo, his brother, and Michael Cook who regularly cleans GHB to remove garbage and also the bags of poop.

Good Harbor Beach footbridge

Keeping Dogs out of the Dunes During the Growing Season Helps Protect the Dune Ecosystem

If you regularly visit Good Harbor Beach during the off season, you can’t help but notice, the “Keep out of Dunes” signs are frequently ignored by pet owners. There are many who do respect this vital habitat, but also many who don’t. Dogs running and playing vigorously through the vegetation tears at the roots and weakens the plants. Vegetation holds the dune sand in place and without plants the dunes continually recede.

Over the past several years, you may also have noticed the vast improvement in the overall health of the dunes. There is a direct correlation to keeping the symbolically roped off areas up through out the summer season and into the fall because by preventing people and pets from recreating right up to the base of the dunes, it allows just that much more room for vegetation to take hold, and is one fantastic tool in the tool box against fighting erosion.

Dog going pooh within nesting area

Keeping Dogs off the Beach Helps Nesting Shorebirds Survive

Last, but not least, dogs on the beach are a well-known threat to shorebird nests and especially to young birds that can’t yet fly to escape danger.

How so you may wonder? “My dog is so sweet and would never harm a baby bird.”

When there are baby birds on the beach, the Plover parents do their absolute utmost best to keep the chicks safe. The parents exhibit all sorts of distraction behaviors including dragging and fluttering their wings on the ground to fake injury, thereby encouraging the predator to follow it and drawing the threat away from their most vulnerable chicks.

Plovers cannot tell the difference between a domestic dog, Fox, or Coyote. Dogs bound exuberantly on the beach through nesting areas and Coyotes and Fox dig in the sand for eggs and chicks. The ever vigilant Plover parent will  leave the nest and fly at any creature Canid. Often, both parents will fly away from the nest in a sort of tag team distraction method. But while they are busy defending the chicks from a member of the dog family, that is the perfect time for a gull, crow, hawk, or falcon to swoop in and snatch the eggs or eat the baby chicks. Crows focus on eggs and gulls not only eat the eggs, they also eat chicks at every stage of development, even fledglings that have grown as large as the parent. Coyotes eat both eggs and chicks.

Especially during pupping season, Red Fox scavenge the beach looking for shorebird eggs, small mammals, and birds to feed their growing family. Plovers cannot distinguish the difference between a Coyote, Fox, or domestic dog. 

Fierce Dad and FairFeathered Mom tag team distracting a Herring Gull

As I am writing this message, please know that we still have young birds at Good Harbor Beach that can’t yet fly well enough to escape predators. This is extremely late in the season and is due to the tremendous loss of nests during the May Nor-easter; losses all along the coast of Massachusetts. Many of the nesting birds eventually re-nested and we are seeing their offspring. Shorebird managers across Massachusetts  are contending with taking care of these late flying chicks.

Here are on Cape Ann we are blessed with many beautiful alternative locations to walk our dogs, including Crab Beach (adjacent to  the Boulevard), which is open year round to dogs and dog owners.

If you would like to see scenes of Plovers displaying their fascinating distraction techniques and learn more about predators on beaches, please watch our film The Piping Plovers of Moonlight Bay, which I created specifically for people to learn more about how we can all help protect shorebird wildlife and their habitats.  Our documentary is streaming on the PBS Passport AP 24/7. Anyone can become a member of PBS Passport by donating to PBS. It’s so worthwhile, especially for young children with curious minds.  What other streaming service can you get for $5.00 a month!!

As I first wrote, it is a $300.00 fine and doubled during the season to bring dogs to Good Harbor Beach, so please dog owners, for your sake, for the health of the beach ecosystem, and for the safety of growing shorebirds, please do not walk your dog at Good Harbor Beach or any beach where there is precious habitat and baby birds. Thank you!The No Dogs from April 1st through September 30th signs are boldly displayed at every entryway to Good Harbor Beach

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

 

CROWS ATTACKING HAWK

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Poor little Sharpie didn’t stand a chance of going unnoticed. The Eastern Point Crow Patrol was all over him, cawing vociferously and dive-bombing, alerting every creature within earshot of his presence. The juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk held his ground for a bit, before tiring of the sky guardians and heading for cover into a nearby tree.

GLOUCESTER’S AND GREENBELT’S BEAUTIFUL, TRANQUIL SEINE FIELD

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Located in our East Gloucester neighborhood is a rare bit of New England coastal habitat called a Relic Sandplain Grassland or Open Heathland (see below to read more about Sandplain Grasslands). I love walking there in the early morning when the light is especially beautiful. The native flora attracts a wide array of wildlife, including favorite songbirds, skippers, butterflies, hawks, and Eastern Coyotes.

Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans) Seine Field

Earlier in the summer on an evocatively lit semi-foggy morning I went to photograph. The sun was pouring long shooting rays through the atmosphere and it was stunning to see.

Several weeks later I went again on a foggy morning and was delighted to find the field shrouded in seine nets. Called Seine Field because during the 19th and 20th centuries, fisherman laid out their seine nets across the expansive field to dry and to repair.

Seine nets were used by Gloucester’s seiner boat fishermen, the same type of boats we see during Fiesta: the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. The field is still used by local fishermen and it was totally random and by chance when I was there while in use.

Gloucester Seine Boats

In 2018, Essex Greenbelt applied for, and received, a Community Preservation Act grant to improve the quarter mile trail. The wide, newly graded walkway provides accessibility for most and I especially love it because ever since I had complications from a tick bite, I don’t feel much like traipsing through grass and dense vegetation, particularly during the summer months, and especially when with Charlotte (she loves Seine Field, too!). The trail is fantastic for adults and young children alike.

Seine Field is managed by Essex County Greenbelt Association and is located on Farrington Avenue in Gloucester. For more information about ECGA and to learn how you can be come involved follow this link: Essex County Greenbelt Association

*Additional Reading –

From the mass.gov website:

Sandplain Grasslands are open, essentially treeless, grass dominated communities that generally occur on sand or other dry, poor soils; Occurrences are maintained by fire, salt spray, and, now, mowing.

Differentiating from Related Communities: Sandplain Grasslands are part of a structural and successional continuum with other coastal communities. When communities are not distinct the best fit should be named. Sandplain Heathlands and Sandplain Grasslands share ~70% of their dominant species: the proportions of the species and the community structure separate the types. Sandplain Heathlands look shrubbier with a taller shrub layer comprised of scrub oak, black huckleberry, and/or lowbush blueberry, and overall have fewer plant species. Both Sandplain Grasslands and Maritime Dune Communities have grasses, forbs, and low shrubs, with patches of bare soil. Dune communities are often dominated by beach grass and beach heather that occur less abundantly in grasslands, where if they occur they are with other plants. Sandplain Grasslands – Inland Variant are located inland away from maritime influences and fewer coastal species including sandplain flax, golden heather, and sandplain blue-eyed grass.

Male Northern Cardinal Seine Field

The House Built of Spite

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Pink house, pink clouds, pink marsh sea – 

The lonely pink house of Plum Island’s Great Marsh is today only visited by hawks and Snowy Owls, perching to scan the surrounding vista for their next meal.

Local lore has it that the house was built in 1922 by a couple who were in the process of divorcing and sorting their affairs. The wife asked that the husband build a replica of their Newburyport family home. She did not say where the house was to be sited. Out of spite, he built the house atop the isolated salt marsh, with only saltwater plumbing.

The Pink House has not been occupied since the early 2000s and looks worse with each passing year. Last winter I was at the refuge for a program held at the PRNWR headquarters. After the event I tried to drive towards Plum Island but with sea water gushing in from the marsh, the road in front of the house was dangerously impassable.

The house is FREE, if only you will either take it off the marsh or give Parker River National Wildlife Refuge a few acres of comparable land. The second option allows for the house to stay in its current location. Read more here: Free Pink House of Newbury: Take Me I’m Yours