Late Winter

Milestone Cranberry Bogs are getting prepared for the 2020 year.  Josh and I took a walk toward Barnard Valley Road,  yielding some new views of Sankaty Light, and "the other side"  of Gibbs Pond.

Winter is harsh on or near the water.  Today,  April 3,  it is 40 degrees with 40mph winds from the northeast and high winds at 60 mph.  Yet I still see eiders flying north (20 during a timed minute), gannets, long-tailed ducks,  scoters on the water.  

I  often see dead birds on the beach. This past week  I saw both a dead eider and a dead red-throated loon.    Josh and I saw 2 dead seals on our hike last Friday to Smith Point.  Perhaps the abundance of winter kill is why I see so many turkey vultures,  crows, red-tailed hawks out.  They seem to be the most visible birds on land at this point  (aside from the gulls and my local song sparrows and house finches).

Eider

Red throated Loon

March 30

Magical Squam Swamp

Human-built Squam Sculpture

Polpis Harbor from near Chaos Corner

Bushwacking to Medouie Creek

Osprey on a  nest in Medouie Creeks

Fake News?

On Friday March 27,  Josh and I set out to hike around Smith Point from Madaket.  What a day!  It was warm and sunny and lots of people were outside...we could tell from the number of cars parked at Sanford Farm;  they were parked out on Madaket Road!  The hike was beautiful.  

We saw 5 seals,  3 alive and 2 dead

Winter kill

Sign of spring:  2 piping plovers

 When we came back into Madaket Village, I saw this bird on a wire...and knew it was a flycatcher.  I called it an Eastern Kingbird, and put it up on eBird with this picture.  The Boston Globe on Sunday mentioned in the Bird sighting that an Eastern Kingbird had been seen in Madaket.  Oops.  My first sighting mentioned in the Globe....and it wasn't an Eastern Kingbird,  but more likely a Phoebe!  Ken Blackshaw and the ebird moderator both wrote to me that it was likely a Phoebe because the kingbirds are still in South America. I am sorry that I created FAKE NEWS.

A phoebe,  not an Eastern Kingfisher

Coronavirus Diary March 27 2020

I am blessed to be able to see spring arrive to Nantucket.  It has been blustery,  raining each of the last three days,  with high winds.  It's settling down now,  with the temp at 51 degrees and the wind from the north at 7 mph.  

It hasn't stopped us from exploring.  On Wednesday,  the northeast winds brought the gannerts in.  Harvey Young pointed out how great to get a view from above. The angle of the bluff  (and my 400 mm telephoto lens) helped me out.

dozens of long-tail ducks fly north in the late afternoon,  along with all three kinds of scoters, eiders, gulls and red-throated loons.

Stump Pond

Yesterday we hiked Stump Pond in the clockwise direction.  Usually we hike it counter-clockwise.  The moss is greening up and we saw early growth of what look like pyrola rotundifolia.  Pretty quiet on the bird front:  turkey vultures, crows,  the dozen bufflehead on the pond,  4 canada geese, a red tail hawk.

Pyrola Rotundifolia? Didn't look like Trailing Arbutus, Mayflower

Sphagnum Moss...but what kind?

Moss envy

March winds

Saw my first oystercatchers and osprey yesterday while rambling with the birding group (6 feet apart at all times) at the UMass Field Station.  More signs that spring has arrived, despite the fact that the wind was from the northeast at 20 mph!

UMass Field Station trail

Yesterday Josh and I hiked on the moors past the "Deer Little Pond"  and Jewel Pond.  The water levels are the highest we've every seen them. We've seen that also earlier in the month at Almanac Pond. 

Sankaty Light from Barnard Valley Road

"Jewel Pond"  high water

Tupancy Links

  
Today we hiked Tupancy Links and saw a goldeneye off the north shore.  Then we headed toward home to Windswept Cranberry Bog,  where a dozen bufflehead were swimming on Stump Pond to keep out of the 20 mph ESE wind.

Common Goldeneye

Sphagnum Moss greening up

Bush clover after winter

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Female Goldeneye

March 20, 2020 Rambles

Squam Farm Mockernut Hickory

It is 49 degrees with winds from the West Southwest, fog and some showers today.  It is the vernal equinox,  the start of spring.  The highlights of the day include a razorbill off the bluff this morning at 7:30 am,  and the first spring peepers at Squam Farm this afternoon.  

Birders look to see their "first of the season."  Skyler Kardell saw the first osprey yesterday and Shea Fee saw an oystercatcher last Sunday, March 15.

Eider going surfing

Hoick's Hollow erosion during the past week

Coskata and Coronavirus: March 16, 2020

Social distancing is easy on Nantucket in March,  at least at this point.  I hiked to Coskata Woods from Wauwinet today.  It's a little over two miles.  Spring is coming-  the new blades of beach grass are emerging,  although the heather is still gray.  The herring and great black-backed gulls joined me, along with buffleheads,  white-winged scoters, surf scoters, sanderlings,   song sparrows and yellow-rump warblers.  I had hoped to see an oystercatcher,  since they were seen for the first time on Sunday at both Jackson Point and Quaise Point,  but they were not at Coskata.   Temperature:  35 degrees;  Wind ENE 13-15 mph.  Bumped into Skyler Kardell walking back on the beach! (We kept 6 feet apart...)

Coskata Pond, looking East

Surf Scoters off  Wauwinet

Inside Road