Keep Calm and Bird On: April 2023

Ginger Andrews • Mar 30, 2023
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.”
-Edith Andrews

Perhaps no month on Nantucket better exemplifies the changeable, chaotic nature of spring better than April. Winter one moment, summer the next (but often, not for long). And everyone, including birds, is busy, in a hurry, impatient to get ready for the coming season. It's a restless time; a mix of the delightful and the dreadful.


In the dreadful category, Great Black-backed Gulls have recently been seen acting strangely—shaking their heads, walking backwards, or "acting drunk" falling over, unable to fly—these are neurological symptoms and a possible sign of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). This has been known to affect humans who have had intense exposure, so it is best to avoid dead birds, and keep dogs away. With the exception of Barn Owls, which we will be happy to go out and collect ourselves with accurate directions, the Maria Mitchell Association is not accepting dead bird specimens at this time. Other groups may be taking samples, so please check for further announcements.


That said, there are more benign dramas to watch. A Northern Harrier pair may do a food-pass, with a vole dropped by the male and caught mid-air by the female. This is an acceptance of courtship, and later a stealthy way of hiding the nest location. Watch a Woodpecker drilling a new nest hole, and come back later to see if the cavity is occupied—and by whom. Observe Ospreys rebuilding their nests, defending them, or sometimes picking new mates. 


Don't be afraid to go outside. If you become bored with the usual suspects, take time to watch longer. You may see interesting behavior. And who knows, with persistence you might learn something new to science, too.



Photo of Osprey by Ginger Andrews

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08 May, 2024
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.” -Edith Andrews

Shards

By Jascin N. Leonardo FInger • 06 May, 2024
I have written of my love for sea glass and pottery shards in the past and the recent replacement of the sewer and water lines on Vestal Street created a small shard collection over the last month. Since the work required the asphalt to be completely removed (all twelve inches of it!) and the road to be dug up multiple times as they worked to remove pipe, relay new pipe, hook up the water meters, and install drainage and manhole covers, this resulted in the earth in the street being tossed about quite a bit. And, with that, came the shards! Some of these likely came from the sewer line (yes, yuck) but others came from being simply in the dirt of the road – which was not paved until 1946/1948. Pieces were likely tossed out at times, made to act as filler in holes, or simply tossed. So I found all sorts of pieces I will keep here at the Mitchell House. They included: a lovely piece with a red floral, many pieces of plates, glass, the top of a late nineteenth or early twentieth century (medicine) bottle, glass shards, a flattened spoon, a brass knob (found by a neighbor) some nails, a spike, pieces of a larger container or two based on the size and curve and coloring of the shards, and possibly a Wampanoag stone tool. One person’s trash is another one’s treasures! JNLF

Is That A Wrap?

22 Apr, 2024
Yes. Well, almost. After about a month of working – and some living (staff and or neighbors) – on Vestal Street with all the sewer and water replacement work, the paving happened today (April 17, 2024). This is the first “layer” – a three-inch binder coat. In the fall, once time has passed, they will return for the final one inch of the finish layer. Some of the other things along Vestal Street will also be repaired and updated between now and the final coat – and a bit after that. But we are very happy, after all these years to have a modern system of piping – and all new drainage we never had before! While the curator in me loved the old clay pipes, they were riddled with roots from the trees, holes, and in some places, collapsed, and the twelve inches of asphalt had to go. Vestal Street was only paved in about 1946/1948 – and has not been paved in maybe twenty years so that is a lot of asphalt in about fifty years! And with climate change and the increase in how much rain we get in these heavy rain events, all that water rushed down Vestal Street with nowhere to go – except our cellars. I am sure the neighbors are happy too! A thank you to the Town of Nantucket’s Sewer Department, especially David Gray (who may regret giving me his cellphone number forever), N&M Excavating and Utilities (Dean, we appreciate you being so nice when we had too many questions), Victor-Brandon Corp for paving, and numerous others. We are looking forward to great flushing, powerful hose lines, and rainwater being whisked away via the new, never-before-had storm drains! JNLF And to all the N&M workers who wondered why I was constantly looking down as I walked along Vestal Street, you should see the trove of porcelain shards, glass, old nails, a bottle neck, 19 th century spoon, and even possibly a Wampanoag stone tool I found!
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