Keep Calm and Bird On: August 2023

Ginger Andrews • July 31, 2023
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.”
-Edith Andrews

On Nantucket, August is a peak time for Shorebirds. But our inland breeding birds are also worthy of attention. Birds of the year—HY as in “Hatch Year” to bird banders—are flopping around learning the ropes. Their curiosity is entertaining. Some, like the Red-bellied Woodpecker, are new here. Seen mainly in winter for several years, they are now breeding. 

As the bird life of a place changes, we need to keep reporting those changes. Over the years we have seen a lot of birds, once unknown here, become common. Some, like the Carolina Wren, have moved up from the south with climate change. Others are experiencing restoration to their former territory when some hazard has been removed. 

Many—perhaps most of us—use the Cornell website eBird to keep our lists. It is now one of the largest “citizen science” programs in the world, providing vital data to researchers and wildlife managers. So, with changes in our world, reporting becomes ever more important. When something pops up as “rare” and the eBird algorithm flags it, don’t assume that just because the machine knows more, by volume, that your identification lacks weight. Never be afraid to argue with an algorithm, or it will never learn. So, take the time to respond. 

But the corollary is that good data is essential. Photographs or sound recordings are best. But detailed written descriptions can also be used. To discourage wishful thinking, draw or write down what you observed first, before consulting a book or website. Think of a common look-alike and ask yourself how you would advocate for that if it was what you really wanted to see. Then check yourself against higher authority, and humbly change your mind if necessary. Anyone can make a mistake. But think of science, and take the time to correct yourself when you get it wrong. You’ll be glad you did. 


Photo by Photo by Trish Pastuszak

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NANTUCKET, MA— —The Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) announces that it will host its new Director of Astronomy, Jackie Mlingo, PhD., as a featured presenter for its October Science Speaker Series. The presentation will take place on Wednesday, October 15 at 7pm in person at the MMA Research Center, 2 Vestal Street, and via Zoom. The event is FREE to all. Have you ever noticed the dark spots that sometimes appear on the Sun’s surface? These “sunspots” are just one example of star spots—mysterious patches that appear on stars across the galaxy. Far from being simple blemishes, star spots reveal the powerful magnetic forces at work inside stars, forces that also drive solar storms and shape the space weather that can impact entire planetary systems. In this talk, Dr. Milingo will share her research on star spots and how she uses them as a window into teaching undergraduates the process of scientific discovery. She will also explore how science can reach far beyond the classroom—bringing STEM into everyday spaces and sparking curiosity across communities, from kindergartners to lifelong learners. Dr. Jackie Milingo is an observational astronomer who earned B.S. degrees in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Kansas, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Oklahoma. Her research is currently focused on understanding magnetic activity cycles in sun-like stars through long-term studies of starpots. Dr. Milingo joins the MMA after a year-long AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship at the U.S. National Science Foundation, where she was a Fellow in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, as well as the Astronomy Division in the Math and Physical Sciences Directorate. Before her fellowship, she was a professor in the Physics Department at Gettysburg College for over twenty years where her work included mentoring undergraduate research students. Dr. Milingo joined the staff of the MMA in early September after a year-long, worldwide search for a new astronomer. She becomes the eighth MMA Astronomer and Director of the Astronomy Department of the MMA since Margaret Harwood, the MMA’s first astronomer, served from 1916 to 1957. Dr. Milingo has spent her career committed to generating transformative experiential learning opportunities, contributing to public education and outreach, removing barriers for students, and changing the conversation and learning spaces in astronomy, physics, and STEM in general. This event will be held both in person and via Zoom. Pre-registration is required to attend either option. To register for the free, in-person event, use the registration link below: https://112458a.blackbaudhosting.com/112458a/October-Science-Speaker-Series--Dr-Jackie-Milingo To register for the free, Zoom option, use the registration link below: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5q4kXF2rRHi8iWbFPkLN5w The Science Speaker Series is generously sponsored by the Maria Mitchell Association’s lead sponsor, Bank of America The Maria Mitchell Association was founded in 1902 to preserve the legacy of Nantucket native astronomer, naturalist, librarian, and educator, Maria Mitchell. After she discovered a comet in 1847, Mitchell’s international fame led to many achievements and awards, including an appointment as the first professor of astronomy at Vassar College. Maria Mitchell believed in “learning by doing” and today that philosophy is reflected in the MMA’s mission statement, programs, research projects, and other activities. The Maria Mitchell Association operates two observatories, a natural science museum, an aquarium, a research center, and preserves the historic birthplace of Maria Mitchell. A wide variety of science and history-related programming is offered throughout the year for people of all ages. ###

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Maria Mitchell In Her Own Words

By Jascin N. Leonardo Finger • September 29, 2025
Sept. 25, 1854. . . . The best that can be said of my life so far is that it has been industrious, and the best that can be said of me is that I have not pretended to what I was not.  I think of two things when I read this. One is that Quakers believed in being industrious and not wasting time. The second point makes me think immediately of Holden Caulfield – The Catcher in the Rye if you don’t know that character’s name – and his various references and discussions to “phonys” as he refers to them though Maria’s mention here is not entirely in the same vain. A materially successful Quaker was one who was living “in the light,” as Quakers referred to it. Even if gifted with material wealth, Quakers still lived frugally and were a hard working group of people. As Hector St. Jean de Crèvecoeur noted, “Idleness is the most heinous sin that can be committed in Nantucket . . . for idleness is considered as another word for want and hunger.” If you were not productive and industrious, you would starve – and it would affect others in the community since isolated Nantucket acted as a corporate family economy – everyone was relying on one another for survival. While Maria is also not necessarily going to this depth of industrious it is a Quaker ethic that was strongly imbued in her. She certainly was a hard worked with numerous accomplishments to her name and many different projects completed even by 1854 at age thirty-six. And don’t forget October 1 st is the anniversary of Maria’s comet discovery – October 1, 1847. JNLF
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