Keep Calm and Bird On: March 2023

Ginger Andrews • Feb 27, 2023
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.”
-Edith Andrews

March is a tough month for birds as well as birders—the seesaw between winter and spring continues. I used to say that Nantucket’s spring was doled out one day at a time, beginning in February and finishing up halfway through June. This year it has almost seemed as if it’s winter that is getting served in periodic small, though violent, doses. 


As I write at the end of February, the first American Oystercatcher at Eel Point was already here, spotted on February 21. It is something of a conundrum this year, however, because although it seems early, it could also be late. Two American Oystercatchers were found on Tuckernuck’s Christmas Bird Count on December 28, 2022. Was it here all along? Who knows. One Piping Plover was seen in January—they have also been known to winter over.


So, as our shorebirds begin to return to claim their territory on island beaches, the hardiest, if they survive, will get first dibs. Look for them on exposed flats where marine worms feed below on even tinier morsels. Oystercatchers will also take the ribbed mud mussels found growing in our salt marshes, as well as, surprisingly, in brackish areas. 


Killdeer are also returning, and so are Piping Plover. Towards the end of the month, if not sooner, Ospreys will be back, too. But don’t forget to fill in your winter list—Saw-whet Owls, Red Crossbills, Iceland Gulls and Purple Sandpipers are here for just a bit longer. Be sure to catch Harlequin Ducks off the ‘Sconset Bluff before they depart.


So, layer up and get outside, knowing that if it seems hot it will soon be cold, or windy, or both. Or vice versa. 


Photo of Osprey Adult by Ginger Andrews

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“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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