Keep Calm and Bird On: September 2023

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

In September, shorebird migration is still under way. And as the season progresses, the more likely we are to find rarities. Migrating and dispersing birds are exploring new territory. So, here at the ocean edge they may pause and take a little time to rest and feed up. Some of them are in the process of molting into winter plumage, which can be confusing. But careful observation, detail by detail, is a rewarding way to build confidence as you add up the clues to identification.


And, if at all possible, take pictures. Images viewed in tranquility can be blown up to show what the eye sometimes misses in the field. And they are important documentation for science. To quote the late Vern Laux, “If there’s no photograph, it didn’t happen.” It’s a long way from the Arctic Ocean or Hudson Bay to the Pantal or Tirra del Fuego. So a brief, near-by—relatively speaking— east coast pit stop is a crucial necessity.


With some shorebirds threatened or endangered, our Nantucket observations make an important contribution to understanding, and ultimately protecting, these resources. For the second year in a row, a Whimbrel named “Thimble,” tagged in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by Manomet Bird Observatory, made a stopover of several days in and around Nantucket Harbor. But satellite tagging is only part of what it takes to identify critical areas. Just following one individual is not enough. In order to gauge importance, we also need numbers. Birds nesting on Nantucket like American Oystercatchers and Piping Plover are monitored from arrival to departure. But what of birds just passing through? How many Whimbrel, or Yellowlegs, or Black-bellied Plover, are here? So although counting can be tedious, it is a valuable exercise. And one good thing about shorebirds: they hold still longer than those confusing fall warblers.


Photo by Photo by Ginger Andrews

Recent Posts

Keep Calm and Bird On: May 2024

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!
Show More
Share by: