Friday morning on my way into Cambridge I stopped to check on the baby shore birds that I have been filming at Henry’s Pond. Setting up on the pond’s edge, I met Zach Strommer, graduate student at UMass, and assistants Andy Fallon and Justin Shawler from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). Zach is a geology student of Professor John Woodruff and he is writing his thesis on historic storms. The layers of sediment at Henry’s Pond make for an ideal location to gather data. Whenever there is a major storm, the surge pulls sand and salt water into the brackish pond. I wonder how far back in time they will travel. Zach shared his email and said his thesis will be done in about a year. I’ll put it on my calendar and will check back for the results of the study.
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Good Morning Gloucester 
Just a question. Could the taking of sediment cores have disturbed the snapping turtles OR it is just a coincidence that later the same day or early the next day the SINGLE baby cygnet disappeared from Henry’s Pond????
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Sybil this is heartbreaking. I stopped by this morning and only saw the young female. Have you seen the male?
Perhaps we can figure out what happened. The morning the geologists were there, a super nice gentleman, Hank Betts, was reading the newspaper. He has lived in the area for many years and has lots of interesting swan stories. Perhaps he saw what happened. Do you live in the area and know Mr. Betts?
Also, will email Zach Strommer to see what he knows.
I read that swans will often attempt to a second brood if something happens to the first clutch. I have noticed that the male of this pair spends a great deal of time on the nest. Adults will continue to nest for as long as they can feel life in the eggs.
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