Day: May 7, 2018
PICK YOUR OWN BOUQUETS OF FABULOUSNESS AT CEDAR ROCK GARDENS!
Elise and Tucker’s fields of fabulousness are begging to be picked.
Why do the tulips at Cedar Rock Gardens always open with such exquisite beauty I wonder? Must be all that TLC they apply ❤Come by and pick your own. Cedar Rock Gardens is located at 299 Concord Street and is open everyday from 8am to 5pm, except Wednesday’s til 6pm.
New (1591) Rialto Bridge
Off Shore Road on Sunday
On Shore Road on Sunday the whales gave us all a thrill. It was amazing to watch and listen to the people watching the whales. There were claps and lots of looks of awe. NOAA reminds boaters to say far away from these beautiful animals. As you can see there was a yellow boat way to close.
BREAKING: PLOVER EGG IN THE PARKING LOT AT GOOD HARBOR BEACH
Nest with egg in the parking lot at Good Harbor Beach
Thanks to our awesome DPW, who has barricaded the area, and to my husband Tom, who discovered the egg, our PiPlover egg is protected from cars and trucks. I checked on the PiPl this morning before work at about 6:30 to 7am and the PiPl were courting in the #3 nesting area. A dog off leash ran by and they quickly flew. I checked for an egg in their nest scrape in the parking lot before leaving and the egg had not yet been laid. Tom discovered the single egg at 11am and immediately spoke to Phil Cucuru, who was working on the boardwalks.
Kevin Mazzeo, Phil Cucuru, Kenny Ryan, Joe Lucido, and Steve Peters were immediately on the job, placing a barricade around the nest.
We are all going to work together to help our PiPl pair, despite this most difficult of all locations. One thing the pair has going for it is that this is relatively early in the season. If all four are laid within the upcoming week, we could have chicks by mid-June, a full two weeks earlier than last year. Dave Rimmer, from Greenbelt, will be placing the exclosure around the egg shortly. The DPW is placing a second tier barricade around the nest.
Please, please please, do not allow your dog in the GHB parking lot or on the beach. There were umpteen dogs, off leash and on, at Good Harbor Beach this past week, despite the fact that there should be no dogs after May 1st. I asked each person who had brought their dog where they were from–it seemed fairly equal–half were from out of town and half were local.
Our Mama and Papa are still mating in the nesting area. Whether the parking lot is their alternate plan or the only plan, at this point, please no dogs.
A second pair of PiPl arrived yesterday. Will they be staying or is GHB is just a stopover? The following may sound like a strange request, but part of the problem this weekend was kites. Just as we love dogs, there are few things more magical to a young child than flying a kite on the beach. The issue is, when folks are flying their kite over the nesting area, to a PiPl, a kite looks like a giant vulture looming overhead, ready to snatch them up. Please when flying a kite (or a drone) on the beach, please fly away from the nesting area, keeping the kite at least 500 yards away from the Plovers. Early in the season there was a pair of Turkey Vultures eating a dead seagull on the beach. It was amazing to film the PiPl reaction because as the Vultures flew overhead, all the PiPl, and the one Dunlin, foraging in the intertidal zone flattened to the sand in unison, and stayed that way long after the Vulture had disappeared over the horizon.Thank you to everyone for all that you are doing to help the PiPl. Special thanks to Joe Lucido, Phil Cucuru, and the tremendous support from the DPW crew, to PiPl monitor Heather Hall, who spent many hours at GHB this past weekend watching over the PiPl, and to my husband Tom, for his eagle eyes.
Mama and Papa courting in the nesting area in today’s early morning fog.
Music Around Town ~ May 7-13, 2018
GO! Whale sightings NOW off the shores of Magnolia #GloucesterMA

David Vanderhooft writes about his whale sightings May 6 & 7, 2018
He’s counted five total today.
“The whales are around this morning; I saw the spouts around 9:00, relatively farther offshore. Yesterday they were in the vicinity all day, with one cruising between Magnolia and Kettle Island around noon, and all within view of the naked eye. Lots of people with binoculars, telescopes, cameras. As I mentioned in my post, at least one whale has a dorsal fin, which right whales apparently do not.”
Keep to shore!
“Please do remind everyone that it’s a stiff fine if one approaches them. Yesterday there were several kayakers and at least one paddle boarder who went out, and one sailboat too. The lobstermen seem to be observing the rule with care, as I haven’t seen very many.”
I look forward to seeing the Magnolia photographs and hearing more spectator reactions. What a gift this spring. Thanks so much for writing, David.
Around Town #31
Gloucester Smiles with Cape Ann Foodie Tours
Cindy owner of Cape Ann Foodie Tours has a Gloucester Smile with her husband.
Check Out Cape Ann Foodie Tours
Gloucester Smiles-903
Best Deal on the Harbor!
Best Deal on the Harbor!
“Water Shuttle Seasonal Passes”
Only $60 before June 30th.
Ready, Set, Go
Thatch took this photo Saturday afternoon. Not bad for a 10 year old. Makes me happy.
Random Sights
I like to drive around town just to see the sights. These are some I saw on a recent day’s drive around the Cape and beyond.
A favorite stop to catch some boats at rest Harbor Cove
Also at rest, but on the Annisquam
Scary leftover winter damage and erosion at Salisbury Beach (yes, I leave the island now and again)
It does pay to look up once in a while. Perhaps a juvenile red tailed hawk.
Two of the three swans I spotted at Parker River Refuge
Ipswich lines and reflections that enchanted me that day