Author: Kimsmithdesigns

Documentary filmmaker, photographer, landscape designer, author, and illustrator. "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" currently airing on PBS. Current film projects include Piping Plovers, Gloucester's Feast of St. Joseph, and Saint Peter's Fiesta. Visit my websites for more information about film and design projects at kimsmithdesigns.com, monarchbutterflyfilm.com, and pipingploverproject.org. Author/illustrator "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."

SAVE THE DATE – “THE HUMMINGBIRD GARDEN” – MY NEW PRESENTATION FOR THE NORTH SHORE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

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The Hummingbird Garden

October 24th at 7:30pm

Sacred Heart Church Parish hall

62 School Street

Manchester, MA

The North Shore Horticultural Society has invited me to give a presentation about the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Over the years I have shared so much info about attracting this tiny avian pollinator that it was exciting to put the lecture together, just a matter of collecting all the bits into a cohesive program. BTW, it’s been a phenomenal year for hummingbirds in Cape Ann gardens!  

“The Hummingbird Garden” is free for members and five dollars for guests.

I am looking forward to giving this program and hope to see you there!

The Hummingbird Garden

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only species of hummingbird that nests in Massachusetts. Learn what to plant to help sustain this elusive beauty while it is breeding in our region and during its annual spring and fall migrations. Through photographs and discussion we’ll learn about the life cycle of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and the best plants to attract this tiniest of breeding birds to your garden.
Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

THAT CALICO CAT BIRD -RUDDY TURNSTONES MIGRATING THROUGH CAPE ANN!

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For the past several weeks a beautiful mixed flock of shorebirds has been stationed along our shores, foraging and fattening up for the next leg of their journey. The flock includes one gorgeous long-legged Willet, two teetering Spotted Sandpipers, half a dozen chunky Ruddy Turnstones, a dozen or so skittish Black-bellied Plovers, and dozens and dozens of sociable Semi-palmated Plovers, Semi-palmated Sandpipers, and Sanderlings.

Today’s feature is the Ruddy Turnstone, which I wrote a bit about here: RUDDY TURNSTONE.

It was later in the season when the photo in that post was shared and that bird had lost much of its breeding plumage.

The flock that is here now is still vibrantly colored in its feathered pattern of rust, white, and black–just like a calico cat. Notice its bright orange legs and chunky little shape. They run in and out of the surf vigorously pulling at seaweed mostly looking for tiny invertebrates.

A pair shared a crabmeat breakfast, scavenged from between the rocks.

If you are seeing Ruddy Turnstones, please write and let me know. Thank you!

REGIONAL PREMIERE: THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT OPENS IN GLOUCESTER AT THE GLOUCESTER STAGE COMAPNY

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Robert Walsh, Artistic Director   Christopher Griffith, Interim Managing Director

From: Heidi J. Dallin, Media Relations Director Phone: 978-281-4099/978-283-6688 Email: hjdallin@hotmail.com

FIRST REGIONAL PRODUCTION OF RECENT BROADWAY HIT:

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT

OPENS AT GLOUCESTER STAGE

Gloucester Stage Company continues its 40th Anniversary Season of professional theater with the regional premiere of The Lifespan of a Fact from August 30 through September 22 at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.Gloucester Stage is the first theater in the country to produce the critically-acclaimed The Lifespan of a Fact since the play’s SRO smash hit world premiere Broadway run featuring Daniel Radcliffe, Cherry Jones, and Bobby Cannavale closed in January 2019. Written by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell, based on the book by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal, The Lifespan of a Fact is the ultimate showdown between truth and fiction. A determined young fact checker is about to stir up trouble. His demanding editor has given him a big new assignment: a groundbreaking piece by an unorthodox author. Together, they take on the high-stakes world of publishing in this new play about the comedy of conflict. Directed by Sam Weisman, The Lifespan of a Fact cast features GSC veterans Mickey Solis as John, the author; and Lindsay Crouse as Emily, his editor; and GSC newcomer Derek Speedy as Jim, the fact checker. The Lifespan of a Fact runs from August 30 through September 22. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.

The Lifespan of a Fact reunites director Sam Weisman, actor Mickey Solis and Academy Award nominee and Gloucester resident actress Lindsay Crouse after their celebrated collaboration in GSC’s 2017 New England premiere of Lucy Prebble’s, The Effect. Prior to 2017 Crouse and Weisman worked together in the 1995 feature film Bye-Bye-Love which was directed by Weisman and starred Crouse.

Director Sam Weisman made his GSC directing debut with 2017’s critically acclaimed The Effect. He has directed film, television, and theatre including the feature films, George of the Jungle (which received a British Academy Award nomination for Best Children’s Movie); The Out-of-Towners (starring Steve Martin, Goldie Hawn, and John Cleese); D2: The Mighty Ducks, andDickie Roberts (starring David Spade, produced by Adam Sandler). He also was Co-Producer of the feature film, DAD (starring Jack Lemmon, Olympia Dukakis, and Ted Danson). Mr. Weisman has directed or produced over 200 television episodes, for such shows as Family Ties, Moonlighting, L.A. Law, Seventh Heaven (Pilot Episode), Law and Order, Monk, In Plain Sight, and The Bernie Mac Show. His television work has received three Emmy Nominations, multiple Humanitas Awards, two Golden Globe Nominations, and a Golden Globe Award. His pilot of the critically acclaimed series, Brooklyn Bridge, was honored by TV GUIDE as one of the best television episodes of all time. Mr. Weisman’s theatre work has received much recognition, including multiple Drama-Logue and LA Weekly Awards, and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Best Director honors for the West Coast premieres of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal (starring Ian McShane and Penny Fuller) and Simon Gray’s The Common Pursuit(featuring Nathan Lane). Other West Coast theatre credits include James Lapine’s Table Settings, and an acclaimed production of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child (starring Ralph Waite and Nan Martin) at South Coast Repertory Theatre. At The Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, he directed Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero, and the world premiere of John Kolvenbach’s Gizmo Love. Recent work includes developing several feature film projects, such as The Miracle of St. Anthony, a Walden Media film based on the New York Times best-selling book of the same name. In addition, he is the Co-Creator and Executive Producer of THE SING OFF, NBC Television’s a cappella singing competition.

Lindsay Crouse is an award-winning veteran of stage and screen. In the New York theater she spent seven years with the Circle Repertory Company, winning critics’ praise for her portrayal of Ophelia in Hamlet and Viola in Twelfth Night, and garnering an Obie Award for David Mamet’s Reunion. On Broadway she won a Theater World Award for her performance as Ruth in Pinter’sThe Homecoming. For the last decade Ms. Crouse has played a wide range of characters at Gloucester Stage. She joined the cast of the riotous trilogy, The Norman Conquests, by Alan Ayckbourn, sharing with them Boston’s IRNE award for Best Ensemble, and she received an IRNE nomination for her performance as Lettice in Peter Schaffer’s madcap comedy, Lettice and Lovage.  On the dramatic side she played the doctor in the searing duet, Going to St. Ives, received raves for her portrayal of Emily Dickinson in The Belle of Amherst, and won the IRNE Award for Best Actress for her performance as Daisy in Alfred Uhry’s Driving Miss Daisy directed by Benny Sato Ambush. Most recently, she appeared on the GSC stage in the IRNE Award winning Best Production of Dancing in Lughnasa in 2018. On television she played three different characters on Law & Order, and spent a season on Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the infamous Maggie Walsh. She was nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Performer in the Children’s Special, Mother and Daughter, and for a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album, “The Complete Shakespeare Sonnets. Some of Lindsay’s best known feature films include All The President’s Men, House of Games, The Verdict, The Insider, Mr. Brooks, Slapshot, Prince of the City, Daniel, and Places in the Heart, for which she received an Academy Award nomination.A longtime Gloucester resident, Ms. Crouse began spending her summers in Gloucester as a child and is now a Gloucester resident. Her parents began summering in Gloucester in the late 1940’s as an escape from New York City. Lindsay’s father playwright Russel Crouse found inspiration on Cape Ann. He often worked here with his longtime partner and collaborator Howard Lindsay. Their partnership of over 28 years is one of the longest in theater history and responsible for such hits as The Sound of Music, Anything Goes, Life With Father and the Pulitzer Prize winning The State of the Union among others.

Mickey Solis’ New York and Off Broadway credits include the American premiere of Ivan Viripaev’s Illusions at the Baryshnikov Arts Center; An Orestia with Classic Stage Company; God of Carnage at Engeman Theater; White People at Ensemble Studio Theatre; Night Over Taos at INTAR, directed by Estelle Parsons; The Master and Margarita at the Fisher Center; Beckett at 100(at the 92nd St. Y with Alvin Epstein and Bill Camp); Error of Their Ways at HERE Arts Center; and Private Moments in Central Park directed by David Levine for Creative Time. Regionally he has worked at the Yale Repertory; American Repertory Theater; Dangerous Ground (Brooklyn); Triad Stage; Appalachian Summer Festival; New College Theater; Moscow Art Theater; Epic Theater; Shakespeare on the Sound and Kentucky Shakespeare Festival.

Derek Speedy is recent graduate of Harvard University where he was a four-year cast member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. His credits include: Dogfight (Eddie Birdlace); Assassins (John Hinckley Jr.); Polaroid Stories (Orpheus); Into the Woods (The Baker) andPericles (Antiochus/Pandar). He received his training at  Harvard University, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Stagedoor Manor.

Playwright Jeremy Kareken’s short plays Hot Rod, Big Train, and 80 Cards have been performed around the country and internationally. His awards include the Sewanee Conference’s Dakin Fellowship for Farblondjet, and Guthrie/Playwrights Center’s Two-Headed Challenge for The Sweet Sweet Motherhood.  The Hamptons Film Festival Screenwriters Conference selected Kareken and fellowLifespan playwright David Murrell for their horror-comedy script about haunted breast implants – THESE! Conquered the Earth! In 2018, PlayPenn shortlisted Jeremy’s new political satire about an illiterate king, The Red Wool.  Born and raised in Rochester, NY, and a graduate of the University of Chicago, he has taught at NYU, NYIT, The Actors Studio Drama School, and currently teaches at the Acting Studio – New York. A lifetime member of The Actors Studio, Mr. Kareken occasionally acts and is the researcher for Bravo TV’s Inside the Actors Studio.

Playwright David Murrell’s theater credits include Ductwork (Access Theater, Cleveland Public Theatre); E.T.D and [Untitled Organic Winery Project].  His screenplays include Breed Ambassador; Chomper; The Cold Spot; Girl Gets Razor; Mission: Uncomfortable; A Radio Picture; THESE! Conquered the Earth!  (Hamptons Film Festival Screenwriters Conference) and Walking Kane. Mr. Murrell’s teleplays include:Dayton Ladies; Down River; and Space Station Malibu.  Mr. Murrell was born and raised on Staten Island and graduated from the University of Chicago.  The Lifespan of a Fact is his first Broadway play.

Playwright Gordon Farrell received an MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama in 1986. His plays include With More Than Voices  produced off-off Broadway; Navigators, directed by Arthur Sherman at Primary Stages; and Alice Again, A Tin Star Over Tombstone, and The Voice of America all at Alleyway Theater.  Mr. Farrell worked as a screenwriter at Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers and MGM, writing for producers as varied as Robert Simonds, Bruce Berman, and the late Norman Twain, with whom he developed several screenplays, including one based on the life and literary struggles of J.R.R. Tolkien; an adaptation of Richard Russo’s darkly comic novel, Straight Man; and their final collaboration, The Lifespan of a Fact.  Teaching in NYU’s Dramatic Writing Department for over 25 years, Mr. Farrell’s students include Annie Baker, Lucas Hnath, Christopher Shinn, Jessica Goldberg, Marco Rameriz, Madeleine George, and Chisa Hutchinson, among others. His book, The Power of the Playwright’s Vision, was published by Heinemann Press in 2001 and is now a standard playwriting text in the U.S., England, and Canada.

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES:

AUGUST 30- SEPTEMBER 22

Wednesdays – Saturdays: 7:30 pm;

Saturdays – Sundays: 2:00 pm

PLACE:

Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930

SINGLE TICKET PRICES: Single Ticket prices are $15 to $48 with discounts available for Preview Performances, Senior Citizens, Military Families, and College Students and those under 18 years of age. For detailed ticket information visitwww.gloucesterstage.com

PAY WHAT YOU WISH: SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2 PM: Gloucester Stage is committed to inclusion and diversity, including socio-economic status. Pay What You Wish performances are the first Saturday Matinee (2pm) of each production, allowing access to the arts for all. No one is turned away for lack of funds and donations can be made before or after the show.

CAPE ANN NIGHTS: FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 7:30 PM; SATURDAY, AUGUST 31, 2 PM & 7:30 PM; WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, SEPTEMBER 11 & SEPTEMBER 18, 7:30 PM: Enriching our local community is key to our mission impact. Residents of Cape Ann can purchase $25 tickets at Preview Performances and every Wednesday of each production. Limit of 2 (two) per household. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office 978.281.4433, with a valid address.

POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS: SUNDAY: SEPTEMBER 8 & SEPTEMBER 15: Following the 2 pm performances on Sunday, SEPTEMBER 8 and Sunday, SEPTEMBER 15, audiences are invited to free post-show discussions with the artists from The Lifespan of a Fact.

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Gloucester Stage is a professional non-profit theater providing a unique, intimate experience as audiences are never more than five rows from the stage. Located in a century-old repurposed brick warehouse on the waterfront of Cape Ann, the organization is led by Artistic Director Robert Walsh and Interim Managing Director Christopher Griffith. Entering the company’s 40th Season in 2019, GSC benefits from a loyal audience searching for intellectually stimulating and socially relevant stories.

For further information, call the Gloucester Stage Box Office at 978-281-4433

or visit www.gloucesterstage.com

 

 

ROCK ON GLUSTER! GUSTER IN GLOUCESTER: PHOTOS FROM GLOUCESTER’S 1ST ANNUAL RIVERFEST SEASIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL

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Headlining act Guster gave a fantastic and fabulous-in-every-way show at the Riverfest Seaside Music Festival Saturday afternoon. They played all the fan favorites for a wonderfully fun and eclectic audience. Some of my favorite songs from their beautiful repertoire of music included “Amsterdam, “Do You Love Me,” “This Could All Be Yours,” “Homecoming King,” “Satellite,” “Stay With Me Jesus,” and many, many more. Video with music highlights to come later this week 🙂

Although I had to work most of the day and didn’t get to the event until after 3:30, the festival went fabulously well, from this fan’s perspective. A huge shout out to Donald St. Sauveur and radio 92.5 The River (the best rock radio station, bar none!), Mayor Sefatia and her team for bringing Riverfest to Gloucester, to Jill Cahill and Gloucester’s stellar DPW for the advanced planning and organizing (Stage Fort Park looked absolutely gorgeous!), to all the sponsors, and especially to the fans. Everyone was having a grand time-enjoying the music, dancing, spending time with family and friends, and just having fun.

Thank you festival organizers for a wonderfully new and exciting event for Gloucester! I hope it is the the first of many Riverfests to come!!!

GET READY FOR GLOUCESTER’S FIRST EVER RIVERFEST!

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EXCITIMENT IS BUILDING FOR GLOUCESTER’S FIRST EVER RIVERFEST SEASIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL!

GUSTER HEADLINING

TIME ARTIST
12:00 – 1:00 PM Tall Heights
1:30 – 2:30 PM Mt. Joy
3:00 – 4:00 PM Noah Kahan
4:30 – 6:00 PM Guster
LINEUP SAMPLER

 

BEN BUTLER AT THE GLOUCESTER STAGE CO – DON’T MISS THIS STELLAR SHOW, CLOSING SUNDAY AUGUST 25TH

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Gloucester Stage: Ben Butler Triumphs

By Tom Hauck

Now at Gloucester Stage Company through August 25, Ben Butler, written by Richard Strand and directed by Joseph Discher, tells the gripping story of the day in 1861—just after the South seceded from the Union and war was imminent—when three escaped slaves made their way to Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. (It helps to know that although Virginia was part of the Confederacy, Fort Monroe, located on the coast, remained in Union hands throughout the Civil War.)

This comic play with a serious message is based on real events. On May 27, 1861, Major General Benjamin Butler made his famous “contraband” decision, or “Fort Monroe Doctrine,” determining that escaping male slaves who reached Union lines would be considered contraband—that is, part of the rebel war effort—and not be returned to bondage. The order resulted in thousands of slaves fleeing to Union lines around Fort Monroe.

The cast is superb. Ames Adamson shines as the gruff but good-hearted ex-lawyer, Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler. He’s well practiced in the role—this is the third time he’s done it, and he owns the part. Butler is ably assisted by Doug Bowen-Flynn as Lieutenant Kelly, who has the thankless job of interpreting the General’s mercurial pronouncements. And David Debeck admirably portrays the hapless Major John B. Cary, the Confederate officer charged with demanding from Butler the return of the slaves.
But the story’s propulsive engine comes from Shane Taylor as Shepard Mallory, the only one of the slave trio we meet, who takes it upon himself to single-handedly convince a reluctant Ben Butler to give the slaves shelter. Malloy is the disruptor and the catalyst for change. His negotiating skills confound even the sharp legal mind of Butler, who quickly finds himself facing an opponent who knows how to alternately charm, cajole, and threaten his way to his goal.

And as a note of local interest, after the war the real Ben Butler settled in our own Bayview neighborhood, at the present-day Ames estate, and served as the 33rd governor of Massachusetts.

With a running time of about two hours plus intermission, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the drama escalates and the triumphant ending unfolds. See this engaging and insightful production before it closes on August 25.

And be sure to reserve your seats for the next thrilling production at GSC: The first regional production of the Broadway smash hit The Lifespan of a Fact. Directed by Sam Weisman and starring Mickey Solis, Lindsay Crouse, and Derek Speedy, this drama explores the moral quandaries of what creative license is allowed in literary nonfiction, and dramatizes the working relationship between writer and fact checker. The Lifespan of a Fact opens August 30.

For ticket information, call 978-281-4433, or go to http://www.gloucesterstage.com. Don’t wait!

WICKED TUNA? FILMING IN GLOUCESTER HARBOR TODAY, VIA HELICOPTER!

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A low flying helicopter overhead prompted Charlotte and I to head to the Harbor this morning. A fishing captain we met suggested it was a Wicked Tuna film crew, but I don’t recognize the boat Kraken from the show. By the time we got there, a dense fog bank was rolling in and filming quickly ended. If any of our readers know more, please write. Thank you 🙂

What is a Kraken I wondered? From wiki: The Kraken is a legendary cephalodpod-like sea monster of giant size in Scandinavian folklore. According to the Norse sagas, the Kraken dwells off the coast of Norway and Greenland and terrorizes nearby sailors. Authors over the years have postulated that the legend may have originated from sightings of giant squids that may grow 13-15 meters (40 to 50 feet) in length. Read more here.

GINORMOUS FISH HEAD STUCK ONTO A POST – WHAT SPECIES PLEASE?

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A strange and unusual scene this morning; I’m sure someone can tell what type of fish, despite its decomposed state. You can see in the photo with the man walking by provided for scale that the fish head was about twenty inches by twenty inches.

Thank you if you can identify :)

 It sure was smelly!

CALLING ALL POLLINATORS!

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This wonderful urban habitat garden is an inviting paradise for the neighborhood pollinators – and the Inn’s guests and neighbors love it too 🙂

Welcome to the Mary Prentiss Inn!

The Mary Prentiss Inn

6 Prentiss Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts
617-661-2829

KIM SMITH MONARCH BUTTERFLY PROGRAM FOR KIDS AT THE SAWYER FREE LIBRARY

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Come join us Wednesday morning from 10am to 11am at the Sawyer Free Library where I will be sharing Monarch fun with young people. We have art activities, as well as eggs, caterpillars, chrysalides, and possibly a butterfly or two emerging on the day of the program. I hope you can join us!

The program is held in conjunction with the Cape Ann Reads exhibit currently on view at the main floor of the Sawyer Free.

2019 has been an amazing year for Monarchs. We got off to a very early and fantastic start, but then with a wave of cool rainy weather the Monarch movement slowed considerably. Despite the slow down, we’ve had at least two subsequent waves come through for a total of three broods this summer. Hopefully this will translate to a great 2019 migration followed by strong numbers at the Monarch butterfly’s winter sanctuaries at Michoacán and the state of Mexico.

The eggs we see now on milkweed plants are the super generation of Monarchs that will travel to Mexico.

The photos show the Monarch caterpillar becoming a chrysalis. When ready to pupate, the caterpillar finds a safe place and spins a silky mat. He inserts his last pair of legs into the silky mat and hangs upside down in a J-shape for about a day. Biological developments that began when the caterpillar first emerged are in high gear now. The caterpillar’s suit, or exoskeleton, splits along the center line of the thorax and shrivels as the developing green chrysalis is revealed. The last photo in the gallery shows the moment when the old skin is tossed off.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Bl9XZHu1a/

GUSTER HEADLINING RIVERFEST SEASIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL SATURDAY AUGUST 24TH!!!

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Less than a week from Riverfest! Headliners Guster will be on from 4:30 to 6:00. GO HERE for the complete line-up and more information.

RSMF Logo

We heard you when you told us we’d outgrown the venue in Newburyport. So, we’re excited to share that Riverfest is moving to a new, larger venue — beautiful Stage Fort Park, Gloucester, overlooking Gloucester Harbor.

And we’ve also moved the event up one week from its traditional Labor Day weekend. The event will be held Saturday, August 24, 2019, 12-6pm.

But something that definitely hasn’t changed — Riverfest will continue to be free and open to the public, as it’s always been.

We’re stoked about the future for this popular, annual event, and we hope you’ll join us on August 24th for an awesome day of live music and great vibes!

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The Riverfest Seaside Music Festival is a free show open to the public, now in it’s 18th year! Because of the popularity of this event, attendees are encouraged to get there early with blankets & chairs for a day of great live music!

Help keep Gloucester and Stage Fort Park beautiful! Please do not leave behind cigarette butts, trash, food, etc. Put all trash/recycling in proper barrels.

Dogs and other pets must be on a leash at all times.

Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in Stage Fort Park, except within the designated age 21+ area(s) specially permitted during this event.

GOOD MORNING FROM THE BEE-FRIENDLY SUNFLOWER GARDEN

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Oh happy pollinator days! More photos to come in the upcoming week from this glorious Bee-friendly garden 🙂

AUGUST FULL MELON MOON

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Cantaloupe in the sky – the August full moon is most often called the Sturgeon Moon but my favorite name is the Blueberry Moon.

Blueberry Moon rising.

NICOLE DUCKWORTH FUNDRAISER “DONATE FOR LIFE”

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Friends, please consider donating to my friend Nicole Duckworth’s fundraiser. She is running the NEDS Falmouth Road Race on Sunday, August 18th, to raise money and awareness of the need for organ donations. NEDS is an acronym for New England Donor Services. She had a wonderfully successful bake sale to raise funds and any additional donation would be tremendously appreciated. Thank you so much! Please donate here.

Erica is here thanks to her organ donor. Learn more and register online at Register Here

TEETERING SPOTTED SANDPIPER

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On our shores today you may find the charming teetering tip-tailed Spotted Sandpiper. They are a medium sized-shorebird, larger than the Semipalmated Sandpiper you see in the photos, but not as large as the Ruddy Turnstones they are currently migrating alongside. Spotted Sandpipers have a characteristic bobbing-teetering movement when foraging, which has earned the bird its many common names including including Tip-tail, Teeter-bob, Teeter-peep,and Perk Bird.

Fun fact: During breeding season the females may be monogamous, or they may also lay up to four different clutches of eggs, with a different male assigned to each nest. Remarkable!

Although considered common, I don’t often see the Tip-tail on our locaL beaches so it was a joy to spot several this past week, in vary stages of fading breeding plumage.


The Spotted Sandpiper in the above photo has retained some of its spots. The spots give way to a pure white breast during the winter months.

Spotted Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage.

 

The Spotted Sandpiper often forages in a crouched manner.

 

ANTIQUE TABLE DINNER MENU!

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We’re looking forward to trying Cape Ann’s newest restaurant this evening and will let you know how we fare 🙂 The menu looks very enticing.

Dinner Menu

Antique Table Dinner Menu

View Lunch Menu

Soups

$5.95 Minestrone Soup
$5.95 Chicken and Vegetable Soup
$6.95 Clam Chowder

Salads

$7.95 House Salad
Field greens, cherry tomatoes, red onions, cucumber, creamy balsamic vinegar dressing
$8.95 Caesar
Romaine hearts, caesar dressing and our homemade crostini, parmigiano cheese
$10.95 Caprese Salad
Fresh mozzarella, vine tomatoes, roasted peppers basil, extra virgin olive oil.
$8.95 Spinach Salad
Baby spinach, roasted peppers, tomatoes and honey-roasted walnuts with a lemon dressing.

Appetizers

$14.95 Antique Table Antipasto
Sampling of cured meats with vegetables and cheese
$12.95 Fried Calamari
Crispy fried Squid rings, and hot cherry peppers served in a spicy marinara sauce hot cherry peppers.
$14.95 Mussels
Sauteed with choice of garlic, olive oil and wine or marinara.
$16.95 Antique Table Clams
Sauteed with garlic, olive oil, onions, fresh tomatoes and baby spinach in a white wine sauce.
$13.95 Shrimp Grand Marnier
Egg battered shrimp, flamed with grand marnier liqueur and orange juice.
$10.95 Meatballs
Home made with mushrooms, in red sauce topped with ricotta cheese.
$11.95 Eggplant Rollatine
Stuffed with mozzarella, Romano cheese and basil, served in a marinara sauce with crostinis.
$12.95 Prosciutto Rollatine
Prosciutto rolled with provolone cheese, peppers & basil, drizzled with balsamic reduction.
$10.95 Bruschetta
Toasted bread, topped with diced tomatoes, basil, olive oil, garlic & pesto sauce.

Pizza

$10.95 Margherita Pizza
Roasted garlic, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and basil.
$11.95 Antique Table Pizza
Red and green peppers, onions, mushrooms, grilled chicken breast and mozzarella cheese.
$13.95 Shrimp Scampi Pizza
Baby shrimp with garlic, lemon, olive oil and mozzarella cheese
$10.95 Boscaiola Pizza
Marinara sauce, mushrooms, prosciutto and smoked mozzarella

Sides

$6.95 Broccoli Rabe
$2.95 Oven Roasted Potatoes
$3.95 Sauteed Spinach with Garlic and Oil
$3.95 Oven Roasted Seasonal Vegetables

Pastas

$16.95 Chicken, Ziti, & Broccoli
Choice of garlic oil and fresh tomatoes or Alfredo sauce
$16.95 Penne Vodka
Sauteed chicken, bell peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes in a pink vodka sauce.
$14.95 Cheese Ravioli
Our homemade Ravioli served with marinara sauce.
$18.95 Lobster Ravioli
Lobster filled ravioli in our delicious lobster cream sauce.
$17.95 *Gnocchi Basilico
Potato gnocchi sauteed with garlic, fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil & romano cheese.
$16.95 Bolognese
Our delicious hearty meat sauce ,tossed with your choice of pasta
$15.95 Ricotta gnocchi
Hand Rolled with wild mushrooms & Alfredo or baked with marinara, mozzarella cheese & basil.

Entrees

$15.95 Eggplant Parmigiana
$16.95 Chicken Parmigiana
$18.95 Veal Parmigiana
Breaded, baked with marinara sauce, basil and mozzarella cheese served with pasta.
$16.95 Chicken Florentine
$18.95 Veal Florentine
Chicken or Veal cutlet, with roasted peppers and baby spinach in Alfredo sauce. Served with pasta.
$16.95 Chicken Marsala
$18.95 Veal Marsala
Pan seared with mushrooms in a marsala wine sauce. Served with pasta.
$16.95 Chicken or Veal Saltimbocca
Baked in Alfredo sauce, topped with prosciutto, provolone & romano cheese served with pasta.
$16.95 Chicken or Veal Francese with Pasta
sauteed egg battered chicken breast with artichoke hearts & fresh tomatoes in lemon & white wine sauce.
$17.95 Orechiette
Sweet Italian sausage ragu, sauteed with garlic and broccoli rabe in a light tomato sauce.
$16.95 Fettucini Carbonara
Prosciutto, onions and romano cheese in an Alfredo sauce.
$16.95 Fettucini Putanesca
Garlic, olive oil, anchovies, capers, olives and basil in a marinara sauce.
$18.95 Antique Table Fettucini
Sauteed with shrimp and spinach in an Alfredo sauce.
$18.95 Linguini Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Pan seared shrimp with garlic and basil in a spicy marinara sauce.
$17.95 Linguini Mussels
$18.95 Linguini Clams
With your choice of garlic, olive oil and wine sauce or marinara sauce.
$18.95 Chicken Valdostana
Topped with prosciutto and fontina cheese, stuffed with spinach, & roasted peppers over roasted vegetables & potatoes in a tarragon and truffle oil cream sauce
$16.95 Chicken Picatta
$18.95 Veal Picatta
Pan seared with capers and lemon in a white wine sauce, served with pasta.
$23.95 Di Mare- with choice of Risotto or pasta
Clams, mussels, calamari, scallops & shrimp sauteed with garlic. Choice of red sauce or garlic white wine.
$20.95 *Salmon
Pan seared and topped with tomato and caper sauce, served with roasted vegetables
$18.95 * Fried Haddock
Rolled in pecarino cheese and served with our homemade tartar sauce and roasted potatoes.
$18.95 *Antique Table Haddock
Panko crusted and pan seared haddock served over risotto in a lemon caper, butter and white wine sauce.
$21.95 Pork Chop
French cut and stuffed with bacon, figs and gouda cheese, served in a creamy port wine with mushrooms & roasted potatoes
* served with a side salad

BLUE HERON – FIERCEST HUNTER OF THE FROG POND

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

In the span of about ten minutes, fifteen minutes tops, this Little Blue Heron ate a fish and three froglets (froglets are frogs that still have their tadpole tails).

Little Blue Heron eating froglet (note the frog’s tail).

According to Audubon and Cornell’s website, they are scarce breeders on Cape Ann, but I am not so sure about that. Although we are at the northern range of their breeding range, every year we see many first hatch year Little Blue Herons gathering at our local ponds along with other herons and egrets. They are definitely breeding on Cape Ann, despite maps that say otherwise.

https://goodmorninggloucester.org/2018/10/02/admiring-the-rarely-seen-little-blue-calico-heron/

https://goodmorninggloucester.org/2018/08/13/a-fine-froggy-lunch-for-a-little-blue-heron/

https://goodmorninggloucester.org/2018/09/18/a-fine-froggy-dinner-for-a-little-blue-heron/

SNOWBERRY CLEARWINGS MATING ON SUNFLOWERS!

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Reader DB sent in this terrific capture of a pair of Snowberry Clearwing Moths mating on her sunflowers.

Another name for the Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis) is Bumblebee Moth. Snowberry Clearwings are in the same family as Hummingbird Clearwing Moths (Hemaris thysbe). Snowberry Moths have yellow and black colors similar to Bumblebees while Hummingbird Clearwings, which are reddish brown and green, look more like Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

If you would like to attract clearwing moths to your garden, plant plenty of nectar-rich flowers that bloom in July especially. And even more importantly, plant the caterpillar food plants. The females deposit their eggs on honeysuckles, viburnums, blueberries, snowberry, and members of the rose family.

Another way to help clearwing moths is to NOT tidy up your garden in the fall. As is the case with so many species of Lepidoptera, and other insects, they overwinter in the leaf litter at the base of plants. Snowberry Clearwing Moths emerge in late spring and early summer from cocoons hidden in leaves.


Snowberry Clearwing Moth