The rare Steller’s Sea Eagle from Asia that was hanging out mid to late December in the Taunton River, MA area, and covered in the local and national press as well as by Kim Smith, is now in Maine. Our daughter Jeannette took these photos of it in Georgetown, south of Bath, on New Year’s Eve day. She and her husband Derek own the Freeport Wild Bird Supply store and provide all our supplies with endless patience reviewing what I want to post with confidence on GMG. There is a lot to learn on their website, freeportwildbirdsupply.com
Steller’s Sea-Eagle, Georgetown, MESteller’s Sea-Eagle, Georgetown, ME
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A Holiday is just another workday for feathers and fur.
Humans – They may have food. An ice shelf to contend with at Niles PondWell, where is it?A patient female MallardOut on the pond, an uninvited male Merganser gets between a coupleThanks DearRed-tailed Hawk (center) harrassed by dive-bombing crows at the Audubon SanctuaryScore one for the crowsNot the venison we had for Christmas dinnerThis White-tail was too quick, during a regular sunset visitAnd the sun, setting farthest to the south of Eastern Point light
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There are rock ownership issuse out here. But wildlife generally gets along (unless you’re dinner). Happy Solstice tomorrow.
Loud barking when a second seal hauled out on the same Brace Cove rockMallards generally claim this Niles Pond rockAnd share it with the turtles during lily pad seasonBut lately Hank Heron has moved inOne lady was clearly expressing her displeasureLarge Hank had no concern and raised a leg to restUntil two noisy tree surgeon trucks passed byMeanwhile, diving Mergansers were having a bad hair dayAnd a Black-crowned Night Heron hid in the reeds at water’s-edge
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Another week of walks checking in with our friends.
Winterberry Holly is adjusting to rain and frostStarlings are passing throughTurkeys not far from their reflections at their favorite red carA Mallard and a Cormorant know where the rocks are close to the surfaceHank Heron is still hunting at Niles PondWe’re on the road just 6 feet awayMerganser greeting us, close to the reedsFlying in to check out the male with two womenA gaggle of Canada Geese on the pondThen moving onChinese yacht ‘Zhai Mo-1’ out for sea trials, following repairs due to Greenland ice encounterSmoother return to Gloucester Marine Railways, before provisioning for China
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Something has the Cormorants’ attentionA Great Blue Heron, motionless like a statueWatching me, ten feet away, as well as the pondA female Mallard beauty with every feather in placeThe boys (with one interloper) huddle to discuss the next playWe gather this is a cross between a Mallard and an American Black DuckOK, so this was a month or so ago – last flight out to Mexico for the MonarchsA Bald Eagle flew in over our heads this morningSome kind of interest in the harborHere it is – some tender loving care for ‘One Love’And concluding with this evening’s sunset. We’re spoiled.
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The holiday had no impact on life around us (except the first photo).
A selfie with a sign of the seasonNot certain whether this ball is normalThat’s better; lots of Mallard couples on Niles PondWhat did this Merganser find on the bottom? Yucky!Red-breasted Merganser (left) showing proper fishing form to a juvenileSeal waiting line at Brace Cove as tidal rocks get exposedI claim this oneLast Fresh flowers of the seasonNorthern Harrier hunts low over the Audubon sanctuaryIt’s getting dark earlyAnd the sun is setting well south of the lighthouse
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The seals approve of Brace Cove. We had a record (for us) of 24 this last weekend.
Here are 10 of the 24Another grouping in the panoramaThis little guy found the last rock to appear at low tideOn the other side of the causeway, it was ladies evening out on Niles PondThis is the reddest tree everThe USCG is always trainingAnd with some unseasonably warm weather, evening fishing remains popularOnce again the sun will start setting to the left (south) of the lighthouse
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This seems to be the bird edition. More Feathers than Fur around recently.
White-breasted Nuthatch enjoying dinner at our rustic cafeDowny Woodpecker literally scampering up and down the patio door screenGot room for one more? Actually, they’re hiding now through ThanksgivingCooper’s Hawk skimmed our heads and landed at a better observation postEvery feather has its placeMallard couples at Niles Pond, taking over the turtle rockThis Ring-necked Duck did have 4 cousins with himGulls relaxing at Brace CoveCode Red Alert!One lap around the cove and back
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Our secondary minor storm came through Saturday and was enough to keep the surf up at Brace Cove.
The venue, with Twin Lights in the background; taken from Brace RockWaiting for an eligible waveUp for easy cruising (if you know what you’re doing)Graceful style – looks applicable to downhill skiingSecond surfer catching a nice waveShowing off for the first surfer on his way back outGood form as wellAlways good to stay clear of the rocksThe largest wave attempt while I was watchingA very quick descentAnd an impressive recoveryBut the ocean won this encounter
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The surf is still noisy, but the nor’easter has passed out to sea. Back to the daily walk (we were fortunate not to lose power or have damage).
Tree surgeons said the challenge is removing branches without causing another outageInstant apple harvest on our roadCrackers for the quackersMother Ann has witnessed many a stormAn unfortunate casualty – injured wingAfter a dark week, the sun begins to poke throughThe setting sun under the clouds produces a warm glowWaning daylightFinally a visible sunset
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Hank, our resident Great Blue Heron, has returned for the fall, and is putting up with this week’s bad weather.
He was escorted in by a squadron of gullsOne evening he waited to hunt down on the rocksTwo days ago he brought along some friends (5 herons in this photo)Hank standing tall, although wet, on his favorite branchYou can’t help but be grouchy during a downpourHunting should improve after the Northeast storm lets upMaybe the crows will then leave him alone
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I read in the Gloucester Times this morning that there was a Chinese yacht hauled out for repairs at Gloucester Marine Railways on Rocky Neck. She hit an iceberg north of Greenland on her attempted cicumnavigation of the Arctic Ocean. She apparently was denied passage through Canadian waters due to the COVID close-down, and was headed toward the Panama Canal on her return to China. She pulled into Gloucester for repairs.
Chinese ketch Zhai Mo 1 (also name of owner)Up on the waysTaking advantage of other repairsCracked keel welded, and “doubling-up” plate addedMuch more to see at the RailwaysJoe repairing fishnetsBadfish, in the Wicked Tuna TV series, was docked at the former MadFish GrillHot Tuna, another competitor, was also thereHad a good conversation with Jarred (may have name wrong)Stickers on Hot Tuna’s wheelhouse
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A beautiful Saturday afternoon down at the harbor on Stacy Boulevard. I thought the spring tulips were pretty impressive, but the dahlias and their daylily cousins are amazing. Congratulations to the volunteer ‘Generous Gardeners.’
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After a year off for COVID, it was great to have the Cape Ann Plein Air Festival back this past week. It is now sought after by artists nation-wide. This year 200 applicants were judged for their work and the limit of 35 were accepted. The final event today, after the Gala, is fun because it gets all the artists together in one area to produce a painting in just 2 hours for the “Quick Draw.”
It took place this year on the waterfront at Harbor Loop, and Maritime GloucesterFamiliar sights were visible, like The Paint FactoryRussell and his wife, from South Carolina, stayed with us this yearOur neighbor’s brother was up from MarylandI’m told the ages of the artists spanned from their 20s to their 80sPainters painting together with the statue of Fitz Henry (Hugh) LaneA painter painting the painters painting with FitzAfter the 2 hours, the artists framed their paintings and set them up for viewingWith hope for a sale, which is more frequent with ever increasing CAPA popularityAt the Gala, which capped off the the week of competition, Johnathan McPhillips took top honors
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I posted this on GMG Saturday afternoon. It was followed by a very large posting that slid it and others down the page, and shortly off the recent postings on the live website. Joey approved a re-posting, but apologies if this is a repeat.
Woolly Bear Folklore:
“The longer the woolly bear’s black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. … If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe. If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold.”
You be the judge. Also, I always wondered if they turned into beautiful moths or butterflies (see first two photos).
This Woolly Bear was out for a walk with us – head at upper leftHe’ll turn into an Isabella Tiger moth (thank you Internet)A Red-tailed Hawk hovering over its dinner on the Audubon landSpeaking of dinner – is this a keeper?Another walking companionCan you still see me?And speaking of deer – the elegant visitor ‘Deer Dancer’A Turkey Vulture scouting for road kill, or something fresherThis month is apple-picking seasonThe Turtles’ favorite rock is finally visible, but tight for a three-some (see 3 heads)Looks like a good year for Monarchs assembling for their flight to MexicoGulls lit by the setting sunAnd another impressive sunset over Lighthouse Cove mooring field
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“The longer the woolly bear’s black bands, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. … If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe. If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold.” You be the judge. I always wondered if they turned into moths or butterflies. See first two photos.
This Woolly Bear was also out for a walk – head at upper leftHe’ll turn into an Isabella Tiger moth (thank you Internet)A Red-tailed Hawk hovering over its dinner on the Audubon landAnother walking companionCan you see me now?Speaking of dinner – is this a keeper?And speaking of deer – elegant visitor ‘Deer Dancer’Looks like a good year for Monarchs assembling for their flight to MexicoA Turkey Vulture scouting for road kill, or something fresherThis month is apple-picking seasonThe turtles’ favorite rock is finally visible, but tight for a three-some (3 heads)Gulls lit by the setting sunAnd another impressive sunset over Lighthouse Cove mooring field
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We are just back from a week in the Southwest, with family in the small town of Ridgway, Colorado, and a side trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. My sister and family moved west in the 1970s and became successful ranchers, as well as advocates for local culture and preservation. I post these photographs here, because I see connections with our values on Cape Ann.
Gloucester has “Zeke’s Place” for breakfast (today), in the historic Bulfinch Bldg.Ridgway has “Kate’s Place” for breakfast, behind a western storefrontMy sister’s Double-D ranch with mountains and cattle rather than ocean and fishing boatsMy 1974 photo of Ridgway, used as a movie set for “True Grit” with John Wayne, before our “The Perfect Storm”My sister built new in 1985, including The True Grit Cafe at the rightIt’s great to see “The Grit” is still enjoyed by localsThe bartender showed us photos on her cell phone of mountain lions she saw the previous eveningWe have deer. Telluride (ski town near Ridgway) has elkLike Cape Ann, artists cherish the quality of light and early fall foliage, here on Red Mtn Pass, toward Santa FeSanta Fe is full of galleries, here Rebecca Tobey’s mountain lion at VentanaI got the better of this elk (tenderloin) at the elegant Geronimo Restaurant on Canyon Road
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We had a stressful weekend following a Gannet that landed on the Audubon Sanctuary next to our house. Seabirds come ashore just to rookeries to nest, so it must have had a health issue. Professional help was delayed due to multiple emergencies, and it wasn’t confirmed until this morning that it died, apparently without a predator encounter.
First spotted Thursday afternoon in the rainLittle movement, and sleeping by nightfallUp and alert Friday morning, and preening (still molting)Tried flying, but inadequate flat space to aid takeoffMany unsuccessful attemptsFollowed by some restThen, as we’ve seen before, the crows came in and harassed the larger birdThey drove him toward the bushesAnother attempt to flyLast time visible. Body recovered on Sunday. Lost a beautiful bird
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It was wonderful to have the Schooner Festival back in Gloucester this Labor Day weekend, after last year’s cancellation due to COVID.
Unfortunately, Saturday was Captain Carlo’s last dinner before permanently closingAmerican Eagle, Columbia, and Fritha docked on the waterfrontColumbia and her dories, with the Paint Manufactory and Cape Pond Ice beyondEnjoying a peaceful sunset aboard American Eagle, down from Rockland, METhe foredeck of reproduction fishing schooner Columbia, hailing from Panama City, FLThe Paint Manufactory (now Ocean Alliance), seen through the riggingThe schooners Saturday night, prepared for race daySunday’s Parade of Sail with schooners and spectators headed toward the starting lineColumbia and Roseway about to round Dogbar BreakwaterThe fleet approaching the starting line; a Rhodes-19 bucking the tideGloucester’s restored Adventure, and Columbia, maneuvering before the startHeavy traffic at the startWhen and If (General Patton’s schooner) beats out Columbia for overall honors
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Other parts of the country have it hotter, but we have the humidity too.
Hopeless heat on the deck last weekBut there were ways to cool offA nice repurposing of a tugboatAn impressive visiting yacht, escorted by schooner AdventureThomas E Lannon and Adventure on their third cruises of the dayIt’s always nice to cross tacks with Lannon in the harbor; cool and windy yesterdayWe retained power during two hurricane warnings, but may lose to the Tree SwallowsOne Mourning Dove stood his ground (wire) – “I got here first”Mass Audubon said the swallows were gathering to migrate south. Haven’t left yet.A hint of fall. A beautiful leaf Anne-Lise picked up.
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Good Morning Gloucester 