Author: patmorss

Some odds and ends from our walks from home during the last week-plus.

Gloucester lobster boats came in over the weekend loaded down with their traps, to beat the March 1st temporary moratoriaum during the Right Whale migration.

Another pretty winter weekend on the coast

As we await the next storm, a few outdoor encounters over the last week and a half.

Anne-Lise, my wife, just pulled out a ski sweater she knitted a few years back, which gives me a good opportunity to showcase her Norwegian knitting expertise. This sweater, designed in 2000, celebrates the Millennium and was worn by Norway’s ski team in the 2000 World Championships.  The medallions around the top depict the last 1000 years of Norwegian history, culture, and natural beauty, which are bookended by a symbol of King Olav den Hillige, who Christianized Norway in AD 1000 at the end of the Viking era, and a traditional 8-leaf rose symbolizing King Olav V, when the royal family was forced into temporary exile during WWII.

I was outside Saturday at sunset waiting for our turkeys to fly up into the trees for the night. They were a bit late, so I walked up the driveway and didn’t see them. Coming back down, the first hopped up from behind our neighbor’s fence, and we were equally surprised. Then 2, 3, 4 were on the fence. Apprensive of me, they didn’t drop down to walk across the driveway as usual – they flew one at a time directly from the fence into the trees. By now the other 5 knew something was up, and they flew straight from behind the fence.

Last evening the group faced a different challenge, and caucused in the snow storm discussing the best flight path. They walked back up the driveway, presumably to fly in from the plowed road.

Tuesday’s Northeast Storm didn’t bury us with snow, but the waves o Eastern Point were impressive.

As a Northeast Storm is beginning, we have just come off a busy weekend of waves, wildlife and mystery. The waves were swells parading in with beautiful sunlight. The birds and animals followed their near-regular routines. And unusual things were going on at Niles Pond.

A few happenings during the last week:

Two odd couples among our wildlife friends. Also, our family of 10 turkeys now has an evening obstacle course through our neighbor’s yard, scaling the fence, flying down into our driveway, and then up into the trees to roost for the night.

On Tuesday we had a record (for us) 17 seals hauled out on the low tide rocks at Brace Cove, before sunset; half of them in these photos. On the way over there was a large formation of gulls taking off from the ice on Niles Pond and guiding us to the cove.

On Sunday our family of ten turkeys flew into the trees during the middle of the day (never seen that before). Some relocated to the coastal rocks in the afternoon (never seen that before). Maybe the two Red Foxes, first in the driveway and then down on the rocks, had something to do with this odd behaviour?

And if anyone is wondering where their Mallards went, check out Niles Pond.

A couple of evenings ago, while taking in Christmas lights, a turkey flew off our roof and went careening into the tree brances across the driveway. Last evening we saw at least 4 (probably from our family of ten) roosting in the trees. But first, a New Year’s hello from several of our friends on Niles Pond.

Before the snow is washed away, here are a few more photos of birds at our feeder that have been giving us a lift with their colorful presence and behaviour, during a very strange Christmas and Holiday season. The first is a flashback to the snowstorm last Thursday.

Here are some weekend photos around Eastern Point following the snowstorm. Regarding the first, the closest conjunction (visual) of Saturn and Jupiter since the Middle Ages is right now. I knew it would be overcast, so got this picture last Friday.

Another active week for birds, and a personal record 14 seals at Brace Cove.

First, heartfelt thanks to the NationalGrid crew that made it out here during the Saturday storm, soon after we lost power. The poles are pretty inaccessible in the Audubon Sanctuary, and a second truck was called in to cut a path in the right-of-way by chain saw. In the dark they made repairs. The lineman admitted afterward that it was a pretty challenging climb in the driving rain – our anemometer showed gusts to 58mph.

Still activity around us, as family was reassigned to Zoom.

From the past week. It’s getting more black-and-white out there, but these are all color photos.