PIPING PLOVERS FORCED OFF THE BEACH FOR THE SECOND WEEKEND IN A ROW

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Despite best efforts, the Piping Plovers were again driven off the beach.

Knowing an off leash weekend day was going to be tough on the PiPl, I spent most of Sunday at Good Harbor Beach. During the morning hours, it wasn’t so bad because most dog walkers were with their pooches by the water’s edge. As the tide came in, the situation quickly deteriorated. Countless dogs ran into the roped off area; I lost track after forty. The PiPl gave up on courtship and tried to forage. A pair of bird dogs chased all three Plovers up and down the beach repeatedly, when they finally gave up.

I searched for an hour and couldn’t find. As I was leaving, there were Mama and Papa, in the parking lot. Mama was sitting quietly on the painted white lines and Papa was desperately trying to dig a nest scrape in the course gravel. This exact same scenario happened last Saturday, on the off leash beach day.

Papa trying to scrape a nest in the gravel parking lot

I had hoped that by spending the day trying to keep dogs out of the #3 nesting area, the parking lot scene would not be repeated. Volunteers are desperately needed during this last week of off leash days. For the area around #3, where I was stationed, at least two are needed, because as you are trying to keep dogs out of one side, they are coming in from the opposite end.

Please email Ken Whittaker if you would like to help. His email address is: kwhittaker@gloucester-ma.gov

The worst days are going to be Thursday, Saturday, and Monday, the three last off leash days of April, with Saturday being by far the hardest.

High tides for the upcoming weekend off leash days:

Thursday April 26th – 9:03 am – off leash day

Friday April 27th – 10:01am – on leash

Saturday April 28th 10:54am – off leash day

Sunday April 29th 11:42am – on leash

Monday April 30th 12:27pm – off leash day

Our Piping Plover pair are resilient. They left the parking lot and returned to the beach at sunset, but again, the same pair of dogs chased them off the beach.

Mama and Papa Plover, and the little Bachelor, survived this past off leash weekend day, but as you can imagine, courting and nesting are again delayed. The most important thing for folks to understand is that the earlier in the season the Piping Plovers are allowed to nest, the earlier the chicks will hatch, which means they will have a thousand fold better chance of surviving.

Some good news—overnight four new additional Piping Plovers arrived! They are in a battle with one another over turf at the roped off area by boardwalk #1.

 

Beautful Fish: Hagfish

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns
 

The hag, like the lamprey, lacks paired fins and fin rays. Its skeleton is wholly cartilaginous, without bones, its mouth is jawless; and its skin is scaleless. It is easily recognized by its eel-like form; by its single finfold (a fold of skin, not a true fin) running right around the tail and forward on the lower surface of the body with no division into dorsal, caudal, and anal fins; by the single gill pore on each side, just forward of the origin of the ventral finfold; by its lipless mouth, star-shaped in outline when closed; by the single nasal aperture at the tip of the snout; by its peculiar barbels or “tentacles,” two flanking the mouth on either side and four surrounding the nostril; and by the evertible tongue studded with rows of horny rasplike “teeth.”  Being blind, it doubtless finds its food by its greatly specialized olfactory apparatus. It feeds chiefly on fish, dead or disabled, though no doubt any other carrion would serve it equally well.

It is best known for its troublesome habit of boring into the body cavities of hooked or gilled fishes, eating out the intestines first and then the meat, and leaving nothing but a bag of skin and bones, inside of which the hag itself is often hauled aboard, or clinging to the sides of a fish it has just attacked. It is only too common in the Gulf  of Maine; perhaps it is not absent there from any considerable area of smooth bottom.

From Fishes of the Gulf of Maine by Bigelow and Schroeder (1953) online courtesy of MBL/WHOIhttp://www.gma.org/fogm/Myxine_glutinosa.htm

Al Bezanson

 

Spring is here | We are so excited we wet our plants

Posted on by Catherine

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“Spring is Here! We are so excited we wet our plants!” Wolf Hill’s clever sign is a hit with a few boys I know! Also a nice new store sign and the fleet’s out — Wolf Hill’s colorful stock of Adirondack chairs are lined up and ready.

 

LIVE from Gloucester High School tonight- USAF “Airmen of Note” Jazz Band

Posted on by Catherine

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Reminder about the USAF “Airmen of Note” Jazz Band free concert at Gloucester High School 7-9PM tonight. What a great name and special event for any high school, especially Gloucester, home of the Docksiders, great high school and middle school bands, and such rich music talent throughout the community! On this gorgeous spring day, enjoy a past video of the USAF band playing It Might As Well Be Spring (Rodgers and Hammerstein). Read more about the band below. Hope someone takes a picture like that one on the steps here in Gloucester by the Man at the Wheel and on the High School steps 🙂

More information:

Join the Airmen of Note live as they tour New England! These concerts are sure to thrill, featuring brand-new selections from the Airmen of Note’s upcoming album which will be recorded later this year! Continue reading “LIVE from Gloucester High School tonight- USAF “Airmen of Note” Jazz Band” →

Juxtapositon Exhibition

Posted on by James Eves

Gloucester Artist Donna Caselden to Show at Stetson Gallery
April 25, 2018 – May 15, 2018

Artist Reception ~ April 29, 2018 Noon-2 pm
Stetson Gallery, 28 Mugford Street, Marblehead, MA 781.631.1215

Marblehead, Massachusetts/USA – April 4, 2018 – Stetson Gallery, Marblehead’s premier art gallery, announces an exhibit showcasing experimental artist Donna Caselden. Juxtaposition: The manner in which contrary forces in design complement and give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another, is a solo exhibit running April 25 to May 15, 2018 with an artist reception on Sunday, April 29th from noon to 2 pm.

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“I love the marriage of old with new, contemporary with traditional, yin and yang’” explains Caselden, “in the design field and especially with artwork. This show will feature a collection of abstract expressionism artwork framed in ornate, many times antique frames, a play on the juxtaposition of old versus new.

Donna Caselden is a well-known talent across the spectrum of visual design. An award winning experimental artist and wearable art clothing designer, Caselden also works one-on-one with clients on interior design and home décor projects.

Caselden works from her studio in the seaside village of Annisquam, Massachusetts. Her works are showcased in museums and galleries throughout the northeast, including the highly regarded Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts. As a painter, Donna Caselden has won acclaim for her work with acrylic, watercolor and oil paint. She is known for her experimental 2D artwork, incorporating unusual substances like marble dust, sand, coffee grounds, or mica to achieve unique texture and effects.

Caselden is a member of Cape Ann’s Experimental Art Group at Rockport Art Association, Society for Encouragement of Arts (seARTS), and the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA.)

Hood (and Roof) Ornaments

Posted on by Nichole S.

I saw this car with these super cute hood/roof ornaments at the lights on the 128 extension today.  Does the driver make these?  Anyone know?  Love the recycling aspect…especially on Earth Day.

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Us Sicilians Can Relate To @thesicilianguy_

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Caregivers Needed – Partner with Mavencare

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

mavencarehome's avatarCape Ann Wellness

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GloucesterCast 276 With Kim Smith and Joey Ciaramitaro Taped 4/22/18

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

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GloucesterCast 276 With Kim Smith and Joey Ciaramitaro Taped 4/22/18

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When you subscribe you need to verify your email address so they know we’re not sending you spam and that you want to receive the podcast. So once you subscribe check your email for that verification. If you don’t see it, check your spam folder in your email acct so you can verify that you’d like to get the GloucesterCast Podcast sent to you for listening at your convenience..

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Topics Include:

Free Tickets To Cape Ann Community Cinema – Share this post on Facebook for a chance to win two free tickets to Cape Ann Community Cinema, The Cinema Listings are always stickied in the GMG Calendar at the top of the blog or you can click here to go directly to the website

Plover Porn

Earth Day Cleanup

Haters Gonna Hate

Glosta Rocks Facebook Group

The Crows Nest vs Pellana

$1 GMG Oyster Quest a Big Hit Update from Short and Main-shortandmain@captjoe06 yes, we have it regularly every day! We currently have dollar oysters every day from 5-6PM, and again from 9-10PM Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 10-11PM Friday & Saturday. Closed Tuesdays

Piping Plover Exclosure Coming

New Animal Control Officer Teagan Dolan Gets Praise From Kim Smith

Swan Release

Crows Nest bill for like a bazillion drinks –

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ESME, MEADOW, AND SABINE!

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Looked who stopped by to show off Mama Dawn Sarrouf’s handmade super fun PomPom hats! ❤

East Gloucester neighborhood friends Esme, Meadow, and Sabine

MASSACHUSETTS WORKING WITH PARTNERS TO CONSERVE PIPING PLOVERS

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

The following video was produced in 2014. The number of Piping Plover chicks that have survived has gone down since that year, but I thought that what coastal biologist Jorge Ayub from DCR at Revere Beach has to say is especially relevant to our Good Harbor Beach. He begins speaking at 2:45.”We have seen this year an improvement, relative to last year, and acceptance. We’ve seen a tremendous amount of success. This year the Plovers fledged earlier in the season and the reason for that is thanks to the visitors and the residents who didn’t disturb them earlier in the season.”

Piping Plover Piping

KIM SMITH GUEST SPEAKER FOR THE WELLESLEY CONSERVATION COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

PLease join me Tuesday evening at 7:00pm at the Wellesley Free Library for the Wellesley Conservation Council Meeting. I am giving my newly updated Beauty on the Wing lecture. This program is free and open to the public. I hope to see you there!

Monarch Butterflies–Beauty on the Wing
How can Wellesley help Monarchs throughout Their Life Cycle?
WHAT: Wellesley Conservation Council Spring Lecture
WHO: Kim Smith, Naturalist and Award-winning Photographer
WHEN: Tuesday, April 24, 2018 – 7:00pm
WHERE: Wakelin Room, Wellesley Free Library
The Monarch’s life story is one of nature’s most incredible examples of adaptation and survival. But the Monarch migration is in great peril. Learn how you can help. Through photographs and discussion, Beauty on the Wing tells the life story of the Monarch Butterfly, the state of the butterflies’ migration and why they are in sharp decline, and the positive steps we can take as individuals and collectively to help the Monarchs recover from devastating effects of habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides.
Kim Smith is an award winning nature author, documentary filmmaker, native plant landscape designer, and naturalist. She specializes in creating pollinator habitat gardens utilizing primarily North American native wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and vines.
The Wellesley Conservation Council Annual Meeting for the election of officers and board members will precede the program at 6:30pm. This event is free and co-sponsored by Wellesley Free Library. For more information go to http://www.wellesleyconservationcouncil.org.