My View of Life on the Dock
On Wednesday it was windy and chilly. On Tuesday I actually went swimming. Decided to go over to Good Harbor Beach to walk. The wind was blowing really hard. The ocean was so blue. No matter what the weather is in Gloucester the views never disappoint.
Jingle Bell Storm rise sunrise photos Dec. 23, 2022, about 3 hours before the next high tide: Power is on at Long Beach; Creek level at Good Harbor Beach footbridge; Salty Salt Island; Twin Lights, Thacher Island – sunrise spray and waves; Back Shore
8 AM No power outages reported on Cape Ann – 60,000+ in Mass.- http://mema.mapsonline.net/
9AM Update – 1000+ outages in Gloucester
fleeting and atmospheric low tide vistas photos: c. ryan, 7/17/2022
Thinking about 19th and 20th century painters and printmakers including Ben Shahn, Laura Knight, Peter Hurd, George Tooker, Caspar David Friedrich, Eric Ravilious, Hopper, Morandi, others
May 28, 2022. View to Thacher Island , rainbow across the sea
Animation
Faint double rainbow
Ocean fog, storm clouds passing, then blue skies
Spring time in Gloucester! Right whales visible from the shore May 5 and May 6, 2022. Not as close as 2018, but we could still hear the blows!
video snippets (3.5 min)
Donna Ardizzoni posted about the (humpback) whales off Magnolia last week.
April 3, 2022 – sunrise behind Milk Island, views from Long Beach, and Good Harbor
Feb. 5, 2022 Long Beach (Rockport and Gloucester, MA.) snapshots about 8am.
Stone and metal surfaces are ice blasted with a fresh snow dusting 1/2″ – 2″ between Long Beach and Good Harbor Beach. By daylight, the coastal rocky shoreline between the beaches would normally reveal a highway of wildlife tracks and drama. There were none today which means the rocks are thick slick coated. Instead it’s the natural surfaces- -grass, sand, brush– worn and riveted. When they’re not icy, wildlife favor those bare surfaces.
View out the windows- glazing is ice blasted
ice, ice railing | pics show metal, glass and stone vs. grass, sand, etc to give an idea of what’s out there
Want to identify local wildlife from winter tracks in the snow?
Wonderful children’s picture book
Let’s Go! Animal Tracks in the Snow! by Diane Polley with illustration by Marion Hall
and pocket guide by http://www.masswildlife.org
photos: c. ryan. December 2021
Soaking up the sun. View across Long Beach from Cape Ann Motor Inn, Gloucester, Ma.
Views from Long Beach, Rockport & Gloucester, Mass. January 16, 2021
One of nature’s ocean fountain water shows was on exhibition today as walls of waves slammed the seawall then smashed into incoming surf.
The suite of windy ocean spray waltzes are infinite and varied.
of course I failed to convey the beauty and instance of a plume line but I tried 🙂
pinch and zoom or click through to enlarge photos- Light splash over along the walkway, sole surfer, wave watchers, and a few dog walkers.
November 2020
White light, pink light, yellow light, sky. Big rock moods Nov. 14-16, 2020
(double click to enlarge to full size)
This extreme sports enthusiast was out there a long time. I wonder how hard it is on the arms?
(Meanwhile, it was so windy I had trouble holding my phone.)
Hello Friends,
Thank you to everyone for your very kind comments for this series. It has been a joy creating for such an enthusiastic audience ❤
Thank you to Jennifer Davis and her adorable daughters Ellie and Isla. They stopped by one morning to see if they could find Snowy Owl. The girls and Mom were being so good at watching her from a safe distance. I asked Jenny if she minded if I took a photo and some footage, too. Jenny very graciously said yes!
Some good news-
In the two years that have passed since our Snowy visited Cape Ann’s Back Shore, all of Boston’s North Shore has not seen the same tremendous numbers of that winter of 2018. I read though on ProjectSNOWstorm’s website of the possibility of an exciting upcoming winter of 2020-2021 because there has been a good population of lemmings in the eastern portions of the Snowies breeding grounds. Let’s hope for more visits by beautiful Snowies ❤
A Snowy Owl Comes to Cape Ann was created for the kids in the Cape Ann community during this at-home school time. Please share with young people you know who may be interested.
Thank you again for watching!
To see all five episodes together, please go to the Snowy Owl Film Project page on my website.
Again, thank you to Scott Weidensaul from ProjectSNOWstorm for script advice.
A Snowy Owl Comes to Cape Ann
Part Five: Snowy Owl Returns to the Arctic
Friends of Snowy Owl wondered how long she would stay before heading north on her return migration to the Arctic. Typically, Snowies leave New England by March or April, but some have stayed as late as July.
Why do people find Snowy Owls so captivating?
Owls symbolize wisdom and intelligence, and the characters they are given in popular culture and literature strengthen our associations.
We are provided a wonderful window into the world of owls through Snowies because they are crepuscular creatures, which means they are most active at dawn and at dusk.
There are only about 30,000 Snowy Owls in the wild. No one knows if their numbers are stable or decreasing.
Snowies face many threats, especially when they come south to us, including vehicles, planes, and toxic chemicals.
Research analysis shows that most carry some degree of rat poison, pesticides, and/or mercury in their bodies.
We can all be conscientious stewards of Snowies by not using poisonous chemicals and by keeping a safe distance when observing.
In early March, Snowy Owl began to appear restless. Migration is the most dangerous period in an owl’s life, but hormonal changes triggered by longer days were urging her northward.
Snowy Owl survived the fierce winds and waves of powerful nor’easters along with constant heckling by gulls and crows.
She ate well during her winter stay on Cape Ann.
Snowy Owl was strong and healthy when she departed, increasing the likelihood of a safe journey and return to her breeding habitat of Arctic tundra and grasslands.
Safe travels beautiful Snowy!
Good Morning Gloucester 