The Plover Warden Diaries

a bridge in Vermont

2009-11-06T13:31:00.004-05:00

Here and Now today had a story on the economic impact of the closure of the Champlain Bridge between Vermont and New York so I thought I'd post a picture of the bridge. I took this in October of 2006 when we went to Addison to see the snow geese.If you haven't made the Addison snow geese pilgrimage, you're really missing something. Thousands of snow geese congregate in a field in Addison that

Daily News wins national award for Plum Island erosion coverage - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

2009-10-27T14:08:00.001-04:00

Daily News wins national award for Plum Island erosion coverage - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MAPosted using ShareThis

first snow bunting of winter

2009-10-25T23:21:00.006-04:00

OK, so we've already had the first snowfall and the second snowfall last week but it just isn't winter until I see the first snow bunting.So, we were down at Colt State Park in Bristol, RI looking at the newly arrived brant -- hundreds of brant traditionally winter there -- and I spotted this lone snow bunting on the edge of the grass by the rocks.Other signs of winter were dark-eyed juncos and,

stuff in the Merrimack (imaginary)

2009-10-23T16:14:00.002-04:00

Apparently the Merrimack River has its very own monster, Merry Mac. That counts as "stuff in the Merrimack" even if imaginary. One of the giant shoe sculptures up for auction in Haverhill depicts said monster. It would be really cool if the high bidder managed to keep it in the Merrimack Valley.Check it out:Giant Haverhill shoe statues go up for auction - EagleTribune.com, North Andover,

The Rachel Carson Connection

2009-10-20T15:48:00.007-04:00

I tweeted earlier today about the article in boston.com's The Green Blog about Rachel Carson's Massachusetts ties. I was surprised to read that Carson's connection to Massachusetts and in particular to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island is not widely known in the Boston Globe's archives and among the people the author talked to. I thought that after USFWS made a big to-do of

dark eyed juncos have arrived

2009-10-14T21:43:00.002-04:00

Emerson Rocks with EiderOriginally uploaded by Captain_PelegCoffee of the Day: George Howell Select Espresso Sorrento blend (I bought a pound)Bird of the Day: dark eyed juncoStrange Wrack Item of the Day: saltmarsh hay that has a beakSo it's the last day of my vacation and the familia loca doesn't need me for anything and the Ex-Pat is on his way back to Dubai. Must be time for a walk on the

the wrack is peeping!

2009-10-11T13:02:00.008-04:00

Coffee of the Day: George Howell Select Espresso Sorrento blend (brewed and consumed at home, not on the beach)Bird of the Day: Western SandpiperWrack Item of the Day: Peeps! (the shore bird kind, not the marshmallow kind I famously mailed to Bosnia)Needing to burn off some adrenaline from Red Sox playoff tension, moving Mom stress, Gray Cubicle stress and so on, I went for a walk on the beach.

yet more stuff in the Merrimack

2009-10-01T14:42:00.002-04:00

More stolen vehicles pulled from Merrimack River - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MAPosted using ShareThisSo, when they finally pull out all the stolen cars then is Haverhill going to drink the water?

but where are the gulls?

2009-09-28T23:16:00.009-04:00

What a weekend! What a study in contrasts! Saturday was one of those clear blue days that people move to New England for. Sunday it was one of those days when it rains sideways and you shiver in your wet sweatshirt wondering why you came.We timed our arrival on Saturday to see Sharks Come Cruisin' at 1:00. They commented onhow lucky they were to have such great weather this year after playing

ya just gotta love google

2009-09-25T13:55:00.004-04:00

Sometimes Google's idea of relevant ads cracks me up. I recently searched on "piping plover" in Google News and got plenty of relevant hits but the ads, well, go figure:Plumbing Services in Mass Real 24 Hour Service / Hub PlumbingRed Carpet Service / Hub Plumbingwww.HubPlumbing.com Piping Plover at Amazon Save on piping plover!Qualified orders over $25 ship freeAmazon.com What did I expect? I

haystacks, hay staddles, history

2009-09-24T15:17:00.003-04:00

Making history with hay; Haystack building demo a nod to Newbury's past - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MAPosted using ShareThisStrange how what used to be work is now a weekend's amusement. At least they're preserving the history. Maybe now people will spell hay staddle correctly despite Microsoft's spellchecker's insistence that there's no such word. They should have an exhibit of Martin

yet more "stuff in the Merrimack"

2009-09-24T15:03:00.002-04:00

Nashuatelegraph.com: Nashua fisherman hooks what he believes was a 6-foot gatorPosted using ShareThisNow that's a fish story! The "one that got away" writ large! This veers into urban legend territory. On the other hand, I suppose it's no less believable than an SUV with the keys still in it.

different view

2009-09-20T23:07:00.002-04:00

I thought I was way late posting about the parachute jump thing on the beach but not as late as 2B2 Flyby who just got around to it in his catch-up post. The view from the airport sure was different from my view from the beach. At least he got a picture of one of the jumpers. I was too busy trying to figure out whether they were about to land on the refuge, had already landed on the refuge, or

The Belize - Plum Island Connection

2009-09-19T14:48:00.002-04:00

Mass Audubon's Joppa Flats sanctuary is hosting two interns from Belize for a month. It's a great time for them to be here and judging from these two articles in the Newburyport Daily News they're getting a lot of great experience.Here's what the program is about:A natural connection - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MAHere's Steve Grinley's account of this week's Wednesday morning birding with

Wednesday Morning Birding fun for all - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

2009-09-19T14:47:00.001-04:00

Wednesday Morning Birding fun for all - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MAPosted using ShareThis

A natural connection - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

2009-09-19T14:45:00.001-04:00

A natural connection - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MAPosted using ShareThis

place name

2009-09-14T15:32:00.002-04:00

Interesting that Google Maps shows the name of the state part at the southern tip of Plum Island as Plum Island State Park when the actual name of the park is Sandy Point State Reservation according to Mass. DCR, which runs the Massachusetts state park system. Also interesting that Wikipedia, of which I am usually a little skeptical, gets the name right. As far as I can tell, Google Maps is the

yet more stuff in the merrimack

2009-09-14T15:02:00.004-04:00

Latest stuff found in the Merrimack River: stinking, rotting whale flesh.See this archival Plover Warden Diaries entry for why I hope they have learned their lesson about where to bury stinking, rotting whale flesh.And finally, I'm not sure if you can count a whole town as stuff in the river, but the Nashua Telegraph has a great archival picture of the town of Litchfield, NH inundated by the

more stuff in the river

2009-09-09T13:38:00.003-04:00

The latest stuff pulled out of the Merrimack River:A Bedford, NH man clinging to a logRemarkably incomplete article. What was he doing in the river? Why is "tired" a reason for hospital evaluation? Not good reporting.A sharkShark steaks for all in Haverhill.September's Garden of the Month in HaverhillOK, technically not pulled from the Merrimack, more like reclaimed. After the flood. We have a

stuff in the Merrimack

2009-09-02T16:49:00.004-04:00

Thank goodness not everything that gets washed, dumped, or driven into the Merrimack River ends up on the beach at Plum Island. In addition to the usual tires, shopping carts, and of course the bodies of people killed in boating accidents, some interesting things have been pulled from the river lately:Seven stolen cars An ATMMore carsParticularly fascinating is the 2007 BMW SUV with the keys

fall

2009-08-31T20:06:00.009-04:00

Seems like this year we waited forever for summer to arrive and now that it's finally come it's suddenly fall. Swallows are massing by the thousands. Flocks of peeps are on the move. Beach plums are ripening. Monarch butterflies are flying around the refuge too.Late Sunday afternoon, I spent some time on Plum Island. Not really birding, just kind of paying attention to the birds. I sat at the

News roundup

2009-08-30T14:43:00.003-04:00

Shorebird migration is on:Migrating shorebirds highlight area birding - NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MAPosted using ShareThisThe new eel tank exhibit opened at the refuge headquarters. I haven't seen it yet. I plan to soon. I love eels. The American eel is a fascinating creature.Live eel exhibit opens at the refuge.

house finches

2009-08-27T21:02:00.003-04:00

Two members of a flock of five house finches that landed next to my brother's deck when were celebrating Mom's birthday at Salisbury Beach on 8/16.

catch-up #3: Lowell Folk Festival (July 26)

2009-08-19T23:22:00.008-04:00

Still upriver in Lowell. Must get St. George's Orthodox Church recipe for loubiyeh. Also discovered awesome collard greens and cornbread and good ice cream and other great food without even venturing over to the Portuguese War Veterans booth for the fava beans. Both Nancy and I have been chasing the best favas of Portuguese festas throughout southeastern New England this summer but we're too

catch-up #2: Lowell Folk Festival (July 25)

2009-08-19T22:55:00.008-04:00

The Town is Galloway. The Merrimac River, broad and placid, flows down to it from the New Hampshire Hills, foaming on over ancient stones towards a place where the river suddenly swings about in a wide and peaceful basin, moving on now around the flank of the town, on to places known as Lawrence and Haverhill,