Nature & Science
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Dec. 16 56 48 .14
Dec. 17 50 30 Trace
Dec. 18 48 29 .00
Dec. 19 33 17 .00
Dec. 20 49 32 .00
Dec. 21 51 31 .00
Dec. 22 57 51 .29
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 51º F.
The occasion was the 25th annual St. Catherines Island Foundation Christmas Bird Count. Flip Harrington and I have participated in 10 of the 25. We were to fly from Boston to Brunswick, Ga. spend the night with a friend and drive north to Half-Moon Marina. The marina is where visitors to St. Catherines are to congregate and board motorboats that whisk them to the island.
Tomorrow night, just before midnight, the moon rises in the east. It appears between the two zodiacal constellations Leo and Virgo. For those who wait until later in the early morning, the moon appears higher in the east and is more clearly accompanied by the bright red planet Mars.
This was no vegetarian’s delight. Unpacking my bag of farm produce last week, I found that it contained more than this vegetable lover bargained for. The cornucopia of Island-grown goods had more than just plant matter, the produce was packing protein! Hidden among the veggies were petite podlike green gremlins in the form of aphids.
Subspecies of birds are interesting. What is a subspecies, anyway? It is best to start with species, which is an individual that has common characteristics with others and can breed and produces offspring that are fertile and similar in looks. Now, a subspecies is an individual which has notably different features than its species, but can still breed and produce fertile offspring. However, subspecies characteristics are not sufficiently different to be classified as a unique species. The differences most commonly used to separate species and subspecies include size variations and plumage colorations.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Dec. 2 47 30 .00
Dec. 3 52 39 .00
Dec. 4 49 30 .00
Dec. 5 56 43 Trace
Dec. 6 60 50 Trace
Dec. 7 60 56 .66
Dec. 8 61 39 .42
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 53º F.
Almanac
A comprehensive guide to weather and tides on the Island.
Vineyard Gardener
I guess this past week weather-wise is called a January thaw. We did not really experience it the last several years as December was unseasonably warm.
Farm & Field
Beige and brown and tan and black, with horns spiraled or semicircular or in undulating waves, a legion of goats marched up the hill toward us, bleating in anticipation of fresh grass and leaves.