Nature & Science
Name That Bird
Long before there was Twitter, there was Birdathon. On May 13, Mass Audubon kicks off its 24-hour Birdathon in which teams contend to spot the most species in the state. This fun annual event, for people of all abilities and ages, offers birders and nature enthusiasts the opportunity to participate in friendly competition while raising funds for Mass Audubon.
Brad Pitt made fly-fising look so easy in A River Runs Through It. Dappled sunlight on blond hair, the big smile and a slight flick of the wrist to set a fly lure right on the lip of a hungry trout. Oh, if that’s all it took.
Thankfully, for the rest of us mere mortals looking to get out from under a tangled mess, help is on the way. On Saturday, May 14 from 8:30 a.m. to noon John Kollett and Sandra Demel at the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club will host a workshop for all levels.
Five-year-old Wyatt Nicholson was among the top winners of the 37th annual Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club trout tournament held Saturday morning at Duarte’s Pond in West Tisbury. The young fisherman caught the biggest trout, an 18 3/4-inch rainbow, which put him into first place. The Oak Bluffs youngster, accompanied by his father, Caleb, fished early in the morning and also caught a 17-inch fish. For his efforts he won a brand-new bicycle, fishing rod and trophy.
Early Bluefish
The first bluefish of the season was caught by an Oak Bluffs angler at Wasque on Tuesday.
George Moran, 66, was fishing for striped bass with another Oak Bluffs angler, Vincent Frye, in the afternoon, overcast with a hollering wind.
Mr. Moran said they were hoping to get striped bass — and he did get one.
But shortly after 2 p.m., Mr. Moran said: “I made a cast, and suddenly I got a hit. It didn’t feel like a bass.”
Just two weeks after it finished accepting proposals from wind power developments in waters south of the Vineyard, the federal government has more than halved the area in which it will allow wind farms.
Citing concerns from fishermen, the state and others about potential adverse impacts, particularly on fishing and migrating marine mammals, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement has reduced the size of the prospective area from 3,000 square miles to 1,300.
You want advice about catching trout tomorrow morning?
Cooper A. Gilkes 3rd has a winning starter tip for first-time freshwater anglers: Go early.
Plenty of good fishing techniques will be demonstrated tomorrow morning between anglers, before sunrise at the 37th annual Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club trout tournament which begins at first light, or about an hour before sunrise. After years of fishing, Mr. Gilkes said he has the technique that works.
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.