Nature & Science
“I’m seeing a weird warbler, it looks kind of like a chickadee” said Flip Harrington. That was the beginning of an exciting morning at the Gay Head Cliffs in Aquinnah. The bird was identified by the two birders who have spent time in western United States, Lanny McDowell and Pete Gilmore. The mystery bird was a black-throated gray warbler. This was a life bird for me, Flip and Pete Lenkowski, which means in birding jargon, that we had never seen the bird before anywhere.
The Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. at the Old Mill in West Tisbury. The topic for this month’s program is Water-Wise Gardening presented by Roberta Clark.
A hospitality hour with refreshments will follow the program. Anyone interested in horticulture, home gardening, flower arranging and preserving the best qualities of the Island environment is welcome. The meeting is free for members, $5 for guests. For details, call Garden Club hotline 508-693-5334.
This Saturday, Sept. 18, explore one of the rarest plant and animal assemblages in the commonwealth, right here in your own backyard.
Created in 1908 as a “Heath Hen Reservation,” the Manuel Correllus State Forest continues to thrive as a vital and diverse ecosystem.
Tim Boland, executive director of the Polly Hill Arboretum, will be the guide during this two-hour walk, which will begin at the West Tisbury School.
The tour, or rather casual stroll, is from 1 to 3 p.m. The cost is $15, or $10 for arboretum members.
The 65th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby opens Sunday morning at a minute past midnight. The fishermen are waiting.
George Moran of Oak Bluffs will be out there. At 64, he is almost as old as the derby. “For me it is wonderful being outdoors, being on the beaches, out at night with the stars and moon,” Mr. Moran said.
A thin crescent moon appears low in the southwestern sky tonight, under the planets Venus and Mars and under the bright star Spica. Those with a clear view of the western horizon have the best chance to see them all together, shortly after sunset. The view is for a short time, for they all set together with twilight two hours after sunset. All are in the zodiacal constellation Virgo.
With the start of the 65th annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby just days away, fishermen are concerned about the health of the centerpiece fish, striped bass, in these waters and along the coast.
There is perhaps not a fish more watched by commercial and recreational fishermen, not to mention scientists, than the striped bass. The fish is the swimming equivalent of the American eagle.
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.