Nature & Science
It is a treat to find young people who are interested in what is happening in the natural world, not the virtual computer world. A couple of days ago I called John Nelson, the science teacher at the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, and he answered the phone so that his students could communicate with me. The class, thanks to Mr. Nelson, has access to a spotting scope which is permanently focused on an osprey nest which is located on the floodlights of the regional’s football field. I spoke with three of John’s students. John Cooperrider let me know that the regional’s pair of osprey arrived in early April and that he and the rest of the class have been watching their activities ever since. Tom McHugh noted that the male was much smaller than the female, yet he was bringing fresh herring to his mate several times a day. Tracy Bowker added that she also noted the size difference and also that before the female laid her eggs, both osprey added twigs to the existing nest as well as a plastic six pack holder. The class still doesn’t know how many eggs the female osprey is sitting on but maybe after Dick Jennings and Rob Bierregaard finish their survey of the Vineyard osprey nests this week they may find out.
Keep off the grass.
Good advice for the grass that is the only type of turf that I would ever advocate for. I am no lover of lawns; wildflowers and weeds are more valuable for the wild things in our neighborhood.
The grass of which I speak never needs trimming. In fact, the attempt to mowit would be something tosee. While it grows rapidly in the spring, it should never be cut atall. No matter, as no one has yet built an aquatic lawnmower.
Tomorrow is the full moon, known this month as the Honey Moon. The moon rises in the east at about the time the sun sets in the west and is in the zodiacal constellation Libra.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
May 1 60 49 Trace
May 2 58 51 .17
May 3 63 45 .03
May 4 57 48 .29
May 5 57 49 .53
May 6 53 47 1.16
May 7 58 48 .10
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 56º F.
The effects of climate change and commercial fishing on the marine ecosystem will be the focus of this year’s Menemsha Fisheries Development Fund’s series of programs at the Chilmark Public Library.
A dead 40-foot whale washed up at South Beach in Edgartown on Friday. The sei whale may have been killed by a boat propeller.
David Grunden, the Oak Bluffs shellfish constable and member of the Island’s marine mammal stranding network, and his team investigated. Mr. Grunden believes the sei whale probably had been dead for a week or more.
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.