As a child and as an adult my favorite bedtime ritual is a good read... always better with pictures! As an adult I read books of mythology and as a child I inhaled Fairy Tale books with illustrations. I remember the heart-breaking moment my Mom announced to me that there were no pictures in the evening's bedtime read! Devastating!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Fantasy Trail @ Cape Henlopen State Park
As a child and as an adult my favorite bedtime ritual is a good read... always better with pictures! As an adult I read books of mythology and as a child I inhaled Fairy Tale books with illustrations. I remember the heart-breaking moment my Mom announced to me that there were no pictures in the evening's bedtime read! Devastating!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Small Kitchen Stories: Jazz Fest & Cream of Crab Soup
Rehoboth Jazz Fest weekend I took in the afternoon and evening concerts. Beddy-bye time was near midnight. Breakfast was Dewey Beach-late-late morning...... and then I ran off to the 1 PM concert.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Rehoboth Beach Jazz Fest 2009: World Class, Baby!
This was my third year attending The Rehoboth Beach Jazz Fest. Each year I am astounded. It leaves me hyperventilating. It takes me more than a month to calm down. Why?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Big Sit and Hawk Wach
For the 2009 Cape Henlopen's "Big Sit" I promised myself I'd be a proper "Birder" and arrive on site for the 3:30 AM start. Or I'd show for the 5:30 AM Dawn Watch. Or.... ? ;-)
Observation start time: 05:00:00
Observation end time: 18:00:00
Total observation time: 13 hours
Official Counter: Forrest Rowland
Observers: Bruce Lantz, Jeff Gordon, Sharon Lynn, Susan Gruver
Visitors:
Over 70 visitors out to join in the Big Sit! with many of them staying for hours....so much fun today!!! Matt Sarver, Lauren Morgens, and Jeff Gordon were there from the 3:30am start. Sharon Lynn, Sally O'Byrne, and Michael and Diane Kane came up at 5:30am. From 8am on it was a fairly steady stream of people including Colin Campbell, Bruce Peterjohn, Bruze Lantz, Liz and Lew Dumont, Ruth Draper, Jim Leach, Rachel Shapiro, Rob Schroeder, Andy
Urdqhart....too many familiar names to list all, or fit into the observer column. A fantastic crowd, with our friends Melody and Martin from Maryland being the last visitors to close out the day with us.
Weather:
Clear and Sunny with high cirrus clouds much of the day, the light NNE
winds provided great weather for a hawk flight.
Raptor Observations:
More records broken! Bald Eagle single-day count record now stands at 36.
Single day Cooper's Hawk record is now 166. Another outstanding day, and
with so many people there to enjoy the spectacle! Many birds were right
overhead at varying heights.
Non-raptor Observations:
97 species recorded for the Big Sit! Best birds included Lark Sparrow
(which ended up coming 15 feet from us), White-winged Scoter, and
Orange-crowned Warbler. FOS birds for the platform yesterday were Brant,
Blue-headed Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Lark Sparrow, Yellow-bellied
Sapsaucker, Brown Creeper, Swamp Sparrow, and White-throated Sparrow.>>
Beach Blessings,
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Small Kitchen Stories: Salmon Lox and Veggy Saute!
Sunday Night and I was beyond hungry and yet again too tired to cook. I was desperate for a good dinner....... but had very little to work with....... and needed to use up supplies as it is time to clear out the fridge for Winter cottage-close up.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Greyhounds Reach The Beach and Get Wed Too!
Do you dream of getting married on the beach? I do. And so do Greyhounds and their owners. And thus they did!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
My Musical Succoth with Pizza!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Dewey Beach Music Conference and Brother Joscephus!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Smithsonian Article: DE's Red Knots Re-Sighting Program
"What I did this Summer" or Beachnester Final Summary 2009 via DE's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program
The piping plover 2009 nesting season was generally successful, although there is plenty of good habitat at Cape Henlopen State Park that could support more pairs of nesting plovers as the years progress. There are also other sites that have suitable habitat for plover nesting. These sites will continue to be monitored. Also, in 2009, productivity for the plovers was fairly good, although an increase in numbers of chicks fledged is a reasonably attainable goal for future seasons.
There were ten pairs of piping plovers nesting at Cape Henlopen this season, which matches our record high from 2008. From these pairs, 13 chicks fledged, a vast improvement over our fledge numbers in 2008 (3 chicks fledged) but just short of the record high number of chicks fledged (14 chicks in 2003). As has been the case in recent years, Cape Henlopen is the only place in Delaware where piping plovers nested in 2009.
Least Terns
Least terns had another tough year breeding in Delaware. It has been over five years since least terns have been observed to have fledged chicks in Delaware. This season, four small colonies of least terns established in Delaware. Two were at Cape Henlopen, one was at South Bowers Beach and one was at Fowlers Beach. All told, there were just under 20 pairs of least terns nesting in Delaware this year. A combination of frequent floods associated with tidal surges and predation caused the failures of the least tern colonies.
American Oystercatcher
American oystercatchers nested on shores of the Delaware and Inland Bays and at Cape Henlopen on the Atlantic Coast. Due to the remote nature of the nesting sites on the Delaware and Inland Bays, attaining solid data on nest success was not possible with the level of staffing currently available, although oystercatcher chicks were observed on Middle Island which is just west of the Indian River Inlet.
The two oystercatcher pairs nesting at Cape Henlopen were closely monitored while staff was in the process of monitoring piping plovers. One of these pairs lost their nest to overwash at Gordons Pond. The second pair hatched their two chicks out on the tip of the Point. The chicks were observed for about ten days and then disappeared. Their fate is unknown, but it is not thought they reached fledge age.
Seabeach Amaranth
The federally listed seabeach amaranth grows in the same kinds of habitat in which plovers nest (i.e. sparsely vegetated dune slopes and overwashes). This year about 40 amaranth plants were found at Cape Henlopen. Unfortunately, frequent tidal surges (including powerful waves sent our way courtesy of Hurricane Bill) washed out all but two of the plants. On the encouraging side, some of the plants that were washed out were able to set seed before being lost.
Despite thorough searches at all of the coastal state parks and at possible sites on the Delaware Bay, no amaranth was found outside of the boundaries of Cape Henlopen State Park this year. Typically, the stretch of beach between Tower Road and Key Box Road at Delaware Seashore State Park hosts amaranth. Although no amaranth were found there this season, seeds can persist in the sand for many years and it is likely that amaranth will be found there again in future years.
If anyone has any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me.
Thanks,
Matthew Bailey
Wildlife Biologist
Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program
Phone: (302) 382-4151
matthew.bailey@state.de.us