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Columnists
Ocean Views
The 2019 Bird Count
Kim Gaffett
Thu, Jan 9
Category:
Ocean Views
The 2019 Bird Count
By Kim Gaffett
A letter to Miss Elizabeth Dickens on the 2019 Community Bird Census:
Dear Miss Dickens, You were missed on our annual Community Bird Count, which of course was on Dec. 26. It felt like a drab day of low numbers with no sun, and although...
The fungus among us
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Dec 6
Category:
News
,
Columnists
,
Ocean Views
On Saturday, Dec. 7, author and mycologist Lawrence Millman will be walking and talking fungi right here on Block Island. First, a walk at 11 a.m. through the Boy Scout Camp. (Upper Connecticut Avenue. Park and meet at the Neptune House.) “Mushrooms at this time of year?” you may be thinking...
Once and future salt marshes: A tutorial
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Sep 27
Category:
Ocean Views
Depending on where you start counting, our earth satellite has just finished its year’s travel around the sun; and now, we start a new year with autumn. Some or our favorite summer activities are enhanced and made sublime by fall weather. A walk in October light and cooler air is delightful...
Ocean Views: Citizen Science: Seals, birds, and flowers, … Oh, my!
Kim Gaffett
Thu, Jan 31
Category:
Ocean Views
You might ask in wonderment, what do seals, and birds and flowers have in common? The answer is — for this article — citizen science. Citizen science is the process of many volunteers collecting observations and reporting them to one scientist/entity that is building a database of information. It’s...
Ocean Views: Food waste is serious
Thu, Jan 24
Category:
Ocean Views
Calling all chefs… and composters, back yard recyclers, and transfer station managers, and anyone interested in knowing more about how food waste is being handled (or not handled) worldwide, to a viewing of an incredibly interesting film, “Wasted! The story of food waste,” on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at...
Spy hopping, banana posing and other seal questions
Kim Gaffett and Clair Stover
Thu, Jan 17
Category:
Ocean Views
With our yards and meadows mostly buttoned-up or battened-down, we are paying more attention to our island-wide back yard. Have you ever been walking on the beach, and realized that somebody was watching you? Or, lost in thought admiring the rivulets of sand — created how? by wind or wave? — and...
57 species collected, one by one
Ocean Views: 2018 Bird Census
KIm Gaffett
Fri, Jan 4
Category:
Ocean Views
On Wednesday, Dec. 26, a hearty band of bird watchers — Jon Peterson, Heather Hatfield, Anne Connelli, Judy Gray, Jules Craynock, Sarah Grey, Laura Rosenzwieg, Cathy Payne, her granddaughter Bailey Payne, and cousin Aidan — met at Sachem Pond to kick off a day of looking for birds to be tallied for...
Ocean Views: Evening grosbeaks and other winter finches
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Dec 21
Category:
Ocean Views
Winter finches: purple finch, common redpoll, white-winged crossbills, pine siskins, and evening grosbeaks — all members of the finch family
Fringillidae
— are expected to be seen in unusually high numbers this winter as far south as New York and New England, and maybe even beyond. On Block...
Saving Block Island one blade of grass at a time
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Apr 21
Category:
Ocean Views
“A steady sea wind sweeping across the beach carries grains of sand inland. When its motion is interrupted by a log or grass clump, the wind drops its burden of sand. Slowly, a mound builds up. Growing higher, broader, merging with other mounds, it becomes a hillock, a ridge — a dune. Rolling up...
Ocean Views: A picture is worth a thousand words
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Mar 10
Category:
Ocean Views
The recent storm had a fierce erosive effect on the island’s outer shorelines. The same storm surges, coupled with full moon high tides, produced unusually high water in the largely protected Great Salt Pond, and associated inner harbors. The level of water that we witnessed on March 3 is...
SNOWstorm
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Feb 23
Category:
Ocean Views
From Elizabeth Dickens’ 1926 bird journal: “In Nov. and Dec. the greatest flight of Snow Owls ever recorded.” That entry goes on to identify sightings of 23 individual snowy owls on Block Island that winter. Since 1926 there have been several irruptions of snowy owls into our region, and well...
Great Backyard Bird Count, Block Island-style
Kim Gaffett
Thu, Feb 15
Category:
Ocean Views
The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is this weekend: Feb. 16 – 19. This is a global effort to observe and report which bird species are where during the winter — between migration times. "The 2018 GBBC again promises to provide an important snapshot of bird occurrence in February," says the...
2017 bird census
Sat, Jan 6
Category:
Ocean Views
Q. What do Ross’s goose, Virginia rail, Common raven, Ruby-crowned kinglet, Palm warbler, Field sparrow, and Fox sparrow have in common? A. They were all seen on Block Island, on Dec. 26, 2017, for the first time during the 17th annual Community Bird Census. Not since the first two years have we...
A glimpse of Island birdlife
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Dec 30
Category:
Ocean Views
Starting in January 2009, the Crazy-as-a-Coot bird walkers (co-led by Maggie Komosinski) meet twice a month (October through June) to survey bird presence and activity, and to take pleasure in our surroundings. We meet at different locations around the Island, depending on weather, mostly wind...
Kindness shown to injured owl
Thu, Dec 21
Category:
Ocean Views
The following report came in from Kim Gaffett:
Kate Sprague Campanale and Heather Dippolito discovered an injured owl on Corn Neck Road early on Monday, Dec. 18. They called the Police Department dispatch, which called me. Kate and Heather protected the downed owl until I got there. It...
Ocean Views: A Resiliency Roundtable
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Dec 1
Category:
Ocean Views
Block Islanders are nothing if not resilient. No harbor to support a fishing industry: design a special work boat – the Block Island double ender. No wood for building and fuel: salvage every stick that comes ashore, from driftwood, to cargo, to ship hulls run aground. Now, the Island –— like the...
Ocean Views... Two new walks of discovery
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Jul 21
Category:
Ocean Views
The Age of Discovery was a fantastic time in the history of human adventure. It was a time when wanderers of all ilk struck out towards the various compass points of the world to learn what was there. They returned to their port cities and filled the museums with giant tortoises, magnificently...
Lobster cars and Ancient Mariners
Martha Ball
Fri, Jul 14
Category:
Ocean Views
It is raining, again. It did so in the morning, yesterday, a series of moving precipitation ranging from downpour to shower. By ten it had stopped and the sky to the east was oddly light, a reversal of what I expect of a storm sliding up the coast. The sky cleared, and by noon we felt the weight of...
50 Years of bird banding
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Apr 22
Category:
Ocean Views
Elise Lapham started the Block Island Bird Banding Station 50 years ago on April 27, 1967. However, beyond the fact of when it started, there are scores of stories and details to be told about the who, what, where, why and how of the banding station’s history. How and Who? While David and Elise...
Join ‘Expedition Block Island’
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Feb 24
Category:
Ocean Views
Have you ever wondered what was in that cove, around that point, or over that dune? After the Groundhog Day count, many islanders go in search of mountain slopes, coral reefs, hunting lodges, colossal amusement rides, grandma’s attic, or any oasis for introspection — in general, we head to parts...
Alabaster swans and charcoal coots
Kim Gaffett
Sun, Jan 1
Category:
Ocean Views
On Dec. 26, 2016, the Ocean View Foundation organized its 16th annual Community Bird Census (CBC) in the tradition of Elizabeth Dickens, who for nearly 50 years orchestrated the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count on Block Island. Each of those years she would rally the island’s...
Whistling Swans on Sachem Pond
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Dec 23
Category:
Ocean Views
On a chilly, Dec. 7 morning, Maggie Komosinski and I waited for the rain to stop and give way to a leaden sky of clouds before heading out in search of an odd-looking goose that we had seen – but not identified – the day before. We traipsed through field and dune and pond edge. We wended through...
Block Island Beach Cleanup: There is always more to do
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Sep 24
Category:
Ocean Views
International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is a 30-year project of the Ocean Conservancy that collects information about ocean and shoreline debris from around the world. In 2015, about 18 million pounds of trash was collected by 800,000 volunteers around the globe. The Ocean Conservancy uses the...
Ladybugs & moths: A double hitter
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Jul 1
Category:
Ocean Views
Join Ocean View Foundation and Rhode Island Natural History Survey for two unique programs on Thursday, July 7 at 1 p.m., and again at 9 p.m., on Corn Neck Road near the trail to the Labyrinth. The Lost Ladybug The Rhode Island Natural History Survey wants help looking for ladybugs on Block Island...
Celebrate Earth Day
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Apr 15
Category:
News
,
Ocean Views
Next week is Earth Day. (Friday, April 22, for those of you for whom this date does not come readily to mind.) A day, and a week, to celebrate our home planet. Next week is also spring break here on Block Island. With the Island Free Library, Ocean View Foundation will be marking the occasion with...
It takes a village, to save a peregrine
Kim Gaffett
Sun, Oct 18
Category:
Ocean Views
On Oct. 5, I received three different phone calls/messages about an injured ‘hawk.’ The first call was from Norris Pike — which I could not take because I was in the bank — who described a large hawk on the porch of a house that he is building on the west side. The second call, from Donn Frageau,...
“Not what you look at, but what you see.”
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Jun 13
Category:
Ocean Views
Q. What do horseshoe crabs and Eastern spring beauty have in common? A. They both make rare appearances in May. And, both need more than merely to be looked at, in order to see their complete beauty. Eastern spring beauty (
Claytonia virginica
, a.k.a...
A visual symphony, and a month to be savored
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Jan 31
Category:
Columnists
,
Ocean Views
It was a visual symphony. The light came up slowly and the stage was revealed: a twisted bony armature of grey. The trunk, smooth and substantial, gave way to branches like arms with elbows and wrists, and then to a halo of twigged filigree. My old, and alas, declining, shad tree reappears each...
February Transitions
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Feb 8
Category:
Ocean Views
On Block Island, in February, islanders count people like ornithologists count birds. During the snows of February’s first weekend, the Chinese New Year of the Horse was ushered in, Sea Hawks prevailed (not a mid-winter osprey return), Phil in Punxsutawney saw his shadow, and 931 people (the...
Of Snowflakes & Snow Owls
Kim Gaffett
Wed, Jan 8
Category:
Ocean Views
The 13th annual Community Bird Census held, by Elizabeth Dickens-inspired tradition, on Dec. 26 was again a day of delight, surprises and inspiration. Although not a stellar year by species count, only 46 species (the 13-year average is 50), but the day did not disappoint. We were delighted to...
Snowy Owl report for 2013
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Dec 20
Category:
Ocean Views
“In Nov. and Dec. the greatest flight of Snow Owls ever recorded. The following numbers were shot on B.I. most of which were mounted. Hugh 3, Fred Shogren 1, Omar Littlefield 1, Ed Dodge 1, Harold Dunn 3, Sands Littlefield 2, Papa 1, George Millikin 2, Lincoln Payne, Jr. 2, Lester Littlefield 1,...
Celebrate R.I. Natural History Week
Kim Gaffett
Fri, Nov 1
Category:
Ocean Views
Where better to celebrate Natural History Week than right here on Block Island? The selection of the first week of November, by Gubernatorial Proclamation, seems especially fitting for us here. Keen observers will notice many changes in the natural environment in early November, not the least of...
International Coastal Cleanup Block Island Style
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Sep 28
Category:
Ocean Views
Many thanks to the Block Island volunteers who participated in the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) on Sept. 21. Thanks especially go to Block Island Recycling Management and the Town of New Shoreham for sharing the cost of the transfer station fees to dispose of the debris collected by 30-plus...
Where are the Monarchs?
Kim Gaffett
Sat, Sep 21
Category:
Ocean Views
The date of Sept. 15 was as likely as not to be the peak of goldenrod blooms on Block Island. Whether it is a glowing field of gold or the subtle elegance of a stonewall edged by yellow, mid-September is a time of stunning beauty. Just when you think that a summer-browned field cannot become more...
Did you Know ... The Buzz on Bees
Kim Gaffett
Mon, Jun 24
Category:
Ocean Views
Did you know that we are just coming to the end of the officially declared Pollinator Week in Rhode Island…and, the nation? It is true: both Gov. Chafee and the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared the week of June 17 as Pollinator Week — a special time for recognizing the important role...
May Day Tips
Kim Gaffett
Sat, May 4
Category:
Ocean Views
May Day is a traditional day of spring celebrations calling to mind May baskets and Maypoles. Or it is a day to unite workers around the world for better working conditions? May Day is also an internationally known call for help and assistance. As we infuse our daily lives with the sight, smell,...
Ocean Views: Winter Vacation
Kim Gaffett
Tue, Mar 5
Category:
Ocean Views
It seems that the end — and beginning — of each season is celebrated with dual-purpose events. For instance, are Ground Hog Day and Easter celebrations of the end of winter or the beginning of spring? And, is the ever-popular February vacation a celebration of winter, a tool for endurance, or a...
Fishing for fish
Wed, Feb 13
Category:
Ocean Views
There was a time when the question about a February fish dinner was confined to “cod or flounder?” But the days of coming home to find that a local fisherman has left a mess of tobies (cod fish roe) in your ice box is long since gone. And, on Block Island, it is no longer possible to seek out a...
From Holboell's Grebe (1912) to Common Gallinule (2012)
Kim Gaffett
Thu, Jan 10
Category:
Ocean Views
On December 26, 1912, Miss Elizabeth Dickens (age 35), in her first of 50 years of keeping a daily bird journal, recorded seeing: “Horned lark 35, Snowflake 50, Herring gull 10, Holboell’s grebe 1, Horned grebe 1, Red-breasted merganser 2.” On December 26, 2012, a small but intrepid group of bird...
Elizabeth Dickens: a local hero, 100 years ago
Kim Gaffett
Tue, Dec 25
Category:
Ocean Views
"February 21, 1912: Canada Geese." Thus began Elizabeth Dicken’s 50-year habit of recording bird sightings on Block Island; and here we are, 100 years later, delving into those journals to discover and observe the birds of 1912, their common — sometimes individual — names, and the making of...
Chicken-of-the-Woods
Kim Gaffett
Wed, Dec 5
Category:
Ocean Views
Q. Is chicken-of-the-woods an animal, vegetable or mineral? A. None of the above, it is a mushroom. Chicken-of-the-woods (
Laetiporus sulphureus
, formerly
Polyporus sulphureus
) is a beautiful fungus* in both form and color, and in the mystery that it evokes. To come upon this...
B.I. & Rhode Island Natural History Survey
Kim Gaffett
Wed, Nov 28
Category:
Ocean Views
Q.
What do the Block Island plants mile-a-minute vine, pale green orchid, and winterberry have in common?
A.
They have all garnered special attention from Rhode Island Natural History Survey on Block Island.
The Rhode Island Natural History Survey (RINHS) is a non-profit...
Ocean Views: Purple Haze, Marsh Rosemary, Sea Lavender
Kim Gaffett
Thu, Sep 13
Category:
Ocean Views
If it is September on Block Island then it is time to bathe summer-tired feet in the soothing mud of a salt marsh. Many of the island’s September visitors will flock to our sand/mud flats and tidal marshes to glimpse shorebirds headed south after their breeding season in the north. Yes, ruddy...
Summer beasts
Kim Gaffett
Tue, Jul 3
Category:
Ocean Views
Fireflies, moths, butterflies, beetles, mantids, dragonflies and damselflies are summer’s beautiful beasts. July is the month of long twilight, short nights, and warm still mornings — the perfect time to observe some of nature’s most fantastic winged creatures. The life cycle of any of the island’s...
June fog
Kim Gaffett
Sat, May 26
Category:
Ocean Views
Water is a phenomenal substance. It is believed that where water does not exist life does not exist. Consider the hunt for signs of water in our solar system — Mars for instance — in hopes of divining evidence of once-upon-a-time life. Water is a shape-changer; between ice and steam there is dew,...
Tiny May flowers
Kim Gaffett
Tue, May 1
Category:
Ocean Views
There are many signs that herald the arrival of spring. One of the most noted is the sudden bursting forth of flowers in May. Blooming shrubs and trees such as shad, apple, azalea, beach plum, or horse chestnut immediately come to mind. Perhaps it will be the brilliance of dandelion, hawkweed,...
Ocean Views: Marine animals and the sound of spring rolling in
Kim Gaffett
Wed, Apr 4
Category:
Ocean Views
Although there is great promise of warmth and new life in April, the month can be cold, grey and bony: a month with an exoskeleton. But April also beckons for beach walks, a time when almost anything can be found at the island’s edge. The shoreline can be wide and flat at low tide, or narrow and...
Malleable and resolute: Clay is the 'bedrock' of Block Island
Kim Gaffett
Sun, Feb 26
Category:
Ocean Views
It can be pounded and extruded, hand-built or thrown, excavated to create cozy nests, or become wind- and rain-sculpted hoodoos. Clay is Block Island’s “bedrock.” In its simplest form, clay is a substance made of very small particles of minerals such as aluminum silicate. Much smaller in grain size...
What are you doing over February Vacation?
Kim Gaffett
Mon, Feb 13
Category:
Ocean Views
If your week of winter wandering will be based on the “Bermud a of the North” — Block Island, that is — consider joining one of the following free Ocean View Foundation programs. Monday, February 20: Great Backyard Bird Count — a Block Island Tutorial The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a four-...
Ocean Views: Wax myrtle, myrtle warbler
Kim Gaffett
Wed, Feb 1
Category:
Ocean Views
Grey is the color of February. But look closely; it can be a stunning grey. Charcoal grey trunks of shad, blotched with ash-grey lichens, almost luminescent in late-afternoon light. Stone walls, uncluttered by vines and leaves, weight hill and dale with intricate granite-grey tatted edges. Incoming...
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