Lightening in a Bottle - an up close encounter with a Fisher Cat Kim Smith 2023-05-25 | Recently I had a mesmerizing encounter with a Fisher Cat. While walking down a wooded lane we came eye to eye. He was about six feet up in a maple tree. Never having seen one in person, but having heard many negative tales about their viciousness, I was a little taken aback, but only at first. We stood and watched each other for a few moments. He scampered down the tree, ran along the wood's floor but rather than disappearing, he zoomed up the next maple tree. He did this several times more, deftly scampering up and down the trees, then crossed the road and systematically went up and down the stand of maple trees on the opposite side of the road. In each tree, he poked his nose into nearly every hole and crevice.This elusive and completely misunderstood creature was fascinating to observe. (I think) his face is wonderfully expressive and rather cute, sort of like a little teddy bear face. What do you think? If we were watching a nature film set in an exotic location we would probably think he was extra adorable. He had a a fat bloated tick in his ear and I was wishing I could help get it out. The most amazing thing was watching him climb up and down the trees with great dexterity, agilely leaping from limb to limb. Their paws and claws are huge, again, almost bear-like. Reportedly, they can rotate their hind feet almost 180 degrees, which allows them to scamper down the tree head first, one of few large mammals that have this ability.As soon a s I returned home I looked at the footage and read tons of information. Firstly, they are neither a species of cat, nor do they eat fish. The name Fisher most likely comes from European settlers likening the animal to the European polecat called a 'fitche.' I love the Cree name Otchock and think we should make a concerted effort to rename the Fisher. The Algonquin name, the 'Pekan,' is better suited as well.Fisher Cats are members of the weasel family. In winter they have rich, chocolatey brown fur that is, unfortunately, prized by hunters. The female's fur is finer and the most desirable of all. The male's fur may have a more grizzled appearance. The male is also larger, varying from three feet to four feet long. The female is generally just shy of three feet long. Based on the fur color and size of this Fisher, I believe it is a male.Two popularly held misconceptions about the Fisher Cat are that they eat cats, and that they make a shrill, shrieking screech. Based on post mortem examinations, there is no evidence that Fishers eat cats. There is however, a great deal of evidence that Coyotes prey upon house pets. And that unearthly scream we sometimes hear at night, that is a Red Fox. Unlike foxes, Fisher cats are not vocal creatures and are only capable of making occasional chuckles and hisses.Fisher Cats were once extirpated from Massachusetts, largely because of the felling of forests and because of unregulated hunting. Beginning in the late 1800s and into the 1900s, human population trends shifted. Farms were abandoned and much of the former farm land has reverted back to forested land, the Fisher's habitat. Today, trapping is limited and carefully monitored.Another reason Fishers have rebounded is thanks to the logging industry , which has reintroduced Fishers at a number of forest locations. Fishers are one of the very few predators that prey upon Porcupines. The issue with Porcupines is that they are voracious eaters of tree saplings.The Fisher cat is primarily a carnivore. Their diet mostly consists of small mammals including rabbits and squirrels, and also birds. They also eat berries, mushrooms, fruits, and other plants.My 'lightening in a bottle' filming moments with a Fisher Cat has shown that they are beautiful stealthy predators, well worth dispelling fallacies and learning more about!
Bald Eagles Mating Kim Smith 2023-04-17 | The sub-adult appears to be about 3.5 to 4 years old and is un-banded. The adult (with the pure white head) was thought to have been banded at a north of Boston town (in 2015 or 2016) and is referred to as MM. Eagles get their “names” from the first two letters of the leg bands they received just before they fledged their nests.The pair have been constructing a nest together. Is it unusual for an adult and sub-adult to bond and nest? Prior to live nest cams, ideas about Bald Eagle nesting and mating behaviors were more rigid. But much, much more is known now and it’s wonderfully captivating!MM was perched when the sub-adult flew in. MM gave several loud croaky gull-like greetings. He/she assumed the dominant position and copulation took all of ten seconds (which is typical for birds!) MM dismounted and the pair stayed side-by-side together for sometime afterward.Although MM took the dominant position, that does not mean he/she is a male. Female Bald Eagles also approach. Both male and females initiate bonding and both may assume a dominant position when bonding.It’s also difficult to tell by observing. Eagles are sexually dimorphic, meaning the females are bigger than the males. To compare MM and his friend side by side, MM looks to be a bit smaller however, juveniles also appear a little bigger than adults due to longer feathers that help them fly more easily.
Spring Peeper Chorus Kim Smith 2023-04-15 | A noisy choir of male Spring Peepers calling to the females. Don't you think it fabulous how tiny frogs about the length of a paperclip can make such a symphony! The Peeper that peeps the loudest, and the fastest, gets the girl!Filmed on Cape Ann Massachusetts.
Misty Morning Rain Kim Smith 2023-04-15 | Heading out early this morning I didn't have great expectations of capturing pond wildlife. How wrong I was! Misty rain softly billowing across the pond, beautiful orb weaver spider webs ornamented with pearls of dew, Red-winged Blackbirds chortling, a female Downy Woodpecker foraging adjacent to a web and, surprise of all, a Glossy Ibis flew up from the marsh. I wasn't expecting to see the Ibis and my camera was set for filming small creatures but I caught the tail end of the flight. We mostly notice orb spider webs in the summer and fall because the webs are larger, but the spiders begin weaving webs as soon as they appear in spring.
Handicapped Piping Plover Getting Around Kim Smith 2023-04-12 | In the summer of 2021, a female Piping Plover's toes became entangled in dried seaweed and monofilament. Over the winter she lost all the toes on her right foot. She returned to her nesting site in 2022. Piping Plover Super Mom has adapted in how she walks, runs, forages, preens, and even in how she mates. Over the summer of 2022 she and her long time partner successfully raised four chicks to fledge. She has again returned to her nesting site in the spring of 2023. She is healthy, foraging well, and nest scraping with her mate!
Great Blue Herons Courting Kim Smith 2023-04-01 | Love is in the Air!I am finding pure joy in seeing the return of herons to Cape Ann, especially Great Blues. North America's largest heron has arrived to shadow our landscapes with their massive wingspan, in the case of some males, up to seven feet wide! Stately and elegant, they also remind of us prehistoric flying dinosaurs or baby pterodactyls.The courtship, mating, and nest building of the magnificent Great Blue Heron is highly ritualized. Great Blues do not mate for life, but are monogamous during the nesting season. The male typically arrives to the nesting site, or rookery, first. He choses a either new nest location or an old nest to rebuild. With his neck fully extended and majestic slow wingbeats, the male flies in great circles around the nesting grounds while calling for a mate. The female perches and calls back, waiting for the just the right fellow to come along.Once the pair have bonded, the male selects the nesting materials and brings them to the female. The female arranges the material and it can take up to a week to build the nest. During the nest building period, the pair further bond with elegant displays of preening each others feathers, bowing, fluffing and rubbing their necks together, twig exchanges, and more. And, too, during the building time period the pair frequently (albeit very briefly) continues to mate.
Grey Seal Weanling Rescue Kim Smith 2023-03-05 | A very young Grey Seal pup was stranded for several days at Eastern Point Lighthouse. We nicknamed him EP and have been eagerly awaiting an update You can read the full story at kimsmithfilms.comAshley Stokes from the Seacoast Science Center Marine Mammal Rescue program shares the following -Update on the Gloucester, MA gray sealSince being transferred to our colleagues at Mystic Aquarium on February 17th, the gray seal pup from Eastern Point continues to make progress in rehabilitation. He has begun eating fish on his own, is starting to gain weight, and is getting more and more access to pool time to help regain strength and muscle tone. He continues to be monitored closely, as he continues to have an elevated white blood cell count, but is on antibiotics to battle any infection. We remain hopeful for this little gray seal to continue making strides in rehabilitation, with the goal of his release in the not too distant future! Follow SSCMarine mammal on facebook here
Flight of the Purple Sandpipers Kim Smith 2023-03-05 | Look what the storm brought in, on the backshore’s wave washed rocks! I don’t often see Purple Sandpipers in such large numbers. These pot bellied shorebirds mostly forage along rocky shores and especially love periwinkles The storm also delivered a flock of Scaups (very weary), Killdeers, Scoters, and the American Pipits are still here. Spring migration is underway!
Peregrine Falcon 07CB Kim Smith 2023-02-09 | 07CB hatched in 2020 at the Gillis Memorial Bridge, Newburyport, MA. In 2021, he crashed into a bird feeder in West Dennis, MA. 07CB was treated at Wild Care (Eastham) and Tufts Wildlife Clinic for trauma to the beak and pectoral muscle. Beautifully recovered, he was filmed at Hampton Beach State Park in February 2023.
Snow Buntings Kim Smith 2023-01-29 | A captivating flock of Snow Buntings foraging at the Eastern Point salt marsh, set to Debussy's beautiful flute prelude. LOVE Snow Buntings and their mesmerizing flight pattern! Watch how beautifully they have evolved in their ability to find food in the snowy landscape.Royalty and copyright free music from the Internet Archives:Claude Debussy "Prélude À L'apres-midi D'un Faune."
Owl in the Snow Kim Smith 2023-01-21 | Sleepy-eyed Barred Owl at nightfall.Jean-Pierre Rampal "Syrinx" Royalty-free music
Coyote on the Prowl Kim Smith 2023-01-19 | The beautiful robust Coyote (Canis latrans) seen in the clips was successful hunting an Eastern Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). After capturing and then, I think, double checking that it was fully incapacitated, he gleefully rolled around on the Meadow Vole many times over before resuming eating.Royalty free music by Vivaldi " L'inv erno, Concerto No.4 In Fa Minore."
Great Blue Heron Catches a Whopper! Kim Smith 2023-01-15 | I have been watching this neighborhood Great Blue Heron everyday for several months. He's been assigned the nickname Hank Heron. This was his biggest catch yet! I think the fish is a Common Yellow Perch. Fishermen friend, if you know differently, please write. Thank you!Filmed at Niles Pond in Gloucester.
Anitras Dance Hummingbird and Zinnias Kim Smith 2022-08-06 | Summer morning scene - Plant for the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and they will come! Hummingbirds benefit from a garden planted with a rich variety of nectar plants, including Zinnia elegans, Bee Balm (Monarda), Rose of Sharon, Pineapple Sage, Native Honeysuckle (Lonicera smepervirens), and Phlox davidii, to name but a few.Music - Peer Gyntby Edvard Grieg; The London Symphony Orchestra; Per Dreier
Piping Plover Hip Hop Catching Up! Kim Smith 2022-07-25 | Thirty-five day old Piping Plover Hip Hop's foot was injured in his first week. He is about ten days behind in development, compared to his siblings, but is catching up. Plovers begin stretching their tiny wing buds within hours after hatching. Hip Hop does a little flutter hop with outstretched wings, a good sign he is on his way to flying.
Osprey Fishing Kim Smith 2022-07-17 | The Osprey are finding the shallow water rich with fish. The fish hawk seen here had no luck the first try. After circling around and giving a signature call, he/she quickly made a second dive and had himself an excellent catch. The large fish pulled him back down toward the water for a few moments, but then he righted himself. I thought the Osprey was heading in the opposite direction of where I was standing, but then he flew almost directly over me. It was a thrill to see an Osprey so close up with the fish . Toward the end, he looks like he is surfing with the fish. Osprey eat almost exclusively fish, yet despite that fact, every time an Osprey flies over the beach, all the shorebirds run for cover. According to Cornell, captured fish measure on average form 6 to 13 inches long and weigh one-third to two-thirds of a pound, although the largest fish caught on record was 2.5 pounds.
Seagull Regurgitating Kim Smith 2022-07-13 | Have you ever seen a Herring Gull feed its young? I was experimenting with my new camera and turned it towards this adult and fledgling at the tidal flats. The fledgling was begging like crazy, and then helped pull out the mass from the adult's throat. At first I thought they were fighting over the regurgitated food but perhaps the adult was teaching the fledgling how to break off a bit. Other nearby gulls took notice of the feeding and swooped in to grab the food. Mom gulped the mass back down her throat and quickly departed.Unfortunately, the camera went out of focus briefly, but you get the idea. Gulls are such a menace on the beach, to both beachgoers and Plovers, but it was fascinating to see how they feed their babies.
Tiny Piping Plover Hip Hop Kim Smith 2022-07-13 | Grow little Plover, Grow! Tiny Piping Plover Hip Hop is the exact same age as his three siblings; twenty-three-days-old when this video was shot. We’re not exactly sure why he is not developing as quickly as the other three but can surmise it is because he has an injured right foot. He doesn’t put weight on the foot and has a run-hop sort of gait. Hip Hop spends much more time thermosnuggling under the adult’s wings than his siblings but when he is out on the beach and tidal flats he eats with great gusto.
Piping Plover Territory Defense Kim Smith 2022-07-10 | When Piping Plovers arrive in early spring they begin almost immediately to establish a nesting territory. The males fly overhead piping loud territorial calls and chase and/or attack intruders including songbirds, Crows, gulls, and even members of their own species. The attacks on each other are brutal and can end in injury, or even worse, death.Typically, the battles subside for a time while the mated pairs are brooding eggs and when the chicks are very young. The exception to that is when an unattached male, or disrupter, is circulating about the beach.Later in the season, as the chicks are gaining independence and roam more freely, the youngsters will eventually cross into “enemy territory.” The males resume fighting to both protect their chicks and their turf. We are seeing these little dramas play out at Good Harbor Beach. One reason why I think the older pair at #3, our original pair, are so successful is because Super Mom will also often join in the battle (even with her foot loss), putting herself between the attacker and her chicks, and they will both go after the intruder, whether another Plover or a seagull. In the video, you can see Mom has positioned herself on the left, while Super Dad circles the other male, biting him during the scuffles, then leaping over and then chasing him out over the water. This was yesterday’s battle and today finds all six chicks and all four adults present and accounted for, with no visible injuries.
Leo Cannavo 2022 Friday Greasy Pole Champion Kim Smith 2022-06-28 | Veteran Greasy Pole Walker Leo Cannavo captures the flag, his first in 20 years of walks. And it's his birthday!
Derek Hopkins 2022 Sunday Greasy Pole Champion Kim Smith 2022-06-27 | Greasy Pole phenom Dereck Hopkins captured the flag on the second walk of the first round. It wasn't unexpected, as he strolled out to the end of the Greasy Pole on the second walk of the courtesy round. Congratulations to Derek!
Common Eider Creche Kim Smith 2022-06-13 | Moms, aunties, grandmoms, and sisters raise Common Eider ducklings in large communal nurseries called crèches. This creche of Common Eiders was feeding on the abundance of seaweed and sea lettuce found along the shores of Cape Ann. Often enough a wave would wash a few ducklings onshore and they would race back to join the nursery. It was easy to see how the ducklings can become separated from their family. We occasionally find Common Eider ducklings on shore and there is a technique to reuniting them with a crèche. Please contact your local wildlife rehabber if that happens or leave a comment and we will try to help.Listen to the audio and you can hear the constant vocalizations between the adults and ducklings.
Great Marsh Bluebirds Kim Smith 2022-06-01 | Listen to the music where seaside marsh meets grassland meadow while Mom and Dad Eastern Bluebirds are feeding their nestlings. Cox Reservation Great Marsh Essex County.
Music of the Marsh Blackbird Alley Kim Smith 2022-05-03 | One of the earliest (and most eagerly anticipated) signs of spring in the Northeast is the arrival of the Red-winged Blackbird. The males begin their displays weeks before the females arrive. Their preferred breeding habitat is wetlands, of which Cape Ann and Massachusetts has no shortage.The females are interested in what the male sounds like and look likes. The male's brilliant red epaulettes and raucous calls are meant to both attract females and and defend against competitors. The species is polygynous: a male successfully defending a good territory may mate with up to fifteen females in a season. Red-winged Blackbirds usually nest in loose colonies and females often mate with males other than the territory holder. Clutches of unknown paternity are not uncommon.Males defend against intruders of all sizes — not only competing males, but also Great Blue Herons, raptors, Crows, and reportedly, even people wandering too close to their nests.Red-winged Blackbirds are omnivorous, feeding primarily on seeds and grain such as rice and corn; small fruits and seeds such as blackberries and sunflowers; and also a wide variety of insects and spiders especially during the breeding season.The Red-winged Blackbird is the United States' and Canada's most widely distributed blackbird. Nonetheless these wide spread wanderers are concern for conservationists. Red-winged Blackbirds and other blackbirds are frequently persecuted at their roosts in agricultural areas, where the birds may cause crop damage. (The Bobolink is targeted on its South American wintering grounds for similar reasons.)Decades long control measures such as trapping, poisoning, and shooting, along with climate change and habitat loss, have resulted in a substantial decline in Red-winged Blackbird populations. Also under attack are important conservation laws such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA.)see more at kimsmithfilms.com
Hammond Castle-by-the-Sea Kim Smith 2022-01-24 | Ocean effect snow creates a mystical scene at Hammond Castle. Located in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Hammond Castle is a medieval museum built in 1926 by the inventor John Hammond as his residence.For more information about hours of operation and special events visit hammondcastle.org
Winter Robins in the Garden Kim Smith 2021-03-01 | On a damp overcast day, a cloud of of Robins descended on our garden. The Dragon Lady hollies provided an abundance of food for the traveling flock. Their beautiful birdsongs filled the neighborhood as they went from tree to tree, devouring any remaining winter fruits.Read more here about gardens planted to nourish American Robins and other songbirds.
Derek Hopkins 2019 Friday Saturday Sunday Greasy Pole Champion Kim Smith 2020-07-01 | Congratulations to 18 year old Derek Hopkins for winning Gloucester's 2019 Greasy Pole Friday, Saturday, and Sunday competitions! Derek is only the second walker to win the Friday, Saturday, Sunday trifecta, after Jake Wood (1999). Derek's Dad, Rich Hopkins captured the flag in 1996 and 1997. Derek and his Dad are only the fourth father-son duo to win the flag.Note about the music - Eh, Cumpari! or Hey, Goombadi! is a Sicilian song we hear playing often during Fiesta. Sung by Julius La Rosa and released in 1953, it is a cumulative song, in which each verse contains all the previous verses.From wiki - a rough translation -Hey buddy, [music] is playing.What is playing? The whistle.And what does it sound like—the whistle?[vocalized instrument sound]the whistle, [rhythm words].u friscalettu = whistle [small flute]u saxofona = saxophoneu mandulinu = mandolinu viulinu = violinla trumbetta = trumpetla trombona = trombone
Beauty by the Sea Epsidoe 9 Kim Smith 2020-05-31 | Male American Bullfrog mating serenadeBeaver, Beaver Lily Pad EaterReinventing our culture to benefit the many, not just the few.Pitch Perfect Pandemic Precautions –Alexandra’s BreadBlue Collar Lobster Co - Steamers!Beauport HotelCedar Rock GardensWolf Hill native noneysuckle (Lonicera semervirens) and super Hummingbird attractant ‘John Clayton’Common Eider Duckling Rescue with Hilary FryeThank you Jodi from Cape Ann Wildlife Inc!Piping Plover Chronicles –Exclosure installed by Greenbelt’s Dave Rimmer and Gloucester’s DPW’s Joe Lucido.Huge Shout Out to Essex Greenbelt and Dave Rimmer, director of land stewardship.Huge thank you to Joe Luciodo!People’s Letters Really Helped. Thank you, thank you for writing!Castaways Vintage Café Street BoutiqueCharlotte Pops In
Beauty by the Sea Episode #8 Kim Smith 2020-05-25 | The flags that you see lining the boulevard are organized each year by Pauline Bresnihan. She owns the gift shop on Essex Avenue in Gloucester, Pauline’s Gifts, with many lovely hand painted and whimsical items for your home and garden.Good Harbor Beach open to half capacity.Piping Plover endangered/threatened species signs installed at GHB.Sending thanks and gratitude to everyone who wrote emails.Piping Plovers are on the agenda for the City Council meeting on Tuesday night, which will be live streamed at 7pm.Alexandra and Jon at Alexandra’s BreadCastaways Vintage CaféCaffe SiciliaShort and MainBeauport HotelIncredible job at Fisherman’s Wharf GloucesterTree Peony, Rock’s peony, divinely scented,five blossomsPlease report your Monarch sightings. .Piping Plover Chronicles continue –excellent detailed footage of Piping Plovers mating.Two Eggs!
Beauty by the Sea #7 Kim Smith 2020-05-17 | Beauty by the Sea - Episode #7Timelapse Sunrise Twin Lighthouses at Thacher IslandMy Blog. I have been writing, filming, photographing, and painting for years, many years prior to writing and photographing for a local community blog. I started my own blog long before I began contributing to a local community blog. I both wrote and illustrated a book on garden design, "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities!," which was published by David R. Godine, and have written many articles for numerous publications including a weekly column on habitat gardening. Here is a link to my blog and to my book, "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."If you would like to follow or subscribe to my blog, click the Follow button in the lower right hand corner. Thank you so much if you do! www.kimsmithdesigns.com.Baltimore Orioles arrive when the pears and crabapples come into bloom in our garden. Great idea for an Oriole feeder from friend Robin!Shadblow (Amelanchier canadensis) question from Morgan Faulds PikeCaffe Sicilia reopening May 20, Wednesday. What are you going to order?We Love the Franklin Cape AnnCastaways Vintage CafeGloucester Fisherman' WharfCedar Rock GardensPiping Plover Chronicles –Piping Plover SmackdownsStill no threatened/endangered species signage. Please write to your councilor.How can you help raise the next generation of PiPls? It’s a great deal to ask of people during coronavirus to care for, and write letters about, tiny little shorebirds, but people do care. For over forty years, partners have been working to protect these threatened creatures and it is a shame to put them at risk like this needlessly. We have been working with Ward One City Councilor Scott Memhard and he has been beyond terrific in helping us sort through the problems this year; however, I think if we wrote emails or letters to all our City Councilors and asked them to help us get signs installed it would be super helpful. Please keep letters kind and friendly, or just simply copy paste the following:Subject Line: Piping Plovers Need Our HelpDear City Councilors,Gloucester Plovers need our help. Please ask the Conservation Commission to install the threatened species signs at the symbolically cordoned off nesting areas and at the entrances at Good Harbor Beach.Thank you for helping these birds raise their next generation.Your NameLink to all the City Councilors, but I believe that if you send one letter and also cc to Joanne Senos, a copy will be sent to all the City Councilors. Her address is: JSenos@gloucester-ma.gov
Beauty by the Sea #6 Kim Smith 2020-05-11 | GOOD NEWS CAPE ANN – THINKING ABUT CHANGING THE NAME “TO BEAUTY BY THE SEA”- EPISODE 6This is what snow in May looks like! 1816:The Year Without a SummerHappy Mom’s Day! Sending love to all our beautiful and hard working Mums, Aunts, Friends, Grandmothers, Great Grannies, Great Aunties, and all our loved ones ❤ Sea Salps at Good Harbor BeachCedar Rock Gardens Opening May 15th for Warm Weather Seedlings. See complete list here.Gardening Tip – when to plant warm weather seedlings outdoorsThe Franklin Fisherman’s Wharf GloucesterCastaways Vintage CaféShort and Main FRIED CHICKEN!Cedar Waxwings CourtingPiping Plover Chronicles – new series – currently following three different PiPl families at three different locations. This is great for comparing and contrasting. Our PiPls are behind, by several weeks. Not because they arrived any later, but because of dog and human disturbance in the nesting area, which is due to a lack of signage. We are working to correct this oversight.A behavior shared by all Plovers is called “foot-trembling.” Also called “foot-tapping” and “foot-pattering,” the vibration caused by the PiPl shaking its foot brings worms and other prey closer to the surface of the sand.Please send in your wildlife stories, restaurants and businesses you think we ought to know more about and help support, fun recipes, and anything else you would like to share about.Thank you for watching! Happy Mom’s Day ❤
Cedar Waxwings Courting Kim Smith 2020-05-09 | A flock of Cedar Waxwings foraged for a morning at our neighborhood trees. The most beautiful thing to see was a male and female pair courting. They were feeding each other, hopping through the branches and passing buds back and forth.
Good News Cape Ann #5 Kim Smith 2020-05-03 | Good News Cape Ann! – Episode #5 Sounds of Cape Ann, fog horn, songbirds, boatsRed-winged Blackbird singing across the marsh and calling to his mate in the reeds below.Musing over name of show- Good News Cape Ann, Finding Hope, and my friend Loren suggested Beauty of Cape Ann – what do you think?Loren Doucette beautiful pastels and paintings. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.Castaways gift certificateFishermans Wharf Gloucester now also selling lobsters in addition to scallops, haddock, and flounder. Our son made a fabulous scallop ceviche this week, so easy and delicious.Cedar Waxwings, Hummingbird, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Baltimore Orioles, and Palm WarblerMini tutorial on how to plant a hummingbird gardenTWO MONARCH CONTORVERSIES! Is it okay to raise Monarchs at home? What is the problem with Butterfly Bushes?Jesse Cook new release “One World One Voice”Beautiful Piping Plover courtship footage – Piping Plovers in the field, what are they doing right now?Charlotte stops by.Take care and be well ❤Alex’s Scallop Ceviche Recipe1 lb. sea scallops completely submerged in fresh lime juiceDice 1/2 large white onion. Soak in a bowl with ice water to the reduce bitterness.Dice 1 garden fresh tomato, 1 jalapeño, and cilantro to tasteStrain the onions.Strain scallops but leave 1/4 of the lime juice.Gently fold all ingredients. Add cubed avocado just prior to serving.
Good News Cape Ann Episode #4 Kim Smith 2020-04-26 | Timelapse sunrise over Salt Island.Ospreys catch a Skate!Coronavirus - Sending much love and prayers to my family of friends who are suffering so greatly.Nicole Duckworth’s birthday paradeTime to put your hummingbird feeders outList of To Go Take Out RestaurantsFisherman’s Wharf GloucesterGloucester BitesAllie’s Beach Street CaféTurner’s SeafoodCastaways Vintage CaféMelissa Tarr’s Naan breadMonarch Butterflies MatingPiping Plovers nestlingProject SNOWStorm sharesTurkeys in the morning sun and Turkey bromanceChocolate-dipped almond biscotti recipePlease write if there is a Good News topic you would like to share. I am thinking about changing the name of the show to Finding Hope, what do you think about that?
Good News Cape Ann! Kim Smith 2020-04-19 | Good News Cape Ann! - Episode #3The opening clip is a beautiful scene overlooking Good Harbor Beach. The sun was beginning to appear through a snow squall - April snow squalls bring May flowers.Good Harbor Beach was jam packed with surfers this morning and Brant Geese were bobbing around at Brace Cove.Quick glimpse of pretty mystery bird? Palm Warbler?Fisherman’s Wharf Gloucester fresh fish curbside pickup. Each week they have gotten better and better. It was dream of ease and coronavirus protocols. Tuesday through Saturday and here is the number to call 978-281-7707Rockport Exchange Virtual Farmer’s Market kimsmithdesigns.com/2020/04/19/rockport-exchange-virtual-farmers-market-is-open-heres-how-it-worksBrother’s Brew, Seaview Farm, Breakwater Roasters, Sandy Bay Soaps, and many more.What are some of the favorite dishes you are cooking during Coronavirus?Tragedies can bring out the best in people, but also the very worst. Cruel people only become crueler and more mean spirited, posting mean thoughtless pranks that they think elevate themselves. I wish this wasn’t happening in our own lives and on social media. We all need to support each other.Share your local business news.Last episode of the Snowy Owl Film Project at kimsmithdesigns.comWonderful hopeful news for our Good Harbor Beach Piping Plovers. The City has created a safe zone in the spot where they are attempting to nest. Thank you Mayor Sefatia and Gloucester’s DPW for installing the symbolic roping. We need signs and hopefully they will be along very soon.Thanks so much to everybody for watching :)
Good News Cape Ann #2 Kim Smith 2020-04-16 | Good News Topics include Castaways Big Red Heart, Massachusetts DCR Protecting Piping Plovers, and Snowy Owl final episode
A Snowy Owl Comes to Cape Ann Kim Smith 2020-04-01 | A Snowy Owl Comes to Cape AnnPart One: IntroductionDuring the winter of 2017- 2018 a beautiful and remarkably tolerant Snowy Owl migrated to Cape Ann’s coastal back shore. Although mild-natured around people, she was the fiercest of hunters. From her rock perches and hotel roof top vantage points, Snowy Owl could fly to the east over the Atlantic to capture a sea duck for dinner or to the west over the golf course and wood-edged fields to hunt for rabbit, mouse, or shrew.During the mid-day hours, she mostly slept, tucked amongst rooftop ventilators and rocky outposts, trying to stay hidden from dive-bombing crows. By weight, Snowy Owls are North America’s largest owl, weighing as much as 6 pounds, with a wingspan up to five feet. Compare the Snowy to the Eastern Screech Owl, which is the size of a robin and weighs only half a pound.In the summer months, Snowies live and nest in the Arctic tundra. During the winter they journey south to similar scapes that feel like home; to windswept airports, rocky beaches, fields, marshes, and dunes. (Crane beach flight)Both female and male Snowy Owls are barred with dark gray and brown when they are young, becoming whiter with age. Very generally speaking, female Snowies keep dark markings throughout their lives. The palest females and the darkest males are nearly alike in color, but the whitest birds are almost always males.Late afternoon and Snowy Owl would awaken to begin her nightly hunting ritual.
Trailer Beauty on the Wing Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly Kim Smith 2020-02-03 | "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" is a 56 minute narrated film that unfolds along the shores of Cape Ann and in the heart of Mexico’s forested volcanic mountains. Every stage of the butterfly’s life cycle is experienced in vibrant close-up, from mating to egg to caterpillar to adult, and set against the backdrop of sea and forest, sun and wind. By the millions and millions the intrepid monarchs journey thousands of miles. The most magical thing is that this migration happens in our midst, unfolding in backyards, farms, meadows, and along the shoreline, wherever milkweed and wildflowers grow.No other butterflies in the world journey thousands of miles over such a vast area. Monarchs do not see borders, religion, ethnicities, or political differences. They are a symbol of unity, ecologically linking Canada and Mexico, and nearly every region within the United States.The Monarchs are in great peril. Although the butterfly’s spectacular migration evolved over millennia, the last decades of human activity have put this phenomenon in grave danger. "Beauty on the Wing" is a film for all ages, created for all to gain a deeper understanding of the symbiotic relationship between habitats, wildflowers, and pollinators, and the vital role they play in our interconnected ecosystems. Filmed in Gloucester, Massachusetts and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserves at Estado de México and Michoacán, the film illuminates how two regions, separated by thousands of miles, are ecologically interconnected.Music score by Jesse Cook. Songs: "Fields of Blue," "You," "El Cri," and "Afternoon at "Saties. All music written by Jesse Cook; Jesse Cook Music publishing. Link to Cook’s website: jessecook.com/.With love and gratitude to butterfly kids (in order of appearance) Pilar Davis, Meadow Anderson, Lotus Marsh, Frieda Davis, Zoie Dickinson, Atticus Anderson, Emma Duckworth, George Ryan, Charles Ryan, Eloise Ciaramitaro, Madeline Ciaramitaro, Annie Kate Convey, April Smith, Charlie Convey, Elijah Sarrouf, Esme Sarrouf, and Charlotte Hauck.
Good Harbor Beach Beautiful Doe of the Dunes Kim Smith 2019-07-28 | This graceful, slender beauty leisurely strolled, and then pranced, up to me while I was filming Piping Plovers. I stood very still as she came closer and closer, trying not to move a muscle. With great curiosity, she spent a few minutes looking at me.After the once over from her, and a magical moment for me, she then proceeded to walk a few feet away and take a very long pee in a tide pool. I was filming, not photographing at this point, and so it was captured on film. I don’t know why I think this was funny, I guess because while I was thinking, this is so beautiful, perhaps she was wondering if I was a tree and a suitable place to go pee.Dancing along with the waves at the shoreline, she was heading back to the dunes when a photographer boxed her into a corner, forcing her to cross the creek and go up the rocky incline to Sherman’s Point, and then cross the road. I prayed she would not get hit by a car (FYI, the photographer had a huge telephoto lens!Half an hour later I was further down the beach and happily surprised as the doe came in from the road. She had circled all the way around, her tongue was hanging out and she was out of breath. After a few sips of water at the creek, the elegant White-tailed doe of the dunes crossed the marsh and made her way back home.
Rusty Blackbird Kim Smith 2018-10-28 | As I was filming a Great Blue Heron, and standing as still as a tree, the beautiful Rusty Blackbird flew on the scene, not four feet away! My heart skipped a beat and I quickly turned my camera on the little blackbird. It’s foraging habit of flipping leaves to uncover insects and plant matter was fascinating and my only wish was that he stayed longer than a brief minute.Scientists only relatively recently became aware of the dramatic decline of the Rusty Blackbird. Reports show that the population of the RB has plummeted between 80 and 99 percent.As is the case with so many creatures the whole earth wide, two of the greatest threats facing the Rusty Blackbird are loss of habitat and climate change. The birds are elusive, nesting in remote areas of the great northern boreal forest and wintering over in the wet woodlands of the southeastern United States. Over 80 percent of their winter habitat in the southeast has been lost to development. Changes in the ecosystem of the boreal forests has affected nesting and foraging.Without doubt, global climate change is the greatest challenge of our day. All living life as we know it is at risk. Millions of human lives have been directly impacted by the Earth's warming temperature. We are at risk of loosing thousands of species of flora and wild creatures.In the current political climate, restrictions on drilling and mining are being dramatically loosened in ecologically sensitive areas, not only creating a greater carbon footprint, but irreparably harming wildlife.Politicians are gutting the Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Is your candidate, in more than only words, willing to take a strong stand to address the environmental crisis and wildlife conservation issues? Does your political party fully support renewable energy initiatives such as wind and solar? Or are they ramping up coal, gas, and oil production.The Monarch Butterfly, Piping Plover, and the Rusty Blackbird are bellwether species that we can see in our own “backyards,” and they are sounding the clarion call loud and clear. Can you imagine Planet Earth without extraordinary and fascinating creatures such as this--and the world of beauty they provide?Vote with your mind and your heart.#endangeredspecies #migratorybirds #migratorybirdtreatyact
Snowy Egrets flight Kim Smith 2018-10-07 | I often think of this quote from the Dalai Lama when watching birds and butterflies in flight - "give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, and reasons to stay."The clip of the Snowy Egrets in flight was shot on a still and hazy summer afternoon, late in the day after the birds had been foraging in the marsh. As soon as the Egret flew above the tree line, the atmosphere became clearer and I imagined it was quiet and peaceful in the windless treetops. The Egret was joined by four more Snowies as they headed off to their night roost.
Monarch Butterfly Rescue Kim Smith 2018-09-18 | Tangled in a mess of his own making, but did you know butterflies can fly with severely damaged and snipped wings?
Otter Kit Steals Frog from Otter Mom? Kim Smith 2018-09-12 | Mother Otters burrow near to, and within, North American Beaver lodges, to give birth and to raise their young. The den will often have many entrances and exits. The mother raises her young alone. At about five weeks old the newborns will begin playing. At two months, the kits (also called pups) coat has grown in and she introduces them to water. At nine weeks they begin to eat solid food and are weaned by twelve weeks.The family bond is beautiful to watch and the young River Otters are utterly adorable in their playfulness. Just some of the familial behaviors that have been so wonderful to observe--otters grooming each other, snuggling under Mom (and playfully biting her tail), siblings wrestling each other, and all taking a morning nap together.One of the most interesting moments was observing what happened one morning after the mother caught a frog. At first look it appeared as though the kit was stealing the frog from her, but after examining the footage, she caught the frog and deliberately incapacitated it, although she did not eat. She was holding the frog for her young otter to come and catch it from her.
Beaver Pond Kim Smith 2016-12-08 | Beaver Pond, also known as Langsford Pond, is located on the outskirts of Cape Ann’s Dogtown. Exquisitely beautiful and peaceful, the pond is teeming with life, habitat largely created by the relatively new presence of the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis).Beavers were absent from the Massachusetts landscape from 1750 to the early 1900s due to deforestation from agriculture and unregulated hunting and fur trapping. In the early 1900s forests began to recover as farmers abandoned their fields to work in cities. By 1928, a Beaver was found in Stockbridge. The public’s enthusiasm for the return of the beavers abounded and in 1932 three additional beavers from New York were introduced and released in Lennox. Today, Beavers have rebounded to the extent that some controlled hunting is permitted.Beavers are ecosystem engineers and the ponds they create become wildlife magnets. Think about just this one example of the ecology of a beaver pond: woodpeckers make holes in the dead trees engineered by Beaver activity, Wood Ducks nest in the holes created by the woodpeckers, and raptors hunt the smaller birds.More examples of how Beavers benefit other species of wildlife include favored nesting sites of both the Great Blue Herons and Osprey are the dead treetops of older trees in beaver swamps. Local species of turtles, the Snapping Turtle and the Eastern Painted Turtle, benefit from abundant vegetation created by beaver tree felling, which causes the forest to regenerate. Snapping and Eastern Painted Turtles prefer standing and slow moving water and hibernate under logs and lodges of Beavers. Painted Turtles also use floating logs to bask upon.Like Niles Pond and Henry’s Pond, Langsford Pond is another superb example of a body of fresh water close to a saltwater cove where the combination of the two ecosystems provides shelter, nesting sites, and an abundance of food. While at Langsford Pond, I often see Great Blue Herons, swooping overhead, coming and going, between feeding grounds at the head of Lobster Cove and the shelter found in the vegetation surrounding the pond. Today, December 8th, a juvenile was seen on the far side of the pond, as were numerous Wood Ducks.Since 1999, Langsford Pond has been protected by the Essex County Greenbelt Association. When I was filming there in October and November it was wonderfully overgrown and somewhat difficult to access. Recently, vegetation has been cut back, which makes walking to the pond’s edge much easier. Disease bearing ticks are present.
Gloucester Seahorse Kim Smith 2016-10-19 | Found by Lobsterman Tony Gross on bait traps. This is the fourth seahorse Tony has caught and the second this week.
