Osprey count 2008
By David Nash, VCS board member

Osprey on Martha’s Vineyard has an almost romantic existence here. When the birds were threatened by DDT exposure, nesting poles were erected all over the island and even today, Gus Ben David, former Felix Neck Director, assists in pole relocation, in erecting new poles and in maintaining predator guards. As a result, the Island now has an extensive, well-documented and fairly prolific network of breeding Osprey. For the past few years an annual count of breeding Osprey and their young has been conducted on Martha’s Vineyard. The current group of volunteers is headed up by Dick Jennings who is assisted by myself, Liz Baldwin and other volunteer naturalists to a lesser extent; Emily, Stacy and Paul. In the spring, raptor biologist and Osprey specialist, Richard (Rob) Bierregaard, works with our group to survey the island’s entire osprey nests (over 140 including some “natural” nests) to determine which nests have resulted in successful breeding. Many poles never see a nesting pair of birds and this year 70 nests were monitored over the course of the summer.

Mr. Bierregaard returns in July to attached transmitters to some birds as part of the research into migratory patterns. His lecture from this past summer was taped and may still be on MVTV. He also has a fascinating website which reports on the migration patterns (www.bioweb.unc.edu/Bierregaard/ospreys.htm) The birds always seem to come up with migratory “surprises”. Last year, one bird flew non-stop from Martha’s Vineyard to Cuba—15000 miles over open water! This year one of the Vineyard birds, “Meadow” from the shores of Lake Tashmoo, decided to head north to the Maine /Canada border where it promptly took a left turn to Ottawa and is now hanging out at Lake Superior—all this from a bird who should be heading south to the Carribean and South America! The other Vineyard birds affixed with transmitters include “Penelope” from Long Point and “Mittark” named after a Wampanoag sachem, from Lobsterville. Mittark was one of 4 birds that fledged from the Lobsterville nest.

During the summer, the volunteers monitor the nests to begin looking for activity when the young hatch. We then try to determine how many chicks are in each nest and then how many actually fledge. These observations can be very enlightening, sometimes pretty boring but eventually you get familiar with the birds and what is going on. First you see the adults feeding the chicks, and then you see little heads poking up then finally the grown birds ready to fly. The adult’s take turns keeping the chicks warm and fed until they get near to fledge time (although “Mom” mostly stays on the nest). This year, the 70 nests that were monitored resulted in 122 young, which seem to be a record. The closest previous total was in 2000 which realized 96. The last 3 years have seen increases starting with 40 in 2005, then 49 in 2006, then 84 last year. No assessment of this increase has been performed but informally among the volunteers, one reason may have simply been the weather—a lack of spring storms made for good hatching conditions. Another would certainly be a good food source due to the somewhat mild winter we had.

Despite the high number of young, 11 nests still failed for a variety of reasons. Some nests (4) were still in the category of “housekeepers”; birds which know they should be doing that mating thing but couldn’t quite figure out how. There were also nests, which saw competition from a newcomer and never did complete mating. That may also explain some of the failures; inattentive or distracted adults. Other failed nests can be due to a poor location or predators. Two disturbing situations did occur this year. At the location of one of the nesting sites, a house foundation was installed just after the eggs were laid and rather than wait for the birds to fledge in order to satisfy an anxious client, the house construction schedule was moved up resulting in a stressed situation likely causing the death of one of the young. At another nest, discarded fishing line was brought to the nest by the adults (it is common for them to bring in beach litter like rope and netting but monofilament fishing line can be deadly as it was in this case). I made this unfortunate discovery and as a member of the Martha’s Vineyard Surfcasters Association was especially concerned. The MVSA is an organization which promotes safe and proper disposal of fishing line to keep it out of the environment. They provide spent line disposal boxes at key locations around the Island. (A more detailed account of this issue including recommendations can be found in the 9/2 edition of the Vineyard Gazette at www.mvgazette.com/article.php?18226 ).

It is becoming a little more difficult to conduct the annual survey and we are not sure how much longer we will continue. We have noticed that with the transfer of properties, the new owners can be more concerned with privacy than allowing access to their property for bird monitoring. So far, we have convinced everyone to allow access but it often takes considerable effort. Also, Mr. Bierregaard is nearing the completion of his migration research and his involvement is critical to the program. However, the volunteer group is always looking for help especially with some of those out-of-the-way nest sites. The effort only involves 4 or 5 visits to each nest from June to around the first week in August and a few calls or emails back to the coordinators. If interested, you can reach me, David Nash, through VCS, or you can contact Suzan Bellancampi at Felix Neck.

The Fall Migration of The Indomitable Monarch Butterfly
By Matt Pelikan, Island Program Director for The Nature Conservancy
As this issue of the Conservation Almanac hits your “In” box, the Vineyard should be experiencing the peak of one of our most visible, and most interesting, natural phenomena: the annual southbound migration of Monarch butterflies.

A surprising number of butterflies migrate (or at least show seasonal movements). Of these, the orange-and-black Monarch (Danaus plexippus) may be the most impressive example. Unable to tolerate sustained freezes, Monarchs (probably prompted by the declining sun) retreat from the northern portion of their range each fall, move south, and congregate in huge ancestral wintering roosts (mainly in Mexico, Florida, and California). Despite their apparent frailty, Monarchs can really travel: individuals tagged in southern New Jersey have turned up in roosts in Mexico, irrefutable evidence that a particular butterfly may survive for weeks and thousands of miles of slow but resolute flight.

In late winter, the roosts disband and the butterflies head north; females, already fertilized, lay eggs on the various species of milkweed that serve as the caterpillar food plant for this butterfly. When those eggs have hatched and matured, the new adult butterflies resume the northward march; it is probably members of the second or third generation that finally arrive at the Vineyard’s latitude, generally sometime in mid-May. By late summer, Monarchs have penetrated into a broad swath of southern Canada. Then, in early September, something trips in the tiny brains of these insects and the current generation of adults turns around and flies south.

It is the fall migration that is most impressive. For one thing, the Monarch population is at its peak, following a full season of (hopefully successful) breeding. For another, the fall migration tends to follow linear geographic features such as coastlines – an easy way for an insect with a primitive nervous system to navigate – which tends to concentrate the population. The migration may be further focused around resources along the way: good nectar sources for energy (notably Seaside Goldenrod, Solidago sempervirens) or good overnight roost sites (exposed clumps of pine trees seem most attractive to the Monarchs that visit the Vineyard).

Like any kind of migration, the annual journey of the Monarchs is variable in terms of timing, exact route, and numbers of individuals involved. Some years, the migration is protracted but diffuse; other years, the bulk of our Monarchs come through over a span of just a few days. So far, this year’s migration seems to be running a bit late, and its numbers are falling far short of the tens of thousands that sometimes arrive on Martha’s Vineyard (and far short of what this past breeding, seemingly a fairly successful one, seemed to promise).

Still, alert observers are seeing individual Monarchs passing everywhere on the Island, and small night-time roosts have been observed dispersing from pine stands at Gay Head (historically the site of the Vineyard’s largest aggregations) and Wasque. Shorelines produce the highest numbers of migrant Monarchs, and good stands of Seaside Goldenrod (along the Beach Road or between the Quansoo parking lot and Black Point Pond are two promising areas) also attract the butterflies. Sunny skies and moderate northeast winds seem to produce the heaviest movements of Monarchs on the Vineyard. But there is no way to know for sure what to expect.

And there is no sure way to predict the future for this remarkable species, beleaguered despite its occasional abundance. Breeding Monarchs are finding less milkweed across much of their range, as residential development or succession of fields into woodland eat away at the best milkweed habitat. And the Monarch’s unusual habit of gathering in number of winter roost sites makes the species vulnerable at that season, too: loss of roost trees to logging or habitat conversion, or injudicious use of insecticides, can reduces the numbers of butterflies that will survive the winter.

But for now, the species remains healthy enough to produce a show that is always interesting and sometimes overwhelming. Vineyarders have a couple more weeks to enjoy the annual journey of the Monarchs and marvel at the instincts and physiology that this remarkable species has evolved.

2007 Osprey Survey results:
Each year, when volunteers can be obtained, Osprey nest productivity on Martha’s Vineyard is monitored. Dick Jennings, an island birder who also works as a TTOR staff member, has coordinated the osprey survey for the past couple of years. Dave Nash, VCS Board member, also volunteers to help monitor Osprey nesting results. This year, 68 nests were observed in the spring and determined to have nesting related activity. These nests were subsequently monitored and tracked through the late spring and into the summer months to determine of they were able to successfully raise young. Of those nests, 6 turned out to be “housekeepers” which is another term for birds that haven’t quite figured out what nesting and breeding are all about. They will hopefully try again next year and be more successful at it. Another 13 nests actually failed for a variety of reasons (storms, predators, other mortality) and the adults did not try again. That left us with 49 nests that resulted in young totaling 86 that eventually fledged. That is a 1.26 young per nest average which is a bit higher than previous years (there is not a great deal of data available but only 2002 yielded a higher ratio). This year Rob Bierregard, a naturalist with the University of North Carolina/Charlotte, who manages this program, fitted three young birds with transmitters to evaluate their migration efforts. The birds tagged this year included Felix, from the nest at the Felix Neck Sanctuary; Luke, from a nest at Mink Meadows; and Conomo, from a nest at Lobsterville Beach. These birds will all be tracked as long as their transmitters are functioning (and as long as they don’t fall victim to hunters or wander too close to fish farms) as they migrate south for the next two years of their lives. Hopefully, when they are done with their teenage wanderings, they will come back to Martha’s Vineyard to breed.

The alien, invasive colonial tunicate, Didemnum contributes a strong and aggravating presence in Lagoon Pond, causing fouling problems on nearly any surface available, including shellfish in the pond. Sparked by the dramatic ecological changes Didemnum is currently causing on George’s Bank, Elaine Hoagland and Mary Carman asked us at the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group to be part of a pilot project involving Didemnum and the bay scallop, Argopecten irradians. We have set up a unique experiment at our shellfish nursery on Chappaquiddick, to observe the effects of Didemnum on the settlement of bay scallop larvae. Scallop larvae were introduced to 20 sieves, half with prepared pieces of Didemnum and a control substance, and the other half with simply the control substance. The larvae were introduced during the late veliger stage of development, when they have grown a shell that is not completely developed, yet are still capable of both swimming and crawling. We will be observing the behavior of the young scallops in relation to the tunicate, and determining whether there is a significant difference between the number of scallop larvae settled on the tunicate verses the control substance. This could have larger implications of the possible affects Didemnum will have in the near future on shellfish larvae settlement in the wild, and will likely lead to more study of the invasive tunicate.

Emma Green-Beach, a second-year summer intern at MVSG, is assisting with the experiment under the MV Vision Fellowship she was awarded this spring, as part of the Phillip K. Evans Scholarship Foundation.

Click here to view an article on Didemnum entitled, Ecological Observations of Colonial Ascidian Didemnum in a New England Tidal Pool Habitat.

Moth Madness is Soon Upon Us 
Spring is a usually a wonderful time of the year on the Martha’s Vineyard. Last spring, however, was compromised by unwanted visitors -- hordes of caterpillars, their webs, fecal rain, and incessant munching -- that turned a pleasant walk into something, well, not so pleasant.  As a result spring 2006 was a very busy one at the Polly Hill Arboretum. Everyone wanted to know: What should we do about the caterpillars? What does it mean for the trees? In anticipation the Arboretum scheduled two educational events: a lecture open to the public at the Agricultural Society in January 2006, and a workshop held on the grounds of the Arboretum in May. UMASS extension agent and entomologist, Bob Childs, described the various moth species now present on the island and options for their control.

Bob’s prediction came true: we had a massive caterpillar outbreak.  The most serious in terms of abundance was the native Fall Canker Worm, followed later by the Gypsy Moth. The Winter Moth, a relatively new-on-the-scene moth pest, did make its presence felt, but it was not as abundant as we had feared.

At the Arboretum we decided to use a bio-rational pesticide called Conserve SC™. Spinosad (the active ingredient) is derived from a naturally occurring bacterium. Bio-rational pesticides, when compared to conventional chemical pesticides, have a lower persistence in the environment, have less impact on beneficial insects, and generally are selective (control just the targeted pest) and are safer to handle and apply. See http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/ipmtools/biorationals.html for more information.

Even though trees are our reason for being, we didn’t douse the entire arboretum with pesticide. Our approach was conservative in that we chose only to spray trees that we consider irreplaceable and trees that have a significant impact in our landscape. While the Arboretum is notable for its unique collection of plants from around the world, it is surrounded to the west and north by a mature native oak forest. We decided not to spray our forest. Why? It is not feasible to expect control of prolific insect outbreaks by spraying large wooded areas; it is also expensive, and more importantly, in my opinion, ecological irresponsible. Whatever pesticides are legally available, bio-rational or not, they are termed insecticides for a reason: they kill insects – the good, the bad, the non-native pest, the endangered moth.

Native moths are an important part of our woodland ecology and Martha’s Vineyard is home to several globally rare moth species. The reasons for this are both intriguing and complex, but one often cited fact is that, compared to the mainland, large areas of the Island have not been sprayed for epidemic outbreaks of insect pests in the past. It could be that our traditional independence and Yankee frugality have served us well in the long run. While the caterpillar outbreaks are shocking and at times even repulsive, they are cyclic and temporal, meaning that they will not last forever; in time, the forests will recover.  

In the end your question is: What should I do in my own backyard?  You may decide to not spray at all and this is entirely reasonable. After reviewing your own landscape situation you might decide that you would like to spray. Various options for pest control are available to the homeowner. I suggest you take a conservative approach. If you decide to spray your trees focus on exceptional trees that you consider irreplaceable or that significantly impact the utility or enjoyment of your landscape.  Also, if you decide to spray, I encourage you to use bio-rational pesticides instead of conventional pesticides. Hire a company or individual who is licensed and fully knowledgeable about the treatments they are proposing. Ask for credentials and information on the product they are recommending. Pesticides are hazardous chemicals; reputable companies have trained and certified pesticide applicators that have the right equipment, and follow the product label recommendations.

For more up to date information from the UMASS extension service go to:
http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/defoliators.html

Tim Boland
Executive Director
The Polly Hill Arboretum

List of 116 species of birds spotted on the first Bird-a-thon - 2007

Common Loon   
Red-throated Loon
Horned Grebe
Sooty Shearwater  
Northern Gannet          
Double-crested Cormorant     
Great Egret               
Snowy Egret  
Black-crowned Night Heron               
Mute Swan               
Canada Goose  
Wood Duck
Mallard  
Gadwall                    
Common Eider
Black Scoter               
Surf Scoter                
White-winged Scoter  
Bufflehead     
Red-breasted Merganser        
Turkey Vulture
Osprey                   
Northern Harrier            
Red-tailed Hawk           
Turkey               
Ring-necked Pheasant        
Black-bellied Plover         
American Golden Plover (probably-see Lanny McDowell's photos
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover        
Killdeer
American Oystercatcher                   
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet   
Spotted Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling          
Semipalmated Sandpiper        
Least Sandpiper            
Dunlin
Short-billed Dowitcher  
Laughing Gull
Bonaparte's Gull                
Ring-billed Gull            
Great Black-backed Gull        
Herring Gull  
Roseate Tern              
Common Tern                 
Least Tern               
Black Guillemot         
Rock Pigeon                
Mourning Dove  
Black-billed Cuckoo
Barn Owl
Great Horned Owl  
Chimney Swift      
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  
Belted Kingfisher   
Red-bellied Woodpecker         
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker  
Acadian Flycatcher         
Eastern Phoebe            
Great Crested Flycatcher        
Eastern Kingbird             
Tree Swallow  
N. Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow              
Barn Swallow           
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee        
Tufted Titmouse  
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren         
Eastern Bluebird            
Hermit Thrush                
Wood Thrush                
American Robin           
Gray Catbird                
Northern Mockingbird         
Cedar Waxwing
European Starling
Red-eyed Vireo            
Blue-winged Warbler       
Northern Parula            
Yellow Warbler                
Magnolia Warbler            
Yellow-rumped Warbler        
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler             
Black-and-white Warbler        
American Redstart            
Ovenbird                    
Common Yellowthroat
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak     
Eastern Towhee    
Chipping Sparrow           
Savannah Sparrow            
Song Sparrow                
White-throated Sparrow        
Indigo Bunting               
Red-winged Blackbird        
Common Grackle            
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch      
House Sparrow  
 
Total 116 species

The National Wildlife Federation has produced an excellent Gardener's Guide To Global Warming. Go to http://www.nwf.org/gardenersguide/Gardners_Guide.pdf

The 2007 Caterpillar Infestation Is About To Start
Advice from Tim Boland, Executive Director, of the Polly Hill Arboretum
Posted 3/12/07

The Arboretum has decided not to spray its natural areas with the bio-rationale pesticides that are currently recommended. I believe our natural areas will rebound over time and it may be that several of our older trees that are in natural senescence or decline may in fact not be able to endure successive years of defoliation. However, taking a longer as opposed to a short-term perspective - the woodlands will recover, and it is likely that the high populations of these insects will suffer a collapse over time from disease or parasites within their own populations.

At the Arboretum, we are only spraying the bio-rationale pesticides on trees that would be difficult to replace or rare, or are a significant landscape feature. For a homeowner – they may decide to spray an individual shade tree that sits above an outdoor seating area (for example) or a specimen tree that shades their home and cools their environment, but I would avoid spraying the adjacent oak woodlot.

It has been reported that Winter Moth eggs are abundant on the island, they are in fact (90% plus) Fall canker worm eggs. This is a native caterpillar that for many reasons (we do not have a handle on) are at epidemic proportions. We need to be careful that this does not set off a fear factor, and with it indiscriminate sprayings which is never justified.

In general the island should not promote wide spread spraying of our natural areas and woodlands, and homeowners should consider it a case by case basis. While the types of pesticides (bio-rationale) are preferred to convention pesticides, they are still non-selective for lepidopteran species, native and non-native. So if large areas were sprayed we could lose a significant portion of our native lepidopteran biodiversity, many globally rare! I can certainly understand the shock and awe of the infestations, but again, the long view is better.

The one thing that strikes me here (since I have moved here) is the resiliency of our forests. Just think that they have been harvested four times over (at least) and the island not too long ago was pre-dominantly sheep pasture.

That’s what I mean by the long view!

Caterpillars going wild on Martha's Vineyard!

By Marnie Stanton
Vineyard Conservation Almanac

Remember the unnerving sight late last spring and early summer of sunlight streaming through the chewed lacy leaves in the high canopy of oak trees, making it look like late winter? Or the constant rain-like sound which in fact was caterpillar excrement falling everywhere? And later the curtains of caterpillar silk and horrifying march of thousands of caterpillars down the trucks of trees? It will likely all happen again this year as eggs hatch out and repeat their hungry cycle. As homeowners, nurserymen or landscapers, what are we suppose to do? The Ag Hall was filled with curious people anxious to get some answers from Bob Childs an entomologist from the University of Massachusetts Extension Service. The Polly Hill Arboretum, The Agriculture Society, and the Vineyard Plant and Landscapers Association sponsored his talk on Caterpillars gone wild, the Winter Moth infestation in New England.

According to one of Child's reference books Caterpillars of Eastern North America by David Wagner, there are 700 species in the eastern part of North America. These include Winter Moths, Gypsy Moths, Eastern Tent Caterpillars, Forest Tent Caterpillars, Brown Tail Moths, Fall Cankerworm, and Bruce Spanworm, are of which are considered “exotics”. This means three things: (1) There are no natural controls to keep the population in check. (2) They are able to survive in the climate into which they're introduced. (3) They have plenty to eat. All of this does not bode well for the many plants, shrubs and trees that are devoured by these hungry creatures. Last summer, the added burden of a prolonged drought further weakened the defoliated trees.

Both the Winter Moths and the Gypsy Moths had a devastating effect last season, with all the natural controls being overwhelmed by their large populations. Also, populations of Eastern Tent Caterpillar, which typically makes web tents in fruit trees, and Forest Tent Caterpillar, which actually doesn't make a web tent and lives on Maple trees, have surged in recent years. This is particularly surprising since there hasn't been an outbreak of the Forest Tent Caterpillars for one hundred years. Both these caterpillars leave their host trees on silken threads to transform into pupates.

You can often spot the Eastern Tent Caterpillars silken pale yellow cocoons lodged in corners. The Gypsy Moth, which has white wings with dark spots, can't fly, doesn't eat, but can lay lots of eggs. They usually lay 800 eggs at a time which hatch in the spring. From 1890 through the 1900s the Great Gypsy Moth War was in full swing. In 1982, a virus attacked the huge population and the numbers crashed dramatically in New England. Since then, the Gypsy Moth has made a comeback and is now very much present on the island. Between 2004 and 2005, the Vineyard also experienced a surge in the density of Winter Moths. The females lay approximately 150 eggs, and there can be as many as 150,000 eggs deposited on one tree. The eggs hatch in the spring and the tiny larvae gravitate towards the swelling buds of their host tree which they invade and feed upon. They then become “free feeders” and eventually drop to the ground to pupate around early June or late May. The adults hatch out around Thanksgiving to start the cycle all over again.

There are many similarities between the various species which were ably highlighted during the presentation, and the speaker's website provides a wealth of additional information.

What can we do to manage this problem? First,  there is a non-indigenous fly species Cysenis Albicans which kills winter moths, but its successful use is limited. Going the route of insecticides like Tebufenozde and Spinosad can prove effective, but it is critical that they be dispensed by an experienced applicator. Childs also recommended spraying with horticulture oil which suffocates the eggs. But this product is weather sensitive and only can be used at certain temperatures and at certain times of year. There is also a tree wrap with a sticky surface which is effective in capturing the adult moths.  Finally a bacillus, Bacillus Thuringiensis  “BT”, can be used on the caterpillars once the foliage opens. For more information go to rchilds@psis.umass.edu or go to umassgreeninfo.org.

16,000 species said to face extinction

By SAM CAGE, Associated Press Writer

GENEVA (AP) -- Polar bears and hippos are among more than 16,000 species of animals and plants threatened with global extinction, the World Conservation Union said Tuesday.

According to the Swiss-based conservation group, known by its acronym IUCN, the number of species classified as being in serious danger of extinction rose from about 15,500 in its previous "Red List" report, published in 2004.

The list includes one in three amphibians, a quarter of the world's mammals and coniferous trees, and one in eight birds, according to a preview of the 2006 Red List. The full report is published later this week.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2006-05-01-extinction-species_x.htm

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