a gloomy Monday

I'm still on European time and I woke up this morning at 5 am in pitch darkness. Unable to go back to sleep, I decided to see what the pre-dawn world looked like and watch the sunrise. Alas. there was no visible sun, rising or otherwise. The wind was again out of the east/southeast and large banks of clouds were blowing in off the ocean. Needless to say, there was no real migration although flocks of Am Robins were moving around in seemingly aimless fashion and Marsh Wrens were burbling away in the marsh. There were Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets on the pond and in the marsh and looking up the neck of the pond (where the water flows out of the marsh into the pond) I could see two raccoons furiously dashing around in the water. Were they fishing? The tide was going out and taking small fish in its flow (which is what the herons and egrets were interested in). But the raccoons appeared to be pawing the mud. Trying to dig up mussels? Not likely since their lively efforts suggested moving prey. I suspect they were trying to find and dislodge Blue Crabs (or other crabs) buried in the mud. I am certain that crabs are a favorite with raccoons (there is even a close relative called the Crab-eating Raccoon) and this is apparently one way that they catch them!

The mystery bird of the day was a large gull-like raptor which passed directly over my head as I stood about halfway up the marsh. In the bad morning light, it looked quite whitish underneath with a medium-length unbarred tail and relatively broad rounded wings which formed a nice bow shape on each easy wingbeat -- it was flapping slowly and evenly and only gliding every once in a while. The shape ruled out Osprey, Harrier and falcon and it was clearly not a gull. However I caught a glimpse of a facial mask and I am quite sure that it was a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, only the second one I have ever seen around here. The earlier sighting was a bird in juvenile plumage seen on September 27, 2006, only two weeks later than this morning's bird.

Eric Salzman