It is always exciting to find a new bird species for the Vineyard and perhaps even more so during the annual Christmas Bird Count! The bird in question is a fish crow. Here is the rub. In the last few years many Island birders have “heard” what they felt were fish crows and a couple have seen crows which were smaller than our native American crows. How does one verify the existence of these crows on the Vineyard?

The week ahead offers a rare opportunity for those who have never seen the distant planet Uranus. Uranus is only barely visible to the unaided eye, but can be seen with binoculars.

Temperature: Precip.

Day Max. Min. Inches.

Fº Fº

Dec. 24 39 30 .00

Dec. 25 37 26 .00

Dec. 26 37 27 Trace

Dec. 27 41 32 1.26

Dec. 28 35 20 .00

Dec. 29 34 24 .00

Dec. 30 39 20 .00

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 38º F.

More often than not, this column deals with the wonderment of wildlife and the peculiarity of plants. Today it takes on the idiosyncrasies of another of earth’s inhabitants — the habits of Homo sapiens.

Talkin’ Otters

Wildlife biologists Luanne Johnson and Elizabeth Baldwin are hoping Island hikers will be on the lookout for otter trails and slides in the woods this winter. The two are studying the Island’s river otter population with a goal of mapping otter habitat and understanding the diet of these aquatic mammals — the top predators in our coastal ponds.