Nature & Science
Our Southern Ocean trip is still fresh in our minds. We have visited Chatham Island with you but we still had many miles of ocean to go. The islands we visited included: Mangere, Pitt, Bounty, Antipodes, Campbell, Enderby, The Snares, Ulva and Stewart. There were special sightings and views whenever we stopped, and to tell it all would require a tome!
By LYNNE IRONS
One after-Christmas holiday project I try to accomplish is a quick inspection of my pantry. I store potatoes, onions, garlic and winter squashes but there is always one rotten apple attempting to spoil the batch so to speak. Happily I only found a few soft onions and one bad spaghetti squash which was in the process of taking the finish off the floor. It is always a challenge to see if I can keep it intact until it reaches the compost bucket.
Among the uninitiated, birding is often perceived as a passive, voyeuristic non-sport for dullards, the elderly and the obsessive. You may be surprised to know that, if you accept bird watching as a legitimate sport (riflery, an Olympic event, requires less from the participant than serious outdoor birding), according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service there are currently 51.3 million birders in the U.S. alone, making it easily the most popular sport in America. But what does it really mean to be a birder? It’s simple: you look at birds.
Hearings begin next week on legislation that would make striped bass an exclusively recreational fish in state waters.
The Massachusetts Striped Bass Conservation Bill, 796, filed a year ago by Falmouth state representative Matthew Patrick, has been debated among recreational and commercial fishermen for months.
This is the month to look for Mars. The bright red planet rises in the east sky about two hours after sunset. Mars is best viewed when it is higher in the east, after 9 p.m. and it is the brightest celestial object in the east. Its reddish color gives it away.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Dec. 31 35 20 .00
Jan. 1 36 31 .35
Jan. 2 37 30 .20*
Jan. 3 33 16 .10*
Jan. 4 29 18 Trace
Jan. 5 34 13 .00
Jan. 6 35 25 .00
Jan. 7 31 24 .00
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 38º F.
Almanac
A comprehensive guide to weather and tides on the Island.
Vineyard Gardener
I guess this past week weather-wise is called a January thaw. We did not really experience it the last several years as December was unseasonably warm.
Farm & Field
Beige and brown and tan and black, with horns spiraled or semicircular or in undulating waves, a legion of goats marched up the hill toward us, bleating in anticipation of fresh grass and leaves.