It was the whale of a tale and the tail of a whale that brought me to South Beach on a crisp winter day last week.

The tail was a bit more than two feet wide and was attached to a body; a whale’s body. The rest of the story centered around this whale and its identity, though this tale did not have a happy beginning or ending. The mission at hand was to take photographs and measurements of a dead specimen that had been found on the beach.

The news of the week has to be centered on snow. Twelve inches of it in my yard, and reports of 16 to 18 inches up-Island.

For those of you who have been commenting on the seeming scarcity of birds at your feeder, this fluffy white stuff may be the thing that brings more birds into your yard. The snow makes it harder for many birds to find their natural foods and so they are more likely to supplement their diet by frequenting bird feeders.

With plenty of room, food and no predators (other than humans behind a gun or steering wheel), deer, skunks, squirrels, rabbits and raccoons on the Vineyard enjoy a level of sanctuary to be envied by their mainland counterparts, allowing their populations to grow to considerable size.