Nature & Science
Feeding birds is a great way to draw birds close to your house, at least in theory. I add that last phrase because several observers have commented that there are not many birds and that the seed in their feeder is not being eaten.
Don’t come knocking, cause there’s nobody home in a brown oak apple gall.
Oak apple galls are those fragile looking, paper-like round things on the ground or attached to branches. These ping-pong ball sized orbs are readily seen in the woods now that the leaves are coming down. They were home base for an insect, but by this late in the season, these domiciles are empty. Their summer residents left even before Memorial Day!
The bright planet Venus hangs low in the southwestern sky tonight. Venus has appeared nightly in the southwest for weeks now but the show improves. Venus is moving farther from the glare of the setting sun and is easier to spot in darker skies.
An architect from Connecticut and a mailman from Westport were the top winners in this year’s 63rd annual Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby.
On Sunday, Paul C. Harris of Oak Bluffs and Weston, Conn., won a new black Chevrolet 4x4 pickup truck for a 10.75-pound bonito he caught while fishing with friends earlier this month.
Scott D. Tompkins of Westport won a 20-foot center console Eastern powerboat for a 40.12-pound striped bass he caught fishing alone on an Up-Island shore in the early evening of Oct. 1.
Temperature: Precip.
Day Max. Min. Inches.
Fº Fº
Oct. 17 67 61 .00
Oct. 18 60 44 .00
Oct. 19 57 47 .00
Oct. 20 52 47 .00
Oct. 21 55 35 .00
Oct. 22 66 37 .00
Oct. 23 50 40 .14
Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 61º F.
Harvest Festival
Tomorrow is Vineyard Gardens’ annual Harvest Festival, with free crafts, refreshments and information available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the nursery on State Road in West Tisbury. All are welcome for the Saturday demonstrations and instruction on decorating with edible flowers, creating autumn flower bouquets, building pinecone bird feeders and planting paperwhite bulbs. For details, call 508-693-8511.
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.