On Monday I wrote:

Saw these two nature mysteries on an Acadia Birding Festival walk at Sieur de Monts in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island.

Doug Hitchcox of Maine Audubon led the walk, and I served as his batboy.

The mysteries: What's the story with these two photos?

I think I may have worded the mysteries imprecisely, which may have led folks to think the two photos were connected.

The answers: The tree trunk on the left had been shredded by a porcupine. The thingy on the right is a paper-wasp or yellow-jacket nest under construction.

Congrats to Diane Louie for IDing the nest part...

When visitng Mount Desert Island, happened upon a store billed as an"exploratorium-shop" called the Naturalist's Notebook, which looked totally cool.

It's located in Seal Harbor, with an annex in Northeast Harbor.

You can visit their website here. I am hoping they'll carry The Real James Bond.

If you haven't been to Stateline Lookout in Alpine lately, what are you waiting for.

There's the view, the Indigo Buntings, the Peregrine Falcons, the Cedar Waxwings...

Fishing is banned at the Celery Farm Nature Preserve because it is a wildlife sanctuary.

One of the nasty side effects of fishing is that the line often gets snagged on tree branches and shrubs, and left behind -- posing a hazard to birds.

The American Robin in the photo was found tangled in monofilament near the Warden's Watch last week and brought to The Raptor Trust, where it is being treated for an injured wing.

A big thank you to Lynn McKenzie for rescuing the robin, Franklin Lakes Animal Hospital (which relayed the injured bird to The Raptor Trust), and -- of course -- The Raptor Trust itself.  (Photo by Lynn MacKenzie).

Our wonderful cat Pook died after a short illness last week. I mention it here because she was a terrific (indoor) birding cat.

I even wrote a "Bird Watcher" column about her, back in 2011. Here it is:

We know of one successful Red-shouldered Hawk nest in Allendale this spring, and wanted to update everyone now that nestings season is over.

The two Red-shoulders (above) had two young.

One fell out of the nest a few weeks ago. (Photo at right.)

Deputy marsh warden Gaby Schmitt drove the bird to The Raptor Trust, where it is receiving treatment for a problem or two. Will post something when I hear more. (Thanks, Gaby!)

The second chick fledged recently and appears to be doing well.  (Below.)

We suspect other Red-shoulders may be nesting in Allendale. Please let me know if you know of any.

(Red-shouldered Hawks are endangered when nesting, and they have nested in town for the past two decades, so it's a big deal.)

Saw these two nature mysteries on an Acadia Birding Festival walk at Sieur de Monts in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island.

Doug Hitchcox of Maine Audubon led the walk, and I served as his batboy.

The mysteries: What's the story with these two photos?

This week is Mount Desert Island week on the blog.  I kick off with info on my next free Real James Bond  Zoom talk  -- Monday (June 14) from 5 to 6 p.m.

I'll be speaking at the MDI Science Cafe about Bond, his uncle (the famous painter Carroll Tyson)  and their long history with the birds of Mount Desert Island -- from Tyson's renowned fine-arts prints to their unique field guide the island's birds.

Tyson's prints sell for thousands of dollars and are highly sought-after. One of my favorites is the Pileated Woodpecker print.  (Saw one -- the print and the bird -- on MDI just last week!)

The Science Cafe is sponsored by the MDI Biological Laboratory, a rapidly growing, independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution.

The laboratory's mission is to improve human health and well-being through basic research, education, and development ventures that transform discoveries into cures.

You can learn more about the talk and register here.

My friends at The Nature Conservancy have a livestreaming cam in a Purple Martin box at Cape May Meadows.

There are five eggs, and I am told they may hatch soon. You can watch the live stream on  YouTube above.

You can read my column on Purple Martins here.

Just returned from Mount Desert Island, with a Monday mystery or two, an upcoming Zoom talk and a list of my favorite attractions -- from a carving museum to a library that has all of Carroll Tyson's prints on display to a cool nature shop in an out-of-the-way place.

I am featuring them all on the blog next week

On Monday I asked:

Who is the subject of this painting? Why should you care?

Clue: You may have seen this somewhere in Bergen County....

Diane Louie answered correctly:

Lucine Lorrimer, who bequeathed her property to NJ Audubon ("Lorrimer Sanctuary" in Franklin Lakes). She was only 38 years old when she died.

Well done!

You can read more here.

A shout-out to Lisa Safier and Patty Finn for their recent Butterfly Garden work, and to Liam Conroy and Bruce Davis for their mowing of the Green Way path, around Phairs Pond and around the Butterfly Garden.

(I know, I know -- I should have gotten a better photo of Bruce. Just trying to show how trim everything looks, including a much better view of the tractor...)

The place looks great!