September 2015 Advocate
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SEPTEMBER 2015 The DublinTo Encourage and Advocate Strengthen Our Community Volume 16, Issue 9 PUBLISHED MONTHLY SINCE AUGUST 1999 Dublin, NH 03444 sport. These lark flights are a tradition in Monadnock on September 14 from 10 am The Merlin Is Here Great Britain today although falconers are to 3 pm. Bring lunch, snacks, and water. BY TOM WARREN being pressured to stop the practice. TOM WARREN is Dublin’s resident ornithologist, and The Merlins migrate through Dublin in serves as a trustee of both the Harris Center and the s we approach the hawk migration the autumn, fly to coastal Florida and the Audubon Society. Aseason in the Monadnock Region, the Greater Antilles but do Photo by Loring Catlin, Jr. Merlin, a small, dashing falcon draws our not go as far as Central attention to the ridgelines of the Monad- and South America. nock Mountains. It is a small falcon that They fly very low, just once was called a Pigeon Hawk, owing to above the water. Peak its love of pigeons as prey and also to its migration is October resemblance to a pigeon in flight. It follows 1 to 15. migrating songbirds south from September During migration to November. at Pack Monadnock, Females are 25% to 30% larger than Merlins often swoop at males. Males have a dorsal gray to blue- a fake owl perched on gray plumage. Females are mostly brown a pole to attract birds. with light bands and a terminal white band In recent years, on their tails. a Merlin is believed While the Merlin is a forest bird, it to have nested in the hunts on open lands near bodies of water woodlot behind the or along the seacoast. It likes to stand on Catlin residence at the a tree where it has an unobstructed view western end of Dublin to sight its prey, usually small songbirds. Lake. This photo was It has been observed to fly into flocks of taken in April of this blackbirds and come out with “one in each year in the yard of fist.” They also eat insects, mainly dragon- Loring Catlin, Jr. flies. Hunting success is mostly 5% to 20% Come to my in autumn, but higher during breeding hawkwatch on Pack season in May and June. The name Merlin is derived from esmerillon, the French word for this falcon. Because of its small size, the Merlin is The Annual Hawkwatch not used by falconers for hawking large BY FRANCIE VON MERTENS tips for hawks in flight. Each raptor species birds. In Europe it was popular as a “lady’s counted has its own migration timetable H Audubon’s fall hawkwatch at Miller hawk” and was used in flights directed at and flight behaviors, from American kes- State Park atop Pack Monadnock skylarks. Catherine the Great and Mary trels through turkey vultures. Nofficially opens September 1 and will be Queen of the Scots were enthusiasts of this Besides hawks passing by and great staffed through November 15. The annual views, the human companionship up on the fall migration celebration is Sept. 19, all watch is enjoyable, too. day, timed to coincide with large flights of Chicken Bar-B-Que The hawkwatch site is reached after a broad-winged hawks. A rehabilitated hawk Saturday, Aug. 29, 5 pm short walk north of the summit parking will be released back to the wild at 1 p.m. area, just off Route 101. All are welcome. Help support the Community Center — always a thrill to witness. People are $7.50 Adult / $5.00 Kids encouraged to arrive early for the release. FRANCIE VON MERTENS writes about the fall hawk Tickets at the door (good to call ahead) I’ll be giving a hawkwatch workshop migration and other topics relating to nature and the environment in her Backyard Birder column in 563-8021 or 563-8471 Mon., Sept. 14, 7 pm, at Shieling State the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. She’s a longtime Chicken, corn, coleslaw, beans, cornbread Forest barn in Peterborough to talk about volunteer with NH Audubon, the Harris Center, and what to watch for and when, with some ID Peterborough Conservation Commission. THE DUBLIN ADVOCATE may be found online and in color at WWW.DUBLINADVOCATE.COM PAGE 2 e Dublin Advocate SEPTEMBER 2015 tion course in volunteering that allowed the entire family to gather Dublin Public Library knowledge and awareness of life. casual group of children and caregivers, moms, dads, and grandparents gather on Wednesday mornings at the Dub- Coupon Professor Visits Alin Public Library to listen to stories, sing songs, and do a little stretching. The children enjoy a snack while practicing their table Dublin Public Library manners and then do a craft that relates to the books that were he Extreme Coupon Professor will give an hour-long presenta- read. Puzzles and puppets are available as well. Mark your cal- tion on Saturday, September 12, from 10 am to noon, courtesy endar for the following Wednesdays: September 2: From Head to Tof the Friends of the Dublin Public Library. Toe, Where Does it Go? September 9: Meet My Family, Septem- Whether you are a retired couple of two or a family of seven, ber 16: Apples, September 23: the Coupon Professor promises to save you enough money to go to BOOKS Autumn Begins, and September Disneyland — or maybe on that cruise you’ve been thinking of. Who Let the Dog Out? by 30: Teddy Bear Day. Programs He will cover where to get coupons, how to use coupons, how D. Rosenfelt begin at 9:30 am. to stock up without hoarding, and when to shop and not use cou- God Help the Child by Have you read To Kill a pons. Come to a presentation you cannot afford to miss! T. Morrison Mockingbird by Harper Lee? The Marriage of Opposites by Seen the movie? Read newly DCC Community Supper published Go Set a Watchman. A. Hoffman oin us for a community supper Tuesday, September 29, at the It takes place 20 years after To Beach House by D. Caswell Dublin Community Church from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in the vestry Kill a Mockingbird, a catch-up J The Naked Eye by I. Johansen of the church. All are welcome. On Becoming Baby Wise by of the people in the first book. G. Ezzo The library has three copies of The Oregon Trail by R. Buck Go Set a Watchman. So before MESA Meets in October Wide-Open World by you get caught up in all the he Monadnock Eastern Slope Association’s (MESA) annual J. Marshall busyness of fall, come in and Tpotluck meeting is open to all. October 25 is the date, the Go Set a Watchman by H. Lee take out a copy. Dublin Community Center is the place, 5 pm the time. We have a Wide-Open World by John remarkable speaker coming and, as always, good food. Watch this Marshall is about a family who packed up, unplugged, took their space for more information. If you would like to be informed by children and traveled the world volunteering. This was an educa- email, send a note to Ed Germain via [email protected]. Thanksgiving Turkeys From Farmer John’s Plot HERITAGE BREED • PASTURE RAISED Contact us or visit our farm stand, at 26 Chesham Road, to reserve one today, because they will sell out! farmerjohnsplot.org (603) 289-5927 [email protected] Dublin, NH THE DUBLIN ADVOCATE may be found online and in color at WWW.DUBLINADVOCATE.COM SEPTEMBER 2015 e Dublin Advocate PAGE 3 Photo by Margaret Gurney Photo by Margaret 30th Annual Craft Fair on Yankee Field Bring a friend and enjoy the fun. every year,” said organizer Linda Clukay, “along with crafters who join us for the he 30th annual Dublin Craft Fair will first time. This is a great place to find gifts be held on Saturday, September 12 for friends, family, or something special T(with a rain date of September 13). Arti- just for yourself. The quality and variety sans from all over New England gather are excellent.” in a beautiful outdoor setting to present a Among the items for sale this year will variety of handcrafted items for sale. be jewelry, fabric crafts of all types, rag “There are so many talented crafts- rugs and baskets, soaps and lotions, jams people in New England and we have a and jellies, wood carvings, wooden rock- really great core group who participate ing boats, photography, wildlife art, alpaca Dublin’s Own Gas Engine Meet he 44th Annual Dublin Gas Engine Meet will be held on September 11, 12 and 13 Tat Cricket Hill Farm, located on Route 101 between Dublin and Peterborough. It will include an array of antique one-lunger engines, antique tractors and cars, work- ing machinery and other items of similar Linda Clukay at the Yankee Barn Sale. vintage. Food will be available onsite. Daily fleece and yarn, stained glass and much admission is $5 per more. person (children 16 The ConVal Hockey Boosters will be years and under are running a refreshment booth as a fundrais- free). It will be held ing project. rain or shine. Come The sale will run from 10 am to 3 pm and reminisce! For at the Yankee Field on Rte. 101 in Dublin. more information, Admission is free, and there is plenty of contact dublinnhgas- parking adjacent to the sales area. Entry enginemeet.com. into the parking area is from Monument Road. Come one, come all. THE DUBLIN ADVOCATE may be found online and in color at WWW.DUBLINADVOCATE.COM PAGE 4 e Dublin Advocate SEPTEMBER 2015 Loosestrife Project: Galerucella Beetle Release BY MIRIAM CARTER n early August, members of the IDublin Conservation Commission (DCC) and the Dublin Gar- den Club gathered to release hard-working Beetles on plant, canister with beetles, and, at left, Louisa Birch, current DGC member and former DCC Galerucella beetles, member, helping with the release.