Animals - Marblehead Current

14 Sep

From tiny oysters, big hopes for healthier waters

Leigh BlanderAnimals, Environment, Top Stories

Outside the Marblehead Harbormaster’s office sits a big white box that has been attracting curious looks all summer. Inside are six orange buckets containing about 25,000 tiny oysters — some no bigger than a grain of rice — quietly doing their part in an ambitious effort to restore oyster populations and improve the coastal ecosystem. The oyster upweller outside the Marblehead Harbormaster’s Office contains about 25,000 baby oysters. People gathered for an update on the project Sept. 10. The box is an oyster upweller, installed…

31 Aug

PAWS & CLAWS: Toby is happy to relax by your side all day

Leigh BlanderAnimals, Community Resources, Nonprofit corner, Press releases

Breed: Golden doodleSize: SmallAge: YoungSex: Male Toby is a 3-year-old mini golden doodle. He was surrendered to the shelter with his mother when their owners moved out of state. While his owners socialized him within their family, Toby was never around people outside of them, his pack. So Toby was unaware of all the friendly loving people he had yet to meet. His foster mom is now undertaking this part of Toby’s journey. We feel he would do better with another confident dog in the…

28 Aug

Say ‘treat!’ Golden retrievers gather for annual family portrait

Grey CollinsAnimals, Top Stories

Chandler Hovey Park once again became a sea of golden fur and wagging tails as more than two dozen dogs and their families gathered for the annual golden retriever family portrait on Thursday, Aug. 27. The canines and their humans met under the lighthouse before lining up and settling into the grass by the water for the photo. The tradition, which began 15 years ago with just seven English golden retrievers, has grown into a beloved summer gathering for dog owners around town. More than…

19 Aug

Humpback whales put on a show off the North Shore

Rick CuznerAnimals, Local News

These are photos of humpback whales I’ve seen on a few different trips. At one point, I had around a dozen moving along the coast just off Gloucester in the schools of pogies (a type of fish). COURTESY PHOTOS / RICK CUZNER Over the past month, I have seen several as close as Halfway Rock. They are quite a sight to see. Humpback whales are common off the coast of Massachusetts from spring through fall. They gather to feed in rich local waters, typically arriving…

05 Aug

Seal carcass near Barnacle shows signs of great white shark bites

Leigh BlanderAnimals, Public safety, Top Stories

Editor's note: Two of the photos below may be upsetting to some. A dead seal that washed ashore near The Barnacle restaurant over the weekend appears to have been attacked by a great white shark, according to shark expert John Chisholm, an adjunct scientist with the New England Aquarium. Marblehead resident and avid swimmer Jane Bianchi snapped photos of the seal after a friend alerted her. She sent the close-up images to Chisholm, who also works with the White Shark Conservancy Sharktivity app. Chisholm said…

05 Aug

CUZNER IN NATURE: Seal-ebrity sightings off Marblehead

Rick CuznerAnimals, Columns, Cuzner in Nature, Local News

These are photos of grey seals snapped off the coast of Marblehead at the Great Pig Rocks in July. I am always amazed by the number of seals out there. Low tide seems to be the best time to spot them, when plenty of rocks are exposed for the seals to lay on and sun themselves. Grey seals are one of the largest marine mammals in New England. Adult males can reach 7 -8 feet long and weigh 600-800 pounds, while females are typically about…

05 Aug

MERRIGAN IN MARBLEHEAD: Bees on a wing

Leigh BlanderAnimals, Columns, Court Merrigan, Opinion

Avoiding some unpleasant piece of business, one of those phone calls you’d rather not make, I started paying attention to the birds flitting around outside my office window. Just out there doing their thing, effortlessly darting through branches with their little bird brains. In rather stark contrast, overhead the big jets lumber into Boston Logan Airport on a straight flight path, no deviations. A path chosen, presumably, for its fuel-efficient obedience to Newtonian physics. Whereas those birds are like quantum quarks, or what I imagine…

04 Aug

Need some music in your life? Meet Caruso

Leigh BlanderAnimals, Community Resources, Press releases

Headline: Need some music in your life? Meet Caruso ParakeetSize: SmallAge: YoungSex: Male Meet Caruso, named for the famous opera singer because this little bird loves to sing along with any music, especially classical! Caruso was found wandering the streets and turned in at the fire department. He is a young male and he is slowly learning to trust. He will sit on your finger to enjoy treats. He would love some parakeet company in his new home. For more information and to fill out…

27 Jul

PAWS & CLAWS: Shelter has rockin’ litter of kittens ready for adoption

Submitted ContentAnimals, Community Resources, Press releases

Breed: Domestic shorthairSize: MediumAge: KittensSex: Female and male The Marblehead Animal Shelter recently took in a mother cat, whom a rock ’n’ roll fan in the shelter’s volunteer corps dubbed Mother Love Bone, along with her litter of kittens. Those kittens — females Thin Lizzy, Molly Hatchet, Blondie (who is actually calico with more black) and Metallica and males Zeppelin and Nirvana — are now ready and waiting to be adopted. All of the kittens are friendly, playful and outgoing, according to shelter volunteers (though…

15 Jul

PAWS & CLAWS: Grey Guys hope for blue skies

Marblehead Current staffAnimals, Community Resources, Nonprofit corner, Press releases

Grey Guy One and Grey Guy Two were found after being dumped in carriers at a construction site. They have now had an “extended stay” at the Marblehead Animal Shelter, which volunteers do not fully understand, as each would make a great addition to a home, they say. While Grey Guy Two is more outgoing, Grey Guy One prefers to hang back and survey the situation, according to volunteers. “He is shy, but he is a sucker for treats, especially ‘Party Mix,’” they say. Grey…