Birds have long fascinated humans. We marveled at their ability to fly, in fact the first flying machines humans created emulated their flapping wings. It turns out the ability to fly is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the extraordinary behaviors, adaptations and intelligence of the species.

What a gift to the world is the Lady Slipper!  It is newly unfurled in our woods, springing up amongst its neighbors, the Canada Mayflower, the Starflower, the fern, and the low-bush blueberries, with their delicate bell-like blossoms.  While beauty abounds in its vicinity, what can compare to the outrageous Lady Slipper.  

This Memorial Day we're sharing a poem written by WWII Veteran and Barnstable resident Bob Silverberg. Here is his poem, "Okinawa."

We’re all in this together. Yeah yeah yeah. I know all about it.

In the middle of our zoom writers’ group meeting the other night, my friend, Suzanne, told us she and her fourteen year old daughter were walking on the beach when two people passed, easily socially distanced, and said, “Where are your masks?” Suzanne said, “We don’t need them. We’re outside.” The woman said, “No, you’re supposed to be wearing masks at all times, government orders.”  And Suzanne, said, “You know what you're doing? You’re shaming me. And I don’t appreciate it.” The woman said shaming was not her intention. Saving lives was. 

Matthew Sheehan reads his unnamed poem. 

Tim Sweeney has spent the coronavirus lockdown reinterpreting classic Beatles songs on his "Beatles in My Jammies" series on You Tube and on his Facebook page. 

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season may be extremely busy, producing six to ten hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher.

The forecast, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center, is one of several recent reports that call for as many as 13 to 19 named storms with 60 percent confidence.

On this edition of Looking Skyward Dr. Regina Jorgenson discusses the next mission by U.S. astronauts to the international space station, and some books about astronomy that will enlighten and entertain.

Local businesses react as Governor Baker announces Phase 1 of his plan to reopen the state’s economy. And voters head to the polls, wearing face masks and carrying their own pens, to elect a new state senator.

We have those stories and more on the local news roundup, as WCAI News Director Steve Junker speaks with some of the region’s leading journalists.

The specter of Covid-19 hovers over the island of Martha’s Vineyard like a swarm of gulls at a Menemsha clambake. My island home, remote but not enough to ward off fear and infection has all the ingredients needed for a sociological study on social media civility in times of stress.