On Swans Island

Puzzle poem: Who is the magician?

Lobster boats, yachts, dangling skiffs disappear;
only low throbbing engines reveal the direction of
Brunt Coat Harbor. A tree floats forward,
then retreats; a neighboring house,
lifted from its harbor-side mooring,
silently sinks from sight. The usual sharp cries
from clouds of gulls muted by the magician.
Answer: The fog.