In mid-March, I installed my game camera at the edge of a vernal pool. I followed a game trail down to the water and found a nice open area where I’d hoped wildlife, like deer, foxes, and raccoons, would come down to drink. I did get quite a few shots of deer and raccoons, and a lot of very fast (and very blurry!) red squirrels, but I was most surprised by how many clips I got of American crows using…
March is an unpredictable month. We’re just as likely to have a blizzard as we are to have a 60 degree sunny day. But even though there are still a few weeks left until the official start of spring, there are already many early signs of spring’s approach. Many of our year-round resident birds have started to sing in earnest, in preparation for defending a territory and finding a mate. The Carolina wren in my hard has been “tea-kettling” his…
In most years around this time, I review my previous year’s goals and set new ones for the upcoming calendar year (see: 2021, 2020, etc.). But, interestingly, I never established set goals for 2022. Perhaps on some level I knew this year would prove hard to stick to my typical plans; my pregnancy and the birth of my son have certainly thrown my typical routine a bit out of whack. However, I’m a very list-driven, action-oriented person, so this bugged…
Although most people are deep in a Christmas planning mode right now, we’ve just finished up a late fall pumpkin party in our backyard. What do you do with your old Halloween pumpkins? Typically we just toss them in our compost bin, but this year after cutting the pumpkin in half to expose the seeds inside, we set it out in our back woods and trained our trail camera on it to see who would come to partake. Over a…
After a few days in the Pittsburg, NH area (see the previous blog post for Pittsburg area photos: Part 1) we moved onto Bethel, ME. Since arriving on Friday evening, we’ve done a ton of hiking, including trails in Grafton Notch State Park and Evans Notch in the White Mountain National Forest. Some brief photo highlights from the last few days are below.
The chukar partridge, or more simply chukar, (Alectoris chukar) is native to Eurasia. It was brought to the United States as a game bird in the 1800s and has since established wild populations in the arid western areas of the country, where they can find their preferred habitat: sparse, arid terrain. Although a wild population of these birds does not exist in here Massachusetts, chukars have been introduced to nearly every one of our fifty states, including Massachusetts, where they…
That’s what Punxsutawney Phil said anyway. I say 6 weeks and 4 days, since the official first day of spring (the vernal equinox) is March 20th. In early March after we’ve had a few pleasant days and folks start remarking that “spring is here” I’m always the first one to chime in and remind them that winter (i.e., cold, snow, nor’easters, etc.) is not over yet. In fact, sometimes it refuses to go away even after the official first day…
For many people the New Year is a time for making resolutions. For me, it’s a great time for reflecting on what I’ve accomplished in the past year and setting intentions and goals for the new year to come in terms of nature study. Below is a run down of how I did on my 2020 goals, as well as what I hope to accomplish in 2021. My goals for 2020 included: 1. Post to Seashore to Forest Floor regularly. — I…
2020 has been hard for everyone. From canceled activities to isolation from friends and family, to record setting hurricane and fire seasons across the country. Despite all of this year’s COVID-, environmental- and political-craziness, there are still many things I am thankful for. In addition to the Thanksgiving toad I came across on my rainy walk this morning (see cover photo above), below are just ten of the nature-related things I’m grateful for this year. 1. Abundant and beautiful local…
I often hear common yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas) before I see them. Common along wetlands, streams and bogs, common yellowthroats are fairly secretive, preferring to stay relatively hidden in dense bushes and thickets. Despite his bright yellow chest and bold face, even the male can be hard to spot among thick foliage if he holds still, particularly since the upper parts of his body are a drab olive-yellow. But his voice will certainly catch your attention: wichety-wichety-wichety. Click here to check…