Nature Notes

  Book display for a talk at the Wellfleet Audubon sanctuary on Cape Cod. I've been busy giving book talks this month - at the MIT Museum and the MIT class reunion around graduation; at 3 Mass Audubon sanctuaries; and at a couple of bird clubs. Also doing some podcasts and radio interviews.  It's all going very well - the MIT Press bookseller says that that book is selling "gangbusters"!  They've already sold over 3/4 of the initial print run of 3000 and have it in the printer's queue to print another 1000. I think they're going to need more... Friday May 1 Susan and I went to the Art in Bloom show at the Museum of Fine Arts. Local garden clubs are assigned a work of art on which to base a floral arrangement. It was spectacular - dozens and dozens of arrangements, cleverly done.    Tuesday May 5 The spring songbirds are coming back. Hearing lots of warblers (but can't seem to find them). And here's an oriole in a bush at the end of my street.   Fr...

  Wednesday April 1 Two advance copies of the book arrived today!! I'm very pleased with how it all looks. The only glitch is that due to a delay at the binder, the publication date has been pushed back to May 5.      MIT Press sent me a QR code that you can use to get a 20% discount on the book (only for US residents).   Saturday April 4 Allandale Farm had a little celebration of life, complete with a Scottish bagpiper by the pond, for their big, black, 17 year old Highland steer, Curtis, who died in January. About 60 people showed up for him. Several employees spoke about how sweet he was and how much customers loved to see him. At the end, one little girl gave the farm manager a drawing she'd made of Curtis and another gave spring flowers she'd brought. The Boston Globe even featured an  article  about him and the ceremony. Curtis, from the Allandale Farm website.  And on my afternoon walk, I spotted a tree in blossom! Spring is reall...

Wednesday March 4 After a long, cold, snowy winter, spring is starting to show: red witch hazel blossom in Mary and David's front yard, up the street from my house.   Sunday March 8   Saw a bald eagle fly from the Jamaicaway across the pond on my morning walk. And in the evening, this beautiful sunset, seen from my upstairs window.   Tuesday March 10  Boats appeared at the dock at the pond this morning. A bit premature, seeing as they're perched on top of the ice. The paddle boards lying on the dock seem particularly optimistic.  After a morning Audubon meeting in Concord, I went to Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, the next town over, to check on the goat kids. Two sets of triplets were born in the last couple of weeks. High cuteness quotient.  And they had their maple sugaring operation in full swing, too.   Sudden warmup! Nearly 70 yesterday and 75 today, a record for this day in Boston! You can practically watch the two foot high mounds of snow melting. Se...