Nature Notes

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...

  Tuesday February 10 This very red, very large heart appeared on the little island at the pond this morning, a few days before Valentine's Day. I wondered if a marriage proposal was coming.  It's been bitterly cold for the last couple of weeks, so cold that I didn't walk some mornings (temperature -3F (-19C), wind chills -17F (-27C). Brrrr! The pond has frozen solid, and people have been walking and cross-country skiing on it (but I'm thinking that's not a great idea). Later on this morning, I went to Mass Audubon's Broadmoor sanctuary in Natick, just west of Boston. On the way, stopped at the little weir on the Charles River to admire the light on the snow and the smooth curve of the water dropping over the weir.  At Broadmoor, heard woodpeckers pecking. In the video, first a small woodpecker and then, in the last couple of seconds, a pileated woodpecker hammering (I think). Love the curves of the water and snow mounds in the marsh.   Saturday, February 14 N...

   Saturday January 3 Gorgeous sunrise this morning, with the light making the ice on the pond glow.   Checking eBird last night, there were reports of 3 snowy owls at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport, on the north shore. Went up there this morning, but no luck with the owls. Did see a juvenile bald eagle and a couple of  northern harriers , one flying low over the bushes near the footpath, along with some  common eiders , a couple of  surf scoters , with their wacky beaks, on the ocean and  black ducks  on the marsh. Lots of people there, all hoping for a snowy, but no one I spoke to saw one. Full moon rising over the pond tonight. Friday January 9 There was a deer carcass on the ice on the pond this morning! I'm guessing that a pack of coyotes chased it onto the ice and brought it down. Pretty amazing! I went back again in the late afternoon and saw an adult bald eagle standing on the ice, not that close to the deer. I ...