Nature Notes

Friday November 1 A few  hooded mergansers at the pond this afternoon. As I scanned the water, I spotted a muskrat, lying still at the surface, close to one of the lodges. After a minute or so, it swam toward the lodge and dove. I waited to see if it would come up again, but it didn't, so I'm guessing that it probably went into the underwater entrance. Saturday, November 2 Twenty four hooded mergansers at the pond this morning, along with four wood ducks . Four ducks flew in and landed in the center of the pond, making it difficult to be sure of the ID. I think from the white crescents at the bases of their bills that they were  blue-winged teal . Also a  downy woodpecker , poking into the crevices in the bark of a tree. And a tiny  golden-crowned kinglet in one of the bushes by the water, intermittently hovering and perching. They're so small, smaller than a chickadee, that they can briefly hover, but can't maneuver like a hummingbird. Went to another drawi...

Tuesday October 1 Went for a walk along the Charles River in Watertown/Newton this morning with Susan and Ellen. Leaves starting to turn color. Liked this view of the marsh grasses by the footbridge. Susan passed along this photo of a sign on Highway 407 in Ontario wishing monarch butterflies a safe migration. Those Canadians! Wednesday October 2 Early morning sky on my walk to the pond. Harvest from the veggies planted by Nicole, the Arb intern who stayed at my house this summer. Beauty berries from one of the three bushes in my back yard.  They're all spectacular this fall - covered in rich purple berries. Tuesday October 8 Went to visit a neighbor who has two Labrador Retrievers, Cooper and Emma. Cooper is a stocky yellow/red Lab, full of energy, bounding around. Emma, a 14 year old black lab, is on her last legs, but still loving pats and attention. I liked this teatowel in the kitchen. Labs are well known for their insatiable appetites. When I had Sandy, my yellow Lab, I onc...