March 2025 Raptor rapture: peregrine falcon, bald eagles, red-tailed hawks owls and more owls
Saturday March 1 Morning light at the pond. My neighbor, David, mentioned that he's been hearing red-winged blackbirds over at the Arb, so I went over this afternoon to check it out. I think of them as one of the first birds to return after migration - exciting after a long, cold, exceptionally windy February. Lots of males around the marsh, some perched high up in trees, sounding off with their loud, buzzy trills. Wanting to see them closer up, I walked along the top of the concrete conduit that runs through the middle of the marsh. At one point, as I looked down, I spotted several owl pellets - indigestible bits of fur, bone and teeth from their food that they compact together and regurgitate, often from a regular roosting spot. I saw six within a couple of square feet. Sunday March 2 Walking past Mary and David's house, I noticed their witch hazel has started to bloom, another sign of spring. Later on this afternoon, stopping at Leverett Pond, which is almost entirely...