February 2026 Freeze up on the pond; Plum Island eagles; coyotes; bird color spectrum
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...