April 2026 Book Arrived!

 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 really here!

 Tuesday April 7 Spotted a lone loon in the middle of the pond this morning. At the Nuttall Ornithological Club meeting last night, one of the speakers reported that the club is doing a survey of territorial (nesting) loons in Massachusetts. Last year, there were 58 pairs, I think mostly in western MA, in the Berkshires. This year the club is seeking volunteers to monitor 108 lakes in the state for loons. 

This afternoon, I think I saw a juvenile bald eagle perched high in a tree overlooking the pond (didn't get a great look at it as I was driving past). And my pond-walking friend, Linda, saw an adult bald eagle fly across the pond.  

Sunday April 12 A Canada goose has laid eggs behind the boathouse at the pond; its partner swims nearby, guarding their spot. A few days later, they abandoned them - the female was no longer sitting on them and I could see one was cracked open.

 On a bird walk at the Arboretum, we passed the forsythia, gleaming golden in the sun. A sign next to them said "May The Forsythia Be With You".

 Wednesday April 15 Before going to Danvers for a bookseller book signing event, I went for a walk at the Mass Audubon Ipswich River sanctuary. The sanctuary is huge - 2000 acres (over 3 square miles), with walks around a large drumlin and the river winding its way through the valley. 

While I was at Ipswich, Susan was at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, listening to the frogs trilling.

 

Friday April 17 At the Arb, looking for the great horned owls, possibly nesting, the sun setting on the hillside caught my eye. No luck with the owls, though.

Sunday April 19 Primroses in a neighbor's garden. My mother loved primroses.

Monday April 20 Great blue heron has been hanging around this downed tree lately. Also several pairs of wood ducks have been at the pond. I'm wondering if they're going to nest.

Wednesday April 22 At the pond early enough to see this beautiful sunrise this morning. 

 Sunday April 26 As I hadn't seen the swans for a few days, I went over to Ward's Pond this morning to check to see if they'd moved over there to nest again. And, sure enough, there they were. They've created a new, higher nest on the opposite side of the pond as the water level is higher this spring, nearly up to the top of last year's nest. 

 Later on in the morning, I joined a tree walk with Michael Dosmann, the Keeper of the Living Collections at the Arb. He was highlighting trees from different countries; most of the Arb trees come from the US, China, Japan, Korea and Canada, due to climatic similarities between the countries. As we walked along, Michael spotted this robin sitting on a nest in the midst of a lilac bush.

 

And on the way back through the Arb, yellow flowers were carpeting the ground. 

Monday April 27 Susan is in New York for a few days and went to see bird murals commemorating Audubon. This mosaic was my favorite of the photos she sent. More photos at: Audubon Mural Project.

Susan Brand