Earth Day Cleanup

The Greater Worcester Land Trust is celebrating Earth Day (belatedly) with property cleanups this Saturday. They're also planting some trees and other native plants. Sound like fun. If you'd like more information, just go to their web site and send an e-mail to the general address at the bottom of the page.

Hodges Village Dam, Oxford (4/23)

I tried to get out on Sunday morning before the rain came. Hodges Village dam is always a good place for a short walk. On the way to the parking lot I found the flower shown above. I looked it up and its called Henbit. Apparently its in the mint family and its considered a weed. I find that totally crazy. Its really beautiful (and my picture doesn't do it justice) and I'd be happy to have it growing in my yard. Maybe I'll go back in the fall and see if I can get some seeds. Other than the Henbit, some Coltsfoot was also about ready to open. It just needed some sun.

But unfortunately there wasn't any. So, the wildlife was really limited. Chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, tree swallows, etc. The best sighting was probably a Northern Flicker that called and called from a treetop.

White-tailed Hawk Discovered in Hadley

Scott Surner discovered a White-tailed Hawk in Hadley over the weekend. This is really astounding since the northernmost these birds usually get is Louisiana. So this guy's far away from home. To me this may be a little too good to be true and it practically screams "accidental release".

But, then again I've seen this species in southern Texas and maybe he just couldn't take another summer there. I know that I suffered when it was over 100 F in October.

Regardless of how he got here, its definitely a sighting to enjoy. I just hope that he survives the year.

West Hill Dam, Uxbridge (4/16)

On Easter Sunday the whole Walker family got up early and took a drive out to West Hill Dam in Uxbridge in hopes of finding some Black Racers. The dam has been one of my favorite places ever since I found out it was a good place to find these snakes. The first time I saw a Black Racer two males were locked in a "battle" for dominance. Each was trying its best to raise its head higher than its rival. It might sound strange but it looked like a garbage bag rolling along the ground. When the pair saw me, the quickly disengaged and fleed into the forest.

Ever since I've tried to go back in the spring to find the snakes. This year the outlook was a bit bleak. The Corps. of Engineers have cut down a lot of the pines in the area where I reliably find the snakes. Its part of the effort to restore some meadow habitat to the properties. Whiel their intentions seem to be good I fear that these changes might adversely affect the Black Racer and Fowler's Toad populations there.

The day started slow. It's still early in the season for snakes and it was a bit cool. But we all fanned out and searched thru the grass. After an hour or so of searching we decided to turn back. Luckily we took the right fork in the path and my Mom game across a small Ribbon Snake. I was able to get in close and take some pretty good shots of the little guy before we moved on. While I was finishing up my "shoot" my sister finally found a Black Racer. We all gathered around it and admired the animal. After everyone had gotten a good look they stepped back to let me take some pictures. I got only so close to the snake before he got fed up and sped away.

Hawk on the Roadside

On the way to West Hill Dam on Sunday we came across a Cooper's Hawk that appeared to be attempting to feed on some roadkill. Luckily he flew off before getting hit by a car.

Mattapoisett and Fairhaven (4/15)

On Saturday I went on another field trip with Broad Meadow Brook's spring birding class. This time we explored Mattapoisett and Fairhaven. The weather at the coast was very foggy and a little chilly. But we were still able to find some great birds. At the Mattapoisett conservation area we located a small group of Horned Grebes in breeding plumage and a couple of American Oystercatchers searching for food along the shore.

Finally, we took a short hike on West Island and lucked upon a Brown Snake trying to get some sun. Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera. But Bruce deGraaf allowed me to use one of his. Thanks Bruce.

Birds: Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Snowy Egret, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, American Black Duck, Common Eider, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Oystercatcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Creeper, Blue Jay, American Crow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Pine Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird

Delaney WMA (4/14/06)

I had Good Friday off so I was able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. My Mom and I took a trip to Delaney MWA in Stow/Bolton. We got out there early and explored some of trails that we hadn't ever hiked before. The landscape is finally starting to green up with skunk cabbage, partridgeberry, and other early spring plants. The woods were alive with calls from Red Wings, Cowbirds, and Robins. Wood Ducks flew away whistling when we got too close.

One of the best bird finds of the day were 2 or 3 Winter Wrens. These guys were calling like crazy and neither of us knew the song. We looked for one of the birds for several minutes before we located it only 15 or 20 feet away. Is really deceptive how the sound can bounce thru the forest and totally disguise the animal's location. But, I'm sure that neither of us will forget that song now..

Back in the woods, we started to turning over decaying logs which revealed a couple of treasures. A Red-backed Salamander was uncovered and we also found a caccoon of some sort of moth.

After lunch, we returned to some of the higher use trails of the area. People were all out with their dogs but we still found a good deal of wildlife. A Pine Elfin was hiding in the grass and several Tree Swallows swooped low over the water.

Finally, we checked out some of the vernal pools in the area. One of these had a large mass of Wood Frog eggs, most of which had already hatched into tadpoles.

Overall, it was a great day off.

Birds: Double Crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Downey Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch

Butterflies: Spring Azure, Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur, Mourning Cloak, Pine Elfin, Compton's Tortoiseshell(?)

Herps: Wood Frog tadpoles, American Toad, Red-backed Salamander, Spring Peeper, Green Frog, Northern Water Snake (deceased)

Earth Day Event at Broad Meadow Brook

Broad Meadow Brook wildlife sanctuary is hosting an event to celebrate Earth Day. They will be stencilling messages on the city's drains to warn that they connect to the local waterways. The program is free. Details can be found here.

Moose in CT

Connecticut Wildlife Magazine (Nov/Dec '05 issue) reports that Moose sightings in Connecticut have increased from 4 in 1998 to 59 in 2004. The state population is estimated at 100+.

These animals are really expanding southward.

CT Moose Sightings from 1992 - 2005

1992-1998 = about 4 sightings per year
1999 = 17 sightings
2000 = 14 sightings
2001 = 25 sightings
2002 = 32 sightings
2003 = 35 sightings
2004 = 59 sightings
2005 = 31 sightings through October

Weird Probability Fact

"In a group of 23 people, the odds are better than even that at least two of them will share a birthday."

-Discover Magazine, May 2006

This sounds unbelievable until you really think hard about it. I'd love to try this sometime to see if it works.

Mt. Tom (4/9/06)

On Sunday I explored the Bray Lake area near Mt Tom with the Massachusetts Butterfly Club. Early spring in New England is difficult for butterflies. So, the main targets for this trip were Mourning Cloaks and the anglewings (Eastern Comma and Question Mark).

The day started out sunny but cold and the butterflies were difficult to find. So the group did a little birding instead. There were Mallards and Canada Geese on the water and a Kingfisher perched in a nearby bush. We even found some Pine Warblers in the evergreens that ringed the lake.

After the air warmed up a bit, we started up the mountain. More and more Mourning Cloaks came out towards the middle of the day. Several were "hilltopping"... staking out their territory. In total we found 18 Mourning Cloaks and 3 Commas. A nice start to the season.

Finally, on the trip we did find one Eastern Garter Snake sunning itself. And, much to my surprise, the trip leader said that there were Timber Rattlesnakes on the mountain. From that point on I was looking at every rock outcropping hoping to see one.

The news of rattlesnakes in the area didn't go over well with everyone on the trip. This always amazes me. I've only seen on rattlesnake in the wild and it was fantastic. It was Leguna Atascosa in Texas. We came across a Western Diamondback in the road. We all rushed out of the car and stood with several other visitors and enjoying the moment. The snake was never aggressive or even defensive (it didn't even rattle at us). After a few minutes it slithered back into the grass and it was gone. I can honestly say that I was never scared during the whole experience.

Plus, the last fatality in Massachusetts due to the bite of a Timber Rattler was in 1791. So its pretty safe.

Purgatory Chasm (4/8/06)

After finishing up at BMB I headed over to Purgatory Chasm in Sutton. The water level in the vernal pools there was pretty low. I found 5 or 6 pools but only a couple had any eggs. Most of them were Wood Frog but I also found at least one cluster of Spotter Salamander eggs. Neither were in significant quantities.

Turkeys at BMB (4/8/06)

Saturday was overcast in central Mass so I decided to check out some of the vernal pools in the area. First I went to Broad Meadow Brook. I inspected two of the pools along Sprague Trail but, even though there was plenty of water, I didn't find any eggs.

Then I went up to the powerlines to see if I'd have better luck there. Just as I got to the trail that runs under the powerlines I spotted a turkey. It moved off to the left of the trail and I rushed up to get a better look. In the valley were between 12 and 15 turkeys. They all moved slowly away and before I knew it they were out of sight.

I continued onward and found the third vernal pool. This one is covered with prickers which made getting an accurate assessment difficult. But I couldn't find anything there either.

Falmouth (4/2/06)

Last Sunday (OK, I'm a week behind ALREADY...) I went out on a trip to Falmouth as part of the birding classes taught at Broad Meadow Brook. The weather was just fantastic and we had a ton of great sightings. But, three encounters really stuck out: on hopefully, one comical, and one tragic.

I'll start with the hopeful. We saw Osprey after Osprey on the trip. One particular location had 5 birds all interacting; picking out nests, fighting off rivals, etc. I was even able to get some relatively nice pictures. This is absolutely amazing to anyone who knows the story of the species. Due mostly to the use of DDT to control insects (which didn't work) the Osprey population plummeted in the 50's and 60's. In 1963 there were only 11 nesting pairs in Massachusetts. Now there are over 350. To me, this shows that species can recover from devastating reductions to their gene pool. Its not always the case obviously but at least there should always be hope.

The second memorable experience was finding a Meadow Vole eating the grass in a small dune next to a parking lot. This guy was really bold... or very hungry. He never went underground but when I got too close he would scamper to a new location (which reminded me of a whack-a-mole game). The funniest part was that he always used the pathways that allowed him to move under the snow during the winter.

Finally, the bad news. In the middle of the day we happened upon a Fox. I can't tell what species since it was in an advances state of mange. He looked really horrible. His hair on his tail was all gone which made him look like an oversized rat. I've been told that the population of foxes on the Cape tends to have a boom-bust cycle (I think it every 7 years). The disease explodes thru the population and wipes a lot of the animals out. Those that remain have plenty of prey and the population recovers until it hits the next critical size.

Seeing this animal in such a bad state was really sad. It made me think about the state of mind that an organism must be in when it realizes that its not going to survive and there's nothing that it can do about it. Maybe I'm just anthropomorhizing. Regardless, I hope the fox makes it to the next boom.

Trip List:

Birds - Red-throated Loon, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Northern Gannet, Double-crested Cormorant, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Brant, Mallard, American Black Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Black Scoter, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Bonaparte's Gull, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Tree Swallow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, American Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay, American Crow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird

[Many thanks to Mark Lynch for leading the trip and letting me use his list]

Pictures at Worcester Public Library

Some of my pictures have traveled with the rest of photo exhibit from Broad Meadow Brook to the Worcester Public Library. Check them out if you're visiting the library.

Blanding's Turtles

It looks like I was a day early (or just wasn't in the right place at the right time). Erik Nielson reported getting a good look at a Blanding's Turtle on Sunday.

Bolton Flats/Oxbow NWR (4/1)

On Saturday I spent the day exploring Bolton Flats and Oxbow NRW. I started at Bolton Flats hoping to see the Snipe that had been reported there late in March. At the first pool I spooked a pair of the birds and they called as they flew away. I seemed to "chase" these same two birds as I went from pool to pool.

The refuge was filled with waterfowl, including Wood Ducks, Black Ducks, Green winged Teal, and Widgeon (I think... the low light made the birds difficult to identify). The river itself was also pretty busy. A Kingfisher called down at me from a tree and a Great Blue Heron was hunting along the banks of the river. Several Eastern Phoebes swooped down over the water to catch insects.

But the best thing about the day was that the herps were finally back. Several male Wood Frogs quacked from the stagnant remnant of last Fall's flooding. Spring Peepers called loudly from the reeds. Best of all, I was able to stumble upon a few snakes (I think that they were Common Garter Snakes but I always have trouble with Garter/Ribbon identification).

I also found what I've been told were some "burrows" of ground bees.

After finishing up at the flats, I drove over to Oxbow. Many of the birds were matched what I was able to find at the flats but I did come across a Turkey milling around (watch out buddy, hunting season is almost here) and some Blue Birds.

It was even warm enough for some of the early season butterflies. Both a Morning Cloak and a Compton's Tortoiseshell were fairly actively patrolling the path. I only got a quick glance at the Cloak but the tortoiseshell taunted me by allowing me to get only so close before flying away.

Further up the path I found some vernal pools along the train tracks. They looked pretty full but some were still partially frozen. In the open pools, a few Wood Frogs had already moved in. One female was obviously getting much more attention from the males than she really wanted.

The turtles were also out getting some sun. I saw only Eastern Painted Turtles, no Blanding's Turtles yet.

Total day's list:

Birds - Kingfisher, Tree Swallow, Red Tailed Hawk, Wood Duck, Canada Goose, Black Duck, Green Winged Teal, Red Winged Blackbird, Blue Jay, American Crow, Snipe, Eastern Phoebe, Flicker, Downey Woodpecker, Song Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Morning Dove, Killdeer, Turkey, Eastern Blue Bird, Chickadee

Herps - Garter Snake(?), Wood Frog, Green Frog, Spring Peeper, Painted Turtle

Butterflies - Morning Cloak, Compton's Tortoiseshell, Spring Azure

Timberdoodles!

The American Woodcocks (also called timberdoodles) have returned to New England. On Sunday night I went over to Worcester Airport to see if they were there. Around dusk I started to hear the males calling. Their "peents" seemed to be coming from everywhere but in the low light they are almost impossible to find. When you think that you're looking in the right area, the bird will burst out of the grass in a completely different location. They fly high into the air until they vanish from view. The only thing that tells you they haven't flown away is the sound of their wings. Then, as quickly as he starts, the woodcock returns to the field and starts to call again. This "dance" really has to be seen to be believed.

If you'd like to read a better description of this ritual, check out Marj Rines "Woodcock Dancing" site.

Spring is officially here....

... on Thursday I heard Spring Peepers calling behind my house.