"Chameleon" Snake Discovered in Borneo

A press release on the WWF's web site announced the discovery of a new species of snake in Borneo. What's really interesting about the snake is that it can change color. Chameleons are famous for this ability (so much that they are intensely feared by the people of Madagascar). They use it for both camouflage and as a method of communication. This Animal Planet page gives a basic description of the chameleon and explains how it controls its skin color. Several species of Cephalopods (octopi and cuttle fish) also share this adaptation.

This is certainly a stange example of convergent evolution.

Whooping Crane Chicks

This article on CNN.com details the hatching of wild Whooping Crane chicks in Wisconsin. The conservation group that took the photos, Operation Migration, has a nice page which describes the bird, its decline, and recovery. Its amazing to think that this species was down to 15 individuals. If thees chicks are lucky enough to make it to adulthood that will certainly be good news for the possibility of a full recovery.

Wachusett Meadow MAS (6/25)

Before the rains started on Sunday (I'm really sick of writing that) my sister and I took a drive up to Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary in Princeton. The weather was extremely overcast and the air was humid. But in spite of the weather we actually had a great time.

We started at the small man-made pond just north of the main office. There were dozens of big Bullfrog tadpoles warming themselves in the shallows. The adult frogs were all out on logs trying to do the same. A Yellow Warbler flitted about in the bushes picking off insects and a few Bobolinks hovered overhead calling incessantly.

Next we headed back down to Goodnow Rd. We were hoping that the cloudy day would make it easier to find some snakes. I was especially hoping for a Smooth Green Snake, a species which I have only ever found at Wachusett Meadow.

We walked down the road until we came to the turn off for Beaver Bend Trail. Then we headed into the pastures. As could be expected, they were pretty quiet. There were tons of European Skippers but for the majority of the morning the butterflies were "grounded". We also found a couple Common Ringlets and a dozen or so Little Wood Satyrs.

But the other bugs were active in the pastures. We found several Daddy-long-legs (many of which had mites attached to their legs). We also glimpsed a couple different species of Jumping Spiders and a number of dragonflies that I couldn't identify.

We finally made our way to Pasture #4 where I knew that we would find some snakes. The sanctuary staff has placed a tarp and a piece of plywood in the field and there are always snakes under them. When we lifted the tarp, we discovered a Brown Snake. The plywood yielded a Garter Snake.

From there we headed back to the sanctuary headquarters. As we came up the street we noticed a pair of heads sticking out of the stone stairs in front of the building. It was two more Garter Snakes. They would only let us get so close before tucking themselves back into the crevasses.

We continued down and around to the wildlife pond. On the way there I spotted a Viceroy on the Milkweed which was just starting to bloom. The Yellow Goat's-Beard and Dogbane were also starting to flower. At the bottom of the hill we saw a pair of Great-crested Flycatchers squabbling. We watched them chase each other around until they disappeared into the beaver marsh.

Before leaving I took one more hike around the upper pasture. At the old tree I heard a mammal in the bushes. It let out one or two guttural growls that reminded me of a Tazmanian Devil. Unfortunately the brush was dense and I never got a look at it. Could it have been a Fisher?


Birds - Bobolink, Cedar Waxwing, Red-tailed Hawk, Red Wing Blackbird, Black and White Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Mourning Dove, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Great-crested Flycatcher, Norther Cardinal, Warbling Vireo, American Robin

Butterflies - European Skipper, Common Ringlet, Little Wood Satyr, Viceroy

Mammals - Gray Squirrel, Red Squirrel, Chipmunk, Sheep

Herps - Bullfrog, Pickerel Frog, Brown Snake, Garter Snake

Garden in the Woods

Saturday was very dreary so I decided to make the best of it. All spring I had been wanting to get over to Garden in the Woods in Framingham to pick up some new plants. The garden, run by the New England Wild Flower Society, maintains the largest selection of native plants in the area. I shopped for about an hour before makig my decision. I picked up some Wild Indigo, Blue Indigo, Golden Groundsel, Bleeding Heart, Brown-eyed Susan, Wild Columbine, and a couple others. They were all reasonably priced ($7.50 - $8.00). I'd definitely reccommend taking a trip out there. Especially if its a nice day since the garden is fantastic.

What the heck is that?

A couple of weeks ago I was cleaning the dishes out of my sink and I found one of these guys. At the time it kinda startled me. But, I was able to pull my self together, catch it in a teacup, and released it to the "wild". Afterwards, I looked it up in my trusty Spider guidebook and discovered that it was a Common Scutigera or House Centipede.

I actually found a great article on this species. It says that they can sometimes be found in the bathtub or sink because they slip down the walls and get stuck. That's just what happened to my visitor.

Milford Powerlines (6/18)

On Sunday I decided to take a walk along the powerlines in Milford. It was a particularly hot spring day and the sun can really beat down on you when there's no shade. But, the discomfort was worth it.

The area was full of wildflowers in bloom. I saw some Whorled Loosestrife, a small patch of Maiden Pink, and (one of my personal favorites) Birdfoot Trefoil. The Connecticut
Botanical Society site lists this as a non-native plant, originally from Europe. But, I still think its pretty cool. Usually the flowers of this plant are yellow but I found a few blooms that were orange. From what I've read, this has something to do with the age of the flowers. One more interesting fact about Birdfoot Trefoil... it gets its name from the shape of its fruit pods (see the picture at the bottom of the CBS site linked above).

The butterflies were pretty standard for this time of year. There were some Harris' Checkerspots, some Silver-spotted Skippers, Cabbage Whites, etc.

Maybe because of the heat, the birds were pretty quiet. I did have a Red-tailed Hawk on one of the powerline poles being mobbed by a couple of Red-wing Blackbirds. And a Broadwing Hawk "screamed" loudly as it circled overhead.

But, my favorite part of the trip was finding a Spotted Turtle. It was in a small pool close to the path. I had seen this turtle (or one of its kin) in this same pool a couple of summers ago and it was good to see that it was still there.

When I last found the turtle on the powerlines I submitted a rare species report to the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program but they rejected my sighting. So, I felt especially good about finding the turtle again. I desperately wanted to get a photo of the animal so that I could get a little bit of "revenge" but it did NOT cooperate. He seemed to know that he was hidden behind an autofocus defeating barrier of vegetation and waited just until I could see over it before jumping into the water. Oh well, maybe next time.

Wood Turtle in Hiding

On Saturday afternoon we tried to track down the Wood Turtle that was reported in Grafton. We looked and looked but in the end lucked out. But, since I've never seen one before, I'm definitely going to keep looking.

Broad Meadow Brook MAS (6/17)

On Saturday I went to another of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club field trips, this time to BMB. I got there early hoping to see some birds... but it ended up being more of a snake day. Just as I started down Troiano Brookside Trail and immediately noticed a pair of garter snakes basking on the rocks near the trash collector. The larger one (maybe a female) was even in the process of shedding its skin. I traveled further up the trail and along the powerline towards Granite St. While crossing the small brook, we startled another snake. We didn't get a good look but I'm guessing it might be a Northern Water Snake. Back at Dunkirk, we found a forth snake, another Garter, sunning itself on someone's grass clippings. Later in the day I heard a rustling in the ferns that had to be a snake (but I never did find it). I could tell that it was smaller than the Garters... maybe a Brown Snake? Finally, on the way out the group found one final Garter. Six snakes for one day, pretty good!

As for the butterflies, they were pretty good too. Early in the morning while we were scoping out the area, we spotted a Red Spotted Purple sucking nutrients out of the mud along the path. We also saw a Hoary Edge Skipper and one Viceroy.

As the field trip was starting, the weather turned a bit more overcast. We walked in from Sprague Lane and didn't find much of anything on the trail. But, once we got to the powerlines, the sun started to come out. The Mountain Laurel and Sheep Laurel (Lambkill) were in bloom and Yellow Stargrass lined the trail. We even found some Smooth Carrion Flower which, true to its name, attracted flies. Finally, we discovered one flower that no one could identify. And befitting a true "snake" day, I was able to identify it as Rattlesnake Weed. It has really distinctive leaves so I should remember it the next time I see it.

With this much in bloom, the butterflies were taking advantage of the bounty. We had several Hoary Edge (one of which was VERY cooperative), a few more Viceroys, four Tiger Swallowtails, and several other skipper species. Best of all, the Harris' Checkerspots were everywhere. We counted a total of 29. It looks like the population survived the powerline mowing.

Another nice trip with some really nice people.

Butterflies - Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Cabbage White, Eastern Tailed-blue, Spring Azure, Harris Checkerspot, Viceroy, Red Spotted Admiral, Little Wood Satyr, Common Ringlet, Silver-spotted Skipper, Hoary Edge Skipper, Southern Cloudywing, Northern Cloudywing, Dreamy Duskywing, Juvenal's Duskywing, Wild Indigo Duskywing, Europeon Skipper, Indian Skipper, Peck's Skipper, Tawny-edged Skipper, Long Dash, Hobomok's Skipper, Dusted Skipper

Herps - Garter Snake, Brown Snake (?), Northern Water Snake (?), Green Frog, American Toad

CT Nightjar Survey

Over the last few weeks I participated in a Nightjar survey. The goal is to map the distribution and abundance of Whip-poor-wills, Chuck-wills-widows, and Nighthawks in Connecticut. Each participant to given several listening sites within a survey area. The protocol is to listen for 3 minutes at each site and record the number of nightjars that were heard,

My survey area was Middletown, CT and I had 10 sites to cover. The survey was supposed to be conducted from June 5 - 10 so I picked Tuesday as the date that I thought would have the best weather. Unfortunately my area was so large that I didn't get to all of the sites before the survey ended for the night. Another downer was that I didn't hear one bird.

I finished the survey last Monday night. Again I lucked out. The best thing that came of the whole experience is that I learned that Gray Treefrogs are abundant in Connecticut. I heard them calling everywhere and even had to stop my car to help one cross the road.

Seriously, I'm glad I participated. Hopefully the survey as a whole is successful even if my route wasn't. I believe that this survey is critical to track the status of these animals.

Quabbin Reservoir and Surrounding Area (6/11)

I spent Sunday exploring the Quabbin and some of the sites in the vincinity. I started at a small conservation area in East Brookfield . It was still early morning so it was cool. And the wind was whipping so that made it feel that much colder. A few birds were still calling when I walked into the woods. I could pick out a Black and white Warbler and one of the flycatchers. The cool temperature was also an unexpected benefit since it kept the butterflies "grounded". I got a few shots of a Pearl Crescent, Little Wood Satyr, and a Common Ringlet which wouldn't have been possible on a sunny day. They're common butterflies but they're frustratingly hard to photograph.

After spending a few minutes at the conservation area I moved on to the Fisherman's boat landing on Lake Quaboag. The water was pretty devoid of birds but I did spot a Bald Eagle nesting across the lake.

I continued on to the Quabbin and stopped at one of the first gates. There were a good number of butterflies in the fields surrounding the picnic area. As I walked down the main road to the water I heard a Chestnut-sided Warbler calling out and, after spending some time searching for it, I finally located the bird near the top of the tree.

As I neared the edge of the water, I was struck how high it was. The heavy rains that the area has had in the late spring/early summer have really filled up the reservoir. I can't remember ever seeing it this high.

After enjoying the water for a few minutes, I took a short side trip thru some new growth pines before heading back thru the field. As I crossed over a small creek to get back to the main road I happened across a large patch of Blue Flag that was absolutely covered with skippers (Hobomok, Tawny Edge). The Blue Flag was the only major flower currently in bloom so the butterflies were taking advantage of their ownly food source.

After taking lots of pictures, I started back towards the parking lot. Luckily I was looking around for snakes because I almost stepped on a tiny fawn in the grass. It couldn't have been larger than a football. I would think that it was only a few days old. It sat there in the grass without moving a muscle except to flare its nose like mad. I took some quick pictures and then retreated before scaring it off.

I walked past the parking lot and into the powerline area. Eastern Towhees and Prairie Warblers were calling incessently. Almost immediately I saw a Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on Blackberry blossums. The Blackberry bushes were prime spots for butterflies and they were so busy eating that they allow me to get close for a picture. Other than the blackberry, the only other plant in bloom was Blue-eyed Grass.

Later in the afternoon I stopped at the apple orchard and took a quick hike. There wasn't much activity to speak of at the orchard but during the hike down the path I heard a Black-throated Blue Warbler. After some concentrated searching I finally located the bird and was treated to several long looks. Its always nice when you can end an outing with a "life" bird.

Birds - Turkey Vulture, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Flicker, Northern Oriole, Scarlet Tananger, Prairie Warbler, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern wood Peewee, Mourning Dove, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red Wing Black Bird, Eastern Kingbird, Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, Great Blue Heron, Tree Swallow, Yellow-rump Warbler, Blue Jay, Barn Swallow, Blue-wing Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Yellow Warbler, Ep. Flycatcher Sp., Warbling Vireo, Black and White Warbler, Rock Pigeon

Butterflies - Pearl Crescent, Common Ringlet, Hobomok's Skipper, Little Wood Satyr, Peck's Skipper, Indian Skipper, American Copper, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Tawny Edge, Mourning Cloak, Silver-spotted Skipper, Tiger Swallowtail, Duskywing Sp., Silver Bordered Fritillary, Juvenal's Duskywing, Dusted Skipper

Herps - Pickeral Frog, Northern Water Snake (?)

Westville Lake, Fiskdale (6/10)

After the rain stopped on Saturday I took a walk at the Corps. of Engineers property at Westville Lake. I was dying to try out the new 100 mm macro lens that I bought for my canon 350D. And it was just nice to be outside in dry weather again.

I started in the main field but their wasn't much activity. A few Tree Swallows circled the waters edge and a fisherman claim to have seen a couple of hawks earlier. Not, seeing anything interesting, I started to hike around the lake. A few yards down the path I spotted a baby Snapping Turtle. He sat perfectly still but he was still alive, just very cold.

Further up the path I came to a small field and was able to kick up a few butterflies (Pearl Crescent and few skippers). Its nice to see some of them survived the rain.

The path also had some nice plants. Deadly Nightshade was growing along a small creek and Orange Hawkweed was widespread. There was even a large patch of daisies that somehow escaped the mowing.

On the other side of the dam was a nice patch of Alders. I tried but couldn't find any Harvesters. I did find a cool moth though. It had the sheerest wings that I've ever seen. Whatever species it was, they are fairly widespread since I saw them throughout the weekend.

Cecropia Moths Emerge

Over the Memorial Day weekend the Cecropia Moths that my family had been keeping finally emerged from their caccoons.

The story begins last summer when Sharon Stichter gave my mother a few dozen Cecropia Moth caterpillars from her last brood. The Cecropia is a large silkworm moth in the family Saturniidae. They are heavily parasitized by wasps and other insects so some nature lovers have started raising them in capitivity to protect the species.

As caterpillars, the moths are eating machines. Their main food plant is Cherry and as soon as we put them on the leaves our caterpillars started eating right away. They grew fast and we were constantly forced to go on searches for new cherry branches to harvest. The caterpillars even came with us on vacation. After several weeks they were large enough to spin their caccoons for the long winter slumber.

That brings us to the last few weeks. The first moths emerged on the Friday before Memorial Day. They immediately started mating and laying eggs. Out of 29 caccoons we've had 22 moths (as of right now). We've kept a few eggs for next year but we've also released many of the moths at different sites in Central Massachusetts. But before we let them go, I took a few pictures. You can find them on my Moths page.

Pygmy Sperm Whale Found on Cape Cod

The Boston Globe has an article on the Pygmy Sperm Whale that stranded on a beach in Dennis on Monday.

Dragonfly ID

Thanks to Tom Murray for identifying the mystery dragonfly from last week. It was a Dot-tailed Whiteface.

Hodges Village Dam, Oxford (5/4)

Last weekend was a bit of a washout but I was able to get out on Sunday morning. The weather was overcast and drizzly but it was preferable to the downpours from Saturday. The birds seemed to appreciate the break in the weather. As I walked down to the dam, I saw dozens of swallows were swooping down to the water to find lunch. It was good to see that the Rough-wing Swallows were back. But, I hope that they weren't nesting in the dam yet since there was a steady trickle of water out of each hole.

I continued down the old railroad tracks and came across a cool dragonfly. Since it was cool and wet, he was easy to photograph (there's the silver lining!).

At the end of the road I even found some nice warblers. A Prairie was calling in the distance and a Blue Wing was out in the open calling like crazy. I turned back and took the trail through the woods. Midway down the path frog calls from a small wetland area attracted my attention and I had to investigate. While I didn't get a look at the amphibians, I did find a new plant, Wild Calla in bloom.

Harris' Checkerspot at BMB (5/29)

On Memorial Day my parents and I spent the holiday afternoon at Broad Meadow Brook. We went there specifically to see if we could locate Harris' Checkerspot caterpillars. This butterfly is uncommon in Massachusetts but there has always been a nice population at BMB. They are usually found along the powerlines along with their food plant, Flat-topped White Aster.

The property where the butterflies reside belongs to National Grid but its managed by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. As part of the property management, National Grid periodically comes thru to cull the large trees before they become a problem. This year a BMB committee recommended doing a substantial cut of all the brush (instead of just removing the trees). While there was some concern that this could adversely affect the butterflies, it was decided that the chance to restore more meadow land was worth it since many animals thrive in this habitat.

Immediately after the cut, the property looked pretty bare. Most of the land was brown and lifeless. But, as hoped, this spring all sorts of new plants have sprouted. The best part is the aster is back and so are the Harris' Checkerspot caterpillars. We ended up counting 78 individuals in 6 different populations. Hopefully they all make it to the butterfly stage and are able to expand the population.

Other than the welcome sight of these caterpillars, we also had real great looks at a pair of Cooper's Hawks in the middle of what seemed to be an airborne mating ritual. Maybe they'll nest at the sanctuary.

Oxbow NWR (5/28)

After the trip to Delaney was over, we stopped over at Oxbow NWR. Right in the parking lot I found a new flower, I think that its Bird's Eye Speedwell. Also, I found both a Leopard Frog (see picture above) and a Pickeral Frog. I've never found these two frog subspecies in the same area so it was a real treat. As we walked down the trail we found another Eastern Painted Turtle crossing the path (it must be egg laying time). At the main pond, the Blue Flag was in bloom. And, just as we were turning around to head back we startled a Beaver crossing the path to get back to his lodge. He was absolutely huge. Seeing us he froze for a half second before waddling into the water. He quickly disappeared into the reeds but couldn't resist a loud tail slap warning.

Delaney WMA (5/28)

On Sunday I went on a Massachusetts Butterfly Club field trip to Delaney WMA. This area is a great place to find Silvery Blues since its caterpillars feed off the vetch that has been planted there for erosion control. The weather was relatively nice and the butterflies didn't disappoint. In total we counted 98 Silvery Blues and I got a couple of nice shots of them. Other butterflies in abundance were the Duskywings and Pearl Crescents. I also found my first Red Admiral of the season, though it was just a quick glance as it flew by.

During this trip last year I was able to find 4 different species of snakes (Brown, Milk, Northern Water, and Black Racer Snakes) so I was excited about that prospect as well. But, last year was overcast and I think that the cool temperatures brought them out to get warm. This year was warm and sunny so they were harder to find. I did find one Northern Water Snake though. It was swimming around a small pond looking for something to eat.

Also, on our way back we stumbled across an Eastern Painted Turtle returning to the water after laying here eggs.

Butterflies - Silvery Blue, Spring Azure, American Copper, Tiger Swallowtail, Dreamy Duskywing, Monarch, Cabbage White, Peck's Skipper, Clouded Sulphur, Orange Sulphur, Eastern Tailed Blue, Juvenal's Duskywing, Least Skipper, Wild Indigo Duskywing, Pine Elfin, Pearl Crescent, Red Admiral, Common Sootywing, Common Ringlet, Tawny Edge, Dusted Skipper

Herps - Northern Water Snake, Eastern Painted Turtle, American Toad, Green Frog

Moore State Park, Paxton (5/27)

After finishing up at Rutland State Park, I headed over to Moore State Park. Its a nice time to visit the park since all of the rhodedendrons are in bloom. I started at the field next to the parking lot and was thrilled to hear the calls of Bobolinks. There must have been a couple dozen of them.

After enjoying the field, I went down the main road to see what was happing around the pond. I was greeted by a chorus of American Toads. The males were all gathered along the water calling away. Several were swimming and pairs squared off to wrestle. There was even a female with two males in amplexus.

I wasn't the only one watching the toads though. A medium sized Garter Snake slithered among the amphibians. The next thing I knew, the snake had grabbed the first male in the amplexing trio of toads and started to pull them all into the bushes. This tug-of-war lasted several minutes with the snake using its tail for leverage. Luckily for the male toad, the female was large and strong and the snake finally gave up. I was amazed to see that the top male didn't give up his position and hop away. The urge to breed is that strong.

Rutland State Park (5/27)

Last Saturday I took a hike around Rutland State Park. The weather was sunny and clear and there were lots of birds. The morning started with some good looks at some warblers (Black-throated Green, Common Yellowthroat, Chestnut-sided). As I walked down the path I heard several calls that I eventually decided were coming from Gray Treefrogs. I searched the trees for them for a while without any luck.

Further down the road was a small field filled with activity. I found my first Ruby throated Humming bird of the year and also spooked a Woodcock out of the brush. Cedar Waxwings and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks called from the edge of the field. Back on the road I heard a Black-billed Cukoo calling in the distance and found several Tiger Swallowtails getting nutrients out of the mud.

Other butterflies of note was a Black Swallowtail and a small field full of Pine Elfins.

Birds - Barn Swallow, Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Prairie Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Ovenbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-eyed Vireo, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Great Crested Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwing, Blue-wing Warbler, Northern Oriole, American Redstart, Common Raven, American Goldfinch, Tree Swallow, Rose-breasted Grosebeak, Rubu-throated Hummingbird, Black and White Warbler, American Woodcock, Black-billed Cukoo, Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, Warbling Vireo, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Yellow Warbler

Butterflies - Spring Azure, Common Ringlet, Juvenal's Duskywing, Cabbage White, Tiger Swallowtail, Mourning Cloak, Black Swallowtail, American Lady, Clouded Sulphur, Dreamy Duskywing, Pine Elfin

Herps - Gray Treefrog, Bullfrog, Northern Water Snake, Pickeral Frog, American Toad

Spotted Turtle Delisted in MA

The Worcester T&G has a story on the removal of the Spotted Turtle from the Massachusetts endangered species list.

It also has a nicely written review of Wednesday's Pearl Jam show.

Broad Meadow Brook MAS, Worcester (5/26)

Later on Friday afternoon I met up with my Mom at BMB. I parked at the end of Dunkirk St and as I got out of the car I was greated by lots of birdsong. I quickly located a Canada Warbler that was being harassed by a Redstart. Both birds were still around as my Mom pulled up so we were both able to get great looks at them. After they flew away, we started down Trioano Brookside Trail. After only a few yards we met up with a friend, Tom Murray. He had been hiking the sanctuary looking for butterflies and dragonflies to photograph. He told us about a Harvester that he found and offered to bring us to it.

The Harvester is an interesting butterfly because its the only one in our area that's carnivorous. The Harvester caterpillar eats aphids primarily on Alder trees. This site gives a great explanation of the relationship. Also interesting is Marj Rines' Harvester pages were she describes monitoring a population of Harvesters near here home.

We ended up finding Tom's Harvester and I was able to get one marginal shot of it. Then it started to rain and we were forced to head back. Tom has some nice shots of Harvesters on his PBase account but I don't see any from BMB yet.

Birds (limited list since I didn't write them down) - Canada Warbler, American Redstart, Red-winged Blackbird, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Kingbird, Tree Swallow, Eastern Phoebe

Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge (5/26)

On Friday morning I got up and, with Kate's help, I drove over to Mt. Auburn Cemetery. This cemetery is famous for having some great birds in spring migration. I'd never been to the cemetery, and since I was in the area and had some time off, I decided to give it a try.

I found the main gate and spent a few minutes driving thru the site looking for somewhere to take a walk. I found a good place, parked and took a short walk. There were birds everywhere but they were mostly the common "backyard" birds (Catbird, Mockingbird, Robin, etc.). And, before I knew it I was totally turned around and lost. All the streets looked alike. After a few minutes of slight panic, I relocated my vehicle. From then on I tried to stay close to the car.

After I drove around the cemetery a few times, I was about to leave when I saw a few other birdwatchers. They were clustered around a small pond that had several trails runing up the side of the hill. This ended up being the best spot of the day. There were Common Yellowthroats in the bushes and I even got a great look at an Ovenbird as she tried to lead me away from her nest.

I climbed to the top of the hill and a strange call almost immediately caught my attention. As I got closer to it I could have sworn that it was coming for down low in the bushes. I must have spent 10 minutes tring to find the bird. Finally, I was aided by a couple of birders who found the bird up high in the tree. It ended up being a Blackpoll Warbler. It always amazing to me how bird songs are reflected off the vegetation. It adds that extra degree of difficulty.

As I was leaving the area, the other birders informed me that a Wilson's Warbler had been calling. Earlier I had seen a small warbler enter the bushes but I didn't get a very good look at it.

Overall it was a nice morning at the cemetery. But, next time I go back I know where I'll want to start.

Birds: Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, American Robin, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Cardinal, American Crow, Northern Flicker, American Redstart, Brown-headed Cowbird, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Oriole, Mouring Dove, House Sparrow, European Starling, American Goldfinch, Chimney Swift, Blackpoll Warbler, Chickadee, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Canada Warbler, Wilson's Warbler (?)

Pearl Jam - Final Numbers

Whenever I get done with a tour I like to go over the stats:

3 shows, 7.5 hours of music

85 total songs
10 songs were repeated once
11 songs were done at all three shows

55 different songs

These were my lifetime shows 12, 13, 14
Over the 14 shows Pearl Jam has played a total of 380 songs
Over the 14 shows I've heard 122 different songs

Songs that I heard for the first time on this tour (16):

Hartford (8) - I'm Open, Life Wasted, Worldwide Suicide, Comatose, Severed Hand, Marker in the Sand, Unemployable, Inside Job

Boston I (4) - Rats, Gone, Sad, Forever Young

Boston II (4) - Parachutes, Wasted Reprise, Army Reserve, Man of the Hour

Cost

Tickets = $65 X 5 = $325 (I treated my guests at the two Boston shows)
Hotel = $90
Posters = $25 X 3 = $75
T-shirts = $28 X 2 = $56
Official Show "Bootlegs" = $15 X 3 = $45

Total = $591

But the memories are PRICELESS.

Hearing the Gospel '06 -Part 3

I woke up the next day and drove my sister to the Hynes Convention Center where she was working for the weekend. They I met up with my friend Kate at her place in Somerville and we headed into the city.

Again we arrived really early to pick up my tickets at the box office. They were in the same aisle as the night before but they were actually a little closer to the center of the stage.

When the doors opened, we ran upstairs and I was able to pick up the show poster before they were all sold out. Then we took our seats to wait for the show to start. I got excited when one of the roadies set up a mic and stool at center stage. And sure enough, right around 7:30 Ed took the stage and performed a fantastic acoustic version of Porch. Then he joined My Morning Jacket to kick off their set. The openers did another nice set and impressed Kate enough that she bought one of their CD's from the concession stand.

When MMJ finished up there was a quick change over of the stage. During this time, an usher approached Kate about our seats. We were the first row without a center aisle and apparently this was a mistake. So, he moved us over one seat but we didn't mind since we were closer to the center.

A few minutes later another TD Banknorth employee came down the aisle with a pair of older couples. Apparently they had "friend of a friend" connections with some bigwig at the venue. The usher seated two of the people in the open "aisle" seats and the other two right in front of us. He left and a few minutes later a second usher came by and asked the first couple what they were doing in those seat. They dropped the name of the person who got them onto the floor and the usher quickly apologized and walked away. After he left the people were being total jerks saying things like "We should have told him to get us beers."

The worst part was that the couple in front of us had "stolen" seats from a man and his daughter who had been standing there earlier. When they came back, they tried to make the older couple move. The biggest jerk of the group said something like, "These are our seats now". Luckily the head usher came over and moved the older couple to another area because I was absolutely livid at this point. A few minutes later the band came out and ripped into the best 5 fast songs to open a set that I've ever heard (Severed Hand, Corduroy, Worldwide Suicide, Do The Evolution, and Given To Fly) which allowed me to burn off some steam.

The opening set continued with some fan favorites (Dissident, Even Flow) and some tour rarities (Low Light and Insignificance). Army Reserve was highlight of the first set for me. Its one of my favorites from the new album and I missed it so far during the tour.

State of Love and Trust was another rocker. At one point in the middle of the song Ed forgot the lyrics and looked to the crowd for some help. We all seemed to have mutual amnesia for about a quarter of a second. Then the "choir" started up long enough to get Ed back on track. The opener ended with Inside Job and Rearviewmirror.

When the band retook the stage for the first encore, they opened with Wasted Reprise and segwayed into Man of the Hour (another new song for me). Later in the encore the band debuted Parachutes from the new album.

But the thing that I'll always remember is the ending to Black. The crowd totally took over the song. Everyone was singing the "do do do do do do do" refrain and clapping like mad. The guys kept playing and they looked around at each other to determine how to get out of the situation. Finally Ed fell to the stage to end the song.

Toward the end of the first encore the little girl (age 6 - 8 I would guess) held up a little hand made sign. It was a large pair of lips with "Smile" for the teeth. Since Smile is one of my favorites, I encouraged her to hold it up. Whenever the lights were up on the crowd Kate and I and several other people in our row would wave and point to the sign. Finally we got Mike's attention as he squinted to read the writing. Shortly later the first encore ended and the guys left the stage.

During this intermission the little girl pulled out some flowers that she was going to give to Ed. Everyone in our section was so cool about it and they carried her up to the front row seats. The second encore started with Why Go and Life Wasted before Ed finally saw the girl and her flowers. He told the security guards to bring her up on stage and announced her to the crowd. Then he took the flowers in exchange for playing her request (it was really cool that he waited until she was back to her seat before he started the song). It was a great version and Ed even gave the little girl his harmonica after it was over.

The next song was another request, this time from a special guest, Theo Epstein. Theo and his fiance had been standing at stage left for a few songs and he smiled broadly when they thanked him for the matching donation he had made for a charity that helps homeless children. The band played a moving version of Indifference. These are two of my all-time favorite songs and I loved having them back-to-back.

Finally Leash a song that they hadn't played in over 10 years. I have to admit that I was very out of the loop on the history of that song. I heard it back in the old Garden in '94 and its not one of my favorites, so the song doesn't have the special place in my heart as it does in other fans. When the band started the opening riffs the crowd exploded so loud that I couldn't even figure out what the song was. What a great experience to see the faces of everyone up front.

The night ended with another Rocking in the Free World (with theo on guitar) and a version of Yellow Ledbetter with Star Spangled Banner as the final riff.

All in all it was an awesome experience. The next day the Pearl Jam forum was abuss with talk of this being the best show ever. But I still have trouble separating this show from Boston #1. I was in about the same seats both nights and I recognized dozens of my "neighbors" from Boston #1. So I'll always think of them as one show with a REALLY long intermission.