Spring comes to Leverett Pond

[urbpan]

We walked the dogs around Leverett Pond today and it felt like an honest to goodness spring day. And thanks to my new hand-me-down camera, which Alexis used to take all the best 365 urban species photos, I was able to record some of it. Pictured above, I'm fairly certain, is a male palm warbler.





We also saw yellow-rumped and black-and-white warblers, and probably some others. They're small quick moving birds, so it can be hard to tell for sure. This fellow is demonstrating why their migration happens when it does. He's eating a small inchworm which he plucked from the new buds of this pondside shrub. Soon the remaining caterpillars will be too big to eat, so this warbler will probably fly further north to catch the smaller ones still developing. Some warblers do stay in Boston for the summer, so there must be enough little worms throughout the season to support a small population.


Lesser celandine.


And a close-up of its naughty bits.


The tiny blossoms of shepherd's purse, a wild mustard.