Urban wildlife waking up, plus a question

[urbpan]

This week Boston is being treated to a little thaw. It's supposed to reach into the fifties today, and considering that 30 feels like a heat wave, I expect to see many people in shorts and t-shirts this afternoon. Wise and cynical New Englanders know that the following week, or maybe the week after that, the temperature WILL plummet again, and we WILL have another foot of snow dumped on up before April, but the respite is nice.

Yesterday, in my official capacity at work skulking around the edges of buildings as I do, I encountered an opossum. These marsupials, having worked their way up from South America only a couple million years ago, are ill-equipped for New England winters. Their hairless tails and ears are frequently frostbitten, and you can tell an older individual (one that has survived at least one winter, and the oldest will only survive about three) by its truncated extremities. If it weren't for their ludicrous litter size and relatively young sexual maturity, they wouldn't make it here. Their appetite for the kind of decomposing junk that humans leave behind helps.

Last night, exhausted from playing with Charlie over in the Riverway, I flumped onto my back in the snow. Lying there catching my breath, I watched a bat fly around for a while. I can't imagine that there are many insects up there, and it was only about 33 degrees. I worried that this was one of those sick bats we've been reading about, that starts to starve in hibernation and wakes up in desperation when it gets a little warmer. Then while walking the dogs this morning, Alexis saw a bat flying down the road toward Brookline Village. Good luck, little fledermausen.

Alexis and I would like to do a project together, combining her photographs with my writing. We haven't come up with an idea yet, so I thought I'd throw it out to you guys and see if you could brainstorm up something. It doesn't have to be about natural history, or dogs, but it should be about something we both are interested in. If you don't know Alexis or her work, you really should take a look at cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com. What do you think? Insane ideas will not be mocked (unless they are imminently mockable) but they will not be entertained either (unless they are entertaining).

Comments

[donnad.livejournal.com]

Unrelated to this post, I'm curious as to whether you know of eagle sightings locally. I was driving on Route 3 in Southern NH. on Sunday and could have sworn I saw an eagle. It was definitely a raptor, but it had what looked like the white tail and head and I'm pretty sure it wasn't just the illusion because of the sun. Have you heard of eagle sightings in S. NH. recently? I still can't believe I saw it, we see red tails up this way a lot, at first I though it was just a hawk. I've never seen an eagle in the wild before.

[cottonmanifesto.livejournal.com]

for sure. a few winters ago, there was a bald eagle eating a canada goose on jamaica pond.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

I've seen one as close to my house as the Mystic Lakes.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Yes.

And hoo, boy 8 years ago...

I saw a juvenile bald eagle flying over Watertown square a few years ago, and about a month ago got a quick glimpse of an adult soaring over a park in Brookline.

[donnad.livejournal.com]

Very cool, Thank you, I'm going to have to keep my eyes open to spot him again. Maybe try to get a picture.

[wirrrn.livejournal.com]

Urban Cryptozoology? (Not so much impossible animals but improbable ones that are in places they shouldn't be?) :looks at Brush-Tailed Possum in stove:

[jolantru.livejournal.com]

Urban nature photography book?

[roaming.livejournal.com]

My resident possum (how are they different from opossums, or are they the same?) and the skunks have been pretty active consistently in my yard. And the past two nights the RACCOONS are BACK. All four of the so far. I'm waiting to see how many kits they bring with them come spring. Usually 4 new ones show up, it's hectic in my yard (which is probably urban wildlife friendly certifiable), and then the more aggressive ones chase off the lesser and I always end up with two, max, remaining to guard their turf.

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

What about a 365-days urban nature calendar? With text and photo for each day of the year?

[drocera.livejournal.com]

I've always liked your entries about the "colorful" human inhabitants of the great city of Boston. Maybe you could do something with that. (thinking back specifically to the drum playing cyclist)

[hhw]

Jim's Googley Eyes and What They See

How to choose where to live: advice for relocating couples with different definitions of The Perfect Place

[by-steph.livejournal.com]

At the very least, Alexis should send something in for this contest: http://www.foei.org/en/get-involved/photo But then maybe you could make it a longer running project.

[interglossa.livejournal.com]

Your take on urban dwellers and their relationship with their companion animals might be unique but is rather off-topic from most of your blog.