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urbpanThis has been a typical New England week in March, with a major snowstorm at one end of it, and a set of perfect springtime days at the end. Reading my friends' list, it seems as the great lakes cities are experiencing something similar. I started the Muddy River photo project, which has had the wonderful consequence of forcing me to find beauty in a landscape I see everyday, covered with a substance (snow) which I have come to hate.
Yesterday I saw my first grackle of the year. It had squeezed its way through the gap in a cage door to help itself to the amenities of a duck exhibit. I forgot to mention that on my last trip to Connecticut (Feb 15th, my mom's birthday) I saw a turkey vulture over the highway. It won't be long until they are year-round in southern New England, and I fully expect black vultures to become common visitors to our area.
The buffleheads and mergansers on the Muddy weren't there yesterday evening, I suspect because other bodies of water have melted through. Leverett Pond looks to have opened up quite a bit. Jamaica Pond is still covered with water on top of slush on top of ice. Dangerous swimming there right now.
Other highlights this week: I flushed out a Cooper's hawk from a bush and was amazed at the speed of its flight. That field marking alone makes it impossible to confuse with a red-tail. Tracking after this storm showed no foxes or coyotes, unlike last time. Hundreds and hundreds of cottontails, some voles (one sick individual which I caught and euthanized) and the usual trails of rats and mice. I'm looking forward to seeing the spring birds again. I haven't seen a junco in a while (but I know they're still out there) and I haven't seen a red-wing blackbird yet (but other Bostonians have reported them).
Yesterday I saw my first grackle of the year. It had squeezed its way through the gap in a cage door to help itself to the amenities of a duck exhibit. I forgot to mention that on my last trip to Connecticut (Feb 15th, my mom's birthday) I saw a turkey vulture over the highway. It won't be long until they are year-round in southern New England, and I fully expect black vultures to become common visitors to our area.
The buffleheads and mergansers on the Muddy weren't there yesterday evening, I suspect because other bodies of water have melted through. Leverett Pond looks to have opened up quite a bit. Jamaica Pond is still covered with water on top of slush on top of ice. Dangerous swimming there right now.
Other highlights this week: I flushed out a Cooper's hawk from a bush and was amazed at the speed of its flight. That field marking alone makes it impossible to confuse with a red-tail. Tracking after this storm showed no foxes or coyotes, unlike last time. Hundreds and hundreds of cottontails, some voles (one sick individual which I caught and euthanized) and the usual trails of rats and mice. I'm looking forward to seeing the spring birds again. I haven't seen a junco in a while (but I know they're still out there) and I haven't seen a red-wing blackbird yet (but other Bostonians have reported them).
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Date: 2009-03-07 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-07 04:26 pm (UTC)and they went and clear cut almost all the trees, bushes, scrub, etc around the lake area, and removed that major grackle hub (a particularly nice set of tall trees - i'm sure they'll fetch $$$ at some furniture store (that's how these landscapers seem to work - take the valuable timber)) at least i got some pictures.
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