Category: audubon

Close Up and Far Away

Female, Male and Juvenile Hooded Mergansers on the Wildlife Pond
Blue Jay and Northern Cardinal Near the Bird Feeders
Gray Squirrel Swinging in the Copse Near the Bird Feeders
Common Grackle Hunting Seeds on the Ground
Female and Male Mallard on the Far Side of the Wildlife Pond
Eastern Cottontail with a Gray Squirrel and Sparrows Near the Visitor’s Center
Eastern Towhee and Blue Jay Under the Feeders
Eastern Cottontail Close-up
Eastern Towhee Under the Bird Feeders

Bluebird Picnic

Eastern Bluebirds flew into town and invited their friends for a feast at the feeders.

Male Eastern Bluebird, Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary, Princeton, MA
Female Eastern Bluebird
Female Bluebird, Blue Jay, Female Cardinal
Female Bluebird, Gray Squirrel
Downy Woodpecker, Male Bluebird

Mockingbird Mix

The Northern Mockingbird at Wachusett Meadow didn’t notice me as it busily feasted on sumac.
These mockingbirds surveyed the meadow as they perched on bluebird houses. Their coloring and markings puzzled me, as they were slightly different than those in the first photographs. Birding friends: Any thoughts?

Frozen Meadow Trek

Photos from a winter walk at Mass Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Princeton, MA,

It was a chilly 22 degrees at Wachusett Meadow today.
The Beaver Lodge was coated in snow and surrounded by ice.
A light layer of ice on the snow in the South Meadow shone in the low winter light.
Bluebird houses, abandoned until the spring, are a familiar sight along numerous trails.
The cross country skiers and snowshoers who trekked before me made my hike a bit easier today.

Follow the Fur

Most Eastern Gray Squirrels don’t have the brown face and back stripe that this one, seen under the feeders at Wachusett Meadow, does. That makes it easily identifiable, and a perfect candidate for following this winter. I’ll be noticing how much time it spends under the feeders, how far it travels along the nearby stone walls and trees, its feeding habits, and its social interactions.


Meadow Magic Hour

Late August meadows in New England foretell the bold autumn tree colors yet to come.

On a late August evening, Wachusett Meadow in Princeton is awash in gold tones and green shadows. The top of the boathouse rises up mysteriously behind tall wildflowers.
Looking across the stone wall to the North Meadow, raking light accentuates patches of green mown grass that contrast with alternating waves of white asters and goldenrod.
In storybook fashion, a shady path descends into the South Meadow.
Autumnal reds and yellows carpet the landscape.
Corridors of Joe Pye Weed capture the eye.
Wild asters surprise with their spiky yellow globes.
Unsurprisingly, I am not alone in admiring this magical habitat.