This cheerful Gray Catbird, who I have named “Cat Stevens”, has returned for the Summer. His day (and thus mine, as well) starts around 5:00 a.m. with continuous merry outbursts of a variety of songs delivered from a nearby treetop.
It was heartwarming to witness the parental protection and guidance given to this new brood of goslings.
The persistent and ingenious house wren who returns to our yard each year always finds a way to create a new nest for the next generation.
This week I’ve put recycled plastic, milk cartons and egg containers to good use as seedling containers. This variety of flowers, vegetables and herb seedlings will be planted outdoors as soon as the weather co-operates!
Once nearly extinct in New England, Eastern wild turkeys have made a remarkable comeback. This turkey was wandering the field at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon this week.
A full grown turkey has between 5000 and 6000 feathers on its body arranged in unique patterns called feather tracts. These feathers can exhibit shades of green, red, gold, black and even bronze.
Painted Turtles, the most widespread turtle of North America, bask in the warm Spring Sun at Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Pond.
Wachusett Meadow’s Wildlife Pond is home to beavers year-round, as well as an array of seasonal guests such as Wood Ducks that roost in boxes above the water. Great Blue Herons nest in the tops of dead trees, and Canada Geese cruise both the waterway and the land. Let the Summer rentals begin!
Each April, the Wachusett Meadow Audubon holds a Sheep and Wool Festival Day.
Sheep wool at this time of year is luxurious, with a variety of colors, textures and patterns. Included here are my color and black and white photos, taken before the shearing, which seek to emphasize the beautiful natural material of these engaging creatures.
The grackles have returned just in time for the Spring Equinox sunlight to make their feathers glow with multi-colors. In contrast, when in the shade, they can look as dark as a crow.
What could be more enchanting than waking up to eight inches of fluffy chiffon covering an otherwise Spring-like day?
This red squirrel took great care to find, examine, select and enjoy only the choicest of black sunflower seeds from the treasure trove beneath the bird feeder.
On a chilly New England afternoon, the Northern Cardinal and the American Tree Sparrow shared a feast at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Massachusetts. Neither bird paid attention to me.
One of New England’s greatest novelists, Herman Melville, wrote “Moby Dick”, a dramatic story about Captain Ahab’s obsession to destroy the Great White Whale. At my local Audubon, there is a huge glacial boulder which reminds me of this mythical whale.
Happy New Year!
This lively and dramatically colored pair of evening grosbeaks swooped in to the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton, MA recently. They enjoyed black sunflower seeds from the feeder and on the ground. The female’s tall feathers blended in beautifully with the seeds. The red squirrel seemed to be happy to share the bounty!
In this modular origami design, constructed from eight pieces of paper, the Sun transforms into the Moon and back to the Sun once more by pushing or pulling gently on the edges.
Happy Solstice!
