Red-tailed hawks have excellent vision; they can spot a mouse from 100 feet in the air. Hawks can see the colors that most humans can, as well as those in the ultraviolet range that humans cannot see.
Young Red-tailed Hawks, like the one pictured, have pale yellow eyes. The eyes darken to brown as the birds get older.
Spring is in the air!
Eastern Cottontail Rabbits do not hibernate in the Winter; they are active all year. These rabbits were seen daily near the bird feeders, in all types of weather, often sharing fallen seeds with the sparrows.
Encountering this unexpected “treasure” enhanced a recent Winter hike.
This beloved tree at the Wachusett Meadow Audubon in Princeton, MA delights in any season.
This brilliantly colored Scarlet Tanager paused outside my window for a short while today, just in time to be added to the bird count of Massachusetts Audubon’s Bird-a-thon.
Mass Audubon explains that “its largest fundraiser brings together supporters from across the state to raise essential funds for nature conservation, education, and advocacy”.
Because of the virus, this year all sightings were completed from the areas right around the participants’ homes.
This Baltimore Oriole pair chatter as they flash through the yard, pausing for a drink before heading to the nearby forsythia bush.
The first Baltimore Oriole of the season cautiously checked in at the feeder in between rain showers today.
The apple tree has become the favorite perch of the Northern Cardinal.
Yesterday’s Spring snowstorm transformed my azalea bush.
Nature decorates the stones in my yard with its own festive gift-wrappings.
During this difficult time, the reappearance of the American Robin in my yard is a rejuvenating and stabilizing sight.
Mosses appeared on Earth more than 400 million years ago, predating dinosaurs. On this early Spring day, these everlasting benign plants with their cushiony forms and lush green tones brighten up my yard, like old friends.
Mark Twain was proved correct, unfortunately. (See previous post.)
The irrepressible gray squirrel never passes up a chance to scout for tidbits under the bird feeders.
The onset of Spring is visible in abstract patterns on and below the surface of our local ponds, now free of ice.
