Pickerel Frog

Top Photo: Can you see the frog in the center of the picture? In our area, pickerel frogs breed from February to April. The rest of their year is usually spent away from the temporary pools of water they typically breed in. They may be far from water during the non-breeding season. The frog pictured here was tucked in a crevice of a stone wall behind the waterfall in Earth Moves. Pickerel frogs are mostly brown in color with moreRead more

Nest Box Update 6.20.23

Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have two active nests. One is a rebuild and second brood by house wrens. The other, a bluebird nest about to fledge its occupants. ——————— The Cow Pasture nest which was empty last week, and which has already fledged four house wrens is at it again. After cleaning out the nest box and putting in a new berry basket, wrens have again built a classic twig nest in the box. No eggs yet. ExploreRead more

Morphing Frogs

Top Photo: Bullfrogs at edge of wetlands. The numerous bullfrogs that are currently morphing from tadpole to frog in our wetlands were eggs last summer. The eggs hatched approximately five days from deposition. Nine months to perhaps a year later they’re transitioning from tadpole to frog. That may seem a long time, but consider the bullfrog in more northern climates. A bullfrog tadpole hatched in a Massachusetts pond may take three years to become a frog. These frogs are approximatelyRead more

Nest Box Update 6.13.23

Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. There is only one active nest on our six nest box bluebird trail. ————————— The Cow Pasture, Explore the Wild, Into the Mist and Parking Deck East nest boxes are currently unoccupied. When opening the inspection door o the Parking Deck West nest box there were five bluebird nestlings huddled into the bottom of the  pine straw nest, eyes yet to open. I took my obligatory picture and let them be. The final next boxRead more

Snake Mate

Top Photo: Northern water snake among rushes in wetlands. I’ve been monitoring a female northern water snake since first discovering it in our wetlands in late May. There’s nothing unusual about water snakes in the wetland but this snake’s had a problem either with it respiration or jaw alignment. It keeps opening and closing its mouth and moving the mandible from side to side. This is abnormal behavior. Today (6.9.23) I witnessed a smaller male water snake attempt to mateRead more

Nest ox Update 6.6.23

Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. There is currently only one active nest. House wrens have fledged and bluebirds have hatched. ————————— The four house wrens that had been in the nest box at the Cow Pasture have fledged. I could hear the family warbling away in the woods behind the nest box as I confirmed their departure by peaking into the nest. It was empty. The Explore the Wild and Into the Mist nest boxes are empty. The nest boxRead more

Nest Box Update 5.9.23

Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. One of our nest boxes has been emptied and there are now four house wren eggs in another. The remaining four boxes are empty. ———————— The wren nest which had remained untouched for two weeks now has four new wren eggs in the twig based structure. The chickadees in the nest box in Explore the Wild have apparently fledged. There were five nestlings huddled together in the nest last week, today it’s empty. The IntoRead more

Mimics and Other Amazing Springtime Sights

Top Photo: Brown thrasher belts out his best imitation of other local birds and sounds. Like mockingbirds, thrashers (above) mimic other birds and sounds that occur in their immediate area. While mockingbirds often repeat the same phrase over and over again, thrashers tend to repeat each mimicked phrase or sound twice, then move on to the next one. Physical mimicry is fairly common in invertebrates. Whether to avoid being eaten by predators or as a predator seeking to hunt otherRead more