Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

Just what is "geocaching"? It's one of those new outdoor hobbies that has sprung up in the 21st century alongside flying remote controlled drones or bow hunting Asian carp ( Hypophthalmichthys molitrix ) from a speeding motorboat. Well perhaps it isn't as crazy as the last one, but it does involve searching for Tupperware containers in the woods containing a logbook and small tradeable objects that can only be located by using a GPS unit. That's the basic gist of it anyway. I first learned how to geocache while working as an intern at the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association in Pennington, NJ. My fellow teacher naturalists would go out with local girl scout groups on our 930 acre property to look for the various caches which could range from the size of a shoebox to a test tube or even smaller. I've even seen some artificial caches that are modeled to look like rocks, pine cones, and even a golf ball. After using the GPS unit to get close to the cac...

This Saturday past, I participated in my very first Christmas Bird Count with my girlfriend Alison, and was excited to get many photos of some of the birds we spied. Our first stop was to a local woman's farm in Dartmouth. We helped out by covering ground that had yet to be covered by the owners, a mother and son team with a tenacity for birding and listing. Mystery moss growing on many of the trees above. I would like to know what it might be... A late female Eastern Towhee ( Pipilo erythrothalmus ) hiding out in some briars near some old farming equipment. Milkweed ( Asclepias spp. ) was a common sight throughout the property. Their importance is paramount not only in healthy meadow ecology, but also to that of the Monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ). Despite looking wet, this Woolly Bear Caterpillar ( Pyrrharctica isabella ) might yet survive to become a moth in the spring. As prevalent as another bird with "house" in its name, these western finc...

This past weekend was very birdy days for me. I've seen some pretty cool things this weekend and I'm so excited to share them. I assisted with a winter bird walk at the Watershed today. We had several people participate and were at varying skill levels when it came to birding. We started at the front of the main office and worked our way towards the back hedgerows. As we walked, we paused to notice the robins and waxwings feeding fervently on the berry-covered trees. We didn't stay long as the cold was bone-chilling and so we moved along at a fair clip to keep up our body heat. And wouldn't you know it, it would be a great morning despite the cold and my lack of gloves. As we entered the meadow east of the main office, we watched and listened for singing White-throated Sparrows ( Zonotrichia albicollis ). It was around this time that we noticed the Turkey Vultures ( Cathartes aura ) flapping low over the field. They were doing so because the thermals they needed to ...

While I was on my way to Parker River on Monday, I paid a visit to Heard's Pond in Wayland, MA. Other than the gulls and solitary Mute Swan ( Cygnus olor ), what caught my eye initially was a female Common Merganser ( Mergus merganser ) swimming in the unfrozen section of the pond. My eye was then drawn to the left with a large flock of Mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ) and some mingling American Black Ducks ( A. rubripes ). But near those birds was a duck I was surprised to see. What appeared to be a female Northern Shoveler ( A. clypeata ) has been causing me confusion ever since. After consulting Sibley, Nat Geo, and online sources, I'm fairly convinced that it is either female or an immature bird. Only fairly convinced however... There's part of me that wonders if it could be a hybrid too. But that seems a stretch. If anyone has a clue about what it might be, please comment below. Update: After emailing a former colleague of mine, he's confirmed to me t...

I've done it again! Another bird on the list and while I'm a long way off from 350 species, but for once, I got a bird fairly quickly. As you can probably guess from the title, I saw my first Snowy Owl ( Bubo scandiacus ) near lot 7 at Parker River NWR. While it was an excellent find, I wouldn't have been able to find it without a tip from another birder. My initial strategy was to work my way down the beach and look out in both directions for anything vaguely white and owl-shaped. At lot 3, I met another birder along the boardwalk who hinted that he'd seen a Snowy near lot 7 about an hour beforehand and was currently pursuing a Short-eared Owl ( Asio flammeus ) that had been spotted nearby. I traveled as quickly as I could (25 mph speed limit after all) and got out of the car. A woman was sat in her car nearby and smiled as I walked by. "There's been a Snowy Owl spotted.", she said. I nodded and asked where it was now. "Go north up the beach ...

Well, I was about to go to bed and what unexpected noise did I hear, but a coyote ( Canis latrans ) calling in the dead of night. The wooping, yowling call of a coyote or two can send chills down anyone's spine, especially to those that aren't used to hearing them that often. So, keen to investigate, I alerted my housemate (who despite the late hour was doing dishes) to investigate the sound. We donned headlamps and headed outside into the cold night air. We pointed our headlamps towards the back parking lot near where the entrance of the Four Seasons trail begins. We heard pacing footsteps that resembled that of a dog as opposed to a deer. Deliberate and pacing as opposed to stiff and dainty. As we looked into the gloom, my housemate called to the coyote with a howl. It stared right at us. Its green eyeshine glowing in the beams of our headlamps. We moved in closer. It backed away into the brush, but didn't leave the area. We backtracked and it came loping back, but re...

I've had a whirl of a day. Despite having a cold that started after minicamp this past week, I whisked myself off in pursuit of a Greater White-fronted Goose ( Anser albifrons ) that had been spotted recently among throngs of Canada Geese ( Branta canadensis ) at Peace Valley Park in Doylestown, PA. Reports of Lesser Black-backed Gulls ( Larus fuscus ) and a Red-headed Woodpecker ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus ) were nice treats to look for as well. As I arrived, I looked to my right and surveyed the mass of geese. I knew, or at least suspected, that it was somewhere in that group. So I set off down the path noting the calls of chickadees and sparrows as I went, while a vociferous Northern Mockingbird ( Mimus polyglottos ) sang a garbled remix of wren and sparrow song that made its way through the briars and broken trees near the water's edge. I walked onto a dock that from the looks of it floated in the summer, but due to the drop in water level, was now resting on the reservo...

As another busy week looms, I'm hesitant to post anything long-winded, so instead I shall show you all the wonderful colors of peak fall here in New Jersey. A Cabbage White ( Pieris rapae ) rests on a burdock in New Hope, PA. Another Cabbage White resting on an aster (presumed). Unless a sweetgum has gone all fancy, I suppose this might be a Japanese Maple. A male flicker rests in the red bush outside the window. Leaves litter the ground as if sowing the comforter for the coming frosts and snow that would hope to comfort the ground in the coldest part of the year. Little though they are, it is their numbers that ultimately make the difference and transform the fall ground into a mosaic of fading color and stamped texture. Adding almost a christmasy feel to the lawn behind the house, the Honey Locust ( Gleditsia triacanthos ) seed pods resemble green beans and are, in fact, related to legumes such as peas, peanuts, and snap beans. Transitions from the bou...