Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

Fox Sparrows ( Passerella iliaca ) are big birds both structurally and in terms of how little I get to see them. I got to see one briefly in a tangle of twigs and leaves while I was walking the trails of Beaver Lake this afternoon. I was partially trying to get away from the city for a bit, while also trying to figure out what to write about. As I wandered, I wondered and as I wondered, I worried. I worried about not consistently updating my blog twice a month and what that would mean for my two regular readers (three if I'm lucky!) I worried about my writing skills not improving and that I might not be getting anywhere. After a worryingly indeterminate amount of time, I noticed I was just was walking along a trail towards god knows where so I doubled back and headed up the Bog Trail. At a little over half a mile, the trail snaked into a boardwalk that headed out over a maple bog and out along the pond. As I walked along, I could hear the jingling calls of White-throated Sparrows...

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...