Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

On this hot summer evening, I realize I haven't posted anything in nearly two weeks and figured that tonight would be a good a time as any to do so. I have started work at Drumlin once more and I'm looking forward to the start of camp as well. The past few weeks have been busy and full of fun and learning. Fun because of all the returning counselors I know from prior years and learning because of staff training. Other than that, I managed to head to Portcon Maine this year and snap some photos of local bird life in the vacant lot nearby. The jovial songs of House Finches ( Haemorhous mexicanus ) rang out over the parking lot. The pleading cries of a pair of Killdeer ( Charadrius vociferus ) drew us close to what we suspected was their nest site. An American Goldfinch ( Spinus tristis ) surveys cosplayers on a beautiful Sunday morning. A honeybee ( Apis spp. ) feeds on the ornamental mint ( Mentha spp. ) flowers planted outside the Double Tree. Also, I rec...

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...