Turkey Vulture
During a late afternoon on a lovely day last week I did a double take as I found an unexpected bird on the lawn – a Turkey Vulture! It had discovered a dead Eastern Chipmunk only moments earlier and was preparing to do its job. I was with my Shetland Sheepdog, Zach, who had not seen the bird over the slight hill in the lawn. I walked back to him, bent down and told him to look at this bird as I pointed. He eagerly glanced around and spotted it, eyes widening and slowly creeping towards it out of curiously and intrigue despite my cautioning. He held at this position, head forward,...
Read MoreBrown-headed Cowbird
This male Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) was taking a look at all the maple seeds in this driveway, perhaps wondering why it shouldn’t eat all of this abundant and easy to grab food instead of those fast, pesky and tough to spot insects. They do primarily eat seeds, and I guess you have time to wonder these things when you leave the difficult task of raising your young to another species. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreDeer Overbrowsing
I may not be an expert on vegetation, especially ornamental, but something seems…not right…here. You have probably seen similar sights in the last couple of months now that the ice and snow have fully cleared as White-tailed Deer did a number on anything they could eat in the Northeast. Everything just above their head is bright and green, and parts below are bare and brown. Our overpopulation of deer wipes the forest floors clean to the point where they must pick at what we could call scraps like these in our neighborhoods. Some people may object to wolves in their backyards,...
Read MoreOsprey Pole
Kind of like Snowy Owls in the winter, one could spend their summer wandering around and photographing Ospreys on all types of poles – the classic utility, the specialized power structure, the flag, the lamp or streetlight as seen here…hey, whether it’s for a meal or a nap, these poles are darn comfy! Maybe we are missing out on something…pass the fish, please. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreWhite-throated Sparrows massing and feeding
White-throated Sparrows have arrived in tremendous numbers across the region, ready to eat you out of house and home all winter long! Before then, while the grass and earth is still exposed, without being snow-covered or frozen, they can feast on more natural meals. I took a bunch of photos of a few individuals in a group feeding on the lawn last week. There would not be much to chow down on if this were uniformly treated bright, green grass, one species that was chemically induced to look like the perfect lawn. These monocultures are taking up valuable habitat real estate and often consist...
Read More
