Pandemic-weary nature-lovers, tired of restrictions on activities, winter in general, and
a cold and windy April, found spring to be especially welcome and inviting this year.
There were many great encounters and observations to be enjoyed and shared.
a cold and windy April, found spring to be especially welcome and inviting this year.
There were many great encounters and observations to be enjoyed and shared.
 Common water strider (Aquarius sp.) is an early-emerging insect. This individual was in Hardwick 6 April. Photo by Alan Rawle.  By the end of April Red-bellied Woodpeckers were selecting nesting cavities. Doug Wipf found this bright male in Rutland on 27 April.   One of our earliest ephemeral spring wildflowers, Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) blooms briefly at Mt. Wachusett in Princeton. Elaiosomes, fleshy structures attached to the seeds, are present and allow for ant dispersal. Photos showing color variations are by Doug Wipf.  Black squirrel with Red-winged Blackbirds 21 April in Hardwick. Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is one of the two most likely squirrel species (the other is Fox Squirrel) in which this melanistic sub-group occurs. Black morphs are the result of an abnormal pigment gene.
 A Baltimore Oriole was at Rutland's Prison Camp area on 7 May 2020, probably having arrived very recently. Photo by Doug Wipf.  The first half of May brought migrant warblers to central Massachusetts. Northern Parula (Parula americana) like the male above usually continues to move northward to its breeding territory, while Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) remains as a fairly common breeding species here. Photos by Alan Rawle.   At the end of May Pearl Crescents (Phyciodes tharos) began emerging. Photo by Doug Wipf 27 May 2021.  On 7 May 2021 this Hardwick Canada Goose was tending the nest as it was very close to hatching time. Muddy Brook Wildlife Management Area. Photo by Alan Rawle.  Apple trees blooming in spring are small-bird magnets. Resident species like this Black-capped Chickadee, as well as warblers, vireos, and more feed on parts of the flowers and the insects that are drawn to them. Photo by Anne Greene in Rutland.  Hobomok Skipper at East Quabbin Land Trust's Deer Park Preserve in Hardwick 28 May 2021.  False Hellebore (Veratrum viride) is common and very obvious as its bright green leaves brighten up the dark wooded streamsides and swamp edges in May. A native plant which eventually produces dramatic flowers at the top of its long stem, it is extremely toxic and thus avoided by wildlife. Farmers are aware of it as a potential livestock threat. |  Easily overlooked, Trailing Arbutus or Mayflower (Epigaea repens) was in bloom in late April.  On 3 April 2021 a bobcat walked across a muddy cornfield in New Braintree. Alan Rawle didn't get a photo of the bobcat, but a perfect track was left behind.  On 24 April Ted Purcell observed and photographed this Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) in Rutland. This widespread sparrow is easy to miss because it can superficially resemble other small brown birds with streaked underparts. A helpful field mark is the bright yellow coloration in front of the eye.  Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum) began migrating through central Massachusetts early in April. This warbler continues onward and breeds in boreal bogs in the far north. Photo taken in Hardwick by Alan Rawle.  Bill Platenik captured a Great Blue Heron posing at a heronry in Warren on 21 April.  Eastern Bluebirds and others took advantage of thawed birdbaths. Hardwick, 18 April 2021  On 14 April this Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) was sluggish after being disturbed from under a pile of leaves in Hardwick since it had not yet had time to warm up.  A male Juvenal's Duskywing 7 May 20121 Rutland. One of our earliest-emerging butterflies, they overwinter as larvae. Photo by Alan Rawle.
 Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) in Rutland 27 May 2021. Photo by Doug Wipf.  On 14 April Bill Platenik observed this close interaction between a Bald Eagle and an Osprey. Eagles will often chase Ospreys that have caught a fish, trying to get the Osprey, which has superior fishing skills, to drop its prey. It's unknown if this was the case on 24 April in Warren, when Bill got this shot.  Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) is rare in our area but can be reliably seen at a Mt. Wachusett location. Doug Wipf sought out and photographed this stunning spring ephemeral in May.   A Great-horned Owl was found nesting in a former Great Blue Heron nest at High Ridge Wildlife Management Area in Westminster/Gardener. Jon Skinner took a photo of the two nestlings on 7 May 2021. |
Anne Greene captured this colorful portrait of a Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrinar), a species that migrates through Massachusetts in May on its way to northern boreal forests, (and on its way back to Caribbean Islands in the fall).