Sense and Nonsense

Deer Hunting Season - Update

2010-11-29T11:07:00.005-05:00

Deer shotgun season opened today, so our meander to Egremont for breakfast passed many pickup trucks tucked into various woods lanes off Bow Wow Road. The hunters no doubt had parked before first light in order to get to favorite stands out in the woods along deer trails and near browse spots. We shared a quick grin after we took the sharp right at Giberson, where these four sensible does and one buck [second from left, thanks to Hawkeye Randy L] watched us warily, and then crossed the road toward a farm after we passed. Perhaps they intend to hide among the relative safety of the farm animals. (Click photos to enlarge.)
Our recording thermometer showed an overnight low of 18F, and a thick frost covered the ground and most trees. At Smiley's Pond in Egremont, ice has almost closed the pond to geese, which come daily to dabble for pond greens, but today just stood about on the new ice, perhaps waiting for the sun to let them breakfast as well.

Maine and Switzerland

2010-11-28T11:09:00.008-05:00

We've just returned from driving 1,000 miles of the Maine coastline, taking every road with a sign that ended with Point, Harbor, Bay, Port, or Marina, just to see what was there. The last major North American glaciation submerged Maine under perhaps 8,000 feet of ice moving south. The bottom of that ice contained many rocks, which ground great grooves into the remnants of once proud mountains that rivaled the Swiss Alps today. Now absent the great weight of ice, the coast of Maine slowly rises and reveals the ice-polished folds of ancient layered sea floor. (Click on photos to enlarge.)
At the end of Bailey's Island, Maine, the vertical seams and polished rock clearly show the effects of thousands of years of moving ice and rebounding land.
Long ago Maine supported high mountains also found today in the Alps, which young mountains were created by Italy's collision with Europe. That collision also folded ancient sea floor rocks into similar formations as we see in Maine. However, the Alps have not been ground down to bedrock by great glaciers, yet. To see the similarity between Maine's coast and the Alps, one must explore deep alpine valleys, such as the Val Verzasca just north of Lago Maggiore in northern Italy, where rivers rather than ice have cut down to the ancient, folded seafloor rocks, now many miles away from the sea.

Dancing Sun Dogs, Mute Swans, and a Mystery Berry

2010-11-14T14:40:00.011-05:00

Another fabulous November day, just to tease us, no doubt. Our walk west today along Bow Wow Road and Mill Pond provided warm sun, cool air, and several sights.
Over by the salad farm, the seasonally low sun angle shining through alto cirrus ice clouds provided refracted sun dogs, or the bending of sunlight into colors by ice crystals.
As we stood in the shade of a large cherry tree, the moving clouds provided a dance of sun dogs.
At one point, the growing high cloud provided a colorful spot almost as bright as the sun off stage to the left.
At the far end of our walk we spotted mute swans on Mill Pond and attempted to creep up on them. (Click photo to enlarge.)
On our way back to the cottage a shrub we have never seen before attracted our camera. Can anyone ID this for us?

November River Walk

2010-11-13T15:21:00.006-05:00

Sheffield's Covered Bridge Lane affords comfortable walks the width of Sheffield Plain, in which the Housatonic River winds its way south to the sea and Long Island Sound at Stratford, Connecticut. Under a warm November sun and a drift of clear air, today's walk discovered another osprey in the trees along the riverbank, and this 6-point buck deer, who stepped out of the hedge perhaps 400 yards away and sniffed the air, testing for the presence of a nearby doe, perhaps upwind in the hedge. After curling back his upper lip as he tested the air, he disappeared back into the hedge. (Click to enlarge photo.)
Walking south down the west bank, we noted several signs of riverbank beaver, who at night trod paths through the riverside vegetation as they gather sapling snacks from the banks. The river beaver makes no dam, instead burrowing into the soft river bottom soil of a bank, perhaps near the base of a tree, where in the safety of its burrow it gnaws on the saplings as the river flows silently by on its way to the sea.

November Beaver Preparations

2010-11-11T12:08:00.007-05:00

The sun set at 1602 hours EST yesterday, plunging our great room into cool shadow and foretelling another hard freeze by sunrise today. Indeed, we see 26F overnight on our recording thermometer.
In hope of seeing the Catskills with their tops in snow, we drove up the Taconic Parkway to a rest stop that offers a complete view of them, but found only a faint hint of snow on the ground under the trees on one center peak behind the eastern slopes. Winds must have swept the far branches clear of snow. (Click any photo to enlarge.)
On local back roads, we spotted much overnight beaver activity, perhaps spurred by the colder weather. These saplings have been taken by sensible beaver both for strengthening their dam and for filling up their pantry.
The tops of the saplings have been gathered into one place in their pond, which all too soon will be covered by thick ice. Over the winter, the beaver will frequent this pantry of submerged twigs for snacks. Their well-kept dam is visible in the upper right. They appear ready for winter.

November and Kate's B'day

2010-11-08T17:20:00.010-05:00

November holds many surprises for anyone not accustomed to change. Two evenings ago, the night of human fiat instructions to daylight to be more to our liking, November treated us to the closing of its curtain on falling leaves.
The next day, by a long tradition, apple pressing, a blessing and nectar of the gods. We have been assembling family and friends since perhaps 1975 to gather fallen apples and to fill jugs and to sip fresh apple juice as an excuse for fall festivities. For those of us in a hurry, vodka brings the fresh juice to a state normally many months away.
After sunset, the wind picked up, delivering almost every form of frozen precipitation against the wall above our bed. This morning, while the wind gave every indication that the air above us wanted to be somewhere else, we appreciated our garage, as we backed out into some half inch of slush.
We're used to early November, and have a saying: Snow on or before Kate's birthday. We have never been disappointed.

Modern Pastoral

2010-08-19T11:53:00.007-04:00

Wherever on the globe winter lasts longer than a few weeks, farmers must store hay to feed their grazing animals until spring breaks the long fast. Perhaps 150 years ago, mostly men farmers armed with scythes and their women folk and sturdy children cut and gathered winter's hay by hand, carting it off to barns housing traction horses as well as cows and sheep. They toiled long hours, even into the night under sufficient moonlight, to store the essential tons of loose hay in hay lofts.
This summer season has provided some local farmers with four hay cuttings, despite somewhat drier than normal field conditions. The toil of haying has been much reduced, however, as today a single person sealed in air-conditioned comfort rides an efficient diesel tractor first rapidly cutting the grass and then the same day pulling a clever machine that combs the hay into a hopper, where it is rolled into round bales, covered by a tight mesh fabric, and then dropped onto the field much like a goose laying an egg.
In just a few days, one person and this equipment can store hay for several farms, and then manure the cropped field to foster the next cutting. Progress is real.

Foxes and Bunnies

2010-07-22T17:22:00.003-04:00

Over the past several weeks, little bunnies have been eating abundant dewy clover on our lawn. Each barely bigger than my fist, at times four or five bunnies have been chewing away, felling white clover, their pink ears almost translucent in the morning light.
For a few days we've not seen them, even though I held off cutting the sweet clover until yesterday. Last evening, as a friend and we sat on our deck sipping after-dinner drinks and trading stories, we suddenly noticed an alert fox apparently trying to make sense of our nonsense.
Hmmmm. Bunnies. Fox.
Poor bunnies, sensible fox.

Corn Puberty

2010-07-20T12:16:00.010-04:00

The above corn stalks have been browsed by deer. Notice the straight cut made by the deer's knack for rolling the leaf with its tongue before chomping off the tip. Because the special tassel leaf has been taken, these stalks will not tassel as those behind have.
Pollen shed starts from the middle of the corn tassel a few days before silk emergence and continues for about a week, typically between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m., after morning dew has dried.
Beginning at the middle of the tassel spike, the pollen containers burst to release the pollen to the wind, but most settles within 20 to 50 feet. Silks are covered with fine, sticky hairs that serve to catch and anchor pollen grains, which starts the growth of a pollen tube channel down the silk within minutes, after which the pollen soon enters the protected female flower (future corn kernel) within 12 to 28 hours.
Pollen rarely fertilizes the silks of the same plant. Under field conditions 97% or more of the kernels produced by each plant are pollinated by other plants in the field.
Now is the time.

Summer Comes

2010-06-16T11:33:00.010-04:00

Over the past several days our local ramblings find much to corroborate the imminence of summer, such as flowering staghorn sumac and a busy bee, weighted down with much pollen packed onto its hind thighs.
Nearby, exotic milkweed blossoms attract a variety of ants and other insects, and soon arriving monarch butterflies will begin laying their eggs on the underside of the plant's leaves.
At the edge of field we anticipate the ripening of these black caps, and make a mental note where we spotted them.
Along gravel roads, flea bane abounds, wherever sunshine dominates.
And suddenly, day lilies by the thousands along country and town lanes, as well as formal gardens.

Along Gravel Roads - Update

2010-06-14T15:41:00.002-04:00

In late May we posted about a field of bobolinks in obvious flirtations. Over the past two weeks they disappeared, or so we thought. Yesterday, we spotted a dad overseeing a youngster checking out its field of long grasses. This fall we hope to see a successful "chain" of bobolinks when they head back to central South America.

Dogwood Season

2010-06-13T16:50:00.004-04:00

The past week heralds the coming of summer, as lush pasture, first hay, 18-inch-tall corn, flowering mountain laurel, and dogwood peak. The complex color of a vanilla false dogwood blossom tinged with a raspberry edge and vein, the first green cherry tomatoes, and surprisingly large fresh peppers, signal spring's retirement, and summer's fruiting impatience.

Turtle Egg-laying Season

2010-05-30T10:53:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning on our way to M**'s along Bow Wow Road, we spied a large snapping turtle in a lettuce field digging a hole for her eggs in the soft soil (click photo to enlarge). She probably crawled from the adjacent Mill Pond in early morning, and had almost completed her digging. A close look showed no sign of eggs in the hole, but we admit to a cursory inspection of the wary turtle.
How the eggs will fare, we can only guess, but harbor some doubts, if only because the lettuce is plowed under after a week or so of picking, and a new crop of a popular variety planted in several cycles all summer. Surely the tilling will dash all hopes for the usual September swarm of little snappers rising from the warm soil to rush to the pond before crows and raccoons decimate their number.
We trust that other turtles have the sense to choose a better nesting site.

Along Gravel Roads

2010-05-28T06:29:00.008-04:00

Reacquainting ourselves with local things upon returning from abroad, we find that our spring pretty much paces that of middle Ireland, southern Switzerland, and southern Austria, where similar flowers such as lilac, lupine, ragged robin, and flowering chestnut and fruit trees appear synced.
Meandering along our gravel roads, where open fields alternate with swamp, we also note a first hay mowing here as as well as abroad. In one unmowed field, we found perhaps two dozen yellow-headed bobolinks displaying, as they chased each other about the field, which in its middle sported a large patch of ragged robin (click photos to enlarge).
A bit further along our way, we found a cluster of blue flag iris in a wet pasture, the first of that iris that we've noted here.
Along upper Giberson, a movement in a beaver pond became a large snapping turtle, perhaps looking for an appropriate gravel bank to bury its leathery eggs.
Within the same beaver pond we spotted many yellow flag iris, such as this cluster tucked behind an old stump.

Then and Now - Lugano

2010-05-26T16:44:00.006-04:00

As noted in a previous post, as a family we traveled to Europe in 1957 aboard a twin-tail Constellation, a flight well before the restrictions of terrorism and one that afforded a young man an opportunity provided by the navigator to play with a sextant in a small dome on the craft, the better to ensure that we made it to Shannon, Ireland. Despite my concentration and several attempts, none of my sightings made it into the craft's log. Today, no one gets to feel the 11-hour heterodyne vibration of a four-engine propeller plane as it bumps its way from refueling in Gander on its way to Shannon across the sea.
From there, over the summer we managed to tour Ireland, Britain, and seven continental countries, with Lugano, Switzerland, among our favorite rests, and where my late sister, Eve, took many photos, including one of me on the edge of Lake Lugano, just steps from our hotel. Ever since we rediscovered her snapshot among her collections, we have planned to recreate the scene at our earliest opportunity, which presented itself last week.
With the help of Ron and a copy of the original photo, we walked the edge of the lake under the ancient, pollarded chestnuts, looking for the alignment of mountain and lake and buildings for an updated photo. After several tries, we decided that I had grown, the lake front had changed, and our cameras differed from Eve's. In a stroke of genius, Ron then grafted in Photoshop a separate shot of my presence onto the best alignment we could find.
Voila! After 53 years, Ron has recreated the scene. Thanks, Ron.

Sheffield in May

2010-05-02T15:50:00.004-04:00

Most every blossom that could, did, this spring. M's gardens sport many flowers, and close by, such as under the big maple, we find abundant violets, both in a bunch as above and spread across the vibrant, green lawn.
A few days ago in a light shower, while meandering among Sheffield's many lanes, we came across this side yard, no doubt enjoyed by owner and passersby in turn.
Closer to home, perhaps three Baltimore oriole families along the Mill Pond, many of the lakeside homes have diverse flowering trees gracing their drives and lawns. A 45-minute walk finds dogwood, crab apple, flowing quince, shad, trillium, apple, wild and choke cherry, fresh lilac, fading forsythia, and sundry others all in bloom at once and scattered along our walk.

The Hummingbird Season Begins

2010-04-24T16:20:00.005-04:00

When the black bears come out, in go the bird feeders (see previous post). Other signs predict M's various seasonal efforts on behalf of local wildlife, such as when the first columbine blossoms, with its nectar deep inside the blossom's top bulbs, ready to refresh returning hummingbirds. This morning we took this photo, stimulating M to cook up some sugar syrup and put up the humming bird feeder under another perfect Berkshire spring day.
Come on, Hummers; M's awaiting!

Earth Day - 1970

2010-04-22T12:31:00.003-04:00

Forty years ago, to much fanfare and dire predictions, misanthropes declared war on humanity. Was that subordination of Arbor Day useful? Or was the exercise a crass grab for political power? A few quotes:

“We have about five more years at the outside to do something.”
- Kenneth Watt, ecologist

“Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.”
- George Wald, Harvard Biologist

“We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human habitation.”
- Barry Commoner, Washington University biologist

“Man must stop pollution and conserve his resources, not merely to enhance existence but to save the race from intolerable deterioration and possible extinction.”
- New York Times editorial, the day after the first Earth Day

“Population will inevitably and completely outstrip whatever small increases in food supplies we make. The death rate will increase until at least 100-200 million people per year will be starving to death during the next ten years.”
- Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist

“By…[1975] some experts feel that food shortages will have escalated the present level of world hunger and starvation into famines of unbelievable proportions. Other experts, more optimistic, think the ultimate food-population collision will not occur until the decade of the 1980s.”
- Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist

“It is already too late to avoid mass starvation.”
- Denis Hayes, chief organizer for Earth Day

“Demographers agree almost unanimously on the following grim timetable: by 1975 widespread famines will begin in India; these will spread by 1990 to include all of India, Pakistan, China and the Near East, Africa. By the year 2000, or conceivably sooner, South and Central America will exist under famine conditions….By the year 2000, thirty years from now, the entire world, with the exception of Western Europe, North America, and Australia, will be in famine.”
- Peter Gunter, professor, North Texas State University

“Scientists have solid experimental and theoretical evidence to support…the following predictions: In a decade, urban dwellers will have to wear gas masks to survive air pollution…by 1985 air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half….”
- Life Magazine, January 1970

“At the present rate of nitrogen buildup, it’s only a matter of time before light will be filtered out of the atmosphere and none of our land will be usable.”
- Kenneth Watt, Ecologist

“Air pollution…is certainly going to take hundreds of thousands of lives in the next few years alone.”
- Paul Ehrlich, Stanford University biologist

“We are prospecting for the very last of our resources and using up the nonrenewable things many times faster than we are finding new ones.”
- Martin Litton, Sierra Club director

“By the year 2000, if present trends continue, we will be using up crude oil at such a rate…that there won’t be any more crude oil. You’ll drive up to the pump and say, `Fill ‘er up, buddy,’ and he’ll say, `I am very sorry, there isn’t any.’”
- Kenneth Watt, Ecologist

“Dr. S. Dillon Ripley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institute, believes that in 25 years, somewhere between 75 and 80 percent of all the species of living animals will be extinct.”
- Sen. Gaylord Nelson

“The world has been chilling sharply for about twenty years. If present trends continue, the world will be about four degrees colder for the global mean temperature in 1990, but eleven degrees colder in the year 2000. This is about twice what it would take to put us into an ice age.”
- Kenneth Watt, Ecologist

Nesting Mute Swans -Update 2

2010-04-19T13:22:00.002-04:00

On the way to breakfast, we were passing the nesting swans when something else caught our eye as it stood quietly 100 feet from the road but almost hidden by brush. After noting its size and yellow beak, we decided that it was a Great Egret, somewhat north of its breeding range but well within its summer dispersal area.
On the run home, we stopped in the nearby field, which gave us some elevation to look down into the nesting swans' pond, but no egret in sight. While we were watching, the cob patrolled, chasing after a pair of Mallards, who fled.
He then swam off to the right, where he sorted out a pair of loitering Canada geese and sent them on their way. During our half hour at the pond, we noted a killdeer in the field beside us, many red wing blackbirds perched among the pond reeds, and a cruising Great Blue Heron. Through our binoculars, we counted at least four nesting geese around the edge of the open water, obviously now accepted by the cob. Nonetheless, the mates of the four on their nests keep well away from the nesting swan, who seemed regally uninterested in all the activity.

Nesting Mute Swans - Update 1

2010-04-15T12:03:00.006-04:00

As posted earlier, we spotted a pair of mute swans on a nearby pond. She sits atop a mound of reeds, which forms the nest and presumably contains many eggs. They carefully groom the area about the nest, and then her mate patrols the immediate pond area for dangers. So far, we have not seen her off the nest, where she appears to spend much of her time with her neck and head resting on her back. From time to time she raises her head to check on her mate but without uncovering her eggs.
In the above photo, she is to the left on her nest, and he is between a nesting Canada goose on his left and her mate to his right (black specks, click to enlarge). The cob continuously drives the male goose away, perhaps because the nests are too close to each other. No doubt, the geese are under some strains.
The second photo shows them together at the nest as seen through our Celestron C8 telescope. The image is degraded by warm eddies in the cool air over the quarter-mile distance from camera to nest. We will post on further developments as opportunity may permit.
One of the few animals that helps to keep such shallow ponds open is the muskrat, which, as shown here, feeds on the reed and cattail shoots at pond's edge and excavates channels to better move about the family pond.

Nesting Mute Swans

2010-04-10T10:54:00.003-04:00

About three weeks ago, we posted on five mute swans on the Mill Pond. About a week later, they vanished, we thought perhaps to move further north to raise a family. Today, when returning from breakfast we spied a pair on a local pond, where the pen clearly was sitting on a raised nest of grasses while the cob stood guard. We will bring out the Celestron lens tomorrow and try to get a better look. Oh, and the marsh marigolds are peaking...

The State of Berkshire Spring

2010-04-07T11:43:00.004-04:00

We have been having a lovely spring, with most bulbs blossoming, grass greening, leaf buds swelling, and peepers peeping. Our bluebirds have started a nest in one of our four boxes, while tree swallows are competing for the others. A pair of house finch have set up housekeeping in our arborvitae, and this morning we see that our great blue heron has returned to its favorite haunts.
Today is especially warm and nice, with a southerly breeze and clear sky promising temperatures in the 70s. This spate of warmth has brought out painted turtles to bask on logs and old stumps, and garter snakes have emerged from their dens to hunt bugs and peepers.

Things That Go Thump in the Night

2010-04-02T15:15:00.009-04:00

Two nights ago, about 2:30 am, the automatic outside light went on and woke us up. A few moments later, M heard a thump on the deck, which is about five feet off the ground. She jumped out of bed and looked out the slide by to the deck, where in the overcast moonlight she saw a black bear about to investigate our bird feeders, one with sunflower hearts in it, and the other a peanut butter stick for woodpeckers. As soon as the bear saw her, it jumped off the deck, and then turned and stood up to look back through the rail opening as I shined the flashlight at it. From the height of its eyes against the rail, it was more than 6 feet tall. After a tense moment or two, it decided to meander across the lawn to our neighbor's yard, where their outside light turned on as it went by. The next morning, I inspected the deck and the posts, where we found that the bear had broken the railing lattice and deeply scratched the posts and joists as it climbed onto the deck. We have taken our feeders down.
After a few days of rain, today brought a very early spring day, with bright warm sun and temperatures approaching 70F, so M put the feeders back up just for the day. This afternoon, I took the camera with me to enjoy the deck in my Adirondack chair, from where I could watch various birds enjoy the last of our seed. First several woodpeckers came for the peanut butter, then a sparrow, then several American goldfinch, of which the males are changing their color from winter drab to summer gold.

Vernal Interruptus

2010-03-27T10:52:00.008-04:00

After tantalizing days of sun and relative warmth that brought out daffodils and croci and even an evening primrose as tree buds began to swell and grass to green, a north wind and clear night interrupted spring and dropped our temperature to 16F last night. We could almost hear the whimpering vegetation as we trekked past ponds covered in new skim ice to breakfast at M..'s. Such quick change is normal for New England, where in our area we often must remind ourselves that last frost might come before May 30, or not.
Despite reports of famished bears (see post Spring has Arrived) emerging from hibernation and destroying bird feeders for the seed, we are tempting fate by refilling ours, which continues to attract local birds such as this male hairy woodpecker and an assortment of goldfinch, sparrows, and juncos trying to keep warm with the many calories in sunflower hearts.

Swans and a Bald Eagle

2010-03-25T13:45:00.004-04:00

A few days ago we spotted a lone mute swan on Mill Pond, and wondered about the absence of others. Today we spotted five on the pond, serenely cruising amongst the Canada geese and sundry ducks. Though the binoculars, we think we saw a mom with her two one-year-olds, who stuck pretty close to mom, the pen. The other two seemed to us to be two males, or cobs, who gave each other a bit of room. We guess that they will soon leave for more northern parts to begin a family.
While watching the swans, a large bird swooped in from the north, exciting many of the ducks and geese, and getting the attention of the swans. As the bird turned back into the far shore line, we spotted its white head and tail, the confirmation of a bald eagle, just before it settled into a shoreline oak, where its bald head looked much like a misplaced golf ball.

Spring Has Arrived

2010-03-21T10:02:00.011-04:00

Yesterday Liz emailed photos of her backyard shed in Gt. Barrington, where she and Bruce keep some yard tools and the bird seed. The largest bear she has ever seen decided it needed the bird seed more than the birds did, and proceeded to destroy the front of the shed. It attacked the front door, ripping off trim, then the nearby siding, exposing the interior 2 by 4s, which it unsuccessfully tried to bite and scratch through. In the process, it ripped up the ground, and threw whatever it could drag out of the shed past the studs onto the nearby ground.
Liz said, "I tried to scare him away by clapping my hands and yelling at him but he wouldn't budge. Instead he puffed himself up and growled & snorted at me. I decided I better go back inside."
We guess that it's time to take down the bird feeders.
On the way to M...'s this morning, we were startled by a large barred owl crossing immediately ahead of our car. This round-headed denizen of wooded river bottoms and swamps may have been one of the pair we heard a few nights ago, hooting back and forth across the field behind our cottage.
After breakfast as we drove into our garage, we couldn't help but notice that the morning sun had opened the first of M's daffies, which seemed to trumpet spring's arrival. (Click any photo to enlarge.)
Keeping time with its name, M's Lenten rose also has blossomed, this white blossom a few days ahead of its purple cousins. So far, this spring seems to arrive right out of the text book.

Goose Hazards

2010-03-18T10:49:00.006-04:00

After high winds, the past few days have been almost perfect early spring, with overnight lows in the 20s and sunny daytime highs near 60. On our walk yesterday along the Mill Pond, we paused to watch the lone mute swan cruise the long lake, poking into various alcoves where it upended as it reached its long neck down to pond bottom growth.
As we stood there, flight after flight of Canada geese descended from the south, landing further up the lake past a bend in the shore. We stopped estimating their number after some minutes, guessing perhaps a thousand or more birds had gathered. As one last wave came in over the trees, a small yellow airplane appeared, lazily cruising in the opposite direction at the same altitude. Suddenly the pilot realized his danger and applied full power as he pulled the plane almost straight up to get above the heavy birds, which also swerved to the west before returning to their heading toward the back of the pond. We hope the pilot had a change of underwear with him.

Just Walking

2010-03-16T17:13:00.004-04:00

The slashing rains have subsided, leaving a three-day siege of destructive wind behind, this morning's windows showing light ground frost and clear skies, before the sun ran the thermometer up to almost 60F this afternoon. Here in the valley, almost no snow remains, and local lakes show just translucent ice over perhaps 30 percent of their surfaces. Smaller ponds are ice free, while up in our hills others remain solid. Following the sunny seasonal urge, we stepped out along Bow Wow Road along the Mill Pond, where we saw a chittering belted kingfisher declaring territory, a few gulls scouring the ice for tasty bits thawing from in the pantry of ice under the sun, and two kinds of mergansers, the common and the hooded (photo), both of which will soon leave for their breeding waters much further north.
After some lawn raking and drive repairs, we sat on the front steps, sipping an AB, and found a flight of perhaps a thousand Canada geese headed north, so far up that they appeared to the eye to be a small cloud against the deep blue of a spring sky. Tomorrow they may be north of Montreal.

Flipped Plane and Fox

2010-03-14T10:54:00.004-04:00

Overnight strong winds blew down many trees, disrupting our usual Sunday morning drive to breakfast, when the third road we tried let us through to Egremont. We had a brief power outage last night, but many in the area are still without power as crews struggle with hundreds of downed trees on roads.
After breakfast we thought to check out some of our neighborhood, where we found this small airplane flipped upside down by the wind, and bits of its control surfaces scattered across the road.
Back safe at the cottage, we spotted this fox on the prowl, probably on the hunt for a rabbit to feed its kits safe in a snug burrow somewhere nearby.

The Return of the Mute Swan

2010-03-12T15:33:00.002-05:00

Last March 20 we found mute swans in our area, the first time for us. They did not stay in the area, frustrating our hopes for cygnets. Today, our walk along the Mill Pond showed growing pools in the melting ice, and one swan accompanied by attending Canada geese. No sign of a mate, but we guess that it doesn't travel north to its nesting areas alone.

Spring Comes!

2010-03-08T13:30:00.003-05:00

A few frosty morns and sunny days have prompted a pair of bluebirds to inspect and guard the two boxes in our backyard. (Click photo to enlarge.) Especially in the mornings, they bounce from birdhouse to birdhouse, peeking into one and then the others, as they signal to each others with soft whistles and wing waving. Should any other bird suggest that it might pause on either house, the pair leave no doubt as to who the present tenants are.
We believe them to be from last year's production or even the parents, because she made it plain by immediately inspecting the blue dish that she knows M will put meal worms into it whenever she comes to the dish. They already have us trained.

More Spring Signs

2010-03-05T12:36:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we spotted two male bluebirds as we went about south county. One was on the corner of our cottage roof, from where he could monitor the back yard box. The other was on a knoll just north of Gt. Barrington, where it flew across our path from another box. This morning, another brilliant blue male flew ahead of us as we crossed the Appalachian Trail south of Egremont on route 41. M has been fostering the return of the eastern bluebird in this area since the early 1970s, and we enjoy the regular resumption of their activities with the approach of each spring.
For some years we have been admiring an early blooming witch hazel bush on the Egremont/Sheffield Road. Last year we found one of the right blossom shade and size at a Connecticut nursery and planted it in the lawn just off our local road. This morning under a weak sun our inspection shows its red blossoms right on schedule, despite several inches of snow and ice on the lawn.

What a Difference a Day Makes

2010-03-03T14:39:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we blogged on the teasing sun and snowdrops and croci and pink pussy willow drawing us out for a walk. Today, we have yet another snow storm, a small one, that quickly created a contrast with yesterday and another with local scenes. After breakfast at M...'s, where we watched the light snow melt as fast as it fell on the deck, we drove up the Mt. Washington Road to about 1,500 feet, where we found a peak of contrast, as well as winter's deep accumulation of snow.

Seasonal Teasers

2010-03-02T15:24:00.007-05:00

Early March brings seasonal teasers such as snowdrops, croci, and pussy willow to draw out winter hermits for walks and garden inspections. Slinging the camera, we buttoned a wool shirt and stepped out onto the front steps, greeted by warm sun, 45F, and the sounds of various birds shifting vocal gears into tentative mating calls. A walk across Route 7 and the covered bridge meant tromping over alternate patches of granular spring snow and sun-warmed Berkshire mud veneered over deeply frozen ground.
Along the way, sapsuckers piped as they chased each other among their favorite trees, in which they drill rows of portals through the bark to access freshening sap. A female cardinal crossed our way, low and between the brush on each side of the path. Some way away, her shy crimson mate called.
At a sharp bend in the river, a lone Common Merganser flew low, following the winding course of the fast-flowing waters. Over at the Mill Pond, the ice still covers its length, with only a few small open spots along the banks where side streams enter. The lengthening daylight and trickles of melting snows have encouraged both pink pussy willow buds and hermits into the open, teasing us into hoping that the end of winter nears.

St. Augustine Light House, Florida

2010-02-28T14:19:00.006-05:00

Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is both the oldest continuously occupied city in North America and the oldest port in the continental US. After some time of disputes among indigenous, French, and British forces, the Spanish built the nearby fort as the Castillo de San Marcos, only to be renamed St. Marks by the British until taken over by the Americans, who renamed it Fort Marion, after the Swamp Fox of Revolutionary War fame. Today the popular landmark is run as a National Park and named the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. (More on the fort in another post.)
As a port, St. Augustine needed a lighthouse to show mariners the way home through Florida's changeable coast and channels. Completed in 1874 on an island, the final lighthouse took three years and 1.2 million bricks to build on ground consisting of naturally cemented little shells called coquina, the same material used earlier to build the fort. The light house rises 165 feet above sea level and one must climb 219 steps to reach the viewing platform below the rotating lens.
Florida is flat. From the platform, the view is stupendous. Looking west (click photo to enlarge), one finds the Bridge of Lions under reconstruction before the city of St Augustine. To the right of the city and bridge, the defending fort may be seen. Behind in the distance are, well, flat Florida.
Looking north up one of the channels between the city and the barrier islands one finds the Atlantic Ocean to the right, and, perhaps Georgia way up there, north of Jacksonville.
After catching one's breath while looking over Florida, one contemplates going down those many steps, around and around and around, glad that we didn't have to carry the lamp oil up all those stairs every night over all those years before the lamp was electrified.

Winter Fun

2010-02-23T15:24:00.004-05:00

Apparently this winter will go into the history books for snow, and snow cover, with the northern hemisphere already showing the second greatest snow cover on record and many all time records for snowfall elsewhere. One reason we retired in the north was to continue to enjoy New England weather, which is highly variable, often on the same day. Today is no exception, with morning temperatures in the high 30s turning into very heavy snow with four or five inches of accumulation by 3 pm while the temperature fell to freezing.
Reportedly, this picturesque snow fall is but the first of two, with the next storm forecast to be a blizzard and near hurricane, with 40-foot waves off the New England coast by Friday.
Of course, as seasoned New Englanders, we take forecasts with a grain of salt, and the storms as they may come.

Geese Galore

2010-02-22T16:58:00.004-05:00

On our way to breakfast at M..., we noticed two cars and several persons with tripod-mounted telescopes peering onto Smiley's Pond at this large flock of Canada Geese, so on our return we stopped to see what all the fuss was about, only to find geese galore (click to enlarge). As February progresses and the sun angle mounts, our streams and ponds respond with open water adjacent to incoming streams, which then attract those who depend upon their long necks to reach down to now abundant underwater plants growing undisturbed in the stream beds since the ice closed the pond. A quick estimate suggests that some 300 geese welcome the bounty uncovered by the return of the sun over Smiley's Pond.

Winter Signs

2010-02-19T14:51:00.004-05:00

Mid-February continues to present winter's face, with frosted mountain tops, refreshed snow cover in contrast with open streams, and signs of animal life in that snow. For example, perhaps a few hours before sunrise a lone beaver hauled out of the stream to snack on some low brush about 10 feet away, then reentered the stream just to the right of its exit, which still shows a bit of mud and debris rubbed from its fur coat (click photo to enlarge).

Who Gets to Say?

2010-02-18T18:23:00.005-05:00

To introduce this opinion post, I long have been a fan of science, even before I became a regular reader in 1965 of Science, Scientific American, and The New York Times’ Tuesday science section, to name but a few science sources. Over my 41-year career with a private, nonprofit, and scientific economic research organization, I studied, spoke and wrote about the sciences of energy, demographics, economics, and government, as well as the science of science itself. That background and continuing interest has provided me with some ability to distinguish between science and non-science, a recent example of which is Jeffrey D. Sachs’s “Fixing the Broken Policy Process” (Scientific American, Jan. 2010) where he lobbies for government limits on – yes, lobbying.

Scientific American, once an American icon but now owned by a “German-based” publishing group, has changed over time to serve a larger popular science market. Whereas it once published mostly about innovative science, it recently showcased comment from U.S. government policy officials such as former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, former Secretary of Defense Les Aspin, and policy economists and industrialists such as John Kenneth Galbraith, Lester Thurow, Mitchell Kapor, Michael Dertouzos, and Nicholas Negroponte (see SA’s web page).

Professor Sachs is a highly trained economist, now the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, which, judging from its website, hopes also to have a large influence on government policy, especially under the recurring rant of sustainable development. As a prominent economist proposing interventionist policy solutions for many of the world’s ills, Sachs may fit the description of an intellectual, as recently discussed by Thomas Sowell in his Intellectuals and Society (2009), a book about prominent intellectuals and their failed policy prescriptions, and a book I recommend to all. But, for now, let’s stick to Professor Sachs’s fix for the broken policy process.

The Earth Institute states that:

Earth is at a critical crossroads. While revolutionary advances in science and technology have lifted humanity to new heights of prosperity and longevity in many parts of the world, hundreds of millions of people are vulnerable to the impacts of hazards and natural disasters, extreme poverty, infectious disease and a host of other challenges. At the same time, human activity, especially in the last 100 years, is threatening the health of the environment and potentially posing risks of unprecedented magnitude to our shared future.
Today, approximately one in six people on the planet subsist on less than $1 a day. The world’s population is expected to increase to nine billion people by 2050, further straining Earth’s resources and humanity’s ability to thrive. With a window of opportunity to head off the most severe impacts of these challenges, the Earth Institute, Columbia University, is working to help the world pave a path toward sustainability.

A noble sounding effort, but one hardly differing from similar and failed exhortations noted by sundry eminent historical persons such as Malthus. Here we are, disrespectfully living longer than our parents, who also should not have been able to escape long-predicted limits. Sachs shares an elitist and in my opinion flawed notion that expert advisers constitute independent and impartial council: “Herein lies the policy challenge of today. When we let the private sector enter into public decision making, we end up with [his list of contemporary, deplorable things] devoid of serious scientific content.” Rather than private persons having a say in public policy, Sachs recommends that government’s highest priorities should be given to his list of policy recommendations for sustainable development, a hobby horse of his Earth Institute. Without showing any evidence of past successes for such policy dictat, he pushes his intellectual prescription for policy process improvement, apparently unaware of his own special pleading as a columnist from the pages of a once-scientific journal.

Sachs is not alone; many highly trained people comfortable in academia, public life, and government circles offer citizens the benefit of their special but limited knowledge. In Sachs’s case, especially the case of an economist no doubt familiar with supply and demand, I see little sense in his failure to realize that government has fostered lobbying per se as means to political and economic ends. Think about it, one of the reasons that America’s Founders severely limited Federal powers was to increase the expense of lobbying the many states. When power concentrates in just one body politic and the rewards rise accordingly, the costs of lobbying go down, and lobbying increases.

Which invites this observer to ask if an independent review of the fundamental causes of the rampant growth of special pleading may prove more useful than yet another prescription for special pleading reform by those promoting their own horrific policy agendas at increasing public expense?

How can one sort sense from nonsense on such matters? Serious students of population and resource topics might start with two classics: Progress and Poverty (H. George, 1879) and The Ultimate Resource II (J. Simon, 1996). Little new in demographics or economics transpired between the two. To paraphrase George and to hint at Simon, both jay hawks and humans eat chicken, with the difference that the more humans, the more and various kinds of plump chickens.

Florida - Part III

2010-02-17T17:02:00.005-05:00

Our recent two weeks in Florida (see parts I and II below) provided much to refresh a couple of cold New Englanders, despite recent frosts and freezes even down there. We enjoyed the cooler weather, which encouraged us to get out and walk and explore where in past years even January in Florida had been too hot.
On one stroll we managed to get lost in a scrub oak forest where we found this 9-banded armadillo, who politely indicated that he also was lost, but didn't care, as his lunch of insects was somewhere under the leaves hereabouts.
On another stroll in a park along the ICW, we admired ancient live oaks cloaked in Spanish moss providing a protective roof over a planting of camellia.
Of course, we also spent some time just exploring the endless beaches, where we saw countless birds, including this pelican, which without obvious effort coursed the wind and waves in search of a meal to fill the bill.

Snow Drops

2010-02-16T14:39:00.005-05:00

Yesterday's afternoon sun and calm sparked M to step outside and inspect her south-facing gardens, where she spied these hardy snowdrops peeping above the dead leaves. She quickly grabbed her rake and whisked off accumulated detritus, exposing other green shoots responding to mid-February's rising sun angle.
Today, four inches of new snow have buried that brief glimpse of spring, still officially more than a month away.

Persistent Beaver

2010-02-09T16:20:00.005-05:00

In Persistent Beaver below (7 Jan.), we posted on beaver progress with felling a large soft maple over some months, where persistence had reduced the tree's heartwood to the point that a good gust of wind might topple it. A few days ago, we noticed that the beaver had chewed some more, and that the tree had indeed fallen, perhaps just in line with the beaver's anticipation, across the stream, where the busy beavers lost no time piling mud, sticks, and assorted stream bed materials up onto its branches.
We now speculate that rather than a contribution to the beaver's pantry, the large tree may have been chosen for its potential strength and bulk in the building of yet another dam, as the mud and sticks attest.
Between the previous post and this one, we have had a brief flooding rain followed by below zero temperatures. Since then, the stream has receded from its flood, leaving behind great slabs of cracked ice on the banks.
Whatever the beaver's intentions, we can only praise its skills and persistence.

Florida - Part II, Flagler Beach

2010-02-06T09:44:00.009-05:00

Coastal route A1A runs seaward of Route 1 and I95 and the ICW, passing alternately among 1950s beach houses and then behind massive modern seaside hotels and condos. Between St. Augustine Beach and Flagler Beach to the south, two non-toll roads cross the ICW, to some degree insulating the coastal islands and barrier dunes from the daily grind.
Flagler Beach mostly has retained the look and feel of 1950s tourism, with its famous fishing pier, quiet beach, and adjacent modest shops and restaurants.
Suited surfers attempt the waves, watched from the boardwalk by a steady stream of onlookers who park to stroll the walk or simply sit and gaze over the waves and out to sea, hoping to catch a view of whales or the more plentiful porpoise cruising for a meal of fish or squid.
Near the pier, where route 100 crosses the ICW, a local hangout sports a restaurant downstairs and an open bar and lounge upstairs, complete with a mockup scene from the Blues Brothers. The drinks and sunsets are great.

Florida - Part 1

2010-02-04T16:24:00.009-05:00

A frigid New England winter prompted us to hop into the car and drive to Florida, where we visited family, friends, and old haunts on a 4,300-mile round trip. After seventeen hours of driving spread over two days, we arrived in Palm Coast, where we set up a base of operations on the ICW. From there, we visited family in Del Rey and then Naples, before returning to base via Ocala and friends. We spent much of the time in Palm Coast, exploring a bewildering maze of roads and waterways and taking day trips to St. Augustine, Flagler Beach, and Merritt Island, north of Cape Canaveral. As time permits, we will post on the highlights of our escape from the Great White Berkshires.
Perhaps most evident on our wanderings in Florida was the extent of the recent frosts and freezes there. All the way to the south of Naples and the South Tamiami Trail in the Everglades, sensitive plants had either dropped their foliage or died, and uncountable floats of dead fish lay stinking in the waterways, killed by the unusual cold. We had two morning frosts in Palm Coast, where even lawns had browned, and Ocala had had snow.
Despite the unusual cold, we found much wildlife in our explorations, both on water and on land. Most mornings we awoke to gangs of robins chirping their displeasure at the cold as they hunted breakfast. When boating on the ICW, we were treated to up to a dozen porpoises hunting and playing around us. In sanctuaries and parks, we found that alligators outnumbered the people, as did a diverse assortment of egret, heron, ducks, spoonbills, and more. In the above photo, "Gramps" sunned beside the open road ditch in a solitude guaranteed by his 10-foot length.
A bit further up the dirt road we snapped this photo of a Florida Softshelled Turtle, perhaps more than two feet across.
Everywhere we went, we noticed high water levels from an abundance of rains during this normally dry season. Because Florida is virtually flat, estuaries, swamps, and ditches were brim full of rain water.
More tomorrow.

Hawk Feeder

2010-02-04T11:55:00.002-05:00

A rattle and thump penetrated my concentration, causing me to look into the dining room, where through the sliding glass door I saw this 20-inch-tall Coopers Hawk sitting on the deck rail near our bird feeder. Clearly frustrated, this Accipiter (bird hawk) was hopping between the rail, a chair, and the farther railing as it searched in vain for a feathered lunch. Its habit of preying upon smaller birds frequenting bird feeders reminded me why we refer to our feeder as a hawk feeder.

Flight Error

2010-01-13T12:12:00.004-05:00

"Did you hear that big bang?"
"No, what big bang?"
"Just a few minutes ago, something in the house made a big noise," said M.
"I didn't hear it, I guess," said I.
"Perhaps the frost lifted a nail on the deck," I suggested, to a blank look and a shrug.
As the day went along I found myself looking in the basement for any possible source of the noise, to no avail. I also stepped outside to look onto the roof to see if something has fallen onto the roof.
Shortly after sunset, in the twilight of the evening, I looked outside through the slide-by at the bird feeder and noted that M should fill the feeder. As I turned away, I noticed something else, the feather-perfect image of a large bird in full flight against the slide-by glass, head on, from beak streak to chest and wings to tail feathers.
"I think I found the source of that loud bang this morning," I called to M ...

Home Scenes

2010-01-12T18:14:00.008-05:00

Our friend Bruce forwarded two photos from familiar territory hereabouts. For us, such photos recall many personal winter moments spanning some six decades. We thank him for recognizing those moments and what they mean to us and to our greater families, who also will recognize and remember those who were joined and those who were returned to the wind, on these grounds.

Ice Up

2010-01-10T11:17:00.005-05:00

At 1F this morning, the temperature seems about right as we near mid January. Although we haven't had the definitive week below zero this year, neither have we had any thaw. Temperatures have remained below freezing for weeks. The consistent cold has added much ice to our rivers, even disabling the Housatonic River water level gauge up on Division Street. The chart at:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ma/nwis/uv?01197500 shows the legend "flow at station affected by ice."
Some seven miles south of the Division Street station, where the river meanders on the Sheffield Plain just east of Route 7, ice spreads from bank to bank, having earlier made a high-water mark on the banks.

Cold Mallards

2010-01-09T16:11:00.003-05:00

Winter deepens, narrowing streams, closing ponds and wetlands, and forcing the few hardy ducks in our area to scout out shallow streams that move too fast to freeze over completely. Hunger makes the ducks, such as these five mallards, search out the shallow open water where they can dabble the living pond slimes lurking under the ice in the relatively warm waters. As we watched, we wondered if the legs of these three males and two females had turned red from the cold.

Persistent Beaver

2010-01-07T10:09:00.004-05:00

Posted as Winter Beaver in December, an ambitious beaver attempted to fell this large soft maple tree, perhaps to harvest and store up the branches for winter in its underwater pantry, which it weights down with mud near the underwater entry to its lodge. Working at night, it chewed well into the tree trunk beyond the sapwood and stopped.
Now some three weeks later and after a solid freeze, the beaver is back at work, chewing deeper into the trunk over the past two nights or so. The 40-foot tree now stands perilously on perhaps six inches of heart wood, ready to topple under the next gust of winter wind.

January Storm

2010-01-03T13:30:00.006-05:00

A deep low pressure stalled in the Gulf of Maine, bringing high winds, eight inches of snow, and cold, pretty much a normal January snow storm. Backing out of our garage, we busted one snow drift against the door and then breasted the snowplow berm at the end of the drive. On the way to breakfast in Egremont, we eased along through windswept and drifted roadway, thinking that hot coffee would be good.
After breakfast, we drove to K&T's, cutting new tracks down their driveway with the snow up to the belly pan on the car. On the way home, we took a scenic byway through deep woods, where the snow was deepening undisturbed by the wind.
Back at the cottage, a glance at the thermometer showed why our car windows had frosted over on the inside.

December Cape Cod

2010-01-01T15:50:00.010-05:00

Strong northwest winds and falling temperatures assisted our four-hour drive east to visit friends on Cape Cod. The next morning under a bright, cold sun and battering wind we toured some of the Cape's beaches and vistas, beginning at Chatham at the Cape's elbow. From the viewing point above the Chatham Break, made some years ago by a hurricane, we watched clouds of blowing sand abrade a lone beach stroller. (Click any photo to enlarge.)
Further north up the Atlantic side, we paused at Nauset Beach, where the bitter cold and onshore winds were building ice along the seashore as far as we could see. We could not stay for more than a few minutes before fingers and ears went numb.
As we drove off the beach, we noticed a car stuck in a small sand dune. Our host said that by February the beach roads would be mostly buried in sand from the strong winter winds.
Just a little further up the coast we found the Nauset Lighthouse, complete with a Christmas wreath strapped to the tower.
We spent much of the day poking our noses into various nooks and crannies on the Cape, cruising Ptown and Race Point, very much enjoying having all those sunny beaches completely to ourselves, if only briefly before we had to hurry back to the warmth of the car.

Berkshire Snow Squall

2009-12-28T12:15:00.004-05:00

The Berkshires are famous for changeable weather, which in winter provides bursts of snow as a brief wet spell reverts to cold northwest winds and snow squalls that dump a few inches in an hour or so. The wind plasters trees and buildings with the snow, highlighting shapes and shadows.
The above nearby red oak is in the U.S. register of specimen oaks. Constructed just before the Great Depression, the stone house below is one of the many former "Berkshire Cottages" tucked away in these hills. Both photos (click to enlarge) represent present Berkshire weather and remnants of old estates.

Tracks in Snow

2009-12-23T17:22:00.005-05:00

Unrelenting cold has seized up most creeks and ponds, while the tail-ends of snow squalls off the Lakes provide a daily blank canvas to spy upon our locals, whose nosings about are writ large on that daily canvas. We prize our ability to track, a result of our past hunting and trapping days, but we cannot find a confirmation for these. NB (note well), the alternating large hind(?) print after the fore print. The score (think of them as musical notes on that canvas) reminds us of the otter family, at one trot or another, but we have failed to score a definite ID. Who can write the conclusion to this symphony in the snow?

Winter Blue Heron

2009-12-21T13:51:00.005-05:00

This morning, the first day of winter, we again found our heron huddled in the same icy spot as yesterday, but this time accompanied by another one out of sight about 50 feet upstream under a bridge. When we stopped, the upstream heron squawked, seemingly waking this one (click to enlarge), which began to eye us warily as we snapped several shots. As we started away, it resumed its huddle.

Cold Heron

2009-12-20T11:26:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we noticed a blue heron standing in a very cold nearby stream. This morning we saw it again, and this time got a hurried picture before it flew away (click to enlarge). Virtually every body of water for miles around is frozen many inches thick, except where spillways or other fast-water narrows create enough turbulence to resist the relentless cold and reveal a chance fish to a weary hunter. A cold north wind quickly penetrates our winter jackets and gloves, fostering irresistible urges for hot cocoa, tea, coffee, anything but icy cold water running over our feet. A close look at this poor heron reveals that it may be wishing for something similar, or wonder why, oh why, did it delay its southern escape?

Anticipation - UPDATE

2009-12-19T16:09:00.006-05:00

UPDATE-20 Dec.: The Great Fall Blizzard of 2009 has dumped a half inch of snow on us. We think we will be able to cope......

After some weeks of thinking that the heron have left the area as the ponds and streams iced over, this morning we spotted a large one standing in the brook amid the ice just downstream from the Mill Pond dam. We attempted to snap a photo, but it flew when we stopped and tried to put the window down. After a few days of temperatures in the teens, this heron clearly can fend for itself under harsh conditions.
And more harsh conditions are promised for tonight and tomorrow morning, when Sheffield is predicted to be blanketed by up to 12 inches of snow from a northeaster that has just broken in one day Washington's record for snow for December. Even Cape Cod will get snow, a rare thing because of the warmth of the surrounding ocean water.
If the storm delivers as promised, we should have a white Christmas, and lots of fun for the grand kids. We'll post photos of interesting scenes, and admit to a bit of anticipation. After all, that's why we retired up here, for the regular seasons, and the occasional snowy nor'easter.

Icy Geese

2009-12-17T12:01:00.003-05:00

This morning's ramble shows how quickly winter comes. At 9 a.m. the temperature was a stinging 9F with a 20 mile-per-hour wind. Smiley's Pond has virtually frozen over, excepting where a stream enters and its relatively warm water encourages geese to warm their feet in the water rather than on the much colder ice. (Click to enlarge.)
As we eased down Giberson Road over a culvert and another bit of open marsh, we were treated to a muskrat swimming upstream, sometimes in the open water and sometimes under the bordering ice. As we watched the furry little creature paddle away, we shivered.
On our way from Giberson along Berkshire School Road to the post office, a red-tailed hawk passed just 20 feet in front of our windshield as it pounced on a luckless roadside mouse. Despite the cold and the wind, life goes on.

Winter Beaver

2009-12-16T11:51:00.004-05:00

Deepening cold and weak sunlight have fostered ice on quiet water such as on this new beaver pond. Despite the apparent calm of the pond, the beaver continue to labor at night, felling large trees for their wealth of buds and cambium on the smallest branches. The beaver will take the branches back near to its hut, where it will ballast them with mud on the bottom of the pond, the better to swim out of its ice-bound hut for that occasional winter snack as the ice thickens.
In spring, the bare wood will be collected and added to both hut and dam.

Turkey Galore

2009-12-14T14:52:00.004-05:00

Driving up Route 41 toward Egremont this morning, we spotted perhaps a hundred turkey in the corner of a roadside lot. We stopped and watched, listening to their chirping and clucking as they seemed to discuss what they might do next. For a bit, some pecked at the ground, others flapped their wings, and the rest just seemed to be waiting for something.
The flock was stretched out, angling away from the corner of the lot. Suddenly, a big one near the corner jumped up and flew off across the road. Before it had cleared the fence, the rest took off in pursuit, all of them headed in a rush to a pine forest perhaps 200 yards away to the east. We have never seen so many turkey in one place at one time, on the ground or in flight.

The Egremont Inn

2009-12-13T12:22:00.005-05:00

The Egremont Inn, first a tavern in 1780 and later a restaurant and inn for tourists and locals, was destroyed in an early morning fire two days ago. Reputed to have been a watering hole for Shay's Rebellion folk who fought their famous skirmish nearby, it was a favorite for local musicians and area regulars.
According to the owners, the historical landmark with its singular porch will be rebuilt. The sooner the better for the town of Egremont and the seasonal tourism and good will the inn fostered.

Late Fall Snow

2009-12-09T17:09:00.004-05:00

Overnight some six inches of snow fell, closing schools and kicking off sledding, both the traditional and motorized kind. Tom came and plowed the drive, somewhat early in the season, we think. The kids and Nana had a great day playing in the snow. We shoveled.

Frosty Pine and Winterberry

2009-12-07T13:47:00.006-05:00

Overnight temps fell to 17F here, and the relative humidity rose to just shy of ground fog, frosting every twig and pine needle and blade of grass not covered by yesterday's snow.
Local gardens increasingly include winterberry, both a small, bright-red berried native holly and this larger berry variety or ilex, which in this photo looks pink under the snow.

Snow Time

2009-12-06T14:57:00.004-05:00

Overnight some three inches of snow fell, turning our corner of the world into instant winter, with its frosted trees, icy swamps, and deep blue sky. Wandering down country lanes brought scene after scene, glistening in the rich morning sunlight.

Wild Mute Swans

2009-12-05T11:32:00.003-05:00

Last spring we were surprised to spot two wild mute swans on Combes Pond and two more on Smiley's Pond. After a week or so, both pair disappeared, despite our hopes that Sheffield would have a breeding pair.
This morning, as a few snowflakes sifted out of high overcast over Mill Pond, we spotted four mute swans in a cove, keeping their distance from a mixture of gulls, Canada geese, and common mergansers. They appeared to be two pair, and judging from the bluffing of one as it guarded its mate, not at ease with each other.
Our weatherman predicts four to seven inches of snow here this afternoon and tonight, so we wonder if the approaching storm has delayed their progress south for the winter.

Morning Ramble

2009-12-02T12:13:00.003-05:00

This morning's ramble took us down along the Connecticut/Massachusetts border, between the Twin Lakes and back. Along the way, we noticed much beaver activity as dams in Schnob Brook.
At breakfast in Egremont we sat next to four deer hunters in their orange suits. From their accents, we judged that they were from the Boston area. Listening to their conversation, we learned that they had been coming out to this area since 1965 to hunt deer on state property. When we left, we wished them good hunting.
On our way back to the cottage from the lakes, we drove through Canaan, Connecticut, where we encountered four deer crossing main street, where no hunting is allowed.

Boat-Tailed Grackle

2009-12-01T17:50:00.004-05:00

In late November, the feeder begins to attract sundry birds, not all of which will stay much longer, once the cold persists and snow begins to blanket the lawn. The grackle is one of those opportunistic and gregarious birds soon to be elsewhere somewhat south of here. Still, a low sun and swinging feeder provided one photo through the slide-by deck doors. The rainbow, in feathers.

November Sunset

2009-11-28T16:55:00.002-05:00

Overnight a strong low-pressure weather system moved up the northeast coast, dropping our barometer to a second deep low this year although the center of the storm was some 300 miles east of us. Wind and pelting rain mixed with snow fell most of the night, bringing a short power outage in the early morning. At first light, we could see the upper part of The Dome covered in snow, although we saw none down here in the valley.
The winds blew strongly all day, driving low clouds rapidly south, only just now quieting as the sun set.

Blacky

2009-11-25T13:05:00.004-05:00

Some months ago we were driving along a dirt road in pine woods when we spotted a jet black "gray" squirrel. We pulled over and jumped out, but with the wrong lens on the camera. The squirrel hopped along a felled pine for a few yards and then vanished behind another upright tree. A few weeks later, we spied it again and attempted to stalk it, this time with the long lens, but it vanished again. For some weeks now, we haven't been able to spot it, despite placing corn on a rock by the road.
Then this morning we spotted it on the other side of the road, where it scampered up a pine when we stopped. We momentarily lost sight of it when we got out, camera with long lens in hand, but caught a glimpse of it as it momentarily stopped on a pine branch to assay the situation. A quick three photo snaps, and we finally had our long-sought photo of this unusual variation among both red and gray squirrels.
We first saw one some decades ago and thought it a freak, much like the opposite of an albino. However, after a few more sightings of this variation over the years, we know it to be simply an infrequent melanistic expression among Eastern Gray Squirrels, who may have moved south from southeastern Canada, where they are common.

Red On Guard

2009-11-24T15:55:00.004-05:00

Yet another mild November afternoon with some sun and light east breezes found us at the Mill Pond dam, where preparations for winter proceeded with the energy found only in an American Red Squirrel determined to own and cash every pine cone and its seed within a hundred feet of his pine tree nest cavity. As we approached, it scampered up a vine onto this pine tree branch, from where it chattered and whistled and twitched about as it attempted to urge us along and away from its territory.

Riverside Ramble 2

2009-11-22T14:25:00.003-05:00

A fine November day of warm sun and north breezes found us about a half mile downriver from the Sheffield Covered Bridge, where a couple of female Common Merganser were hunting the river, which is a bit above normal from more than eight inches of rain so far this month. These wary fish ducks swim underwater after their small fry, catching them in their saw-edged beaks. The rusty head and gray body of the female (click to enlarge) are contrasted by the black head and white sidewalls on the male's slim body.
On our return walk we paused on a bend, where we noticed bank beaver home entrances on the opposite bank. A close look shows the recent high-water mark near the bottom of the hole. How they know that's the optimum level to dig a new home, we don't know.

Frosty Morn

2009-11-19T10:13:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning a thick frost covered roofs, brush, and grass despite morning sun. On our morning tour to breakfast in Egremont, we paused by a trickle of water, which was making ice in the 23F air as it splashed down the bank.

Rainy November Day

2009-11-14T13:05:00.003-05:00

The remnants of Ida have clouded our days for much of this week, and overnight and today have brought showers mixed with downpours. Still, the overcast filters the light, at times adding reds or greens to scenes, such as this one of a nearby swamp, where the tree lichen seem to glow with an erie green cast under low clouds (click to enlarge).

Ice Age Remnants

2009-11-10T16:15:00.009-05:00

The Housatonic River originates from branches to the west and east of Pittsfield. Its flood plains expand as it comes south to Falls Village, Connecticut, where it abruptly drops onto the beginnings of another plain or two on its way to sea level at Stratford, Connecticut, where its fresh water mixes with the salt of Long Island Sound. In addition to generating electricity on its several drops to the Sound, it passes under many bridges, and some picturesque covered bridges, such as this one in Sheffield.
The Wisconsin Glacier some 10,000 years ago excavated the eventual course of the Housatonic today, depositing its terminal debris as Long Island, Cape Cod, and the near islands. As the glacier melted back, torrents of water eroded through several rock sills that held back great lakes, including big ones here and a bit higher in Stockbridge, and then drained them. As lakes, they collected much blue and yellow clay, various silts and gravels, sundry forest debris, and even recently discovered ancient mammoth carcases (locations undisclosed). These sediments filled the several lake basins, creating the present fertile flood plains.
Today the river meanders through the almost flat plains, slowly eating away at the outer bends along its many meanders and redepositing some of that material downstream on the inside of the lower bends. Except in flood, the river may be 10 feet below the level of the plain at the outside of a bend, and perhaps just five or six feet below the inner part, constantly carrying away sediments and lowering the flood plain. As the river cuts into the older banks, it encounters many ancient trees washed into the ancient lake by the pulsing floods from retreating ice. Those increasingly distant floods next carried soils that soon buried the downed trees. The cycles may have repeated many times over thousands of years, leaving us today with the expectation in a few thousand years of yet another ice age and much change to our community and remnant Sheffield Plain.
The ancient trees, buried some 10 feet below the level of the plain and preserved under the water table, are exposed by the erosion of the river, revealing a time, perhaps, when far upstream an immense ice dam broke and floods of biblical proportions swept all of the emerging valley forests into a heap, just to be buried by later sediments, and now revealed for our parochial pleasure and speculations about the past and future of our Sheffield Plain.

Riverside Ramble

2009-11-09T15:08:00.009-05:00

The Housatonic River meanders through the Sheffield Plain, creating diverse habitat for many animals, most unseen by occasional hikers who take their exercise on favorable days such as today, with sun, light breezes, and a high temperature over 60F after a light morning frost. Along its banks, a river rambler finds that the plentiful bank beaver, which lives in the river's banks and builds no dam, have taken a two-inch sapling for its winter pantry, leaving just a stub and a few chips. From the signs, a sizable beaver took down this sapling in about a dozen bites last night.
Farmers often access their fields along the river's banks, where in the tracks of their heavy tractors and wide tires shallow rain puddles may persist for days in the tight river-bottom soil. To our surprise, we spotted this crayfish excavating a four-inch-wide hole in one puddle, where it would dig a bit, then turn and with its tail pump out the mud, some of which fell back on the crayfish as it waited for something tasty to settle into its puddle.
Further along the track, near another wet spot, we noticed many deer track in the fine soil. This track shows the hind footprint directly on top of the fore footprint, allowing us to see the split hooves and the more pointed forefoot print. The slightly brown color of the print suggests that the deer that made it preceded us by only a few hours. Its size suggested that the track was made by a doe or a yearling buck.
Among the deer tracks was one six-inch-long heron print a few days older and revealing that the heron had stalked between the wet low areas on either side of the farm track as it hunted its fish, frogs, and crayfish.
As we stood on the riverbank and watched the water flow by some six feet below, a swimming muskrat came up from the river bottom and quickly swam into its underwater hole in the bank. Over perhaps 15 minutes, it swam out and back again several times without revealing its business. Back in the late 1950s, each season on the river we trapped hundreds of these small furry animals for 50 cents a pelt. They still are abundant along the river banks, perhaps doing the muskrat ramble, they and the beaver protected after Massachusetts outlawed most trapping some time ago.
While studying the water's edge, on the fresh mud of the eroding banks we spotted the tracks of two nocturnal animals, the prints of a small raccoon, and the dog-like print of a coyote, perhaps intent on a dinner of small raccoon, or muskrat, or young beaver.
Our riverside ramble took perhaps a pleasant hour, each track and sighting providing information about the many predators and prey along the river and living in its banks even as over the years it continues to cut deeper into the always changing Sheffield flood plain.

Mid Fall Day

2009-11-09T12:28:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was one of the Berkshire's best for November, with clear sky, light breezes, and 62F at 2 pm, so we invited family for a walk up the Sheffield Lime Kiln Sanctuary trails where we were treated to a great view of the Taconic Range to the north (see earlier post). As we returned to our car, the near meadow held two white-tail deer, who briefly studied us before flashing their tails as they leaped back into the brush (click to enlarge).

Fall? Winter?

2009-11-07T10:34:00.004-05:00

By definition, winter comes after fall. However, this morning the thermometer showed 20F outside the kitchen window, a taste of winter despite a rising sun. On the way to breakfast, we found skim ice and a pair of mallards looking for their breakfast on Harman Marsh as they swam around the ice.
Viewing our favorite webcams around the world, we see that skiing has started in southern Austria.

Fall's Great Blue Heron

2009-11-03T12:51:00.004-05:00

For a few days we have been wondering where the summer's bounty of heron had gone (see heron link below). This morning over by Smiley's Pond we spotted one perched in a dead hemlock as we watched two ring-billed gulls fly all about the pond before settling down behind a raft of Canada geese. On our way back to the Cottage, we drove down Giberson to one of our favorite low areas where we found this 4-foot-tall young blue heron believing that if he stood still enough, we would just pass by. Snap; in the box he went, to grace our computer slide show (click to enlarge), just before he spread his 5-foot wings and effortlessly flew to a safer perch in a nearby tree.

Taconic Vista

2009-11-02T16:39:00.004-05:00

A sunny, cool fall day drew us out and up the Sheffield Lime Kiln Audubon Sanctuary, which features walks among overgrown limestone quarries and a crumbling lime kiln tower as the path wanders and loops through fields and woods. Along the way one short loop leads to this glacial erratic, a large boulder left atop the ledge when the Wisconsin Glacier melted back some 10,000 years ago. A close look shows gouges at its bottom edge, the result of moving against bedrock as the glacier moved the boulder about.
A second and higher loop leads to the edge of a mowed field and a bench with a view of the Taconic Range, which runs along northwestern Connecticut, the western edge of Massachusetts, and the southwestern part of Vermont. Anyone familiar with the area will recognize Tom Ball Mountain to the left of the middle, and Monument Mountain and Squaw Peak to the right of the Housatonic River Valley cut in the middle of the photo (click to greatly enlarge). Pick a nice fall day and enjoy the hike.

A Blue Moon

2009-11-02T14:30:00.004-05:00

M's Japanese maple, a Mother's Day gift two or three years ago, thrives next to the cottage. Its rich red spring foliage grows darker over the summer, and then after a killing frost briefly turns bright red before the leaves fall off. Under a setting sun, the glow persists past sunset.
A virtually full moonrise last night signals that December will sport a blue moon, or a second full moon in December, on the 2nd and the 31st, when it will be known as Blue Moon New Year. Because the moon's cycle spans 29.5 days, February cannot have a blue moon. Also, the months with the most days have the more frequent blue moons, which come at the rate of one every two or three years.

Western Conifer Seed Bug

2009-10-29T15:40:00.003-04:00

We found this bug looking for a seasonal snug, perhaps in our rug, should it succeed, as is its reputation, in finding an entry into our cottage. Rather, we shrug, the thug might take its mug, elsewhere.
This bug recently has spread around the world from its western North American home, perhaps as a bug snug in a tug, or a jug. It sucks the sap of cones, depriving the developing seeds of nutrients.
We see from the white fungus on its back and legs that it may be in a fug, ugh.

The State of Berkshire Fall

2009-10-29T13:17:00.004-04:00

After a night and a day of substantial rain, the Housy is up, the sun is out, and the air calm, so we went for a walk along Mill Pond and the other way across Route 7 and the covered bridge to see what we could see. At the bridge we passed a van with Ontario plates and a family speaking German examining the famous wooden bridge. The high water and empty fields provoked no photography, so we retraced our steps to the cottage and over to the pond.
Along the way this fence and young beech tree caught our eye, as did the reflected shore and sky further along the pond.

Burning Bush

2009-10-28T16:06:00.002-04:00

Rainy days provide subtle lighting opportunities for amateur photographers. Many frosts and freezes have emptied trees of upper leaves, exposing the understory to increasing cold. Among the bushes under the canopy are naturalized burning bushes, which in combination with an overcast sky and muted lighting, momentarily glow along our dirt roads and back lanes as they succumb to an advancing fall.

Time Check

2009-10-27T09:29:00.005-04:00

Daylight savings ends 1 November this year. Largely a political coordination of a nation's working daylight hours, springing ahead one hour in spring and falling back that hour in fall adds nothing to the amount of daylight we can use. Rather, pushing and pulling on clocks by convention merely shifts our activities more to natural lighting. No bank exists for saved daylight.
Also, saving daylight matters only to people living outside of the tropics, in higher latitudes where from winter to summer and back again significant change in daylight occurs where people live, more so in Sweden, Norway, Iceland and northern Russia. The relative few who live north of the Arctic Circle see the most change, as daylight either never ends or never arrives each day as the seasons progress. All of the fuss of tinkering with daylight comes from the earth's tilted axis. If the axis were always perpendicular to the sun, no seasons or changes in daylight would disturb our day.
Here at 42 degrees north latitude, sunsets now come a bit after 6 pm, whereas on 1 November, by an act of Congress, a bit after 5 pm. Ready?

The River

2009-10-26T17:39:00.003-04:00

Berkshire County's main river is the Housatonic, which in addition to changing its course over decades in the floodplain provides many moods as our seasons change. This wet year, it has flowed above average, and recent rains again have strengthened its current. This photo is a composite panorama of two vertical camera shots, spliced together to produce a classic photo almost in the style of the old large-format cameras.
Taken from the west end of the Sheffield Covered Bridge about 3oo yards from here, the large format included both the sky and the water, and much late fall detail otherwise lost to a single zoomed shot (click for a larger view).

Hawk Migration

2009-10-23T15:57:00.004-04:00

Hawks fly, people fly (in jets), and ladybugs fly (that little orange dot in front of the hawk), at very different altitudes.
Several pairs of red-tailed hawks lifted off our trees as yesterday we pulled into the yard, casting their shadows across the lawn as they circled higher and higher, the better to glide on north winds south for the coming winter.

Ladybug, Ladybug

2009-10-22T13:27:00.004-04:00

For the past few days on sunny afternoons, hundreds of ladybugs have been searching our cottage for any crack or crevice into their winter home. Perhaps behind a shingle, or a bit of molding trim, or clapboard, many will huddle together somewhat protected against the worst of the coming cold and dryness. Not all will survive, but with a bit of covering shelter many will, next spring to emerge to prey upon aphids and other small flower and vegetable garden pests. We welcome them to our home, just as long as they stay outside of our living space.

Colorful Caterpillar

2009-10-21T13:13:00.003-04:00

By the end of each growing season, sundry bushy plants have inched their way onto our lawn from the hedge. Clippers in hand, M disciplines them by cutting them back, digging them up, and plucking them out of the lawn. Also, the adventurous weeds smother plants placed into the hedge line, such as an arbor vitae, peony, Rose of Sharon, etc., and need careful area clipping in order to foster their growth over that of the weeds.
While clipping away at this year's growth, M discovered this caterpillar (click to enlarge), which has survived several frosts and a hard freeze. Found often on goldenrod, this brown hooded owlet moth caterpillar caught her eye and prompted her to save it for N and A to see later today. We're unsure that it will mature this late in the season, into its nondescript brown moth adult form.

First Snow

2009-10-15T13:30:00.004-04:00

Returning from breakfast under a perfectly uniform gray sky, we saw a few flakes of snow against our windshield, the first snow of the season, and a bit early. Before we got home, the Dome began to dim behind the increasing flakes. At home, the hills disappeared from view.
The computer shows 34.7F, and a look outside shows no accumulation down here as a very light snow continues. What will tomorrow morning look like?

Smiley's Pond Morning

2009-10-13T11:28:00.003-04:00

After breakfast at M**s, we cruised by Smiley's Pond, where Canada geese were gathering as flight after flight landed on the pond. Each flight was greeted by those already there with much honking and wing flapping. Descending in circling glides, the flights would ease down, slowing at the last minute with webbed feet skimming the surface before splashing down.
Along the far shore, a Great Blue Heron and a Common Egret vied for their hunting space among red-headed female Common Mergansers, which also hunt small fish. As we watched, the heron would turn and force the egret to back away from its spot, only to have the egret sneak up on it as soon as it resumed hunting.

Lake George New York

2009-10-11T17:02:00.003-04:00

We had no idea that Lake George was just two hours away by car. On a whim, we joined our daughter, her husband, and family, who had combined work and play at a private home on the lake. Their gracious host provided a one-of-a-kind day, amid October color and the last of the Lake George boating season, which consisted of a cruise on a venerable Chris Craft power boat to the Dollar Islands (click to enlarge), and then a sunset leisurely cruise on a one-hundred-year-old electric boat to dinner with all hands. The day could not have been better for a couple of old salts.

High Meadow - Mt. Everett MA

2009-10-08T14:12:00.005-04:00

A mostly sunny day drew us out for a drive up-mountain, to see the progression of color from the valley to high meadows and swamps. We see most of the reds in the valley, where peak color has passed in some wet areas such as around Mill Pond, and an assortment of ash purples and maple and birch oranges and yellows up higher, where the color advances uphill.
Driving up Mt. Everett, the highest peak in South County at 2,624 ft., we passed this high meadow (click to enlarge) where we stopped to compose a two-shot panorama just to fit it in a photo. Without a doubt, this Columbus Day weekend will offer good color, with peak viewing just north of us in Vermont and New York, and new color among still-green leaves in Connecticut.

Wind, Rain, Sun, Falling Leaves

2009-10-07T17:00:00.005-04:00

And at times, all of the above at once. Welcome to the Berkshires, where uncatalogued forms of precipitation fall. While M was excavating in one garden, thunder heralded a coming shower. At times the west wind blew leaves horizontal, hopefully into another's yard.
The above photo (click to enlarge) shows the changeable nature of our sky, as seen from Route 41, south of Egremont, where the Appalachian Trail crosses to the east. In the far distance, beneath clouds and shafts of sunlight, are the Litchfield Hills in northwestern Connecticut.

Berkshire Fall Colors and Hunter's Moon

2009-10-05T14:49:00.005-04:00

Yesterday morning we enjoyed old friends visiting from New Jersey. Later we went leaf peeping, a venerable Berkshire custom on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Along the back roads and past farms we found much color, which seems perhaps near peak in the wet valleys and about 50 percent in the hills, but not yet to the tops. The peak may be Columbus Day, a traditional peeping day hereabouts.
After dinner with the grand kids and family, we tooled on home under October's Hunter's Moon, which rose over our hills as white and round and big as, well, a full moon is.

The Great Congregation

2009-09-29T17:06:00.003-04:00

Over the summer we have chronicled here a pair of great blue herons raising two young. Recently, we spotted six or seven common egret in a tree over on Mill Pond. Wherever we walked, from time to time we spotted an egret, or an heron, stalking its lunch in a pond, oxbow, or river. However, we never saw them together, or even two egrets or heron within squawking distance of each other.
Imagine our surprise when we spotted this cutoff oxbow and its shrinking pool shared by seven egret and eight blue heron, all of whom took flight when I interrupted their generational seminar on how to catch fish in a barrel.

Corn Harvest

2009-09-26T15:43:00.003-04:00

Along the lower Housatonic River the broad Sheffield floodplain offers rich soil for growing many square miles of silage corn for the few large milk farms in the area and in northern Connecticut. This summer rain and high water threatened the planting, at times muddying the stalks several feet up. Still, after some weeks of little or no rain and plentiful sun, the fields have dried and the corn has ripened just as two light frosts browned the tops and ended the growing season.
Today the early fall air carried the unmistakable sound of the corn chopper as the huge machine circled field after field moving faster than a man can run and attended by large semi-trailer trucks. In just one circuit of a field the chopper fills its truck with minced corn, stalks, ears, and tassels, the howl of the chopper and blower operating at a steady pitch.
In a seasonal dance, the chopper and truck seem to float across the fields, each filled truck replaced on the run with an empty one as they course around and around until the field is but stubble between hedgerow trees.

Progressions

2009-09-25T09:21:00.004-04:00

We seem to have an abundance of heron this year, as this blog has chronicled, from nest building to fledging. (Click on the Blue Heron label at lower right.) Almost every pond, stream, oxbow, and river seems to have one or two of these big birds decorating the changing scenery and sharing it with migrating water fowl, such as diverse ducks and Canada geese.
As fall sets in, pond vegetation responds, with the swamp maples ablaze and cattails browning and dissolving into fluff on chill winds. Whereas in spring and summer local ponds sported a yellow flower on the lily pads, we now find a surge of more familiar white blossoms.

Wanderweg

2009-09-23T12:38:00.008-04:00

This morning's wandering continues to show abundant heron and other seasonal birds amidst their increasingly colorful haunts. (Click on each photo to enlarge.)

The Autumnal Equinox

2009-09-22T12:58:00.004-04:00

At 5:19 pm EDT today the tilted axis of the earth will be perpendicular to the sun, marking the moment when the sun sets at the North Pole and rises at the South Pole as the earth circles the sun. Already we see the signs of autumn with a light frost two nights ago and our trees, vines, and shrubs beginning their famous colorful changes. We especially enjoy the early reds, golds, and purples contrasted against still abundant greens as we stroll along our nearby country lanes.

Fall

2009-09-19T17:16:00.008-04:00

Our local weather forecast is for a low of 26F tonight. I'm skeptical that we will go that low, but, Hey! This is the Berkshires. I expect perhaps 30F, a respectable frost that will put an end to summer, and right on time.
For perhaps 40 years we have been picking Macintosh apples at an orchard about 40 minutes drive from here in the Hudson Valley. Today on our family outing we found the biggest and juiciest Macs we have picked in a long time. (Click on photo to enlarge.) Indeed, we accomplished our outing in a record short time simply because the apples were so many and so large. Of course sampling selected apples from various trees extended our enjoyment of a tradition.
On our afternoon walk, other seasonal signs suggest that summer is done. Along the Housatonic milkweed pods have begun to burst, and in our garden M's mums to blossom under a late afternoon sun.