Our Remarkable Predators


Wildlife

As I picked up the morning paper at the end of our driveway, I turned to look at a deer that had been killed by a car, when two eyes met mine from atop the carcass. A full grown Bobcat, about the size of a Labrador Retriever, sat crouched on the deer, motionless, waiting for […]

January 19, 2019

Late Summer Sightings


Wildlife

It’s the end of the summer and fall is not far away. Yet, our garden is as busy as ever with a wide variety of insects, arachnids and other welcome guests. Pollinators are in abundance, going from flower to flower, trying to get as much pollen as they can hold or cover themselves with. Our […]

September 13, 2018

What Is That?


Wildlife

We were looking at our raised vegetable beds last summer and noticed our large tomatoes were being eaten by an unknown pest. Big chunks had been bitten out of the green tomatoes with no evidence of who the culprit was. My wife then says, “That’s not a stem attached to the tomato.” She’s right. “What […]

July 26, 2018

A Dragonfly And Other Generalities


Wildlife

“Look, there’s a bird.” It’s usually more like, “Look, there’s a Cedar Waxwing, Downy Woodpecker or Bluebird.” Even us “backyard birders” specifically identify the bird being observed, don’t we? It’s like a fisherman saying, “Hey, I caught a fish.” You get my point. I’ve been doing this for years with certain creatures. Wasps, flies and […]

June 23, 2018

A Snapping Turtle Rookery


Wildlife

Snapping Turtles aren’t known to lay their eggs alongside other turtles of their kind as Green, Loggerhead and other types of sea turtles do. But, in the past week, three different Snapping Turtles laid their eggs in our patio. As my initial Snapping Turtle blog states, we have had a nest in our yard for […]

June 5, 2018

Rookery By Crookery — Nesting Great Blue Herons


Wildlife

It’s the second week of March, and the Great Blue Herons are beginning to appear in the wetlands behind our house. The first arrivals have begun landing atop a few dead White Oak and Sugar Maple trees searching for just the right place to build this year’s nest. The Great Blue Herons’ squawk is a […]

March 18, 2018

Birding On The Georgia Coast


Wildlife

A Great Egret fishes along a shallow waterway. A Brown Pelican dives missle-like into the ocean for a morning meal. Yellow-rumped Warblers hop from branch to branch on a Spanish moss-covered Live Oak tree. We’re birding on the Georgia coast. Taking a break from the Connecticut winter, we recently spent some time on St. Simons […]

March 5, 2018

Calling Owls


Wildlife

Suddenly, my wife points to what she describes as a shadow passing through the yard. We point our flashlight to a large White Pine at the side of my brothers’ house. As we flash the light up into the tree, a Barred Owl’s two large, round eyes are peering directly back at us. We’re calling […]

January 31, 2018

Rise Of The Monarch Butterflies


Wildlife

We spot it, about an eighth of an inch long, motionless on the narrow green leaf. The white, yellow and black rings make it easy to identify, even at this size. It’s what we’ve anxiously been waiting to see since last fall. A Monarch Butterfly caterpillar is on one of our two Swamp Milkweed plants. […]

December 27, 2017

The Snapping Turtle Nest


Wildlife

She arrived toward the end of June, later than most years, as we were waiting for friends to arrive. At the edge of the woods, over a rock ledge she appeared, stopping at the top to survey her surroundings. There are not many creatures more prehistoric-looking than a full-grown Snapping Turtle. Just about every year […]

December 26, 2017