Monthly Archives: April 2017

Awaiting The Elites….Blackburnians, Cape Mays, Magnolias, Prairies, Chestnut-sideds, The Canada, Black-throated Greens and Blues, Scarlet Tanagers…

We’ve come for the trees
and for the willow pond,
 
for the dogwood, the weeping
beech and the dell filled
with birdsong.    
From the poem “At Mount Auburn Cemetery” by Wendy Drexler, from her new poetry collection, Before There Was Before, Iris Press, © 2017 by Wendy Drexler
 
  The above lines from the poem “At Mount Auburn Cemetery” are from the just-released poetry collection Before There Was Before, by Wendy Drexler, co-author of Buzz, Ruby, and Their City Chicks and contributor to Dead in Good Company, A Celebration of Mount Auburn Cemetery  http://www.irisbooks.com/drexler/Before%20There%20Was%20Before.htm 

Before There Was Before Cover.indd
  Spring migration has begun and for the next few weeks the Dell at Mount Auburn will indeed be filled with birdsong.  May is the month of joy at Mount Auburn Cemetery.  You can enjoy the poem in its entirety in Wendy’s new book.  At Wendy’s web site you can learn of her coming appearances and sample some of her poetry.  https://wendydrexlerpoetry.com/   You will also find Wendy on the Dead In Good Company Facebook page,https://www.facebook.com/DeadInGoodCompany     On April 12th Kim Nagy and I were at the Milford, MA Library to discuss our book Dead In Good Company.  Our contributor Sandra Lee joined us for the event.  We thank Susan Edmonds and Mike Bon Tempo and the staff of the library for their efforts in putting the evening together.

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Kim at the podium, Milford Library, April 12, 2017.  Photo by John Harrison.
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John Harrison and Sandra Lee, Milford Library.  Photo by Kim Nagy.
The spring migrants are coming in right on time.  The advance guard, the Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers, were being seen in mid-April in several locations.  I saw my first Yellow-rumpeds and Palms on April 12th at the Arlington Reservoir.
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Palm Warbler, Arlington Reservoir.  Photo by John Harrison.
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Yellow-rumped Warbler, Arlington Reservoir.  Photo by John Harrison.
Last year I first saw both of these species on April 17th, also at the Arlington Reservoir.  And while enjoying the early arrivals at the Arlington Reservoir on April 24th, I discovered a Great Egret perched on a tree only about ten feet away at eye level.
23GREATEGRETARLRESXXXXMONAPR2420171692 068  
Great Egret, Arlington Reservoir.  Photo by John Harrison.
It was there for a half hour and many walkers stopped to enjoy it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcj0M5fFRb8 
 
  Pine Warblers, also one of the early arrivals, have been seen at several locations but have so far eluded me.  I saw my first Pine Warbler last year on April 17th at the Arlington Reservoir.
PINE23WARBLERARLRESXXXXWEDAPR2020161609 434 
Pine Warbler, Arlington Reservoir, April 17, 2016.  Photo by John Harrison.
This species has always eluded me so I’m happy to have had my Pine encounter last year.  Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets are being seen at many venues.  I’ve seen them at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Horn Pond and the Arlington Reservoir.
21RUBYCROWNEDKINGLETARLRESXXXXFRIAPR1420171690 034 
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Arlington Reservoir.  Photo by John Harrison.
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Golden-crowned Kinglet, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by John Harrison.
We will soon hear of the arrival of Baltimore and Orchard Orioles.  Mount Auburn Cemetery and the Mystic Lakes are usually nesting areas for both of these species.  And soon the super-stars, the Scarlet Tanagers, Cape May’s, Blackburnians, Black-throated Greens and Blues, Magnolias, Redstarts, Chestnut-sideds, Indigo Buntings, vireos and the rest will roll in to dazzle us.  Mount Auburn Cemetery and Plum Island will have a carnival atmosphere the first couple of weeks in May.  We’re all tanned, rested and ready for the ‘Big Show.’   
 
  We have been fortunate to still catch some winter surprises even as spring migration commences.  The last couple of weekends in Rye and Hampton, NH and Salisbury and Plum Island have been exciting.  The Hampton Snowy Owl was still observed on the road to Hampton Beach into mid-April, perching on a boat at Hampton on April 9th (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSdDPGcK368   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPIHEFLrlmg  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm65i82wVFA  It’s surreal to photograph Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers on one day and a Snowy Owl the next day.  But we never tire of Snowies, so we’ll eke out every moment possible with this wonderful owl.
20SNOWYOWLONBOATHAMPTONXXXXSUNAPR0920171688 103 
Snowy Owl on a boat, Hampton.  Photo by John Harrison.
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Snowy Owl on boat, Hampton.  Photo by John Harrison.
from KIM snowy on post
Snowy Owl on telephone pole, Hampton.  Photo by Kim Nagy.  
We’re still getting glimpses of mature Common Loons at Rye Beach, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwGf0OXNsDY)  Hampton and Salisbury.
from KIM loon back view 1
Common Loon, Rye Marina.  Photo by Kim Nagy.  
from KIM adult male loon red eye with crab
Common Loon with crab, Rye Marina.  Photo by Kim Nagy.
They will all soon find fresh water ponds for breeding but it has been a treat to watch them at these various salt water locations.  And while hoping to catch Rocky the Snowy Owl at Rye Beach we enjoyed Snow Buntings and a Killdeer on the rocks above the water and at Rye Marina Eiders and Long-tailed Ducks.
from KIM RYE snow bunting stretching wings
Snow Bunting, Rye Beach.  Photo by Kim Nagy.  
from KIM RYE BEACH kildeer
Killdeer, Rye Beach.  Photo by Kim Nagy.
18LONGTAILEDDUCKSRYEMARINAXXXXSUNAPR0220171686 206
Long-tailed Ducks, Rye Marina.  Photo by John Harrison.
from KIM eider with crab
Eider with crab, Rye Marina.  Photo by Kim Nagy.
From Rye and Hampton we continued on to Salisbury and Plum Island and had some Harrier and Red-tailed Hawk moments the past few weeks.
from KIM harrier
Harrier Hawk, Plum Island.  Photo by Kim Nagy.
from KIM PLUM ISLAND
Red-tailed Hawk takes off, Plum Island.  Photo by Kim Nagy.  
At Horn Pond in Woburn spring is quite evident.  Palms, Yellow-rumpeds and Pine Warblers have been there for a couple of weeks.  And while exploring there recently I noticed a Flicker come out of a tree cavity.  I watched for a while and it went back into the hole and popped its head out and spit saw dust, a sure sign that it was building a nest.  I checked on it every day thereafter as the pair got its nest prepared.
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Flicker throwing saw dust from nest, Horn Pond.   Photo by John Harrison.
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Flicker pair at their nest, Horn Pond.  Photo by John Harrison.
It’s going to be fun when the chicks hatch and stick their heads out of the hole waiting to be fed.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNqXnO2nZLY 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpVKnB-vo6Q  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GthtxjCTQY  Photographer Jim Renault also discovered a Flicker nest, this one at the Arlington Reservoir.
from JIM Flicker at Arl Res fx About to Take Off
Flicker at nest, Arlington Reservoir.  Photo by Jim Renault.
from JIM Flicker fx at Arl Res Take Off Shot
Flicker at nest, Arlington Reservoir.  Photo by Jim Renault.  
And he found Snow Geese at Haeger Pond in Sudbury.
from JIM Snow Geese fx Haeger Pond
Snow Geese, Haeger Pond, Sudbury.  Photo by Jim Renault.  
  Though the spring migrants haven’t showed up at Mount Auburn to any degree yet,  I have seen the lone Great Horned Owl, Alexander the Great,  in the Dell a few times
23GREATHORNEDOWLINDELLXXXXMONAPR2420171692 094
Great Horned Owl in the Dell, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by John Harrison.
and had a fun Raccoon encounter on April 12th.  I was driving around hoping to catch something and noticed the pair of Raccoons in a tree.
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Raccoons, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by John Harrison.  
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Raccoons, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by John Harrison.
They moved around for me a little and were close enough for some entertaining video.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLF22LWi0mg  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D3SJ-aOW5E  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egxX33SK8EA 
  It looks like we’re going to have another lively Kestrel season at Tufts Park in South Medford. Three times lately I’ve gone to the park and have seen one on the light poles and in trees at the edge of the park.  In the past couple of years we have been able to enjoy this species into late August, which is generally a slow time in our pursuit of wildlife.  The Kestrels keep the season going and when the Kestrel activity in late August dwindles, we prepare for fall migration.
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American Kestrel, Tufts Park.  Photo by John Harrison.
But for now we eagerly await the arrival of the migration elites.  Hopefully by next time we will have many warbler tales to tell.  We look forward to this short window every May.  It sustains us for the rest of the year!
 

‘The Great One’ Comes Calling…..Newport, NH

My friends call me an owl.  Apparently, it’s a combination of being wise and  
having big eyes  Romy Madley Croft 
                                                        *********
 A generation ago, The Honeymooners star, Jackie Gleason,  was known as ‘The Great One.’   Currently the TV/radio broadcaster Mark Levin is called, by many, ‘The Great One.’  And, of course. all New Englanders know that our own Tom Brady has earned the title ‘The Great One.’  The small New Hampshire town of Newport can lay claim to its own ‘Great One,’ a Great Gray Owl, a species native to Alaska, western Canada and the northwestern US and the largest owl in length in the world.  This magnificent owl has been drawing people to this town from all over New England for more than a month.
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Great Gray Owl, Newport, NH, Sun. Mar. 26, 2017.  Photo by John Harrison
from KIM GREAT GRAY on ground_
Great Gray Owl.  Photo by Kim Nagy. 
I have been hearing stories from friends for a while about their experiences watching and photographing this owl.  There has been an insistent voice in the back of my mind, commanding “Go to Newport.  Go to Newport.”  On Sunday, March 26th, photographer Kim Nagy (who had already been to Newport twice without seeing the owl) and I decided to make our way there to try to catch a look at this owl before it headed north to its home habitat.  It’s almost April. The clock was ticking. There was this recurring advice from most people who had seen it that late afternoon was its most active time.  So we left for Newport at 12:30pm. We got there at 2:30pm and first went to Parlin Airport where the owl was seen now and then in the surrounding fields.
17GREATGRAYOWLPARLINAIRFIELDXXXXSUNMAR2620171685 060Parlin Airfield, Newport, NH.
There were some people already there, waiting and hoping to see the owl.  We conferred with them.  In a while a Newport resident drove in and told us to follow her and she would show us where the owl had been hunting the day before.  So we followed her in a caravan out of the airport back onto Rt. 10.  In a few minutes she pulled over to the side of the highway, where there were already a bunch of cars parked and people milling along the edge of the field hoping that the owl would show up.  This was at 3:30pm.  Kim and I saw photographers Sandy and Don Selesky in the growing crowd.  After a while Don went back into his car to sit and wait.  A little after 4pm Don jumped out of the car, a big smile on his face, gave us a thumbs-up and pointed to the back edge of the field and said “It just flew in.”
17SANDYANDDONNEWPORTNHXXXXSUNMAR2620171685 233Photographers Sandy and Don (the owl finder) Selesky, Rt.10, Newport, NH.  Photo by John Harrison.
There it was, sitting on an open branch with those piercing eyes studying the terrain. Those eyes are startling.  The large audience was wild with delight.  The owl had been in this exact field at the same time the day before so if you wonder, ‘can lightning strike twice?’  The answer is yes!  What were the odds?  
  
  The growing crowd of birders and photographers snapped away as the owl stared at us and scanned the field looking for prey.
17KIMNEWPORTNHXXXXSUNMAR2620171685 112The owl watchers, Kim Nagy in center.  Photo by John Harrison. 
After about thirty minutes, the owl took off toward us and landed about fifteen feet from Kim and me.  (See the first video).
17GREATGRAYOWLNEWPORTNH2XXXXSUNMAR2620171685 166Great Gray Owl about to land for prey.  Photo by John Harrison.
It was literally sitting on a mouse.  It would occasionally look down and then put its head down into the grass, checking to see if the mouse was dead, it seemed.
from KIM GREAT GRAY with prey fxGreat Gray Owl with mouse.  Photo by Kim Nagy.
Finally, it started to rise, with the mouse in its beak, and quickly swallowed it whole.  Then if took off back to the same tree.  It was an amazing thing to witness. Kim and I left fifteen minutes later.  The light was getting low and we had had a great encounter, so we were well satisfied.  We had seen ‘The Great One.’  Newport’s pride and joy.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI_Fn9-AmdQ  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug_tPLK10OA  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM4EVjHEV8A   Here is a slideshow of the owl by John Harrison and Kim Nagy:   https://youtu.be/ETSKosISo1g
 
  The birds seem to be paying attention to the calendar this year.  On March 20th, the first day of spring, Mount Auburn Cemetery was awash with birds.  I had been checking the Atlas Cedar tree the past week hoping to see a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drilling for sap.  The Atlas Cedar is a favorite for Sapsuckers and we usually get to see them on this tree in the spring.  On my third check that morning, I saw one fly in.  It got right to work, fiercely drilling to get to the sap.  We could see the rows of perfectly round little holes from past years and we could see the sap dripping out of the new holes as it got behind the bark.
16SAPSUCKERMOUNTAUBURNXXXXTUESMAR2120171684 230Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on Atlas Cedar tree, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by John Harrison.
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.  Photo by John Harrison.
The Sapsuckers are industrious and we expect to be seeing them on this tree and others in the cemetery for a while.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R31__88m260  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lucJcMPXF-g  While wandering around that first day of spring, I saw bird guru Bob Stymeist, the “Mayor”  of Mount Auburn.   I told him that the Sapsucker was on that tree and he brought me up to date on what else he had seen.  Together we watched a Brown Creeper on a nearby tree.  Then I continued on my way, driving around hoping to maybe see the coyote.  Five minutes later Bob called me to tell me he was watching a leucistic Robin in the area near the Atlas Cedar.  I quickly returned to Crystal Ave.  The leucistic Robin was among a large flock of Robins foraging on the ground.
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Leucistic Robin, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Monday, March 20, 2017.  Photo by John Harrison.
 Birds with this condition, leucism, are rare. It turns the coloring of the bird mostly white.  My last sighting of a leucistic Robin was also at Mount Auburn in September of 2010.
LEUCISTIC30ROBINXXXXSATSEPT252010891 199Leucistic Robin, Mount Auburn Cemetery, September, 2010.  Photo by John Harrison.
And a leucistic Sparrow spent the entire winter of 2005/2006 in Cambridge in the area of Bonny’s Nursery at Fresh Pond.
LEUCISTICSPARROWLFTPROONGROUNDXXXXSUNDEC042005118 010Leucistic Sparrow, Cambridge, Dec. 04, 2005.  Photo by John Harrison.
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Leucistic Robin, Cambridge, Dec. 06, 2005.  Photo by John Harrison.
And in September of 2005 a leucisitc Great Blue Heron was seen at the Arlington Reservoir.
 
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Leucistic Great Blue Heron, Arlington Reservoir, Sept. 2005.  Photo by John Harrison. 
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Leucisitc Great Blue Heron, Arlington Reservoir, Sept. 2005. Photo by John Harrison.  
  In the following days at Mount Auburn, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker remained busy at the Atlas Cedar and there were Cedar Waxwings around, too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3foYI4M123o 
16CEDARWAXWINGSMOUNTAUBURNXXXXTUESMAR2120171684 262Cedar Waxwings, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by John Harrison.
On March 21st a Cooper’s Hawk landed on the weeping beech at RH White and stayed long enough for some photos and a video.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfSw95I9Uvg 16COOPERSHAWKIMMATURERHWHITEXXXXTUESMAR2120171684 153
Cooper’s Hawk, weeping beech, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by John Harrison.
On March 23rd photographer Jim Renault spotted a coyote below the Tower on Palm Ave. and was able to get a couple of shots while it ascended Harvard Hill.from JIM CE8A8306 Coyote at MAC March 23 shot 3Coyote, Harvard Hill, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by Jim Renault. 
from JIM CE8A8296 Coyote in Dell at MAC March 23
Coyote, Harvard Hill, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by Jim Renault.
Al Parker, the expert birder of the Mount Auburn staff,  discovered a Saw Whet Owl, a really rare visitor to the cemetery, on March 13th.  Al took some magnificent up-close-and-personal photographs of this striking owl.
from AL PARKER SAW WHET OWL fx DSCN3223Saw Whet Owl, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by Al Parker.
from AL PARKER SAW WHET OWL fx FSCN3226
Saw Whet Owl, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by Al Parker.
The last time we had a Saw Whet at the cemetery was in March of 2008.  Bob Stymeist found that one near Crystal Ave.
SAWWHETOWL,ACXXXXSATSUNMAR01022008512 016Saw Whet Owl, Mount Auburn Cemetery, March 2008.  Photo by John Harrison.
Al Parker also found a Gray morph Screech Owl in a tree on Glen Ave recently.
16SCREECHOWLMOUNTAUBURNXXXXTHURSMAR2320171684 331Screech Owl, gray morph, Mount Auburn Cemetery.  Photo by John Harrison. 
Spring has begun with a bang, not a whimper.  The ‘Big Show,’ the warblers, will be here before we know it.
  Author/journalist/columnist/blogger Nancy Lawson, (http://www.humanegardener.com/author/lawson-nancygmail-com/) who wrote the story A resting place for all, FINDING LIFE IN UNLIKELY PLACES about Mount Auburn Cemetery and Kim Nagy and my book DEAD IN GOOD COMPANY  (https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Good-Company-John-Harrison/dp/0996374701, www.facebook.com/deadingoodcompany) for the Humane Society of the United States magazine all animals, just had her new book released, THE HUMANE GARDENER, NURTURING A BACKYARD HABITAT FOR WILDLIFE (Princeton Architectural Press,  https://www.amazon.com/Humane-Gardener-Nurturing-Backyard-Wildlife/dp/1616895543).
HUMANE GARDENER landscape 0967 
The book is a primer of steps to be taken to make your back yard welcoming to wildlife.  Which native species best shelter baby animals and birds?  How do we live in harmony with creatures that some regard as pests or a threat (like coyotes)?  Through anecdotes, interviews with scientists, naturalists and home gardeners all over the country, and scores of photographs and her own advice, MS Lawson explains the sound principles governing a critter-friendly environment.  This book belongs on the shelves of all gardeners who want to make their land more attractive to wildlife.  MS Lawson used two coyote photographs from Mount Auburn Cemetery in the book.  
HUMANE GARDNER fx IMG_0964
Mount Auburn coyotes in THE HUMANE GARDENER by Nancy Lawson.  Photo by John Harrison.
  Clare Walker Leslie, (http://www.clarewalkerleslie.com/) author, artist and contributor to Dead In Good Company,  began an exhibit of her watercolors on March 14, 2017 at Salon R Gallery, 703 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge. On Tuesday, March 21st, there was a reception for the exhibit at Salon R, attended by many of Clare’s friends and fans.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LJiLS_OYUk
16CLAREWALKERLESLIERECEPTIONMAR2120171684 277(L to R) Clare Walker Leslie, David Barnett (President and CEO of Mount Auburn Cemetery) and David Leslie.  Photo by John Harrison.
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(L to R)  Clare Walker Leslie, Bob Stymeist, Jessica Bussmann, Bree Harvey and Jennifer Johnston.  Photo by John Harrison.
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Ginny Brady with three of Clare’s watercolors at Salon R Gallery.  Photo by John Harrison.
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Clare’s watercolor of a Belted Kingfisher at the Salon R Gallery exhibit.  Photo by John Harrison.
The gallery walls are adorned with some of Clare’s many watercolors.  A self-taught Naturalist, Clare was written more than 50 Nature Journals and a dozen books, among them, The Curious Nature Guide; The Nature Connection: An outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families and Class Rooms; The Art of Field Sketching and Nature Drawing;  A tool for Learning.  The exhibit runs through April 29th.  Attend the exhibit and then cross the street to Mount Auburn Cemetery and walk the paths and seek the wildlife that has inspired so many of Clare’s wonderful books, sketches and illustrations.
  On Sunday, March 19th, Wendy Drexler and Joan Fleiss Kaplan had a reading and slideshow for their children’s book, BUZZ, RUBY, AND THEIR CITY CHICKS ( https://www.amazon.com/Buzz-Ruby-Their-City-Chicks/dp/0996374744 ),  at Porter Square Books in Cambridge.  There were a bunch of kids on hand who enjoyed hearing Wendy and Joan read from the book as a slideshow of the photographs in the book flashed on the screen.
15PORTERSQUARESUNMAR1920171683 291Wendy Drexler (R) and Joan Fleiss Kaplan read from their book, Buzz, Ruby, and Their City Chicks at Porter Square Books, Sunday, March 19, 2017.  Photo by John Harrison.
They answered questions from the kids and had an up-to-date chronology of the famous hawks from raptor expert Paul Roberts of Medford.  It was a festive afternoon and I don’t doubt that some new, young, hawk watchers emerged from the event.  Here are several video moments:
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Paul Roberts, Wendy Drexler and Joan Fleiss Kaplan at Porter Square Books.  Photo by John Harrison.  
  Next time we are sure to have already seen a few spring migrants…The warblers…..That Mardi Gras for birders is right around the corner…..
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Great Gray Owl, Newport, NH, Sun. March 26, 2017.  Photo by John Harrison