February
Feb. 19 : RIVER OTTER trio scampers through light snow atop a frozen brook in N. Acton, leaving broad skid marks. See Rebecca Harvey’s trail cam video here.
Feb. 27: A large RED-SHOULDERED HAWK perches on one leg in a SOURWOOD tree in a S. Acton back yard…a hungry OPOSSUM ventures out in daylight to forage under a bird feeder in S. Acton, hissing and baring its teeth at birdseed re-stocker.
Feb. 28: RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS and a GRACKLE migrant flock returns to W. Acton in the marsh behind Arlington Street along Charter Road.
March
Mar. 1: A RED-TAILED HAWK rests in a tree at window level in an Acton Center back yard.
Mar. 3: A RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD flock returns to the Boardwalk Campus marsh in W. Acton on a sunny afternoon…MIDGES hover in a cluster of five near Fort Pond Brook in the March sunshine.
Mar. 8: A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK dines on a fresh and well-plucked kill (downy woodpecker?) in a W. Acton back yard.
Mar. 10: A FISHER runs across a snowy yard in N. Acton in broad daylight.
Mar. 11: Two pairs of WOOD DUCKS enjoy the thawing ice on Robbins Mill Pond in N. Acton.
Mar. 13: Two TURKEY VULTURES spiral low over Boardwalk Campus marsh in W. Acton.
Mar. 14: A pair of COMMON MERGANSERS swims together on the opening ice of Robbins Mill Pond.
Mar. 15: SKUNK CABBAGE sprouts emerge in an Acton wetland.
Mar. 16: CROCUS, SNOWDROPS and other early bulbs begin to flower in Acton Center.
Mar. 17: WITCH HAZEL tree unfurls its crinkly blossoms in the Acton Arboretum…SILVER MAPLE tree comes into bloom on Arlington Street.
Mar. 18: A BALD EAGLE flies low over Legend Cafe in W. Acton, then flaps hard to clear trees near Mass. Ave…Four HOODED MERGANSERS find open patches of water on Robbins Mill Pond.
THANKS TO Acton Nature Watchers Jon Chase, Rebecca Harvey, John Horvath, Peter Norton, Dan Praetorius, Sunni Randy, and Leah Whitehouse.
GOT MICE? Learn how to exclude them before any more move in! The Massachusetts Department of Public Health toolkit shows building managers and homeowners how to implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM practice favors sealing up and excluding rodents from entry points around your house. See this 1-minute YouTube video for how to do this. For more information about making Acton less friendly to pests but safer for our raptors, attend Green Acton’s Biodiversity Committee meeting the third Thursday of every month at 7 PM. For information about the agenda and how to connect, email biodiversity-contact@greenacton.org.
In the coming month, watch and listen for vernal pool activity: adult frogs and salamanders preparing to breed; owls feasting on hatchlings; blooming spice- and shad-bushes; tree swallows return before mid-April; and mason bees and ants’ first emergence mid-April. Keep us posted! Submit your observations and photos to actonnaturewatch@gmail.com
Please see this week’s Bulletin Board for ways to get involved in Acton Clean-Up Week and the iNaturalist BioBlitz.
Rob Gogan is a West Acton resident and compiles the Acton Nature Watch feature. He is one of the organizers of Green Acton’s Biodiversity Committee.
