I took this picture on Sunday afternoon. Late Satrurday night, the snow turned to freezing rain, covering even the top branches of the oaks with glittering coats of ices.
Oaks covered with ice
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It’s been a rough winter, and a rough year, in a number of ways. The birds have been scarce, which is always hard, but it’s especially hard in a Winter marked by COVID-19 and self-isolation.
Today I took a picture of this male Northern Cardinal sunning himself. This was the first morning this year that I heard a Cardinal sing at dawn, which this fellow did right outside my window. This picture was taken about five hours later, when he returned to catch some rays and preen a little. The picture is not high art; I took it through the window, using my phone. Still, he’s a handsome fellow, and I was happy to see him.
Male Northern Cardinal
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Early this morning, between 4:15 and 4:45 I heard a female Barred owl’s “solicitation call.” This is a strikingly odd, very distinctive high-pitched call that signals male Barred owl’s that she’s interested and available for mating. I was too tired to record it, but here’s an excellent recording from YouTub:
Female Barred Owl solicitation call
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This fellow was on the patio this morning, under the green plastic chair, which is my excuse for such a poor photo. The Eastern American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) is the only toad native to Maine. They’re pretty common all over New England. Females are generally larger then males (egg-laying necessities) and males usually have a darker colored throat than females. I always liked American toads because, while you can’t see it in the photo below, American toads have gold eyelids. Honest!
Eastern American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) Image: LLS
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A young fox on May 27, 2020
I missed seeing the fox I’d been seeing last summer and fall; not a single sighting all winter, and I didn’t hear the fox much either. But people had been seeing one on the grounds in May, and finally, a saw a young fox trotting across the patio. I was looking up at the trees with a scope trying to see the crows my mom spotted, when I saw the fox out of the corner of my eye. He trotted across the patio, then along the gravel between apartments to our neighbors patio, where he paused to devour what the neighbor reported as a possible chipmunk.
Since then, I’ve seen very brief glimpses of another young fox/the same fox.
ETA: At least one the young foxes frequenting the campus has been hit by a car. I’m hoping that others will thrive.
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