Spring is here!

Spring is finally here! The vernal pools are alive with lots of frog and salamander activity. Here is a wood frog Ale and I saw when visiting a vernal pool near the Quincy quarries. The season has been slow to arrive with few warm days and below average precipitation.

Below are several pictures of wood frog egg masses taken at a vernal pool in Wilson Mountain Reservation in Dedham.
























On an evening vernal pool at Brook Farm in West Roxbury we saw egg masses that may have been from blue spotted salamanders. We were not lucky enough to see an actual blue spotted sali, but we did get to see one with yellow spots. Isn't s/he cute?

Yellow spotted salamander eggs are amazing to see. They are beautiful and almost luminous. These photos were taken in the Blue Hills at various vernal pools.

I also saw a spring azure when walking with Carly, then another in the Blue Hills that was kind enough to pose for a few photos.

Last, but not least, Carly and I saw a pair of bluebirds in Canton. Here is half of the pair. The photo is a bit grainy because she was very far away, up on top of a broken tree limb.

Happy Spring, everyone!!

Mimus polyglottos

Mimus polyglottos landed on my fence post yesterday afternoon. Some may remember that this was the name of King Friday's pet bird in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood of Make Believe. M. polyglottos has been the centerpiece of my life for the past month as I have been working with a great group of people in Dedham to plan not one - but TWO - town-wide tea parties! (planning for the Teddy Bear Tea begins after the Southern Tea which is tomorrow night - it's not too late to RSVP). I love birds, but I am not at all good with bird identification, so this evening, I finally pulled out my bird book and realized that I was getting up close and personal with none other than the Northern Mockingbird. What an amazing treat!