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What in the world is this?

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Any plant experts out there? Because I certainly have no idea what is going on with this leaf.

This is a leaf on an unknown vine that is growing among a large patch of wineberry, an invasive and nonnative bush that produces edible berries. This patch just happens to be in my yard. I noticed this leaf a few days after my son Will and I picked the plants clean of their berries. (We made jam for the first time and, boy, is it good.) 

The vine may be a wild grape, but I’m not positive. It is the only such vine growing among the wineberry, so far as I can tell. The leaf appears to have red double-sided daggers sticking out the top and bottom. Perhaps it is a growth coming from either direction. I have no idea. It is the only leaf that looks like this. Of the thousands of leaves surrounding it, this is the only one with this phenomenon.

So, any ideas??

Here are a few more photos. 

Walking through the woods: Eft

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Here’s the start of an occasional series of photos of images captured during typical walks in the woods. I hope you enjoy them.

An eft works its way through the woods in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2018.

Photo by Chris Bosak
An eft works its way through the woods in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2018.

I got this guy (or gal) after a rainy weekday afternoon. This is an eft, the terrestrial stage of a newt. The next stage will be adulthood, when the critter returns to the water (where it started as a larva.) They are commonly found in New England woods, especially after wet weather. They can be so common, in fact, that hikers have to watch their step if the timing and weather conditions are just right for efts to be out and about.

Here’s another shot …

An eft works its way through the woods in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2018.

An eft works its way through the woods in Danbury, Conn., during the summer of 2018.

You don’t see this every day

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Photo by Chris Bosak A luna moth clings to a screen in Danbury, Conn., during spring 2018.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A luna moth clings to a screen in Danbury, Conn., during spring 2018.

I went to fill the feeders the other morning when something caught my eye on the outside of the bathroom window screen. It was a luna moth, a first for my house in Danbury and only about the second sighting overall for me. The first came at a gas station, of all places. I may have found a dead one at some point, too, but I can’t remember for sure.

There was no denying this handsome moth, though. There it was in all its awesomeness, just clinging to the screen. It hung around all day and evening, but was gone by the next morning.

Two interesting facts I learned about luna moths since this sighting: The adult form, which this is, of course, lives for only a week. Secondly, the adult form doesn’t have mouthparts and doesn’t eat. Its sole purpose is to mate.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A luna moth clings to a screen in Danbury, Conn., during spring 2018.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A luna moth clings to a screen in Danbury, Conn., during spring 2018.

 

The next day this came …

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Photo by Chris Bosak A male indigo bunting eats seeds from a platform feeder in Danbury, Conn., in May 2018.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A male indigo bunting eats seeds from a platform feeder in Danbury, Conn., in May 2018.

I posted my latest For the Birds column yesterday. The day after writing that column — in which I write about seeing my first indigo bunting at a feeder — this guy showed up. Yes, another indigo bunting, but this one a mature male in his awesome breeding plumage. If you recall, the first indigo bunting was a first-year male and sported blotchy plumage (not that I was complaining.) But this new guy really stood out at my feeding station.

A few snapping turtle iPhone photos

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Young snapping turtle, by Chris Bosak

Camera phones have come a long way. They are not necessarily practical for bird photography yet, but if you get a cooperative subject like these snapping turtles and pickerel frog, phones can be great for nature photography. They are handy for when opportunities present themselves in the woods or during a drive.
Speaking of snapping turtles, keep an eye on the roadways during this time of year for those gorgeous reptiles. Remember, if you see a turtle in the road, snapping or otherwise, and are in a position to safely help, move it to the side of the road in the direction it was Continue reading →

End of winter birding quiz answer

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At second look, maybe this one wasn’t so easy. The most popular answers — chickadee and titmouse — are indeed common backyard feeder birds, so they are good guesses. It also does look like a blue jay — the third-most common answer — as it’s hard to gauge how large the bird is in the photo.

Only 10 percent of participants got it right: white-breasted nuthatch. The giveaway is coloration (although it shares blue, black and white with blue jay), especially the rusty red feathers exposed as it flies. Of the options given, it is is only bird that features that rusty red.

The photo above was taken a few seconds before the one of the nuthatch flying off.

Take a look at the original photo again:

 

Thanks for playing along!

A flurry of winter bird photos before spring begins

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Photo by Chris Bosak A red-bellied woodpecker grabs a peanut from a feeder, March 2018.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A red-bellied woodpecker grabs a peanut from a feeder, March 2018.

Andrew, my 14-year-old going on 21, and I took a walk in the woods together this evening. These walks don’t happen as often as they used to or as much as I’d like, so I was more than happy when he said ‘yes,’ when I asked if he’d like to come along.

The trail behind my house is covered in snow, but it’s been walked on and packed down so it’s not much different than walking on dirt or on a sidewalk. But, as my walks with Andrew almost always go, we veered off the path to check out one thing or another. As we ventured away from the path, the snow at spots was still a foot or more deep. A foot or deeper on March 19, two days away from the official start of Continue reading →

Preening away II

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Here are a few more preening photos to go along with my last For the Birds column post. Click here in case you missed it.

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Photo by Chris Bosak A yellow-crowned night heron preens in Norwalk, Conn., summer 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A yellow-crowned night heron preens in Norwalk, Conn., summer 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak A Piping Plover preens at Milford Point in spring of 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Piping Plover preens at Milford Point in spring of 2014.

Photo by Chris Bosak A Piping Plover preens on the beach at Milford Point, Conn., in April 2014.

Great work by The Trustees on this magazine story

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Story in Special Places, the magazine of The Trustees

Story in Special Places, the magazine of The Trustees

Kudos to the layout team at Special Places, the magazine of the The Trustees of Reservations, a Massachusetts conservation organization with many terrific lands under its care. I was asked to write a story on winter birdwatching, which of course I accepted. The editorial and layout team did a great job of packaging the story and making the story look great. (All of the photos are mine, too, except for the nice shot of the snowy owl, which was taken by Ryan Pennesi.)

I know this photo of the layout makes the story close to impossible to read (if not impossible). The text will be available soon at the website of The Trustees. Check out what this great organization has been up to at www.thetrustees.org.

 

A little late, but here are my 2017 top 10 birding highlights

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As I do every year, I wrote my Top 10 Birding Highlights of the Year column a few weeks ago for the New England newspapers that run For the Birds. Thing is, I forgot to post it here. So, without further delay (I think three weeks is enough delay), here it is …

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Photo by Chris Bosak A Great Gray Owl perches in a tree overlooking a field in Newport, N.H., in March 2017.

Photo by Chris Bosak
A Great Gray Owl perches in a tree overlooking a field in Newport, N.H., in March 2017.

I almost forgot to write my favorite column of the year: A look back at my year’s top birding highlights.

With Christmas and New Year’s falling on Mondays, I got a brief reprieve from my column, and last week I was eager to share the results of the local Christmas Bird Counts.

What should I write about for my next column, I thought one day last week? Oh yeah, I never did get to my 2017 top 10 birding moments, did I? Thankfully, I remembered just in time.

So, before it gets too far into 2018, here’s my highlight list from 2017.

10. Camping with my son and his friend. Between coaching baseball and other excuses, it had been a few years since I had taken my boys camping. This past summer, my older son, Andrew, got done with school a week before my younger son, Will, so I took the opportunity to visit my favorite spot in Pittsburg. Andrew brought a friend with him. and we swam, hiked, canoed and talked by the fire. They are also old enough now that I was able to leave them alone for a few hours while I went looking for birds.

9. The spring got off to a good start as a good number of eastern towhees showed up before the warbler rush. This April, as I eagerly awaited the return of the warblers, tanagers and buntings, a good number of towhees were reliable sightings Continue reading →