Tag Archives: Canada goose

Toadflax and Spindletrees

by sicloot Posted on July 2, 2013

On our Friday walk around Jamaica Pond, we came across both a plant and a tree in flower. The plant, yellow toadfloax (Linaria vulgaris), has a spike of yellow flowers with orange centers.

Orange and yellow toadflax flowers — Yellow toadflax

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Posted in Nature | Tagged betula nigra, birches, birds, Boston, Canada goose, double-crested cormorant, euonymus, Euonymus europaeus, figworts, jamaica plain, jamaica pond, linaria vulgaris, Massachusetts, plants, shrubs, trees, willows | Comments Off

Forest Hills Cemetery on a Spring Day

by sicloot Posted on May 8, 2013

Yesterday was the last in a long streak of sunny and dry days in Boston. I visited Forest Hills Cemetery to see what I could find.

I saw this eastern forktail damselfly resting on a reed at the edge of Lake Hibiscus. Damselflies rest with their wings closed or only slightly open. According to A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Massachusetts, eastern forktails emerge early in the spring and are very common in this area.

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Posted in Nature | Tagged American bullfrog, amphibians, birds, Boston, brown-headed cowbird, Canada goose, chipping sparrow, damselflies, double-crested cormorant, eastern forktail damselfly, forest hills cemetery, frogs, insects, Massachusetts, painted turtle, red-eared slider, reptiles, snapping turtle, turtles, white-breasted nuthatch, yellow-rumped warbler | Comments Off

Urban Nature Walk: Muddy River/Fenway

by sicloot Posted on May 6, 2013

Jef led us on a walk along the banks of the Muddy River on a sunny, seasonal spring day. We first stopped to view some outdoor sculpture as part of the Through the Trees exhibition by studios without walls.

Through the Trees outdoor art — One of the “Through the Trees” pieces.

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Posted in Culture, Nature | Tagged allium vineale, american black duck, ants, apples, art, barbarea vulgaris, betula populifolia, birches, birds, Boston, brambles, Canada goose, chelidonium majus, cherries, crane fly, exidia recisa, fallopia japonica, fenway, fireflies, insects, knotweeds, mammals, Massachusetts, mushrooms, muskrat, mustards, northern flicker, phragmites australis, plants, red-winged blackbird, reeds, rubus occidentalis, toxicodendron radicans, trees, tufted titmouse, Urban Nature Walk, worms | Comments Off

Peace at the Pond

by sicloot Posted on April 15, 2013

On this tragic day, when senseless acts of violence have hurt so many, I am grateful for the places of peace in our city. Jamaica Pond is one of those places, an oasis of peace and calm amidst the chaos of the day. We walked its shores, sirens continually wailing along the Jamaica Way as emergency vehicles rushed downtown.

Boathouse and willow — Jamaica Pond boathouse and a willow tree.

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Posted in Culture, Nature | Tagged Canada goose, jamaica plain, jamaica pond, maples, trees, willows | Comments Off

Birding in Olmsted Park

by sicloot Posted on February 16, 2013

A light snow fell as I walked through Olmsted Park. I didn’t see a single bird in Ward’s Pond. It wasn’t until Willow Pond that I ran into the Canada geese.

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Posted in Nature | Tagged birds, Canada goose, common merganser, hooded merganser, jamaica plain, mallard duck, ring-necked duck, shrubs, witch-hazels | Comments Off

Blizzard Birding at Jamaica Pond

by sicloot Posted on February 10, 2013

A few hours after Boston got hit with two feet of snow, I went to Jamaica Pond to see how the birds were doing. While big chunks of the Pond were frozen, there was a large central area free of ice. All the water fowl had congregated near the northwestern shore. I saw Canada geese (Branta canadensis), American coots (Fulica americana), mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), mute swans (Cygnus olor), ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis), and, surprisingly, a pair of pigeons (Columba livia).

Birds on Jamaica Pond after a blizzard — Congregating birds on Jamaica Pond

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Posted in Nature | Tagged American coot, birds, Canada goose, great black-backed gull, jamaica plain, jamaica pond, mallard duck, mute swan, pigeon, ring-billed gull, ring-necked duck | Comments Off

Tag Archives: Canada goose

Toadflax and Spindletrees

Forest Hills Cemetery on a Spring Day

Urban Nature Walk: Muddy River/Fenway

Peace at the Pond

Birding in Olmsted Park

Blizzard Birding at Jamaica Pond

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