White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

March 30, 2021 Elise

Despite a healthy population of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on Cape Cod, and seeing considerable signs of their presence out in the forest (e.g., scat, tracks, hairs that had fallen off where the deer bedded down, etc.) this was the first deer I’ve seen on my trail camera after having it out and about for almost 3 months. To be fair, however, I was targeting coyotes with this particular location, and for that I have been relatively successful in catching…

Perforated Ruffle Lichen (Parmotrema perforatum)

March 21, 2021 Elise

Yesterday, March 20th, was the first day of spring. And with the warm temperatures and bountiful sunshine, it actually felt like spring this weekend (not always the case for the first few days of spring in New England). The black-capped chickadees have been loudly singing “spring’s here” all day. The plants in my yard seem to have gotten the memo too: the crocuses, snowdrops, and dandelions are blooming, and the hyacinths, daffodils, irises and day lilies are pushing out new…

Lucky Chukar

March 2, 2021 Elise

The chukar partridge, or more simply chukar, (Alectoris chukar) is native to Eurasia. It was brought to the United States as a game bird in the 1800s and has since established wild populations in the arid western areas of the country, where they can find their preferred habitat: sparse, arid terrain. Although a wild population of these birds does not exist in here Massachusetts, chukars have been introduced to nearly every one of our fifty states, including Massachusetts, where they…

Seashore to Forest Floor

A naturalist's journey across Cape Cod and beyond

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Month: March 2021