I agree strongly that our town is VERY lucky for Gwyn Loud and so many others
who keep us informed about so many things.Lynne LaSpina
Sent from the all new AOL app for Android
On Fri, Dec 17, 2021 at 6:58 AM, Michelle Barnes via
Lincoln<lincoln@lincolntalk.org> wrote: Dear LincolnTalk,
Below is December’s exciting and informative missive about Lincoln’s natural
world from Lincoln’s very own distinguished naturalist, Gwyn Loud. I learn
something new and exciting every time I read her terrific wildlife column for
the LLCT and our community. We are grateful to her and her tireless efforts to
educate and delight us with the beautiful natural world that surrounds us here
in Lincoln (and beyond).
We are also grateful to the many other Lincoln naturalists who contribute
terrific observations to her for her column. What a great way to learn from
each of you and to share community with one another!
Enjoy!Michelle BarnesLLCT ChairSouth Great Road
Begin forwarded message:
From: Lincoln Land Conservation Trust <l...@lincolnconservation.org>
Date: December 17, 2021 at 6:01:23 AM EST
To: Michelle Barnes <la_v...@yahoo.com>
Subject: December 2021 Wildlife Column: Winter Landscapes and Wildlife Sightings
December 2021 Wildlife Column: Winter Landscapes and Wildlife
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Written by Gwyn Loud for the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust. Gwyn welcomes
your sightings, pictures, and questions at 781-259-8690 or gwynloud555@gma
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Written by Gwyn Loud for the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust. Gwyn welcomes
your sightings, pictures, and questions at 781-259-8690 or
gwynloud...@gmail.com. Banner Photo:Flint's Pond in Afternoon Light.
Winter will officially start on Dec. 21, the solstice, and thereafter the
lengthening hours of daylight will cheer us, even though the cold of the season
lies ahead. The past month has seen only a dusting of snow and a number of
unusually mild days.. Oaks and beeches still hold some leaves but the branches
of other deciduous trees are bare and the landscape is a palette of soft grays
and browns, punctuated by dark green conifers and bright green lawns. Tamaracks
are unusual, being deciduous conifers, with needles turning yellow in the fall.
One place to find them is in the bog next to Beaver Pond. Various berries
punctuate the scene with red, including winterberry. It is not the first food
choice of birds, perhaps because the fruits are so acidic, but the berries will
disappear when food is hard to find as the season progresses.
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Goldenrod Gall. Photo by Gwyn Loud.
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Winter weeds, as well as providing important seeds for wildlife meals, have a
beauty all their own, displaying a great variety of shapes and shades of brown.
Some stems of goldenrod show a swollen sphere which is a type of gall. As Mary
Holland writes, “Galls are abnormal plant growths that are caused primarily by
insects, but also by fungi, mites, nematodes and bacteria. Each gall insect has
a specific plant host which produces a distinctive-looking gall. Of the 2,000
gall-producing insects in the United States, 1,500 of them are gall wasps or
gall gnats. Of the over 800 different gall-makers on oaks, over 700 are gall
wasps.” The gall contains nutrients for the small inhabitant, which grows and
then departs without damage to the host plant. A familiar gall called an oak
apple is a small round papery sphere which we may find on the ground near oaks,
with a tiny hole where the wasp emerged.
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Catbird. Photo by Norman Levey.
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Ducks seemed late in arriving on our ponds this year, but recently many turned
up on Flint’s Pond, including mallards, buffleheads, hooded mergansers, and
twelve common goldeneye – a high number of this species- according to Norman
Levey. He also spotted approximately 88 common mergansers, although over the
past twenty years he has had as many as 140 in a flock. Other recent bird
sightings of note include a winter wren, yellow-bellied sapsucker, fox sparrow,
brown creeper, purple finch, and a great-blue heron hunting for food (probably
rodents) in the woods. A couple of people have reported a red-breasted nuthatch
but this “irruptive” species is not expected to be plentiful this winter. An
orange-crowned warbler in the Ricci Fields and a yellow-breasted chat near
Valley Pond were unusual discoveries, and a few hermit thrushes, gray catbirds,
and a lingering pine warbler have been reported. These species normally head
farther south but a few hardy individuals often over-winter. Due to climate
change we may see this more often. Belted kingfishers are still here, and will
stay as long as the water is open and they can fish.
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Belted Kingfisher.. Photo by Maury Eldridge.
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A couple of people have lamented to me that “no birds are coming to my feeder”.
I have no answers, except to suggest the possible frequent presence of hawks
(especially Cooper’s), outdoor cats, or the great availability of wild seeds
and berries due to lack of snow cover so far. Furthermore, we have all read of
the sad decline of songbirds, nearly 3 billion in North America since 1970. The
reasons are numerous, but include habitat loss, climate change, decline in
insects, and use of pesticides. A citizen science project which those who
maintain bird feeders might enjoy is called Project Feeder Watch. Check it out
at feederwatch.org. I have been doing it for nineteen years and it helps me pay
close attention to who is coming to my feeders and also contributes to
nation-wide data on bird populations.
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Buck. Photo by Ron McAdow.
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The annual Christmas Bird Count is organized all over the country by the
National Audubon Society within a two-week window. The data collected gives
valuable information to show change in population numbers over time and the
impacts of climate change and other factors. Lincoln is part of the Concord
Bird Count and we will be counting on Jan. 2, 2022. Townspeople who would like
information about participating either as part of a field team or counting
birds at feeders should check the website: https://concordcbc.org, call or text
Norman Levey at 781-259-0855, email him at norman.le...@gmail.com, or contact
me. Safe COVID protocols will be followed.
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Bobcat. Photo by Adam Doffini.
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As for mammals, once again a bobcat was seen, this time in a backyard on Cedar
Rd, not far from Mt. Misery. A couple of people have reported white-tailed
bucks and healthy red foxes, and I have listened to a chorus of howling coyotes
at night. Looking up into trees, you might see a rounded ball of dry leaves.
These are called dreys and are made by gray squirrels as places to shelter in
the winter. On a recent walk I came upon a beautiful white-footed mouse. It was
dead but showed no sign of external injury and I worry that it was the victim
of rodenticide. These poisons do not kill the rodent right away but...
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©2021 Lincoln Land Conservation Trust | P.O. Box 10, Lincoln, MA 01773
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