Kingfisher Chatter

(a blog about Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge)

 

29 Sep 2013

 

Fall is in the air and I've been very busy fattening up for the long cold spell that isn't too far off.  The trees are starting to turn beautiful colors here on the Refuge, especially the ones near my waterways.  The fall bird migration is on and I have seen many of my relatives that I haven't seen since spring because they went north for the summer.  These include (click on the links to see pictures): 

• Pine Warbler
• Prairie Warbler
• American Redstart

 

Others friends seen recently include:

• Cooper's Hawk:  I knew he was here as the ducks were making a fuss.  He was sitting in a tree overlooking their feeding spot on Puffer Pond
• Green Heron
• Great Blue Heron
• Great Blue Heron egg (must have dropped from a nest...but there were no nests nearby!!!)
• American Black Duck
• Lincoln's Sparrow
• Grasshopper Sparrow
• Common Yellowthroat taking a bath
• Northern Catbird taking a bath

There have been lots of interesting insects spotted lately:

• Brown Daddy-Long-Legs
• White Admiral Butterfly
• Cabbage White Butterfly
• Little Glassywing Butterfly
• Banded Tussock Moth Caterpillar
• Wooly Bear (Isabella Tiger Moth) Caterpillar
• Common Backswimmer (watch out, they bite!)
• Whirlygig Beetle
• Black Beetle
• Japanese Beetle
• Northern Flatid Planthopper
• Chinese Mantid (the largest Mantid on the refuge.  Introduced to the U.S. in 1896 as a "beneficial" insect)
• Locust Borer
• Ruby Meadowhawk Dragonfly
• Bald-faced Hornet's nest
• Bald-faced Hornet (very protective of their nest...don't goof with them!)
• American Pelecinid Wasp (this is a female.  Spotting the smaller male is very rare)
• Eastern Yellow Jacket
• Paper Wasp
• American Bumblebee
• Honey Bee

Other sightings include:

• Chipmunk (very busy collecting acorns to get them through the winter)
•  Freshwater Snail shell (found along Otter Way)
• Pickerel Frog

 Its good to be back online.  I'll talk to you again soon.

 

- Kingfisher