Site Discussions

Also known in this neck of the woods as “Pahtridge”

I am interested to know if there is a list of all of the “types” of camps in Vermont and the folks that were enrolled for genealogy purposes.  Two of my Uncles were masons.  They learned their craft in these camps.

I know of two spots now in our city where “clay babies” can be readily found! I have picked many gorgeous design since childhood!
I love searching, finding & enjoying Mother Nature’s artwork!!

I have two questions? 1. Doesn’t the frost have to be out of the grown before the tree can draw water to make maple sap?  This year the winter seems to be mild.  Here in Mid Michigan the extended forecast temperature is mid 30 during the day and mid 20s and night for the next 7-10 days.  I am thinking there is no reason to tap as long as frost is in the ground.
2. I have been reading a lot of articles on maple sap.  I understand the process of how the tree system produces maple sap.  There seems to be some question as what create the flow movement.  I cannot find a straight answer that I believe that the change in pressure in the tree and gravity pushes it out, as the tree heats up and then at negative temps a vacuum is caused by cooling of empty wood fibers and draws liquid back into the tree.
Thanks for your time,
Peter Maczik

Remember not to take nests from the wild; it is always best to leave them where they are, even if you think they re not being used.

Last evening I saw a very small rodent as I was passing a theatre downtown.  It seemed too small to be a mouse, being a little bigger than a ‘loonie’ and roundish, definitely not elongated.  The tail was no more than 2 inches long and the fur was grey.  It was scuttling around some very low shrubs looking for for ?insects.  What might it be?

Loved this article. Well-written and a great source of info to share with others in these cold months! Thank you!

We have a bumper crop of winterberries on Vinalhaven this year and sumac too.  The birds have ignored my feeder thus far and I wonder if its the abundance of winter fruit.

Very beautifully written article have read for a while. As if I was reading NY times with beautiful metaphors like popcorn. Very insightful that sparrows pair and nest well before other birds arrive.

At our bird feeder in the beginning I hated sparrows because they ate everything and 90 percent were sparrows. After a while I realized that if there are no sparrows at the feeders there are no other birds as well. Figured out that the cardinals, finches, doves, blue jays, nut hatchers were using sparrows as bait. They would calmly wait for sparrows to start eating and if after a while sparrows are safe and still feeding, cardinals and other would flock to the feeder. So sparrows were used as testers by other birds for danger from Cats and Hawks.

Sparrows are what rabbits are in the animal kingdom, the bottom of food chain. They sustain many birds of prey. The hawks and owls would have perished in winter had there not been a good flock of sparrows. We have a resident hawks and owls in our backyard who visit every single day for sparrows.

There is one common capability that nature provides to the bottom food chainers like sparrow, rabbits and mice - they procreate a lot. They help the entire birds of prey .

When I got concerned about the flow slowing down in March after tapping in February, I pulled the tap, reamed the hole with a spade drill and put the tap back.  Conventional, or not, it seemed to help.

We have a hay barn open on one end ,the gable end faces southern exposure.
If bat boxes are on the inside of the metal gable wall will it be warm enough without direct sunlight?

The Canada Holly (winterberry) is a locally plentiful fruit. We have so many this year that the waxwings have not stripped the branches bare yet.

I just read the article on fruit trees for birds in January. My wife and I have 58 acres in the Maine North Woods. This Christmas, we actually had 5 grouse in a crap apple tree by our stream next to the house while the music playing was 12 days of Christmas. Life is good. You have to be out there to find very special moments. Thanks for the great articles.

Yesterday, Jan 18, 2020 I counted at least 3 dozen bluejays literally swarming about, chasing each other. They appeared to be play-fighting at times. They’d briefly land on the naked branches in a row of hardwoods. I observed that many of them dropped off the limbs rather than flew off of them. They freefell within a foot or two of the ground, landed momentarily then quickly flew up. There were 3 “waves” of a dozen or more jays. The whole procession was moving roughly from northeast to northwest. I never saw anything like it before !

Great article! I liked the explanation of different winter conditions and how they benefit and challenge different species.Thanks.

No matter how challenging the weather, chickadees are around the yard, foraging on seeds, caterpillars, and suet.  I love their bold nature, and enjoy seeing them close-up whenever I am able to feed them by hand.  Loved reading your article and learning more about this fearless little bird.  Thank you!

Thank you for this valuable article about woodworking programs in New England schools. The discussion points are right on target and we’re so glad to see woodworking skills & creativity increasingly recognized in school programs. Cheers!!

Linda Hebert
V I Reed & Cane Inc.

As an educator with CT Audubon Society, I am working to involve children in Harvard’s “Our Changing Forests” LTER Program. I just subscribed to “Northern Woodlands” and was thrilled to see this article written by my former student, Brett McLeod.
Looking forward to reading more!

Beech is a fine wood for simple kitchen spoons with handles turned on the lathe and bowls shaped by hand.

Lovely stuff Elise. I love getting some “interspecies fellowship” occasionally.