Site Discussions

Excellent article - makes me wish I could meet her!  Thank you!

I have made two chairs with Mike Dunbar in years past, and now I am about to embark on a solo effort on building a continuous arm Windsor chair ala Curtis Buchanan’s plans. Even though I have been woodworking most of my life, now at 73 I still find the process quite intimating! Oh and great article Mr Long!

Very good article.  It’s detailed and informative.  The step by step information is good for beginners. Thanks for your work

I wish you wouldn’t use the term “continental United States” to refer to the Lower 48 or coterminous states.  Alaska, where I live, is definitely on the North American continent—among other things, it’s the location of our continent’s tallest mountain, Denali (20,310’).  It’s also the location of the US portion of the continent’s third longest river, the Yukon.

I’ve see lots of American Tree sparrows here during their summer breeding season.  They overwinter in southern Canada and points farther south in the coterminous USA.

The term “Continental USA” as applied to differentiate between the Lower 48 and Alaska was an invention of the DoD.  Later, the entire federal government adopted this geographically deficient term for federal travel purposes (lodging, meal, and incidental allowances for DoD and federal civilian personnel traveling to AK are higher than the standard reimbursements for travel in the Lower 48).  Like many things military, the terminology reflects a rather narrow viewpoint, and one that most geographers roll their eyes at.

Hi! I have been reading about the blue feet of the blue-footed booby (a bird found in the Galapagos Islands), and the explanations have focused on the processing of carotenids. Is this type of blue also structural coloration of some kind? I am really curious now! Especially since the carotenids are usually responsible for reds and oranges, not blues.

Enjoyed your article. Thanks. I am seeing ice flowers in south Mississippi (Hattiesburg) on white crownbeard in my forest for the last 4 years. Like Carter, I happened upon them while hiking in 2021. Now I look for them whenever conditions seem favorable and usually find them.

When this article mentioned the times in New England when we would see Evening Grosbeaks by the hundreds I remembered that with a bit of sadness. I grew up in New England so remember seeing them all the time. I am an avid bird watcher, I miss Evening Grosbeaks, I haven’t seen one in years!

This article gave me some hope, maybe I will see one again, especially since we will be moving closer to the Adirondacks hopefully by next winter

I spent a lot of time in Wolfeboro New Hampshire as a kid, my family has a camp up near the reservoir. We heard loons all the time! So glad the populations are doing better. This article on Ice Rescues is incredible!

Since 2004, when we moved to Royalston, we have had Evening Grosbeaks present in the summer. I have kept records of non-wintering arrivals - usually mid-March to mid-April, and departures - usually in September, and fledgling counts. Typically, we have at least two pairs with 2-4 fledglings each year. I have wondered where do the spring birds come from and where do they go in the fall. It might be worth someone color banding some individuals to help determine the answers. There are several locations in the north Quabbin area that host summer Evening Grosbeaks.

Thank you for publishing this interesting article. Matt Young is local here (Central New York) , and I have had the opportunity to learn quite a bit from him out in the field! And yes-his knowledge of finches is incredible! The newly published book contains an incredible amount of information and has been exceptionally well received by the birding world.

I remember when I was 18 in 1969 there were incredible flights of Evening Grosbeaks in late November and other years we would see them feeding in mature Tulip trees in May after returning from their wintering quarters.  Now if one is sighted it’s a rare event.

Thanks for your stories and comments. We never use rodenticides for the reasons William described. Recent research in Vermont has indicated that rodenticides may be affecting fisher populations. Dogs will eat dead mice too.

Be careful what you wish for!  We had a dead end wall in our house- open on the top to the attic but sealed on the other sides. Occasionally, a mouse would get too curious and fall in. Inevitably, other mice would be drawn by the smell of carrion and follow it to their doom. Then the smell got really bad and I had to drill a hole in the wall to see what was happening. I found two weasels, in varying states of decay, along with dozens of mouse carcasses. It was a veritable necropolis in my walls.

Controlling mouse population is best done with snap traps, as you said. Rodenticides are a cruel way to die and dying. Animals are often picked up by predators like hawks or owl which are than poisoned. Or perhaps they bring the poison mouse back to their nest where chicks are killed.
Snap traps are the most humane.  For both the mice and mouse predators.

Hello Susan,  I loved your article, mainly because I have lived it.  An old farmhouse might as well hang out a sign that reads ‘Mouse B&B here’ I think that mice are some of the most beautiful creatures around. But not in my house. Like you, it took me time to get to the point of snap trapping them. But we had to. You have my sympathy. We have down sized to a smaller modular home in the past 2 years…It has no mice. I heave a sigh of relief every time I think about it.

I think of the leaflets as having a thumb and when I lead fern walks, I alway refer to the “thumb” as an identifying feature.

Great article! We have 3 breeding sets of loons on Suncook lakes! So interesting to watch them

Nice article. Of the more than 100 species of edible native (to the Northeast) plants in my nursery, I see the greatest quantity and variety of insects visiting the flowers of my Broad-leaved Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) plants.

As a former groomer and as a dog owner, I have dealt with many dog/skunk encounters. I use an all purpose grease cutting cleanser sprayed onto the dog. Having the dog in a wire crate facilitates this process. By spraying the cleanser onto the coat, you aren’t getting it down to the skin. I let it soak for at least 30 minutes and then shampoo as normally. Most of the time, the odor is gone and not detectable when it rains.

I’ve lived in Lancaster, New Hampshire, the past eleven years and have seen fisher’s on occasion. None in the past two years though, the past two years have seen the bobcat population growing. Very nice article, thank you!