Nature in a Minute: Spring wildflowers

The Resplendent Windflower
Wood anemone – Anemone quinquefolia L.  Buttercup (Ranunculaceae)

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Look for Wood anemone on your woodland walks. The pure white flowers on 4-8 inch stalks above the whorl of leaves makes this an easy wildflower to spot in the spring. The scalloped leaves are divided in 3 to 5 leaflets. 

The delicate flowers sway easily even in a soft breeze. This trait gives the plant its Latin name Anemone meaning windflower. The second part of the Latin name is quinquefolia, translating as five leaves. 

The root of Wood anemone is horizontal, with many flowers and leaves growing from a common root system. Because of this root system wood anemone can form a carpet of plants.                                                  

Julianne Mehegan at Arches NP

Our guest blogger, Julianne Mehegan, is a wonderful friend of MABA, a birder and a naturalist.

Nature in a Minute: Trail Camera Scavenger Hunt #2

It’s time for the second set of trail cam scavenger hunt videos! If you missed our first, post, here’s the link. This time, we have footage from the vernal pool, the meadow, and out in the forest. Got your list ready? See what you can find! 

Vernal Pool Mysteries

Is that Milly making mischief of one type or another?

Oh dear, what’s in the meadow?

Hop to it!

Nature Notes: May 7, 2020

This blog post complements our weekly virtual lecture called Nature Notes for the residents of Orchard Cove. To learn more about our weekly virtual illustrated lecture series called nature notes, click here.

Support our Bird-A-Thon and Support Our Work at the Museum

Bird-a-Thon is an annual state-wide fundraising and birding event for Mass Audubon that began in 1983. Each spring birders from all over the state raise money to protect the nature of Massachusetts and count as many bird species as they can during a 24-hour period in mid-May. During this challenging time, all the money raised will go directly to supporting our work at the Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon.

Check out Sean Kent’s Bird-A-Thon Page.

Check out Milly the Raccoon’s Bird-A-Thon Page and Blog.

Learn more about Bird Migration

Bird migration is in full swing and many new migrants have been arriving over the past week.

Yellow Warbler photographed on May 3, 2020 in Easton, Massachusetts

Migration Forecasting from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Click here to see amazing migration maps and forecasts at BirdCast
Click here to see the bird migration forecast for May 2020

Study of a Prairie Warbler by Barry Van Dusen

Weather Radar showing Bird Migration over the Florida Keys from February 17, 2020

The Yellow and Green hues represent bird migration being picked up on weather radar.

Annual nocturnal migration patterns from 1995 to 2018

Annual nocturnal migration phenology measured by weather surveillance radar from 1995 to 2018. Measures show the aggregate behavior of hundreds of species.

Click here to see these incredible resources at Colorado State University’s AeroEco Lab that studies Bird Migration, Light Pollution, and more.

SUPPORT OUR WORK and Donate to the Museum of American Bird Art

Hi everybody, each week I (Sean Kent – MABA’s education and camp director) deliver a live online illustrated lecture called Nature Notes for the residents of Orchard Cove in Canton. I love nature and am infinitely curious with what is going on natural world. I am an educator, naturalist, accomplished landscape and wildlife photographer, and field biologist with expertise in native bee biology, species interactions, and ecology in general.

This post contains additional resources that correspond with the lecture, but might also be of interest to readers of Taking Flight in addition to the residents of Orchard Cove. Please contact me ([email protected]) if you or your organization/residence might be interested in live online illustrated lectures, including lectures on The Secret Life of Backyard Birds and Native Bees and other Pollinators. Be well and safe.

Acting Like a Scientist: Rachel Carson and Creating a Nature Journal

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This blog post corresponds with a program for children and their caregivers by the Museum of American Bird Art at Mass Audubon about Rachel Carson, searching for the signs of Spring, and creating a nature journal to record your observations, questions, drawings, and thoughts.

Nature Story Time: Spring after Spring

How can you observe spring like Rachel Carson? 

  • Create a nature journal and explore your neighborhood
    • Draw leaves, seedlings, flowers, insects, landscapes, branches, and anything that you like in nature
    • Write down or draw how certain things in nature make you feel 
    • Write down other observations, questions, and other notes

Create Your Own Nature Journal and
Observe the Natural World like Rachel Carson

Enjoy the following video created and produced by Dan Boudreau, a Terracorp member serving at MABA as a youth education coordinator.


Trail Camera Scavenger Hunt

Check out our fun Trail Camera Scavenger Hunt on the Taking Flight Blog.

Trail Camera Video from a vernal pool at the Museum of American Bird Art

Rachel Carson and Silent Spring

Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, was instrumental with saving many species of animals, especially birds. Here is a blog post about one of the birds that was saved from extinction, the Osprey.

Who doesn’t love dancing birds!!!
This Bird of Paradise also cleans his room too!

Mass Audubon’s Bird of the Day Videos

Discover a different bird species each day in this video series with Joan Walsh from our Conservation Science team!

American Robin

Northern Cardinal

Hear and learn more about a Cardinal Singing

Macaulay Library Curator, Greg Budney, talks about the brilliant song of the Northern Cardinal.
From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Learn more at: https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/built-to-sing-the-syrinx-of-the-northern-cardinal/

SUPPORT OUR WORK and Donate to the Museum of American Bird Art

Nature in a Minute: Trail Camera Scavenger Hunt

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be starting an exciting new activity for kids, families, and all our readers here on the Taking Flight blog: a trail camera scavenger hunt! Every few days, we’ll post videos from cameras around our sanctuary. You’ll get to see cool, close-up views of animals that you might not get to see in person. We might even see some videos of animals that only come out at night! The cameras will be by the vernal pool, our bird feeders, and other places around the sanctuary. Watch closely to find out how many of these things you can see!  

Glowing eye

A splash 

An owl 

A wood duck 

A shaking branch 

A reptile 

A groundhog 

A perching bird 

A raccoon 

A squirrel 

A deer 

A mallard 

A frog 

A flying bird 

A fox 

Here’s the first set of videos: 

Wait for it…

Vernal Pool Mystery

Oh dear…what’s in that tree???

What other cool animals do you think will show up? Check the blog often to find out! 

Nature in a Minute: First flowers of spring – Goldthread

One of the first flowers you’ll notice on your spring walks in the woods is the tiny Goldthread.  The small, three-part leaf of Goldthread hugs the ground. The delicate white flower blooms about three inches above the leaf on a delicate stem.  Coptis trifolia is the Latin name for Goldthread. Coptis comes from the Greek word “to cut”, a reference to the divided leaf. Trifolia means “having three leaves”.

The common name Goldthread is derived from the color of the root.  Scratch down below the leaf to uncover the yellow root.  This is a small section of root I pulled up  and placed on a rock for a better photo.

Julianne Mehegan at Arches NP

Our guest blogger, Julianne Mehegan, is a wonderful friend of MABA, a birder and a naturalist.

Nature in a Minute: Tree Swallow Aerial Acrobatics

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Each year, Tree Swallows migrate back to the Museum and take up residence in the field by the parking lot and in the meadow behind the Museum. In April and May, the Tree Swallow expend their energy competing for nesting sites at our nest boxes. Enjoy this photo essay of two tree swallows and their aerial acrobatics and competition.

SUPPORT OUR WORK and Donate to the Museum of American Bird Art

Nature Notes for Orchard Cove: April 30, 2020

This blog post is complements our weekly virtual lecture called Nature Notes for the residents of Orchard Cove. To learn more about our weekly virtual illustrated lecture series called nature notes, click here.

Signs of Spring: Great Blue Heron Finds Dinner

Great Blue Heron at the Norton Reservoir on April 29, 2020

Useful Links to Learn about Feathers

US Fish and Wildlife Feather Identification Tool

All About Feathers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Feather Iridescence: Anna’s Hummingbird

Videographer: Larry Arbanas. This video is archived at the Cornell Lab’s Macaulay Library, ML466291.

Feathers: Birds of Paradise

The Vogelkop Superb Bird-of-Paradise. From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
In the tropical forests of New Guinea, one male is dedicated to making an unforgettable first impression. From BBC Earth

Hi everybody, each week I (Sean Kent – MABA’s education and camp director) deliver a live online illustrated lecture called Nature Notes for the residents of Orchard Cove in Canton. I love nature and am infinitely curious with what is going on natural world. I am an educator, naturalist, accomplished landscape and wildlife photographer, and field biologist with expertise in native bee biology, species interactions, and ecology in general.

This post contains additional resources that correspond with the lecture, but might also be of interest to readers of Taking Flight in addition to the residents of Orchard Cove. Please contact me ([email protected]) if you or your organization/residence might be interested in live online illustrated lectures, including lectures on The Secret Life of Backyard Birds and Native Bees and other Pollinators. Be well and safe.

Nature in a Minute: Milly’s Bird of the Day – Tree Swallows

Milly’s first bird of the day is one of her favorites, it’s the Tree Swallow! Please help Milly and her Bird-a-Thon team by visiting her fundraising page here.

Tree Swallow perched on a nest box in the meadow at the Museum of American Bird Art.

Tree Swallows are one of the first migrants to return each spring and once they are here, they’re hard to miss. They are masters at flight, with dozens zooming in circles around one another over our meadow, collecting mosquitos, flies, and more with incredible aerial acrobatics. These birds put on mesmerizing flight shows all spring and summer in the meadow right behind the Museum of American Bird Art.

Milly watches these beauties fly over her sanctuary for hours. Tree Swallows are so named because like Milly, they live in trees.

However, since we have cut so many trees down, Milly and other conservationists place nest Boxes throughout fields to provide more homes for these incredible birds. Please help Milly and her Bird-a-Thon team by visiting her fundraising page here.

Owen Cunningham is MABA’s incredible property manager, Bird-a-Thon captain, and most importantly Milly’s caretaker. He is the author of Milly’s Bird of the Day posts.

Nature in a Minute: The Mystery Plants are Revealed: Mystery Plant B

Bush clover (Lespedeza capitate)  
Fabaceae (Pea or Legume Family)

The flower head of bush clover has many hairy bracts surrounding the small white flowers. After blooming the flower heads gradually turn brown.  The Legume family of plants has super powers. 

I grew up on a farm. My grandfather planted Lespedeza in the farm fields on a rotating basis. I learned as a kid that Lespedeza “fixes nitrogen”. Of course, I had no idea then why that was important but I loved to see the fields of clover and thought the name “lespedeza” was just a cool word to say and to write because it had a “z” in it. 

Now I know why a plant that “fixes nitrogen” is so important.  Inorganic nitrogen compounds are required for biosynthesis. Legumes convert nitrogen molecules in the air into chemical compounds such as amino acids and transfer them to the soil. Without this soil enrichment of Lespedeza food crops like tomatoes, beans and carrots would not grow well.

Lespedeza is also useful in Scrabble, because of that ‘Z”.

Julianne Mehegan at Arches NP

Our guest blogger, Julianne Mehegan, is a wonderful friend of MABA, a birder and a naturalist.