Category Archives: Nature Notes

Last Month in Birding: February 2015

We’re excited to announce a new blog feature that highlights some of the previous month’s most interesting bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Here are five discoveries from February.

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) x Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) Hybrid

A hybrid of these two species appeared in the Annisquam River in Gloucester. Bearing a mix of characteristics, it is an intriguing and very unusual duck; not only do its parents belong to different species, but they also belong to two different scientific genera. Previously suspected hybrids of these birds have occasionally appeared in other parts of the country, including New York and Minnesota.

Common goldeneye x hooded merganser hybrid © Richard S. Heil

Common goldeneye x hooded merganser hybrid © Richard S. Heil

Male common goldeneye (left) and male hooded merganser (right). Credits NPS and R Mosco

Male common goldeneye (left) and male hooded merganser (right). Credits NPS and R Mosco

Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides)

This pale gull with white wingtips breeds in the high Arctic and typically winters in small numbers along the Atlantic Coast of the United States as far south as the mid-Atlantic states. Birdwatchers noted a major influx of these birds following the severe cold spell in February. Frostier temperatures further north may have pushed somewhat greater numbers than usual into southern New England. For example, over 130 were tallied in one day in East Gloucester alone.

Iceland gull © Ryan Schain

Iceland gull in Winthrop © Ryan Schain

Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)

This medium-sized waterbird has a sharp, slender, yellowish beak and a white chin. It is seldom spotted inland during this season; recently, however, one was seen at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord. Cold temperatures are likely to blame for its presence here: the hapless bird was likely frozen out of a large inland water body such as one of the Great Lakes or Lake Champlain.

Red-necked grebe CC BY 2.0 by Fyn Kynd

Red-necked grebe (photo taken in Maine) CC BY 2.0 by Fyn Kynd

Pacific Loon (Gavia pacifica)

This bird is smaller than our more familiar common loon, and in winter often displays a dark chinstrap, a more rounded head, and a sharper contrast between the dark sides of its neck and the white of its throat. This species breeds in the Arctic, and, true to its name, it is mostly seen on the Pacific Ocean. It is an unusual but not unheard-of visitor to the Massachusetts coast. This winter, one was spotted and photographed at Cathedral Ledge in Rockport.

Pacific loon in Rockport © Got Birds?

Pacific loon in Rockport © Flickr user Got Birds?

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulous)

Two waxwing species can be seen in the northeast: the smaller and more common cedar waxwing, which breeds in Massachusetts, and the larger Bohemian waxwing, which breeds in Canada and the northwestern US. The Bohemian waxwing is an erratic winter visitor that only rarely appears in the Commonwealth. A small influx of Bohemian waxwings began taking place early in the month. Keep an eye out for a larger and grayer waxwing with rusty feathers under the tail amid flocks of the more common cedar waxwings.

Bohemian waxwing in Quincy © Steven Whitebread

Bohemian waxwing in Quincy © Steven Whitebread

Wildlife in Winter: Where Are They Now?

How do animals that lack thick fluffy fur, such as frogs or insects, survive the winter? No matter how high the snow piles up, these creatures still somehow manage to appear in abundance in the spring. Here’s where they are right now.

Frogs

Wood Frog

Wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus)

Take a look at a frozen pond or forest floor. Believe it or not, frogs abound. Some, such as American bullfrogs, sit on the mud at the bottom of their ponds. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t bury themselves completely, since they need to absorb the water’s oxygen with their skin.

Others stay on land, hiding in crevices or burrowing underground. Wood frogs have a potent natural antifreeze and can survive temperatures as low as -20°F. Learn more about frogs

Bees

European honeybee (Apis mellifera) by Flickr user e_monk

European honeybee (Apis mellifera) by Flickr user e_monk

Those flower visitors are alive and well—just hidden. They overwinter in sheltered places such as under logs, inside dried stems, or in underground burrows. For most social bees—those that form colonies—only the fertilized queens live through the winter.

Come spring, they’ll give birth to a whole new crowd of workers to build and care for the hive. European honeybees are the exception. The whole colony stays alive all winter, with individuals grouping together and vibrating their muscles to stay warm. They constantly move so that the warmest bees from the inside of the cluster switch places with the colder bees on the outside. Learn more about bees

Butterflies and Moths

Mourning Cloak

Mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Monarch butterflies famously fly south in the fall, but most of our local moths and butterflies stay put. So where are they? The adults of many species are long gone, but their offspring are safely tucked away in nooks and crannies.

They may overwinter as eggs, caterpillars, or pupae (in protective cocoons or chrysalises). Incredibly, some fully-fledged adults do persist. Mourning cloak butterflies, for example, find sheltered places, often under tree bark. Like many insects, they produce natural antifreeze-like chemicals that help them avoid the damaging effects of ice. Learn more about butterflies

Turtles

Eastern box turtle

Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina)

Surface-dwelling turtles such as eastern box turtles hibernate in shallow burrows. Aquatic turtles may burrow into mud. Why don’t they suffocate? Their bodily processes slow down dramatically so that they need less oxygen.

Also, they are able to “breathe at both ends,” absorbing this important gas through their throats and anuses. As the weather warms, turtles slowly emerge, basking in the sunlight when it’s warm enough. Visit a pond on the first bright days of spring and you’ll see them soaking up the rays. Learn more about turtles