Harvard Campus Nature Watch - May 2011
My favorite selection:
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS dip and dive all along the Charles, feasting on alewives and other anadromous fish. One tries to perch on the submerged tree branch near Newell Boathouse, but has trouble perching with its paddle-feet and flops over backwards into the water.
EASTERN COYOTES forage near Radcliffe Quad. See Harvard Crimson article here:
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/4/26/coyotes-between-late-weve/
ALEWIVES swim upstream to spawn and break water as they chase and court each other beside Larz Anderson Bridge.
CARP, at least two feet long, hovers with head down, nibbling tidbits near shore beside Weld Boat House. Its tailfin languishes at the surface, sweeping lazily back and forth.
Lively male AMERICAN REDSTART stakes out territory in the large seckel pear tree behind Harvard Magazine.
HOUSE SPARROWS convene by the score in the new JAPANESE PAGODA TREE by Grays Hall and adorn it with their presence, looking like large pussy willow buds.
RED-TAILED HAWK circles over the Old Yard where YardFest had been held, then lands high up in a tree… red-taileds circle very high above the Old Yard and screech to each other.
WHITE PINE behind Loeb House hosts territorial red-tailed hawk nest, not active; hawk perches
down midway peering at human gawkers…
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET forages in the crab apple on the roof of Pusey.
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH sings in a tree in the Sever Quadrangle before flying off toward Robinson.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW kicks and forages on the Loeb lawn next to a JUNCO.
INJURED RED-TAILED RETURNS TO CAMPUS: Cambridge Cable TV announced and showed that the injured red-tailed female hawk picked up from Oxford Street, which was thought to be the mother which abandoned three eggs on the nest on Maxwell Dworkin, was judged to be rehabilitated by Tufts Wildlife and was released in Cambridge. Tufts presented the boxed-but-kick-ng raptor to the custody of Susan Moses, a Cambridge resident who works at Harvard School of Public Health. At 12:45 PM Saturday, on the grass in front of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Susan opened the box and the hawk flew out like a champ, quickly landing on the white pine tree (spared during construction with considerable care) of the LISE building across the street, where its 2010 nest was located. The releasers noticed a new metal band on the recovered hawk. (NATURE WATCHERS, IF YOU SEE A BANDED RED-TAILED HAWK, PLEASE LET US KNOW time and location so we can monitor the recovery process). The hawk surely knew it was home. Soon after that our released hawk and two other hawks were soaring overhead, often bumping each other and, finally, locking talons and spinning in an amazing aerobatic spiral. Susan didn’t know whether the talon-locking was between the recoveree and a rival contesting each other for the affections of the male, or the male greeting his long-lost love. See photos of the amazing release, including a photo in which Tufts’s new band can be seen on the right leg of the recovered hawk:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/185redtails/attachments/folder/822038886/item/1945918373/view?picmode=medium&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&dir=asc
Later the same day of release of the recovered red-tailed, two hawks were seen side-by-side on University Hall. They were seen later on the other side of the new territorial nest at Loeb.
Red-tailed hawk lies in some ground cover under a Japanese maple tree at Harvard University Press’s Fernald Street garden. With one wing sticking out at an odd angle, hawk appears injured, but watchers eventually realize hawk is shielding a recently-expired gray squirrel from a compatriot roosting in the trees above. A local blue jay and robin sounded vigorous warning calls, though obviously too late to help the hapless squirrel.
Red-tailed hawk lands in a tree in front of the Dana Palmer House stays there for a few minutes, to the delight of viewers.
WILD TURKEY trots through the Agassiz neighborhood at the begining of May.
MOCKINGBIRD flies from the Pusey rooftop to Sever Hall; the next day, it walks and forages on the grass roof, perching on the roof railing before flying to the Barker Center; another mocker sings on the roof of Busch Hall.
CHIMNEY SWIFTS soar high over the Newell Boathouse.
GREAT BLUE HERON makes slow, dignified flaps high over Pforzheimer House, squawking resoundingly over the quiet Saturday morning city on its way towards Alewife Reservoir; another great blue flies south over Harvard Stadium on Commencement Day.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS dip and dive all along the Charles, feasting on alewives and other anadromous fish. One tries to perch on the submerged tree branch near Newell Boathouse, but has trouble perching with its paddle-feet and flops over backwards into the water.
KILLDEER family nesting on the roof of 114 Western Avenue hatch and fledge, moving out with student undergraduates.
Male HOUSE FINCH sings loudly in a tall tree at the corner of Boylston and Widener.
Male and female CARDINALS bathe in the well-maintained Busch Hall courtyard bird bath.
A pair of resident BLUE JAYS bully a ROBIN pulling EARTHWORMS among the lilac bushes outside Harvard University Press on Robinson Street. After the robin gives up and flies off, the jays fly off in another direction.
BUMBLE BEE buzzes among the blossoms of the crabapples on Pusey and a cabbage butterfly
flits there over the bushes; two more bumblers work in the tiny yellow-green flowers of the two evergreen bushes at either corner of Wadsworth, facing Grays Hall, that will yield the red berries the Mockingbird likes.
The red clusters of the BUCKEYE tree opposite Holyoke Center are still in lovely bloom on Commencement Day.
REDBUD trees by the Quincy Street gate and by Matthews are in lovely bloom.
ELMS (both English and American) drop their samara oats and pennies in swirling blizzards above Class Day tent in Malkin Athletic Center Quad.
LILACS at Busch Hall shed their fragrant blossoms, but the rose bushes are budding and promise abundant blooms in June.
CHERRY tree is in full deep pink bloom in front of Loeb House.
MAGNOLIAS bloom at Grays, Mathews, Boylston and Wadsworth, plus two very tall ones by Thayer facing Memorial Chapel.
Carpet of purple VIOLETS bloom on the side of Loeb House and a Junco flies about in front where the tulips, hibiscus, delight passers-by.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS dip and dive all along the Charles, feasting on alewives and other anadromous fish. One tries to perch on the submerged tree branch near Newell Boathouse, but has trouble perching with its paddle-feet and flops over backwards into the water.
EASTERN COYOTES forage near Radcliffe Quad. See Harvard Crimson article here:
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/4/26/coyotes-between-late-weve/
ALEWIVES swim upstream to spawn and break water as they chase and court each other beside Larz Anderson Bridge.
CARP, at least two feet long, hovers with head down, nibbling tidbits near shore beside Weld Boat House. Its tailfin languishes at the surface, sweeping lazily back and forth.
Lively male AMERICAN REDSTART stakes out territory in the large seckel pear tree behind Harvard Magazine.
HOUSE SPARROWS convene by the score in the new JAPANESE PAGODA TREE by Grays Hall and adorn it with their presence, looking like large pussy willow buds.
RED-TAILED HAWK circles over the Old Yard where YardFest had been held, then lands high up in a tree… red-taileds circle very high above the Old Yard and screech to each other.
WHITE PINE behind Loeb House hosts territorial red-tailed hawk nest, not active; hawk perches
down midway peering at human gawkers…
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET forages in the crab apple on the roof of Pusey.
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH sings in a tree in the Sever Quadrangle before flying off toward Robinson.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW kicks and forages on the Loeb lawn next to a JUNCO.
INJURED RED-TAILED RETURNS TO CAMPUS: Cambridge Cable TV announced and showed that the injured red-tailed female hawk picked up from Oxford Street, which was thought to be the mother which abandoned three eggs on the nest on Maxwell Dworkin, was judged to be rehabilitated by Tufts Wildlife and was released in Cambridge. Tufts presented the boxed-but-kick-ng raptor to the custody of Susan Moses, a Cambridge resident who works at Harvard School of Public Health. At 12:45 PM Saturday, on the grass in front of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, Susan opened the box and the hawk flew out like a champ, quickly landing on the white pine tree (spared during construction with considerable care) of the LISE building across the street, where its 2010 nest was located. The releasers noticed a new metal band on the recovered hawk. (NATURE WATCHERS, IF YOU SEE A BANDED RED-TAILED HAWK, PLEASE LET US KNOW time and location so we can monitor the recovery process). The hawk surely knew it was home. Soon after that our released hawk and two other hawks were soaring overhead, often bumping each other and, finally, locking talons and spinning in an amazing aerobatic spiral. Susan didn’t know whether the talon-locking was between the recoveree and a rival contesting each other for the affections of the male, or the male greeting his long-lost love. See photos of the amazing release, including a photo in which Tufts’s new band can be seen on the right leg of the recovered hawk:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/185redtails/attachments/folder/822038886/item/1945918373/view?picmode=medium&mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&dir=asc
Later the same day of release of the recovered red-tailed, two hawks were seen side-by-side on University Hall. They were seen later on the other side of the new territorial nest at Loeb.
Red-tailed hawk lies in some ground cover under a Japanese maple tree at Harvard University Press’s Fernald Street garden. With one wing sticking out at an odd angle, hawk appears injured, but watchers eventually realize hawk is shielding a recently-expired gray squirrel from a compatriot roosting in the trees above. A local blue jay and robin sounded vigorous warning calls, though obviously too late to help the hapless squirrel.
Red-tailed hawk lands in a tree in front of the Dana Palmer House stays there for a few minutes, to the delight of viewers.
WILD TURKEY trots through the Agassiz neighborhood at the begining of May.
MOCKINGBIRD flies from the Pusey rooftop to Sever Hall; the next day, it walks and forages on the grass roof, perching on the roof railing before flying to the Barker Center; another mocker sings on the roof of Busch Hall.
CHIMNEY SWIFTS soar high over the Newell Boathouse.
GREAT BLUE HERON makes slow, dignified flaps high over Pforzheimer House, squawking resoundingly over the quiet Saturday morning city on its way towards Alewife Reservoir; another great blue flies south over Harvard Stadium on Commencement Day.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS dip and dive all along the Charles, feasting on alewives and other anadromous fish. One tries to perch on the submerged tree branch near Newell Boathouse, but has trouble perching with its paddle-feet and flops over backwards into the water.
KILLDEER family nesting on the roof of 114 Western Avenue hatch and fledge, moving out with student undergraduates.
Male HOUSE FINCH sings loudly in a tall tree at the corner of Boylston and Widener.
Male and female CARDINALS bathe in the well-maintained Busch Hall courtyard bird bath.
A pair of resident BLUE JAYS bully a ROBIN pulling EARTHWORMS among the lilac bushes outside Harvard University Press on Robinson Street. After the robin gives up and flies off, the jays fly off in another direction.
BUMBLE BEE buzzes among the blossoms of the crabapples on Pusey and a cabbage butterfly
flits there over the bushes; two more bumblers work in the tiny yellow-green flowers of the two evergreen bushes at either corner of Wadsworth, facing Grays Hall, that will yield the red berries the Mockingbird likes.
The red clusters of the BUCKEYE tree opposite Holyoke Center are still in lovely bloom on Commencement Day.
REDBUD trees by the Quincy Street gate and by Matthews are in lovely bloom.
ELMS (both English and American) drop their samara oats and pennies in swirling blizzards above Class Day tent in Malkin Athletic Center Quad.
LILACS at Busch Hall shed their fragrant blossoms, but the rose bushes are budding and promise abundant blooms in June.
CHERRY tree is in full deep pink bloom in front of Loeb House.
MAGNOLIAS bloom at Grays, Mathews, Boylston and Wadsworth, plus two very tall ones by Thayer facing Memorial Chapel.
Carpet of purple VIOLETS bloom on the side of Loeb House and a Junco flies about in front where the tulips, hibiscus, delight passers-by.