Wildlife in Harvard Square
Beautiful (and scary).
On an English Muffin this morning I had some honey made by our neighbor’s bees. Last summer we would watch the swarm descend onto our horse pasture.
Today I saw a (male) bullfinch. Hey, it’s not a goddamn eagle or a flamingo or whatever else has been reported upthread, but c’mon we don’t get those guys round these parts*. 
Finches have been under the cosh round here because of trichomonosis (sample article) so I was very pleased to see him - a very pretty little bird.
He flew over the trail I was cycling on and landed on a branch just three or four feet away from me, so a very easy ID.
j
* - Speaking of birds we don’t get round these parts: I was driving back from work one evening, through a rural Sussex village, a decade or more ago, and I saw a stork take off into the twilight from somebody’s roof. This is so remarkable that I rang it in to our local bird protection people, who told me that they had straightjackets and they were quite prepared to use them. (In so many words).
Two days later and four or five miles away, a stork was picked up, having escaped from a private collection some thirty or forty miles away. So that’s a toldya.
Off topic, but thanks for teaching me a new Britishism today!
I think bullfinches are way nicer than storks anyhow.
Yesterday I saw a currawong. They resemble ravens, but have white patches, and are related to Aus magpies. I’ve never seen one before, they aren’t very common around where I live, and I think this one was actually a Tasmanian native, not a Victorian one.
(a) Oops…
(b) …happy to be of service
j
We’ve been at peace with our raccoons the past few years. Then, last night, they fired an opening salvo across our bow, destroying two bird feeders.
Tonight I’ll begin setting a havahart trap, relocating the offender(s). We are cool with them living in our barn, but when they come up to the house and disrespect us, well.
Once a week, my commute takes me past a lake, which is more of a large pond than a lake. Last week I saw two trumpeter swans gliding through the water. We don’t normally see these birds in this area of Minnesota. Today when I went past, I noticed one of them sitting on a large nest. I hope that within the next few weeks, I’ll be able to see some babies!
I saw a black bear yesterday on Skyline Drive, today it’s been hummingbirds at the feeder.
Sorry to double post, but Today In Nature I just saw a black snake when if fell out of the rafters in the shed and landed on my neck. Today in Nature, my dog saw me scream like a little kid.
Can’t blame you, that’s a freakin’ nightmare!
P.S. - Is the snake okay?
I assume so, it hit the floor and slithered off. Any time I go in that shed, I pound on the door to give critters a chance to clear out, we had a deal snake.
I had a torpid garter snake fall on me a few years ago. We got a late frost and I was taking plants from the sunroom back out to the patio. As I opened the door, the snake fell from the grapevines overhead.
Yeah, I screamed like a kid. The snake laid there for a few minutes in the sun, then got its act together and slithered.
I’ve got a red shoulder hawk that likes to perch on my back deck. Here he is right outside my office window, maybe 8-10 feet from me:
So cool!
Yeah, I’ve named him Stompy. He likes to walk back and forth along that rail, gripping with those big talons as he peers out looking for prey, and he far from quiet doing it. Stomp stomp stomp.
Wow, synchronicity: he just now went stomping past my home office window. Twice. Right to left, then left to right. Maybe six feet from me. I can tell he sees me, he slows down as he passes my window. I’m very careful not to move a muscle to not spook him. It’s damned near impossible to snap a picture, he’d fly away if I reached for my phone. I got really lucky with the shot above.
That’s amazing! S/he must have figured out you are kindred spirits.