Wildlife Watch

It might not come as a big surprise when I say that Henry David Thoreau is my favorite author. This winter I have been re-reading much of his work. I have discovered some new essays I didn’t know about in a book titled Thoreau: Collected Essays and Poems, edited by Elizabeth Hall Witherell. One of … Read more

Farmland is disappearing in Massachusetts. We are losing agricultural lands and farming opportunities at an alarming rate. To try to stem the tide of farmland loss, the Mass Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) established the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program in 1979. It was a first-in-the-nation model for many other states. The MDAR website states, … Read more

In December, seven bobcats were reported to this column by Westford residents. Though we have been seeing bobcats in Westford since 1995, seven sightings in one month is an unusually high number. In 1995, there was one report of one animal, then no reports for many years. Between 2007 and the present, there have been … Read more

Happy New Year! 2018 was a good year for Westford wildlife watchers. Fifty-six residents sent in 1371 flora and fauna reports. Each month saw some interesting sightings. January was cold and snowy, but nevertheless blackbirds, both red-winged blackbirds and cowbirds returned to Westford on January 20. A flying squirrel was seen on Pine Hill Rd. … Read more

The 2018 weather has been the most extreme many of us in the United States and even in Europe have ever experienced. In fact, instead of global warming, the climate change we are seeing is being called by scientists “global weirding”. It is thought that the extremes of cold and snow we experienced this winter … Read more