Wildlife Watch is a series of monthly stories by Honorary Director Marian Harman. Marian has been writing these since 1990! We’re delighted to feature her new stories here to share with you!
August 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Do you have a large glass window or slider at your house? If so, chances are you have seen a bird strike that glass at some time. If the bird is lucky, it will just stun itself, perhaps need a few minutes to “come to” and then fly off. Sometimes, though, the bird is killed … Continue reading August 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
July 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Most of us enjoy seeing cottontail rabbit families in our yards (unless they are nibbling on our lettuce, of course). They’re definitely cute. The bunnies we see in our yard are almost certainly the hybrid Eastern Cottontail. The “real” New England Cottontail has become threatened here due to loss of habitat. It is very difficult … Continue reading July 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
June 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
While working in your yard this summer, you might want to identify the plants and determine if they are native or non-native species. Many non-native invasive plants are outcompeting our native plants with disastrous consequences for our native birds. Non-native honeysuckles are particularly problematic. National Wildlife Federation encourages us to remove them. Fruit eating birds … Continue reading June 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
May 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
If you are trying to tread lightly on the earth, and reduce your carbon footprint, one of the most effective steps you can take is to eliminate palm oil from your life. Palm oil is cheap to produce and is shelf-stable, so is the oil of choice for many companies. But, palm oil production has … Continue reading May 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
March 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
To eat a healthy diet, you need to eat organic. That is the message from the Cornucopia Institute (www://cornucopia.org). But the consumer needs to be careful, because not everything labeled “organic” is truly healthy or humane. The Cornucopia Institute is a non-profit, based in Wisconsin, which does research and investigation into agricultural and food issues. … Continue reading March 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
February 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
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, … Continue reading February 2017 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
December 2016 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Happy New Year! At this time of year I like to review the reports to Westford Wildlife Watch from the past year. In 2016, fifty-three residents and one elementary school from all over town sent in flora and fauna reports, some monthly, and others only once or twice. Altogether, there were 2123 different reports. That’s … Continue reading December 2016 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
November 2016 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
At this season, our native trees are on full display. We notice some are still lovely in their fall foliage, especially the oaks which tend to hold on to their leaves long into winter. Other deciduous trees are now bare and displaying beautiful branching patterns we may not notice when they are covered in leaves. … Continue reading November 2016 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
October 2016 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
As fall and winter approach, birders are thinking about keeping our birds fed in the cold weather. Many bird lovers in Westford note down the different species and numbers we see, and many of you report your findings to Westford Wildlife Watch, so that we can all read and enjoy them. An additional way to … Continue reading October 2016 – Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Westford Wildlife Watch, September 2016 – Marian Harman
Farmland is disappearing in Massachusetts. In response to open space loss, about ten years ago, the Mass Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, developed a continually updated document titled the Smart Growth Tool Kit. The Tool Kit website states, “We are losing agricultural lands and farming opportunities at an alarming rate….over 16,000 acres of … Continue reading Westford Wildlife Watch, September 2016 – Marian Harman
Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
Marian’s Wildlife Watch Blog Probably you are discouraged by the severe drought we are having in the northeast. It’s hard on our yards and gardens, and especia lly hard on wildlife, which need extra water put out at our bird feeders to survive. But there is one very big upside of the drought from my … Continue reading Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman
August 2016 – Wildlife Watch
Westford Wildlife by Marian Harman Probably you are discouraged by the severe drought we are having in the northeast. It’s hard on our yards and gardens, and especially hard on wildlife, which need extra water put out at our bird feeders to survive. But there is one very big upside of the drought from my … Continue reading August 2016 – Wildlife Watch
July 2016 – Wildlife Watch
How are the birds doing in North America? To answer that question, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, a consortium of forty conservation organizations and government agencies has just published an important new document titled “The State of North America’s Birds”. More than 350 species of our migratory birds, such as the gray catbird, Baltimore … Continue reading July 2016 – Wildlife Watch
June 2016 Wildlife Watch – Marian Harman
Last fall was a huge “mast” year in Westford. In other words, there were a lot of acorns on the ground. We predicted that there would be a lot of chipmunks this spring as a result of the abundant food source, and that prediction has certainly been realized. “Lots of chipmunks” would be an understatement. … Continue reading June 2016 Wildlife Watch – Marian Harman
Ravens are making a comeback
May 2016 Wildlife Watch by Marian Harman Ravens are making a comeback in eastern New England, specifically in Nashua, NH and Westford. This spring, and for the past few years, ravens have been nesting under an overhang at the Lowe’s store in Nashua, and in the Westford Highway Department’s salt storage shed. This is great … Continue reading Ravens are making a comeback
Trails at Lakeside Meadows
by Marian Harman Lakeside Meadows, a subdivision built in 1995, on an approximately one hundred acre hayfield, abuts Lake Nabnasset and Shipley Swamp. Because of the sensitivity of the land, so close to water, the subdivision was carefully planned to retain as much open space as possible. Lakeside Meadows includes sixty-eight acres of conservation land, … Continue reading Trails at Lakeside Meadows