FALL - - - WINTER
View of the river and the back of our house in different seasons from canoe.
To learn more about the Assabet River check out OAR - the Organization for the Assabet River
Lawn We have a household policy when it comes to the lawn; if it is green we call it grass,
if we can mow it we call it lawn.
Creatures We have seen many creatures in our wanderings in and around the river, both great and small. We fervently watch from inside the house,
during our walks, and while canoeing up river. I have no experience in fauna and flora identification, but I am fairly confident
that I can tell a squirrel from a hawk. For assistance in harder identifications I mostly use the Audobon Guide for New England. On
the web I also use enature.com If you are sure of an alternative identification for any of the
critters pictured below, feel free to let me know.
FAUNA
Beaver There are at least 2 beaver that live on our bend of the river. We have come across trees so freshly cut down that there
are wood chips on the ground. We have seen beaver swimming, tracks complete with dragged tail markings, and occassionally see one
fully out of the river on a land or a rock. When he turned and slapped his wide flat tail on the water and then dove in there was
no mistaking his identification. Recently (Feb 09) we saw a pair of beaver right by the house. We think they are a mating pair. They have started work
pulling down a fairly large tree at the bottom of the hill.
Muskrat there are also 2 muskrat living near-by. We see them regularly swimming in the water, once with a fish in its mouth.
If we are lucky we come across one while canoeing, with regular spottings as we both move upriver. Recently while canoeing (July 08) I was at the edge
photographing a frog, when a muskrat surfaced only about 4' away. My canoe was still and he had no idea I was there. I got off a few shots, but
because there were a lot of branches overhanging, the shots aren't great. After about a minute he dove and swam away.
Skunk In addition to the occasional surprise visit to the back door of an adult, last August (07) we found a baby
skunk in the back yard. We played with him for a while and watched him wander around the back yard rooting for grubs.
We only saw him once and hope it is because he found his mom. The last picture was taken at night (March 09) and shows the happy beneficiary of
Robert's chicken carcass.
Racoons present in any neighborhood. We blame these guys when we find the trash strewn all over the yard. There are
also tons of tracks down by the river s edge.
Deer We see many deer tracks on our walks in the woods, especially by the water. Sometimes we come across a trampled
path in the grassy areas with tracks. Once while canoeing I rounded a bend and there was a large male standing in the
middle of the river about 30 feet away. We stared at each other for a few seconds and he bounded across and away. Doe
and fawn sightings are not uncommon in late summer. Yesterday (June 08), I saw a doe at the water s edge near where I
was reading in the back yard. The boys and I watched her walk and then bound across the river into the woods on the
other side. I love my flower bulbs, so luckily we have never seen them up on our yard.
Wood chuck once in a great while we spot a wood chuck hanging out stereotypically by the wood pile or near the shed.
Since we have only had 2 sightings in several summers, we assume he took up residence somewhere else.
Squirrels - No animal shall be left out. We have trees, its New England, we have squirrels in abundance. Our favorite is an almost
black squirrel who hangs out in the back yard. In the winter we throw crumbs and scraps out the back door. If you don't move too much inside you can watch them through the back door.
Possum - Zachary spotted a possum out the back door chowing on the meat scraps we left outside (March 09). He was gone too fast for picture snapping,
but counts none the less.
Meadow Jumping Mouse - a saw two of these creatures while mowing the lawn (July 08). No I didn't run over him. In chasing him to pick him up
I noticed that he hopped rather than ran. Even I know rabbits are bigger than this.
When I picked him up, I noted the very strange back feet. A quick perusal of my Audobon Society field guide led me to Meadow Jumping Mouse.
This appears to be a juvinile.
Moles We know there are moles in our yard because in early spring when the snows melt or I start removing the last
fall's leaves we find these great trails.
Red Winged Blackbird I have seen this guy only once in our back yard (photo is from Great Meadows), but it made quite the impression.
I was sitting in the backyard talking to a friend. The bird started flying toward us from across the yard at about 10 feet. The background was all
green/yellow from the grass and new leaves on the trees, and then there was this bird who was matt black and with every wing flap there were
two primary red patches that flashed at me. At about 10 feet away he pulled up and went into a tree. I had stopped talking and hung there
with my mouth open.
Canada Geese A bird again common in New England, Canada Geese hang out in the river all winter long if it doesn t freeze
over. In spring we get to watch families swimming around with their goslings. It is not uncommon for there to be a few nests on
the muddy stretch near our yard. Luckily they also rarely come up on our yard. Last spring (07) they came by when the
river was at it s highest about 2 feet below the edge of our property.
Great Blue Heron There are a couple of wonderful blue heron that live along our stretch of the river.
We only ever see them singly, but believe there may be three of them.
It is a beautiful and majestic creature as it flies over you while you canoe along. Every once in a while we spot him in our backyard, usually on very
wet days.
Blue herons are very large and have prominent bone structure. It is easy to believe
that they and pterodactyls are close cousins.
Ducks Mallard ducks and a few Wood ducks hang out on the river fairly late into the winter. We have a few Mallard
ducklings with their families last spring (08).This year (March 09) we spotted a this mating pair checking out the hill for a place to nest.
We wish them the best of luck.
Wild Turkies - These goofie looking birds have made quite the comback. I don't ever remember seeing
a wild one while growing up and now they are everywhere, or at least at every exit ramp not occupied
by Canada geese. Robert came back from a canoe ride one evening (June 07) and asked me if I knew
that wild turkies could fly. I said that I hadn't really thought about it. Either had he, but
now he knew they could because he had seen half a dozen of them half way up a tree along side the
river. Recently (Aug 08) I saw the hen below and her three poults (yes I had to look that up) in our back yard. They are not clever birds
and I was able to follow them from about 20 feet away snapping pictures as they slowly wandered along the edge of our yard.
Ruby Throated Hummingbird I realize that everyone else on the planet sees hummingbirds in the wild daily. I saw my first one
last summer (Aug 08). I was sitting at the computer and saw a female Ruby Throated Hummingbird eating/drinking from a flower on the Wigeria
bush that is planted out front. It was very cool, looking exactly like they do in the nature shows, hovering in the air and sticking its beak
into the flowers. I looked up hummingbirds in my Audobon book and since there is only one listed for New England I assume I got the right one.
Next mission is to get a photo.
Double Crested Cormorant I saw this bird for the first time on the river in August of 08. There are nesting boxes for them at Great
Meadows where we see them regularly hanging out on top of the box. I wasn't sure what it was at first, but took pictures, and used my Audobon
book to identify it back at home. It's strongest feature is the orange hooked beak. When taking off it skimmed across the water loooking as
though it wouldn't be able to lift off. At one point it floated on the water with it's body so low it seemed to have sunk into the river.
Northern Cardinal - A first taste of spring. This guy hangs out in the bushes just outside our back door.
This shot was taken through the glass door this February.
Downy Woodpecker - This male was also seen out the back door this February.
Snakes usually of the general garter snake variety we come across snakes every so often. They are about 12 to 18 inches
long, black or dark green, sometimes with a stripe or a band by the head. The most common place to find them is hiding out
under the turned over canoe. These are pictures of a Common Garter Snake.
Turtles we have a variety of turtles living in the river. There s a very large snapping turtle with almost a two foot
shell that has come way too close to the canoe a couple of times. The other day (June 08) Robert
looked out our bedroom windows and could see him swimming in the river. The water level was
very low and clear, but still, it is a good distance so he must be pretty big.
There are also smaller snapping turtles and painted turtles. In
past summers our next door neighbor has had a snapping turtle nest in her back yard and we have spotted the babies making
their way to the river. This year we have a painted turtle nest in our back yard that we are trying to protect. We came
upon the mom diligently digging away this weekend (June 08).
Because of our proximity to wetlands we made a conscious decision to use no pesticides or fertilizers on our property; on the lawn or on
gardens. So, if you come to our backyard and think it looks a bit patchy, it's not, we are just environmentally friendly.
Painted Turtles
Carp - Robert has spotted groupings of 12 to 18 inch fish which appear to be carp. The river gets very shallow in mid August, which should make for an interesting time for them. There are also some sort of fresh water mollusks.
Trout - This spring (08) the river was stocked with trout for the first time in ages. Fishermen come down and park across from us and make their way into the river. It is a catch and release program we are hoping has much success.
Monarch Butterfly
Dragon Flies I love dragon flies, they are so magical looking with their shimmering colors and effortless flight. There are many dragon and damselflies on the river by us. This became less surprising when I found out they eat mosquitos. They are great fun to photograph because they tend to keep returning to the same spot to alight. With patience, I can usually get a good shot.
Common Whitetail Dragonfly
Twelve Spotted Skimmer Dragonfly
Widow Skimmer Dragonfly
Yellow Legged Meadowhawk Dragonfly
Blue Dasher Dragonfly
Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly
Ebony Jewel Wing
Spreadwing Damselfly
Northern Bluet Damselfly
A Damselfly?
Insects Bugs and their Ilk
Elusive Critters - If you look over the list of creatures above, you will notice that there are almost no predators, but lots of good eating. We assume that there are many predators about that we just haven't seen. We can hear an owl hooting in the back yard. We see bats darting across the twilight sky in the summer. We know that there are coyotes in the area. I have heard them twice at night and I saw two at the capped landfill on Route 2 in November of 2004. We saw some large bird of prey on the river one weekend (June 08) probably a hawk. Robert loves to watch hawks flying along by the high way. He has the somewhat disconcerting habit of doing this while he is the one driving.
FLORA
I have this talent for discovering the mundane. Almost every flowering plant I have photographed has turned out to have Common or Weed in it's name. Sometimes both.
Pickerel Weed - grows all along the water's edge near us. Not a very nice name for such a nice looking plant.
Purple Loosestrife A serious invasive species in these parts. It takes over wetlands driving out the native plants, but darn the stuff is pretty. In mid to late summer there are waving fields of purple flowers. There is a bunch of it on the mudflat between us and the river. We try and stomp it down when ever we head out to the canoe, but eventually it wins.
Blue Vervain
Common Jewelweed
Duck Weed
Hedge Bindweed
Indian Pipe
Jimson Weed
Swamp Milkweed
Cardinal Flower
Sun Flower I planted the sunflowers, so strictly speaking they don't belong here. But it's hard to ignore an 8' tall flower.
Mushrooms and Their Kin
ACTIVITIES - there are a variety of activities we do on and near the river.
Canoeing Naturally we canoe. Late spring is the best
time for it, once the river melts. Into July it is generally too shallow. We borrowed a canoe and a kayak for a while
and finally were at the right yard sale, at the right time and bought our own canoe. Hanukah (06) Robert bought me
a kayak paddle. I find it easier to use a kayak paddle even for canoeing. I like the even pull on both shoulders.
Sometimes in the summer I take the boys and we just walk up the middle of the river. Unfortunately it is not clean enough
to swim in, but it is still a fun time.
This summer (08) with the insane amounts of rain I have been able to continue canoeing into August.
Earth Day Floats The boys were so impressed with the natural floats at Earth Day that one year they made one of their own. We launched it and watched from the bridge over Main Street as it came through the dam at Damon Mill. Robert made the point that it would have been even cooler if we had set it on fire. I agree, but we make our neighbors nervous enough as it is.
Tree House After a short pause to recover from a pulled back and after three years of begging from Jared, Robert has finally built a tree house. It spans two trees near the river. The supporting beam was actually pulled out of the river this spring (08). He finished it just in time for Jared to go off to sleep away camp!
Walking There is a pretty good path along the river on our side which runs about ¾ of a mile. It is fun to hike in all season and is where we spot many fresh animal tracks. The boys love to climb random trees and have their picture taken. The land right at the bottom of the hill by us we call Mud Island. It is submerged during the spring rains and reappears in late April. Over the next few months it dries out and becomes walkable land. Geese and ducks nest here. Raccoons and deer drink water from the shore. Unfortunately purple loose strife has taken over. Robert goes and stomps it down periodically, but it is pretty stubborn.
SPRING
SUMMER
WINTER
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