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Loon yodels, kingfisher plays and the damselflies get creative

4 mins read
singing Blue-winged Warbler in western Massachusetts. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
Singing blue-winged warbler in western Massachusetts. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
Early summer rosebuds reaching for the sun. (Deelight Zitzelberger/Rumford)
Early summer rosebuds reaching for the sun. (Deelight Zitzelberger/Rumford)
Cedar Waxwings in western Massachusetts. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
Cedar waxwings in western Massachusetts. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
 loon in flight at Hills Pond in Perkins Township. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
Loon in flight at Hill’s Pond in Perkins Township. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
Great Blue Heron in flight at Hills Pond. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
Great blue heron in flight at Hill’s Pond. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
Yodeling loon at Hills Pond. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
Yodeling loon at Hills Pond. (Tom Oliver/Wilton)
Keeping these baby swallows fed is a full-time job! (Deelight Zitzelberger/Rumford)
Keeping these baby swallows fed is a full-time job! (Deelight Zitzelberger/Rumford)
A loon about to dive deep to feed his offspring hidden in the tall reeds along the lake shore. (Jane Knox/Belgrade Lakes)
A loon about to dive deep to feed his offspring hidden in the tall reeds along the lake shore. (Jane Knox/Belgrade Lakes)
A walk in the woods turns up all sorts of interesting things, like this fantastic growth on a birch tree, the kind thought to be special spirits or medical remedies in Siberia. (Jane Knox/Belgrade Lake)
A walk in the woods turns up all sorts of interesting things, like this fantastic growth on a birch tree, the kind thought to be special spirits or medical remedies in Siberia. (Jane Knox/Belgrade Lake)
Can any one tell me if I can eat this fantastic looking pan-cake like mushroom growing on the side of a tree or will it give me a belly ache? (Jane Knox/Belgrade Lakes)
Can any one tell me if I can eat this fantastic looking pancake-like mushroom growing on the side of a tree or will it give me a belly ache? (Jane Knox/Belgrade Lakes)
Geese and canoes gathered on the shore of Minnehonk Lake. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
Geese and canoes gathered on the shore of Minnehonk Lake. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
A painted turtle sunning in a Vienna Bog.  (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
A painted turtle sunning in a Vienna Bog. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
Although it appears that Mrs. Loon is calling for her mate with her wide open mouth, she was sitting quietly opening it at various degrees, perhaps to alleviate boredom. There should be one or two new kids on the pond in approximately three and a half weeks. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
Although it appears that Mrs. Loon is calling for her mate with her wide open mouth, she was sitting quietly opening it at various degrees, perhaps to alleviate boredom. There should be one or two new kids on the pond in approximately three and a half weeks. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
Blooming hosta. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
Blooming hosta. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
A halo around the sun with an inverted rainbow beneath it, with vapor trails and clouds passing through, was visible briefly on Saturday. A rare sight.  (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
A halo around the sun with an inverted rainbow beneath it, with vapor trails and clouds passing through, was visible briefly on Saturday. A rare sight. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
Mrs. Loon relaxes after a brief hawk scare. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
Mrs. Loon relaxes after a brief hawk scare. (© jane naliboff/Chesterville)
Damselfly art on the water (Donovan Buck/Belgrade)
Damselfly art on the water. (Donovan Buck/Belgrade)
Yellow-bellied sapsucker (Kelly Smith/Farmington)
Yellow-bellied sapsucker. (Kelly Smith/Farmington)
Hungry female downy woodpecker (Kelly Smith/Farmington)
Hungry female downy woodpecker. (Kelly Smith/Farmington)
I played tree tag for a half hour and managed to get a female Kingfisher on Belgrade stream (Donovan Buck/Belgrade)
I played tree tag for a half hour and managed to get a female kingfisher on Belgrade stream (Donovan Buck/Belgrade)
Northern flicker (Donovan Buck/Belgrade)
Northern flicker. (Donovan Buck/Belgrade)
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14 Comments

  1. I’m liking the damselflies best this week. Tom’s list of birds must be quite long now.

  2. To Jane about that mushroom growth on the tree, Arthur Haines just posted about this on Facebook yesterday, you should check out his website, it is http://www.arthurhaines.com , he is very informative and has written a few books and teaches Primitive skills among other stuff.

  3. Aha, I discovered that this mushroom is called Chicken of the Woods and is very good sautéed And will have a lemony chicken flavor. Shucks I didn’t bring some home to cook!

  4. Jane (Knox),

    Do you know how old the loon chicks are that you mentioned? I’m curious because the loons I document have only been sitting on their nest for a little less than a week. Which lake was the photo of the adult taken on if you don’t mind sharing?

  5. Jane, this is Great Pond near the Great Pond Marina where the nest had been tended for some time. . I had to rely on hearsay of the lakers because the loons were no longer tending the nest but hovering in the vicinity. It could be that with the high waters and winds the nest was swamped. We are all watching for signs of the baby loons and the feeding of them directly. Thanks for asking. Will keep you posted. Last year’s babies were born about a week before the July 4th holidays when the new born were swimming around with all the holiday boats.

  6. Jane, the red shiny mushroom is a reishi mushroom, not to be eaten. You can use it in teas and tinctures. If you eat it you will not feel well after!! The chicken of the Woods is a completely different species that is edible. If you check it out online and compare the two pictures you will see the difference!! The other growth you found on the birch tree was Chaga. Which is medicinal as well, not an edible.

  7. Thanks, Ron. I was sure that the pictures I saw on line matched what I saw on the tree. But I certainly will take your wisdom on it seriously. It even gave a description of the white line around the edge. But I put it up to let us all know what is out there that not might be so good for us. Jane

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