nature

Nature Red in Tooth and Claw

/ Jason Major / Leave a comment
Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk with freshly-captured squirrel 

While working on the nature trails on Tuesday, November 17th, a hawk flew right toward us, struggling to keep hold of a squirrel in its talons. It graciously posed for some photos, and then flew to a limb tangle where it was better able to pin the squirrel down for a feast. It must have been very hungry because it even stripped the fur off the squirrel’s tail, presumably to access the tidbits there.

An hour later, a large raccoon was spotted sleeping 35 feet up on a black oak bough, not far from the hawk’s feeding perch.

Then an immature bald eagle soared by over South Cove.

Finally, the same hawk was seen close up, feeding on another bird, but unfortunately the camera battery had died.

Salter Grove—who needs a documentary when you can see it live? 

Smartphone-Enhanced Outdoor Classroom

/ Jason Major / 1 Comment

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Multigenerational scout outing to identify plants and botanize on the causeway

Now that the new playground and causeway repair are nearly completed, FoSG will focus on conservation of Salter Grove by increasing its educational value.

After hundreds of hours of fieldwork and data analysis, we are well along with the identification of birds (116 species) and flowering plants (114 species), and know when and where they appear in the park. We have also mapped out several nature trails to showcase the variety of habitats at Salter Grove.

People who visit the park regularly are excited about the labeled plants resulting from the fieldwork and are amazed when shown how to use their smartphones on site to get images and songs of breeding birds. Continue reading →