Mystery Bird?

Recently I glimpsed a bird flying away from my feeder which borders a Connecticut forest. I only saw it from the back. But as it flapped it wings fairly noisily to escape, it flashed  yellow stripes  beneath each wing.  It had  white and brown mottled coloring on its back and wings.  It was bigger than a songbird, but smaller than a turkey vulture; possibly the size of an owl or hawk? Nothing seems to match this description. Any ideas or pictures?

A Black Deer In Connecticut?

Do you think he is black? Unlike the very rare albino deer which is white or not white, the black deer's dark coloration can range from gray to very black. Some say it is more rare than an albino. It is the melanism, unusual darkening of body tissues caused by excessive production of melanin; especially, a form of color variation in animals.
Some more video of black deer.
Read More About It!
White-Tailed Deer (Early Bird Nature Books)
Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, William Munoz

Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods

When I started this blog, I knew I wanted to show and share my respect, my amazement and awe about the natural world with my readers. I always felt those scarlet poppies growing around my sandbox, those hydrangeas forming a natural gate between my house and my grandmother's and her cherished apple, pear, and nut trees hold a special place in my childhood memories.
I also remember the move when I was ten to a track house with two by four boards bridging the driveway to the doorway to avoid the mud; and not a tree on the property. The change was devastating.
Oddly, reading Richard Louv's book, Last Child In The Woods, all these years later, explains the loss I felt, but never identified. That loss is nature-deficit-disorder.
Today, as the grandmother who has the glorious opportunity to share my wooded forest with my granddaughter, I understand and value this gift.
The strength of Richard Louv's book is the overflowing, readable research which, at first thought, is profoundly self-evident, but overlooked or ignored for generations. These obvious facts startle the reader; first, because we know allowing the natural world to decay with such a blatent neglect is simply wrong; second, acting on his information, recognized by the 2008 Audubon Award, will connect future generations to nature. It truly is a very simple cause/effect relationship that no one can reject and everyone should embrace.
Just as important as the references, statistics and philosophy are Louv's personal anedotes and those he offers from others. One friend told him that if you cannot name a tree, plant, or animal you will not appreciate its value. I found the same analogy true after many years of teaching. Learning a child's name was the first, sometimes only, step needed to improve his behavior.
Taking the person out of personal is similar to taking the nature out of natural. We must strive to move our technology forward without losing sight of the individuality of nature.

My Nature Page

It's true. There is a state forest next to my house. I do see some plants and animals that urbanites seldom enjoy . On the other hand, ask any city person who loves the natural world and he will tell you there is nature in the  city  that needs no forest, just a few minutes to notice it. Regardless of the turf, there is nature out there, just waiting for us.

The other day a coyote cub and raccoon must have crossed paths as the first played and jumped up the driveway, while the other lumbered down it. This morning a  couple frogs jumped pass the pool of water collecting in the wetlands, to take a swim in my granddaughter's wading pool. Nearby, the garter snakes were sunning on the boughs of the pine tree. It was a pretty normal morning on the edge of the forest.  Oh, and yesterday morning a fawn just losing its spots (it must have been about 4 months old) and sibling were gobbling greens for breakfast.

Share your nature sighting! Whether it is city or country, large or small, four-legged or eight, or no legs at all, it is  sure to get a,"Oh, my! I saw one of those...." Or even tell us where to go to see it.

Don't forget the wonderful colors of the season or the plants and trees that proudly show them off!

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Take A City Nature Walk by Jane Kirkland (ages 9-12)

A Simple Treasure

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Dandelions: Stars In The Grass

Age 4-7

Dandelions (Early Nature Book)

Age 7-10

Did You Know?

The word dandelion comes from the French name "dents de lion". Look at the jagged edges of the leaf. Do they look like the "teeth of a lion"?

'MATTER OF FACT'

The dandelion is a member of the Aster family. Every  country boasts this species. What is the the myth behind its ubiquitousness?