Hermit thrushes in the east are ground-nesting birds who tend to make their nests under shrubs or in a dense thicket. You might find a nest in a forest near you if you’re a careful observer.
Episode 239: Hermit Thrushes on Nests
Episode 238: Katydids
Watch for a large green leaf climbing across the window at night. It might just be a katydid, whose song can be heard this time of year throughout most of the state.
Episode 237: Clouds
Thunderstorms come from cumulonimbus clouds, which are the giants of the cloud world. They are the only cloud that extends through all three cloud levels.
Episode 236: Ghost Pipes
Seen a small cluster of tobacco pipe-shaped mushrooms standing six inches or so above the leafy duff of their forested homes? They are not actually mushrooms but a parasitic plant.
Episode 235: Hummingbird Moths
These moths behave so much like hummingbirds, they are often overlooked with the assumption that they are indeed a hummingbird. Their wings move so quickly, they emit a similar hum, and they can hover in place like a hummingbird.
Episode 234: Sheep Laurel Blooming
Sheep laurel, Kalmia angustifolia, has deep pink flowers shaped like a saucer growing in clusters a couple inches beneath the new leaves that adorn the top of this 1-3-foot tall shrub.
Episode 233: Hairy Woodpecker Nestlings
Listen for chicks calling out for food from their hairy woodpecker parents.
Episode 232: Browntail Moth Caterpillars
This species is named for the brown tails of the adult moth, which is otherwise white. The fuzzy brown abdomen can be hard to see hidden underneath the white wings, but you can often see it if you look closely. The caterpillar form of this species is what we first need to learn to identify, however, due to the toxin present in its hairs that can cause an irritating and long-lasting, poison ivy-like rash on contact or respiratory distress if inhaled.
Episode 231: Nighthawks Booming
I was used to seeing nighthawk flocks flying high in the sky making a short, buzzy call reminiscent of a woodcock’s “peent”, but this one was alone and very low and not making that sound. Could this relatively small bird make such a spooky, big noise?
Episode 230: Atlantic Salmon Returning
Depending on the river and region, salmon begin to return in great numbers in April following the spring melt and will continue to arrive throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
The Nature of Phenology 