Many things around us change as a result of spring. It is nature’s way of waking up the environment. Birds and trees give a lot of information as to how things change.
The Woodpecker-A Different Bird
Woodpeckers are unusual birds. They differ in many ways from the birds we are familiar with.
Outsmarted by Red Squirrels
Red squirrels are ingenious animals. They know where to find food and will go to lengths to get food, especially around bird feeders.
Vermont Maple Syrup
Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup. It comes in different grades. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, The video on the right shows how maple syrup is produced.
Mud Season in Vermont
The vlog gives an overview of mud season in Vermont. It occurs in varying degrees each year. There is another video shot by another person and is a good representation of mud season, very similar to what we are experiencing on our road. It is on the bottom of this post.
An Interesting Event
On a wintry evening in Putney, Vermont, many Vermonters gathered to hear from candidate Barack Obama’s advisor discuss his agenda and also to tell what kind of person he was like. The advisor was Anthony Lake, one of his foreign policy advisors for his campaign.
Whoooo was that?
(photo by Phil Bravin)The newspaper article (copyright-Message of the Week, Chester, VT):
By Paul Larochelle – Editor
If you travel Trebo Road, take a glance here and there upwards for this handsome aviary ambassador who has taken up residence in Chester.
Described by Chester photographer, Phil Bravin, as a barred owl, the raptor is probably hunting for a new piece of real estate – they often move into nesting sites vacated by squirrels or crows. If Bravin got closer, a lot closer, to the owl, he would have noted his/her deep brown eyes, the only owl residing in our region that features brown eyes – all the rest have eyes of yellow.
The barred owl, with its round head, lacks ear tufts, but does sport a fashionable undercoat with horizontal markings on the chest and vertical streaks on the stomach. While this owl has streaks on his/her stomach, in its belly you may find lunch – mice, rabbits, chipmunks, an occasional dove or even a fox – who have made the tactical error of wanding within the owls super-sight and razor talons.
Sitting on its perch, the owl turns on its hunting radar near dawn or dusk but of all the owls in our region, “it is the species most likely to be active during the day,” according to experts.
If you are wandering in the vicinity of Trebo Road, especially at night, listen for the eight-in-a-row accented hoots of the barred owl, it’s literal calling card.
Barring any accidental strikes with a automobile – the leading cause of death with these owls – and staying disease free, this fine example of aviator will be around for a long time to come.
New England Weather
New England weather is one of the most diverse in the country. During winter it is very changeable and can be gloomy and dreary with a lot of snow.
Hi there…
This blog/vlog reflects my thoughts while I am puttering around my house in the woods of south-central Vermont. I am going to intentionally cover a wide range of subjects–not limiting myself to themes or single subjects. They may range from the weather to how grass grows in Vermont, with some politics thrown in. This is my “freedom of expression” platform. Blogs and vlogs allow us to express our thoughts, however controversial or bland, to an audience who may or may not be interested.
Happy reading (for blogs) and happy viewing for (vlogs)!
CHAMPVERMONT 