Common Nature

Muskrat and Carp

2026-06-15T19:34:23Z

Posted by: yourlibrarian

One of our local muskrats, spotted in what looks like a lot of grass blown into the lake. But the real view was what we saw a few weeks ago farther down...

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Recent Hiking Trip Photos

2026-06-12T15:41:14Z

Posted by: citrakayah

To start with, here's some photos of the local landscape:

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Northern Cardinal parents and baby

2026-06-06T02:03:50Z

Posted by: pauraque

We have a pair of Northern Cardinals nesting in our yard, and today I saw dad with a fledgling!

The fledgling was begging for food by fluttering its wings, a common signal in many baby birds. Dad was attentively finding seeds and stuffing them in Junior's mouth. The baby already has a little bit of a crest and some red on the wings, but it's too early to tell the sex. Mom wasn't with them but I saw her on the feeder later in the day.

( Mom cardinal )

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Jupiter and Paintbrush Sky

2026-06-04T16:52:50Z

Posted by: yourlibrarian

Another recent sunset, loved the blurry painted nature of the clouds.

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Ducklings and Sunset

2026-05-28T15:57:39Z

Posted by: yourlibrarian

Spotted our first ducklings of the year!

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Lily Pads on the Water, View from Bridge

2026-05-27T17:38:38Z

Posted by: i_like_the_stars

Went on a hike Monday with my friends. This was our last stop, a graffiti bridge with a nice view.

( One more under cut )

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A photo from my favourite place at dusk

2026-05-27T00:13:14Z

Posted by: embracingcalm

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Tashkent ladybirds

2026-05-26T10:01:34Z

Posted by: pilottttt

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You can find all the photos from the walk during which we found these ladybirds in this Russian-language post.

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Into the greenwoods

2026-05-25T10:09:50Z

Posted by: puddleshark

( Hiding from the sun )

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Two Sets of Three

2026-05-20T15:28:58Z

Posted by: yourlibrarian

First up, a sunset in three views.

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May Meadows

2026-05-14T11:17:46Z

Posted by: puddleshark

( Pictures of the grass growing )

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Gray Catbird

2026-05-10T13:58:30Z

Posted by: pauraque

After spending the winter along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Gray Catbirds are back in Vermont!

They're named for their characteristic nasal "mreeennnh!" call that sounds like a cat impatient for dinner. They're related to mockingbirds and can also mimic other birds' songs and miscellaneous noises, but unlike mockingbirds which tend to perform an imitation several times in a row clearly, Gray Catbirds do a chattery stream-of-consciousness jumble of bits and pieces of different things.

The all-gray plumage with a darker cap makes them easy to recognize. In this photo you can also see a glimpse of the rust-red undertail coverts. Males and females look alike. Their bills are black; this one's looks mottled because it's got suet on it. We've had two in the yard lately which are both very into the suet, and they will fly in and rudely body-check the other one off the feeder if they feel like it.

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Yesterday (8 May 2026), Sir David Attenborough turned 100.

2026-05-09T17:07:32Z

Posted by: full_metal_ox

I’m assuming he’s been a formative influence for a lot of people in this community.

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Dotted Cloud Sunset

2026-05-08T01:46:21Z

Posted by: yourlibrarian

A recent sunset seemed to be highlighting the dotted clouds in the area, which made the sky look more patterned than usual.

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May Day Full Flower Moon.

2026-05-02T19:11:34Z

Posted by: full_metal_ox

Taken on 1 May 2026 at 22:25 Eastern US Daylight Time over the parking lot joining Winn-Dixie and a local hotel, the latter outlined by its lights.

Once again, the photo doesn’t reflect what my corrective-lensed eyes actually saw—a serenely luminous disc the pale yellow of Muenster cheese—but the image is stark and dramatic. The lens flare on my cheap-ass burner phone made it resemble a black star sapphire (or, to read the image as suitably floral and local, a spider lily):

(I wasn’t the only one prowling this clear moonlit tropical night in search of food; two of the Burrowing Owls at my apartment complex were out hunting on the side lawn, as a third stood perched at the nest; this represents a full year of continuous occupancy and breeding, reflecting how safe they must feel here. They squawked at my approach, but did not hiss.)

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Post Storm Sunset

2026-04-30T18:16:53Z

Posted by: yourlibrarian

We had some severe storms come through our area this week, and had tornado sirens going off both in the morning and evening. Luckily the first set of storms had a mild tornado farther south of us. The second set had a potential formation going over us but luckily nothing actually came together and we only got a bit of hail.

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it's been storming a lot recently...

2026-04-28T01:59:22Z

Posted by: batiferrite

But at least the lilacs and violets are happy!

There was also a double rainbow a while ago. :3

I've also been preparing to start a garden for the first time, pretty excited about it! I've got some fence container-things set up in my backyard, filled with fresh potting soil and some seeds ready. I've been talking to a coworker about it; apparently, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans are good starter plants that basically grow themselves. I also have a pack of red strawberry popcorn that I bought on a whim a year or so ago that I'm hoping will still be viable.

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Today's birds

2026-04-25T02:46:15Z

Posted by: steorra

Today I made two short trips to a local stream and saw quite a few different kind of birds, partly with the help of binoculars:

Great blue heron wading in the stream
Hawk (red-tailed?)
Green-winged teals
Black-capped chickadees
American robins
A reddish finch (house finch?)
A hummingbird too far away to identify and too quick for me to binocular
A little yellow-and-black bird, probably a goldfinch but it was gone before I got a good look at it.
A tiny bird that I suspect was a golden-crowned kinglet because I think I saw a splash of yellow on its crown but again I didn't get a good look before it was gone.
Some brown sparrow-y birds that I couldn't identify
Plus the city birds I see all the time without going anywhere: pigeons, crows, starlings, gulls (glaucous-winged?)

I also saw some red admiral butterflies and I think I caught a glimpse of a scampering mouse-sized mammal but it got into cover too quickly for me to really see (probably just a mouse).

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Oh Venus

2026-04-24T18:42:43Z

Posted by: yourlibrarian

Looked out at the sky the other night and the moon was not that bright. Despite what appears in the photo below, we could see the entire ball of the Moon. It was just that the slice was brighter.

What was also very noticeable was Venus. After a number of attempts I was finally able to get a non wavery shot of it in close-up.

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Grebes in the Rain

2026-04-19T00:14:50Z

Posted by: yourlibrarian

We have seen grebes many times but very often they are solo or there may be two. It was unusual to see a group swimming together, which this one did for some time.

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Trails

2026-04-15T19:06:16Z

Posted by: ribirdnerd

I got out to one of our local trails late last week.

This one is an old state park that has been partially developed. It's a fun but small trail that has a variety of habitats for wildlife.

It goes around this drainage pond, which attracts many birds and waterfowl.

Then it passes the condo development, eventually leading to a bike path along the bay.
You can see one of the condos on the right.

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Nature

2026-04-06T21:57:23Z

Posted by: ysabetwordsmith

King Charles III England Coast Path

The King Charles III England Coast Path (KCIIIECP), originally and still commonly known as the England Coast Path, is a long-distance National Trail that follows the coastline of England. Opened on 19 March 2026 by King Charles III, the trail extends for 2,689 miles (4,328 km).

Sections of the English coast already had established walking routes, most notably the South West Coast Path. However, the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 required Natural England, under section 298, to create a continuous coastal path. The first section, along Weymouth Bay, opened in 2012. The walking route is the longest coastal trail in the world, and its total length increases further when considered alongside the Wales Coast Path.

Those of you who live in or visit the United Kingdom may wish to explore this amenity.

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common_nature @ 2026-04-06T10:49:00

2026-04-06T10:55:39Z

Posted by: bookscorpion

a comedy in four acts:

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The Woods in April

2026-04-03T10:54:24Z

Posted by: puddleshark

The woods in early April. Full of sunlight and birdsong: the pensive silvery songs of robins, the repetitive two-tone squeak of coal-tits, chiffchaffs singing their own name, and nuthatches whistling like football referees.

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Earth Month

2026-04-03T02:55:45Z

Posted by: ysabetwordsmith

Earth Month -- April 2026

Earth Month takes place during April every year. It’s a time to raise environmental awareness and create consciousness around the issues that affect mother nature during this time of crisis. Every April, leaders, and environmental activists from all over the world join hands to create sustainable development and offer climate solutions, to minimize our carbon footprint and prevent further harm to our planet’s natural resources. It’s increasingly important to observe this month as Earth starts to unravel the harmful effects of climate change which not only poses a threat to our existence but is irreversibly damaging all forms of life.

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