mpgooley's Journal

Assabet River NWR, Middlesex Co, MA.

0822 to 1015 EDT. Entered refuge at North Gate. White Pond Road to Maintenance Area Field with 0.2km side spur in this field out to the beaver pond. Returned by same route. Total distance on foot: ca. 1 mile (1.6 km).

Broken clouds with limited sun. 19 to 21C. Dew point: 18C. N to NE 7-11km/h. SLP: 1013 hPa. Cold front passed offshore yesterday (0.6" rain at home). 1024 hPa high building east from north of Great Lakes. h5 ca. 572 dm.

Birds: very quiet, as expected at this post-breeding/molting time, but there was some indication of the migration which has already begun. Species accounts and detail in:

www.ebird.org/checklist/S148245356

Flora/flowering:
Evening Primrose
Pearly Everlasting
Goldenrod sp.
Black-eyed Susan
White Wood Aster
Fragrant Water Lily
Healianthus sp. (possible decapitalus**)

Flora/other:
Huge crop of ripe cones on all Eastern White Pines... something I've been noticing all over Middlesex County this late summer season

Other Fauna: Carolina Grasshopper (2); Gray Tree Frog (h); Eastern Chipmunk (sev); Eastern Gray Squirrel (few); Short-tailed Shrew (1- found dead); Wooly Alder Aphid (on usual Alder); Fall Field Cricket (h); Ground Crickets (h and one seen).

Great Meadows NWR/Concord Unit in the A.M. Quiet morning for birds. See species accounts and other detail in:

www.ebird.org/checklist/S148879648

Red Maples at the edge of the impoundments are now showing lots of red/orange color in leaves. List of plant species in flower as follows:

Common Jewelweed
Arrow-leaved Tearthumb Persicaria sagittata/Polygonaceae
American Lotus
Pickerelweed Pontedaria cordata/Pontedariaceae
Swamp Smartweed Persicaria hydropiperoides/Polygonaceae
Water Smartweed Persicaria amphibia/Polygonaceae
Common Evening Primrose
Smartweed sp.
Devils’ Beggar-Ticks Bidens frondosa/Asteraceae
White Meadowsweet
Joe-Pye Weed sp.
Small White Aster Symphyotricum racemosum/Asteraceae
Climbing Hemp Vine
Goldenrod sp.
Wild Cucumber
White Wood Aster
Ghost Pipe