November 30th. Painted rock at the Route 85 parking area.

 

Not the best picture of an Americal Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) in winter plumage.

 

Five Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis), though others came and went.

 

December 1st.This is what the trail surface looks like when it gets wet. This is at the pond where the trail crosses River Road.

 

Several miles of trail were resurfaced with this muck in recent years. Mud when wet. Dust clouds when dry.

 

No birds; no nothing at the pond.

 

Bark beetle tracks on dead wood just west of River Road.

 

An adult Scolytid beetle bored through the bark and carved the central horizontal tunnel, laying eggs along the way. The larvae hatched and chewed their way away from the centrail tube, their trails growing wider as the larvae grew towards adulthood and bored their way out through the bark.

 

 

 

Teeny mushrooms in the rotting wood under the logs.

 

I'm guessing Marasmius sp.

 

 

 

December 2nd. Cloudy and damp, but a balmy 45 degrees.

 

Lots of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) around.

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) too.

 

 

 

Immature Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) maybe?

 

 

 

Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis).

 

Diurnal Fireflies (Ellychnia corrusca) under loose bark of a very dead tree.

 

Unlike most Fireflies, these lack light organs.

 

 

 

No idea what made these now empty "cocoons"...

 

...or these teeny pellets covering several of them.

 

December 4th. Very foggy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sun, not the moon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 5th. English Setter on the trail, looking hopeful for a treat?

 

Not so sure of getting one.

 

Sorry, I didn't have any treats.

 

A brief afternoon stop to see the sheep near Cranberry Bog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 6th. Thirty Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) overhead.

 

 

 

Mid 20s and breezy.

 

A far distant male Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon).

 

 

 

A Kinglet (Regulus sp.) probably a Golden-crowned Kinglet (R. satrapa) but I never saw the top of its head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of fresh ice.