Connecting to nature

November can be a productive time to view wildlife, especially ducks and other waterfowl, as many of them linger at local ponds and wetlands during their journey to warmer climates.Recently there have been reports of good numbers of Hooded Mergansers, Common Mergansers, Pied-billed Grebes, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Ducks, Common Loons, Black Ducks and many more in the area.  

The advantage of observing ducks is that they tend not to move around much while on the water. With a decent pair of binoculars or a spotting scope, you can enjoy good looks at them and still have time to consult a field guide for identification. Of course paying attention to what they are doing helps with any identification; more of this to come in future columns.

Beetles, falcons

To further enhance your connections to nature, Audubon has two free events coming up this weekend. One is a very important workshop by Rose Hiskes of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help identify and report sightings of the Asian longhorned beetle, an insect that could potentially have a devastating effect on our local forests.  

The other is a unique opportunity to see three different live falcons up close, including an American kestrel, a Merlin and a Peregrine. Come to Audubon Sharon on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 10 a.m.

Connecting nature, people

I am thrilled to be writing Nature’s Notebook, although I am sorry that Fred Baumgarten has decided to retire from the job.  I always looked forward to Fred’s column to see what I should be out there looking for. He brought a lot to the column over the years. I’m also happy to be sharing writing duties with Tim Abbott, whom I have known and worked with for quite some time. I respect him as a naturalist and conservationist.

I started my career as a researcher — out in the woods, conducting surveys, drawing up habitat management plans, enjoying nature. Nice job. The one thing it lacked for me though, was interaction with people.  It was my interaction with people at a young age, at Audubon, that inspired me to get into the environmental field to begin with.

Now with Audubon for more than 25 years, I continue to enjoy connecting people of all ages to nature.  For me, providing experiences that enable people to appreciate, understand and protect the natural world is extremely important.

Until next time. Don’t forget to get outside to enjoy what nature has to offer — and feel free to let me know what you find!

Scott Heth is the director of Audubon Sharon and can be reached at sheth@audubon.org, (subject line: Nature Notes).

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