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Monadnock Nature Celebration Summary

Below is a summary of our kickoff event, Monadnock Nature Celebration! This event had several mini-walks throughout the day to highlight the beauty throughout the Monadnock Region

Ferns and Wildlife at Distant Hill

Our day started at Distant Hill Gardens in Walpole, where Michael Nerrie had many potted native ferns and provided tips for identifying each of them. Jaime McGuigan then guided the 15 participants and the Distant Hill Nature Trail to show off trail cam footage of cryptic birds, mammals, and other criters that had been captured right where we were standing. It was an experience in the woods like no other! 

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Bird Walk on the Ashuelot Rail Trail

Folowing a lunch siesta at Antioch, six of us went for a walk along the Ashuelot Rail Trail in search of birds and other critters. The wind was howling and we were wary that birds might not be active, but we were able to find a nice sheltered pocket where many birds were active, like Yellow-rumped Warblers and Cedar Waxwings like this juvenile photographed by Joshua Jarvis.

Mount Skatutakee Hike

Our last walk was a hike up Mount Skatutakee in Hancock. Nine of us made the journey on the mild fall afternoon up to the summit where we enjoyed views of fall foliage and downtown Hancock, as well as the three-toothed cinquefoil pictured. At the end of our hike we had snacks, beverages, and socializing at the Harris Center, where we had great views of the sun setting on North Pack Monadnock to conclude an amazing day.

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Monadnock Nature Celebration Bingo Summary

Name a Kind of Fern

  • Lady Fern

  • Rock polypody

  • Maidenhair fern

  • Sensitive fern

  • Royal fern

Name a Wildlife Food Resource

  • Acorns (x 2)

See a Mammal

  • Scottish Highland Cattle, Bennington, NH

  • Fisher

  • Bobcat

  • Moose

  • Coyote

  • Red fox

  • Gray fox

Learn Something New

  • Call of the ruby-crowned kinglet

  • Chickadees make more "dee" calls the greater the threat that is perceived

Go on a New Trail

  • Miltmore Rd Antrim

Identify a Plant by its Scent

  • Rose (still blooming in front of my house)

  • Black birch

  • Hay-scented fern

Flip a Log (what did you find under it?)

  • Spider

  • Pillbug

Spot a Perched Bird

  • Catbird...still here!

  • American Robin

  • Cedar Waxwing

  • Yellow-rumped Warbler

Identify a Tree by its Bark

  • Birch

  • Black birch

  • Beech

Find a Cool Rock

  • Heart-shaped rock

Find Evidence of Bobcat

  • Scat (seen prior to event)

  • Trail cam footage

Identify a Plant by its Leaves

  • Oriental bittersweet

  • Three-toothed cinquefoil

Spot Something Orange​

  • Foliage (x2)

Share a Funny Nature Joke

  • How to make a tree laugh?  Tell them "acorn-y" joke

  • I'm sad they are renaming the Cooper's Hawk, because now I can't call Sharp-shinned Hawks "Mini-Coopers"

Spot a Fungus

  • Mold on a red pine cone spotted today

  • Purple fuzz

Spot an Insect

  • male Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies

  • Woolly bear

  • Mason wasp

  • Ebony bug

Name a Local Waterbody

  • Gregg Lake

  • Norway Pond

  • Ashuelot River

See Migrating Birds

  • Canadian geese

Use Binoculars (what did you see?)

  • Great Blue Heron at Gregg Lake

  • Red-tailed Hawk

Learn a Bird Song or Call

  • Call of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ask a Question

  • Why does glorious Fall seem so short a season?!!!

Hug a Tree (what kind of tree?)

  • Birch

  • Paper birch (x2)

  • Striped Maple

Find a Wildlife Habitat

  • Wetlands

  • Marsh

Find a Pinecone (what kind of pinecone?)

  • Red pine cone

  • White pine

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