Grackles anyone ?

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber &  Photos property of Wayne G. Barber 

• Common Grackles are resourceful foragers. They sometimes follow plows to catch invertebrates and mice, wade into water to catch small fish, pick leeches off the legs of turtles, steal worms from American Robins, raid nests, and kill and eat adult birds.
• Grackles have a hard keel on the inside of the upper mandible that they use for sawing open acorns. Typically they score the outside of the narrow end, then bite the acorn open.
• You might see a Common Grackle hunched over on the ground, wings spread, letting ants crawl over its body and feathers. This is called anting, and grackles are frequent practitioners among the many bird species that do it. The ants secrete formic acid, the chemical in their stings, and this may rid the bird of parasites. In addition to ants, grackles have been seen using walnut juice, lemons and limes, marigold blossoms, chokecherries, and mothballs in a similar fashion.
• In winter, Common Grackles forage and roost in large communal flocks with several different species of blackbird. Sometimes these flocks can number in the millions of individuals.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Rooted in Tradition: 21st Century Farming in Little Compton

Seeforellen strain brown trout return in the Nutmeg State

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

The return of the Seeforellen strain Brown Trout! This fall, we plan on stocking nearly 6,000 seefs, which will be close to 14 inches in length!

This special strain of Brown Trout has not been stocked during the fall in Connecticut since 2016 when they were discontinued from production due to staffing, space, and budgetary constraints. Seeforellens will be stocked into 7 lakes total (Long Pond, Highland Lake, East Twin Lake, West Hill Pond, Beach Pond, Crystal Lake, and Squantz Pond) where they will provide late fall and winter (through the ice) season fishing opportunities.

In addition to providing good access to fishing, these suite of lakes were also chosen because they provide a better opportunity for Seeforellens to “holdover” and grow to a larger size. In the past, our studies have shown that this strain of brown trout can grow to sizes larger than 20 inches when they holdover in Connecticut Lakes! So, please (drum roll anyone) welcome back the Seeforellens. Coming to a lake near you!The return of the Seeforellen strain Brown Trout! This fall, we plan on stocking nearly 6,000 seefs, which will be close to 14 inches in length!

This special strain of Brown Trout has not been stocked during the fall in Connecticut since 2016 when they were discontinued from production due to staffing, space, and budgetary constraints. Seeforellens will be stocked into 7 lakes total (Long Pond, Highland Lake, East Twin Lake, West Hill Pond, Beach Pond, Crystal Lake, and Squantz Pond) where they will provide late fall and winter (through the ice) season fishing opportunities.

In addition to providing good access to fishing, these suite of lakes were also chosen because they provide a better opportunity for Seeforellens to “holdover” and grow to a larger size. In the past, our studies have shown that this strain of brown trout can grow to sizes larger than 20 inches when they holdover in Connecticut Lakes! So, please (drum roll anyone) welcome back the Seeforellens. Coming to a lake near you!

The Rut is on drivers !

 Posted by Wayne G. Barber 

 Did you know a driver crashed into a deer once every two hours on average in Massachusetts between October and December last year? That's because it's peak deer mating season, which means more deer are on the move and potentially crossing busy roads around dusk and early evening. (Think 6-8 p.m.) And with Daylight Savings coming this weekend, deer may be on the roads even earlier. Stay sharp out there.