One of my favorite hobbies is collecting old bird and wildflower guides. Perhaps you have a passion for this type of old book too. Recently, I was fortunate to be given a wonderful old pocket bird guide by a Westford friend. The book is titled Land Birds Bird Guide: Song and Insectivorous Birds East of…
Brighter Outlook by Stepping Out Westford has lost a talented photographer, poet and nature lover, and I have lost a friend. Doug Pederson sent me many of his lovely bird photos over the years I knew him, and gave me permission to use them for the Westford Wildlife Watch column. His family put together some…
What is your favorite bird? Many of us would answer, “Chickadee!” After all the black-capped chickadee is the Massachusetts state bird. Chickadees’ cheerful presence at our bird feeders or in the trees along our walk, is always welcome. Its range is confined to North America, from the northeast to northern California and south to the…
Since 2001, the Trust has partnered with Westford fourth grades to present a bird feeder program. The trust maintains and fills feeders at Crisafulli and Abbot Schools. At present, Crisafulli School is currently participating in this program. Last month, Crisafulli librarian Sue Carr helped to organize a birding presentation to each of six fourth grade…
Happy New Year! Westford Wildlife Watch is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Wildlife Watch, which began in 1990, was inspired by Chuck Roth, then Education Coordinator at Mass Audubon. Roth had started asking people to send wildlife reports to him in his hometown of Littleton. When I asked Westford residents to send me their…
In late fall and winter when most plants are dormant, lichens are still growing. You have probably noticed lichens on trees, rocks and even tombstones. Lichens can survive and grow in conditions of extreme cold and dryness, even in parts of Antarctica. Lichens are a curious combination of a green algae and a fungus. They…
One of the fall events bird lovers look forward to is the return of the dark-eyed juncos to our feeders. Juncos are one of North America’s most common birds. Dark-eyed juncos are black and white or gray and white. Males are darker gray or even black on their head and back, white on their belly,…
After several months of hard work clearing and restoring a local hiking trail, Westford Girl Scouts Troop 85411 had a grand reopening on August 9th of the Butterfield Lane section of the Beaverbrook Trail in Westford, near the Littleton town line. The scouts also worked to bring this trail up to AMC specifications . Trust…
Members and friends are invited to join us for the 2019 Westford Conservation Trust Annual Meeting on Thursday, November 7th, at Roudenbush Community Center at 7 pm. A brief Trust business meeting will be held from 7:00-7:20 pm followed by our guest speaker. Light refreshments will be served. Our new trail booklets and several hand…
We are saddened to share that our trust board member Emily King Edwards passed away after a long battle with melanoma on July 20th, 2019 at age 35. She will truly be missed by the many lives she touched. There are no words to describe her loss for family, friends and community. Emily became an…
Westford Conservation Trust voted to donate $8,000 to the Campaign to Conserve Salt Box Farm in support of the protection of open space in Westford. Please consider donating today to help with the protection and conservation of this very special property! Salt Box Farm The 52-acre Salt Box Farm on Hildreth Street in Westford Center…
In Honor of Dorothy Mooney 1944-2019 Westford has lost its most dedicated and observant naturalist. Dot Mooney was an accomplished birder, knew the names of many plants, and was happy to share that knowledge. She was a lifelong learner who always wanted to know more about our natural world. I know that those of you…
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