wildlife

"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." -Henry David Thoreau

Although Norwell has a vibrant business community, there is still plenty of open space in town, both public and private. If you're more interested in 4H than 4 corners, you don't have to go too far in Norwell. You can spot deer at Stetson Meadows, coyotes anywhere near Wompatuck Park, and farm animals from Main Street to Washington Street, Winter Street to Summer Street. Send in your photos to Geoff@agordon.com and be featured on this page!

To your left is the elusive Fisher Cat (Martes pennanti ), the crepuscular inhabitant of our forests that is rarely seen by humans. Although severely endangered at one point, conservation efforts have brought the Fishers' population back to normal levels. Although they are the only predator known to actively hunt porcupines, these distant cousins of the pine martin are only a danger to small pets.

The Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo ) is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which was domesticated from the South Mexican subspecies of the wild turkey.

If you live in Norwell, chances are you've stopped during your morning commute to allow these birds to cross the street; maybe you even honked your horn and let fly some unkind words cursing them for making you late. Either way, wild turkeys are a common sight here in Norwell.

These photos of wild turkeys were taken by Brenda Bregoli at at 214 Washington St.

"The graceful white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), the most abundant of Massachusetts' large game animals has become controversial because of its burgeoning population.

Before European settlement, the deer population was checked by native predators such as timber wolves and mountain lions, both of which were soon extirpated by the colonists. Settlers as well as native Americans also hunted deer, and much deer habitat was eliminated as forests were converted to farm land. It is estimated that by the early 1900's, there were fewer than 1000 deer in Massachusetts. In 1910 the first deer hunting statute was passed in the Commonwealth, establishing a restricted season and setting limits on the number of deer that can be taken." - MAAudubon.com

Deer are more common in Norwell. These pictures were taken by Frank Macdonald, of Hunneman- Norwell, on Winter Street.

The American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis )prefers open country where weeds thrive, such as fields, meadows, flood plains, as well as roadsides, orchards, and gardens. It may also be found in open deciduous and riparian woodlands and areas of secondary growth. This habitat preference continues during the spring and autumn migrations.

Goldfinches are common in Norwell, and match the forsythia and daffodils of spring. Look for them in your backyard, especially if you have birdfeeders.

And of course, any moderately forested community would be remiss without everyone's favorite animal, the Skunk.

Beginning its search for food at dawn and dusk, the S triped S kunk (Mephitis mephitis ) feeds on mice, eggs, carrion, insects, grubs, and berries. At sunrise, it retires to its den, which may be in a ground burrow, or beneath a building, boulder, or rock pile. While the male dens by itself, several females may live together. The striped skunk does not hibernate but instead goes into a dormant or semi-active state. Outside the breeding season, males are solitary and try to build fat reserves while females defend their maternity dens

To the left are some photos of a close encounter with a skunk at night. Fortunately it made itself scarce soon after. Good riddance.

OK, I couldn't resist. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit I didn't take this picture in Norwell. But I've seen plenty of foxes here in Norwell, and this was a good lucky shot that this webmaster took while on vacation in Canada, so I'm posting it:

The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the largest of the true foxes. Outside the breeding season, most red foxes favor living in the open, in densely vegetated areas, though they may enter burrows to escape bad weather. Their burrows are often dug on hill or mountain slopes, ravines, bluffs, steep banks of water bodies, ditches, depressions, gutters, in rock clefts and neglected human environments. Red foxes prefer to dig their burrows on well drained soils. Dens built among tree roots can last for decades.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus ) is a medium-sized woodpecker that is mainly light gray on the face and underparts; they have black and white barred patterns on their back, wings and tail. Adult males have a red headside going from the bill to the nape; females have a red patch on the nape and another above the bill. The reddish tinge on the belly that gives the bird its name is difficult to see in field identification.

These birds mainly search out bugs on tree trunks. They may also catch insects in flight. They are omnivores, eating insects, fruits, nuts and seeds. Their breeding habitat is usually deciduous forests. They nest in the decayed cavities of dead trees, old stumps, or in live trees that have softer wood such as elms, maples, or willows; both sexes assist in digging nesting cavities.

Though the species is not globally threatened, it depends on large trees for nesting. In areas that are extensively deforested, the birds will sometimes utilize gardens, but for the most part simply will not be present in any numbers.

Other Transient Birds

Right - Clockwise from top left: Nuthatch, Cardinal, Woodpecker, Mourning Dove.

Below: More Goldfinches!

Wildlife Tracks

This Deer Run shows how deer often tend to run on the same game paths. Tracking in winter is easy.

Coyote tracks such as those seen here are common in the woods. Note the straight line in across this field to the left. This is no house pet sniffing every bush and tree. This animal is on a straight line, looking for food.

Here, he's in a little more of a hurry, as shown by the trotting cadence.

To the left, we see that Bugs Bunny came and went. Rabbit tracks tend to be close to their hole, so as to be able to duck quickly from danger.

Want Your Pictures Here?

There's a lot more wildlife in Norwell than the select few examples found on this page. We welcome all forms of submission (text or pictures) from anyone or anonymously. Just shoot me an email (Geoff@agordon.com) and I'll add your pictures to this page. Thanks in advance!