By Laurie D. Morrissey Even if you’ve never ventured farther into the forest than an urban park or a college campus, you’re probably familiar with Sciurus carolinensis, the eastern gray squirrel. While it’s easy to identify gray squirrels by sight, […]
Tag: By Laurie D. Morrissey
Column, The Outside Story
Loon vocalizations are more than meets the ear
By Laurie D. Morrissey On the New Hampshire lake where I spend much of the summer, loon calls are so common that I sometimes take them for granted. The sounds of the common loon (Gavia immer) are iconic of wilderness […]
Column, The Outside Story
Sunbathing serves a double purpose for some birds
By Laurie D. Morrissey One cold spring morning, a turkey vulture soared across the sky and landed high in a tree behind my house. I soon noticed another vulture, most likely its mate, in a nearby oak. This one was […]
Column, The Outside Story
Colorful wood ducks returning to area
By Laurie D. Morrissey I’ve seen all kinds of birds on the wooded New Hampshire hilltop where I live, but never – until recently – a duck. So when I spotted a pair of wood ducks loitering in my yard […]
Column, The Outside Story
As summer wanes, fawns lose their spots
By Laurie D. Morrissey I have often been stopped in my tracks by the sight of a white-tailed doe standing in the lush summer grass. Depending on the sun’s slant, the animal’s coat is a rich shade of rusty brown […]
Column, The Outside Story
A tale of two irises
By Laurie D. Morrissey Irises, with their large, exotic-looking flowers waving atop tall stems, are among the showiest early summer blooms. Most of North America’s nearly 30 native iris species are found in the southeastern states and on the Pacific […]