The natural communities in my home town and the surrounding area are devastated right now. A colossal Nor’Easter swept the area and within a matter of hours thousands of trees were split or completely uprooted and thrown. At a glance driving through on might think a tornado had hit. Birds encouraged to return North are now evicted from their woody homes by the brutal winds and tree-chipper crews.

 ( tree branches blocking traffic down the street)  A truck in town catches on a fallen log

Phenologically and ecologically the loss of all ages and species of tree is hugely impactful. Birds are flocking to our feeders, desperate for a place to rest for a second. Black birds dominate, knocking their unwanted seeds to the ground were red cardinals and nuthatches can enjoy the leftovers . The returning squirrels have lost their tree homes and dive wildly into bushes and untouched sapling branches hoping to find a new place to make a nest. Climate-wise the temperature has fluctuated wildly over the course of a week, from snowing and freezing to sunny and mid-40s.

spot: my back yard and the neighboring nature reserve

https://www.google.com/maps/place/65+Pelham+Island+Rd,+Sudbury,+MA+01776/@42.353167,-71.3975915,17z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x89e38f6816a67aa7:0x40efa9930c624f54!2s65+Pelham+Island+Rd,+Sudbury,+MA+01776!3b1!8m2!3d42.3531631!4d-71.3954028!3m4!1s0x89e38f6816a67aa7:0x40efa9930c624f54!8m2!3d42.3531631!4d-71.3954028

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