Visit a Conservation or Ecological Restoration Site

Date: November 2nd
Time: 3:18 - 3:57 PM
Weather: Overcast, 65 -70 degrees Fahrenheit
Location: Alewife Brook Reservation - North Cambridge

I accidentally came across the Alewife Brook Reservation as I was collecting cottonwood for a viceroy caterpillar. It came out of diapause due to the unusually warm weather, so I thought it best to have food available, just in case. I only recently realized that you mentioned it in your blog post.

The Alewife Reservation is surprisingly close to the large Alewife T Station and its huge parking garage. I walked there from Boston Transit Alewife Station, using a narrow paved path that connected to Alewife Station Access Road. A chainlink fence separated the path and a bog that was to one side of it. Both the path and bog were littered with garbage and I could see bottles floating in the water. I don't understand why littering is so widespread. It makes me feel simultaneously sad and angry. Once I reached Alewife Station Access Road, I crossed it to walk on a bike path called Alewife Linear Path.

The path ran alongside a small pond called Yate's Pond. I could see a group of Canada geese floating nearby the opposite shore. What attracted my attention the most, however, was a large fish that could be seen floating just below the surface of the water. I stood on the bridge/path and just stared at it for a few minutes. I could see its pectoral fins moving slightly, but other than that it was fairly stationary. It was a pale grey from where I stood, and looked to be a foot long. It was so close to the surface of the water that part of its dorsal fin was poking out! I watched it for a while thinking that it would swim away, but it did not and I eventually left (when I checked on it later I saw it swim under a bunch of water weeds). Yate's Pond had some litter in it, but nothing like what I had seen on the path that I mentioned earlier. I noticed a frog sitting in a shallow area with only its head poking out of the water, which was swirling with colorful oil.

I collected a some cottonwood and then I only needed to cross the road and a tiny wooden bridge to get to the reservation. I peeked over the side of the bridge as I crossed it, and was surprised to see a critter in the creek/stream below. It was too small to be a beaver, so I believe that it was a muskrat. I cannot recall ever seeing one before, so I was pretty excited. It sat in the shallow water along the bank, and was munching away on what looked like dried reeds. It did not seem to be bothered by the sound of the nearby highway or bicyclists crossing the bridge. It was rather cute.

I did not wander far into the reservation because I had a class in the evening that I needed to get back to. I explored an area that had a sign marking it as a restoration area by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The area had short grass and many thistle, burdock, and mullein plants. The perimeter was filled with tall grasses, shrubs, and trees. I walked to the back of the restoration area where it met Little River, and was lucky enough to observe a great blue heron wading in the water. It was beautiful. I do not think that it was aware of my presence and walked more slowly than I would have expected, perhaps so that it had a better chance of sneaking up on a fish.

Mullein:

Burdock:

Thistle:

Pokeweed:

Not Yet Identified (maybe swamp smartweed?):

The website for the commonwealth of Massachusetts lists Alewife Brook Reservation as an important area for native birds like osprey, great blue herons, and woodcocks. I wonder if I would have seen more than the blue heron if I had wandered deeper into the reservation. The reservation's description did not say anything about muskrats, but it did mention that it is a site for herring migration and spawning. I wonder if the large fish that I saw was a herring.

I was surprised to see as much wildlife as I did in such a small area, especially since there was a pollution problem and a major highway nearby. I wonder if such encounters are common because there are few other areas for the animals to go.