Chipmunk. A chipmunk (Tamias striatus) foraging near the shore of the Mill Pond finds me in his way. He examines the situation, then goes around behind me and continues foraging under a hemlock tree. Summer, Mine Falls Park. 58 seconds, 40 Megabytes. Downloaded 660 Times.

Stumpy-Tailed Squirrel. A gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) with a stump tail makes his way along the north shore of the Mill Pond. He could easily be mistaken for a small rabbit as he scampers through the thicket. I had only seen this squirrel once, about a month before, and I have only seen him twice since this movie. Winter, Mine Falls Park. 38 seconds, 27 Megabytes. Downloaded 93 Times.

Bulltinkle. I was taking a movie of a moose (Alces alces), when the moose suddenly decided to urinate. Now, I was initially disinclined to post a movie of a moose peeing, until the title occurred to me. Then I just had to do it! (It's a cow moose, but, ...) Spring, White Mountain National Forest. 30 seconds, 21 Megabytes. Downloaded 78 Times.

Chipmunk Hiding. A chipmunk (Tamias striatus) hiding under the leaf litter chirps in alarm. I'm guessing his cheek pouches were full of something, as the chirps are reduced in pitch. It sounds rather like the one that I once mistook for a wild turkey, but not exactly. (Read the story, "The Thanksgiving Chipmunk.") About halfway through the video, you hear the alarm twitter of another chipmunk. Summer, Mine Falls Park. 53 seconds, 29 Megabytes. Downloaded 58 Times.

Fido the Squirrel. A red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) gnaws on a bone that some camper left behind. Early summer, Dry River Campground, Crawford Notch State Park. 59 seconds, 32 Megabytes. Downloaded 63 Times.

Chipmunk chirping. A chipmunk (Tamias striatus) chirps as I hike past. Late spring, Mine Falls Park. 26 seconds, 13.5 Megabytes. Downloaded 79 Times.

Squirrel eating a mushroom. A red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) nibbles on a mushroom. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park. 21 seconds, 11 Megabytes. Downloaded 82 Times.

Bear on Arethusa Falls Trail. A black bear (Ursus americanus) disappears into the forest along the Arethusa Falls Trail. You can see the bear for bearly a second (I crack myself up) before he disappears. Spring, Crawford Notch. 10 seconds, 6.75 Megabytes. Downloaded 347 Times.

A chipmunk (Tamias striatus) chirps at me while I try to take a video of a woodpecker. (Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this is funny. Just after I prepared this video for posting, I went out to go ice skating with my granddaughter and her friend. The skating rink was closed [hockey game], so we decided to go see a movie: Alvin and the Chipmunks!) Spring, Crawford Notch. 20 seconds, 11.75 Megabytes. Downloaded 96 Times.

Moose. A cow moose (Alces alces) makes her way up a wooded hillside along the road in the pale light of dawn. Spring, White Mountain National Forest. 52 seconds, 28 Megabytes. Downloaded 83 Times.

Angry Red Squirrel. A red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) rushes up a tree and scolds me. Both red squirrels and gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), the two species with which I am most familiar, make similar sounds, a couple of octaves higher in the red squirrel. They make a machine-gun chatter when they are startled. When the startlement wears off but they are still angry, they make this surprisingly complex chirping and growling that sounds like more than one animal. Early spring, Crawford Notch. 1 minute, 3 seconds, 33 Megabytes. Downloaded 51 Times.

Angry Red Squirrel II. A red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) scolds me from up in a tree. Same day, different squirrel. Early spring, Crawford Notch. 29 seconds, 15 Megabytes. Downloaded 79 Times.

Mink on the Move. I had just sat down on my favorite rock when this mink (Mustela vison) came up behind me. I barely had time to get my camera on him. And he quickly ran behind me and I lost him. Fall, Mine Falls Park. 15 seconds, 8 Megabytes. Downloaded 95 Times.

Cooper's Hawk. A Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) circles above the Mill Pond then disappears behind the trees on the opposite side. It's unusual to see them flying out in the open above the treetops like this. Their short, rounded wings and long, wedge-shaped tails make them superbly maneuverable among the branches, where they hunt songbirds, and they are most often seen down among the trees. Summer, Mine Falls Park. 32 seconds, 17 Megabytes. Downloaded 61 Times.

Brown Creeper. A brown creeper (Certhia americana) sings his musical mating call while searching for bugs behind the loose bark. Spring, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park. 29 seconds, 15.5 Megabytes. Downloaded 76 Times.

Osprey Circling. An osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis) circles above the western arm of the Mill Pond. The accompaniment is the territorial call of a tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor), but you can hear the osprey call in the second half of this clip. The titmouse was completely unconcerned at the sight of this hawk-like bird, as were a muskrat and a pair of mallards feeding nearby. It's surprising that these creatures, which would hunker down in silence at the sight of a red-tailed hawk, know that an osprey is not going to attack them. I didn't realize it at the time - in fact I was puzzled by the osprey's calling - but there was another osprey circling at about twice the altitude of this one. I'm sure it was a pair looking for a new territory. I had never seen ospreys in Mine Falls Park until this year, and I'm hoping that they will set up housekeeping in the area. Spring, Mine Falls Park. 1 minute, 10 seconds, 43 Megabytes. Downloaded 52 Times.

Pair of Ospreys. Two ospreys (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis) circle above the western arm of the Mill Pond, perhaps looking for a nest site. I would recommend that tall flat-topped white pine that stands at the eastern end of this little bay, but the ospreys did not seek my opinion. Spring, Mine Falls Park. 36 seconds, 19 Megabytes. Downloaded 63 Times.

Osprey Over Mill Pond. An osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis) flies low over the main body of the Mill Pond, still largely covered with ice. Spring, Mine Falls Park. 28 seconds, 16 Megabytes. Downloaded 59 Times.

Cormorant swimming. A double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) swims through a swarm of dragonflies out to the middle of the pond, then dives underwater. You can hear a pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) call just before the cormorant dives. Late spring, Mine Falls Park. 1 minute, 10 seconds, 36 Megabytes. Downloaded 63 Times.

Mute swan preening. A mute swan (Cygnus olor) cleans and arranges his feathers. Late spring, Mine Falls Park. 1 minute, 4 seconds, 33 Megabytes. Downloaded 55 Times.

Mute swans aren't mute! A mute swan (Cygnus olor) calls for his companions, who had just flown away a few minutes earlier. These swans are not literally "mute," but they call very rarely and very softly. Late spring, Mine Falls Park. 22 seconds, 12.5 Megabytes. Downloaded 71 Times.

A tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) sings quietly and hops from branch to branch among the opening buds. Spring, Mine Falls Park. 35 seconds, 19 Megabytes. Downloaded 55 Times.

Woodpecker Making Nest Hole. A hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus) excavating a nest cavity. See the chips fly! But you can't hear anything (contrast that with the "Hammer In The Morning" video) until a group of hikers come along and ask me what's up. Spring, Crawford Notch. 43 seconds, 23 Megabytes. Downloaded 51 Times.

Swan Dive. A mute swan (Cygnus olor) feeding just slightly out of its depth has to upend itself completely to reach the first aquatic plants of spring. This is right about the same place where I often see mallards diving underwater to reach the last plants in late fall. The swan doesn't have to dive, of course. I might say that an adult swan can't dive underwater, but a few years ago I would have said that an adult mallard can't dive, either! Early spring, Mine Falls Park. 42 seconds, 23 Megabytes. Downloaded 83 Times.

A song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) hopping in the branches of a buckthorn overhanging the Mill Pond. Early spring, Mine Falls Park. 20 seconds, 12 Megabytes. Downloaded 74 Times.

Duck Moulting. A young male mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) changing from eclipse plumage to full adult male breeding colors. Looks like an itchy process as he preens vigorously. The gray streaks on his temples make him look rather distinguished, don't you think? Spring, Mine Falls Park. 30 seconds, 17 Megabytes. Downloaded 79 Times.

Belted Kingfisher Flying. A belted kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) swoops from a tree and plunges into the pond, then flies away empty-billed. Spring, Mine Falls Park. 32 seconds, 17 Megabytes. Downloaded 49 Times.

Red-Tailed Hawk. A red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) sits in a tree beside the highway, unperturbed by the road noise. Occasionally she looks down so intently that I was sure she was about to pounce on something, but she never did. (I'm pretty sure it was a female. It was quite large, but the vivid colors are more typical of the smaller male.) Winter, Route 101, Milford, New Hampshire. 56 seconds, 30 Megabytes. Downloaded 69 Times.

Red-Tailed Hawk Flying. A red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) sits in a bare oak tree beside the highway, then flies to another tree farther down the road. Winter, Route 101, Milford, New Hampshire. 29 seconds, 16 Megabytes. Downloaded 51 Times.

Ground Pecker. A hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus) apparently feeding on the ground. There are ground-feeding woodpeckers, but this is not one of them! Turns out he was pecking at a rotten fallen stick. (After the bird left, I took some close-up pictures of the stick, which are included at the end of the video.) Winter, Pack Monadnock. 1 minute, 5 seconds, 43 Megabytes. Downloaded 93 Times.

Robert D. Mallard Re-Ducks. More diving mallards. A pair of mallards feed by diving underwater in late fall. Sometimes they share the food that one has brought up, and sometimes they each dive separately. I now have many minutes of video of this unusual behavior, in case anyone is interested in serious study. I did a little research on the Web regarding this subject, and it appears to be almost mythical. It's real, folks! Mallards do indeed dive underwater for food, and you can see it on video right here. (Also, farther down this page, another video of another diving mallard in winter.) Read more about it in my story, Robert D. Mallard, Fall, Mine Falls Park. 51 seconds, 26.5 Megabytes. Downloaded 120 Times.

Great blue heron catches small fish. A great blue heron catches and eats a small fish. This bird has an injured wing, which shows in part of the video, and I think he may have been unable to fly. I was less than 15 feet away during this sequence, and the heron was completely unconcerned by my presence. Summer, Mine Falls Park. 53 seconds, 25 Megabytes. Downloaded 83 Times.

Great blue heron out of his depth. A great blue heron leaps into deep water, catches a large fish, then swims back to his perch. This is a rather large video file, but it documents some fascinating behavior. A heron swimming! This is the same heron I had seen a week earlier with an injured wing. He's flying now. Summer, Mine Falls Park. 1 minute, 20 seconds, 45 Megabytes. Downloaded 80 Times.

Robert D. Mallard. Some sources will tell you that adult mallards do not dive underwater. Not so! (Title inspired by Dr. Robert D. Ballard, famed underwater explorer.) Late winter, Mine Falls Park. 24 seconds, 12.2 Megabytes. Downloaded 94 Times.

The first robin of spring emerges from hibernation, bursting forth from his den under the snow and flying into a nearby tree. (Well, okay, maybe he was getting a drink or hunting for aquatic invertebrates, but it sure looks like he's emerging from a den under the snow.) Late winter, Crawford Notch. 20 seconds, 11 Megabytes. Downloaded 181 Times.

Dragonfly. A dragonfly (suborder Epiprocta) flits around in front of my favorite sitting rock in Mine Falls Park. Summer, Mine Falls Park. 16 seconds, 10 Megabytes.

Water Spider Walking.. A water spider (family Cybaeidae) sits at the end of a clump of grass, apparently eyeing a water strider (Gerris sp.), when it suddenly wheels around and walks toward land. In the process, it startles another water strider. There's a background story. I had been watching the water spider for some minutes, when an unleashed dog came along, trampled the grass right where the spider had been, splashed around for a moment, then left. I assumed the spider was gone, perhaps killed. But within seconds, there he was at the end of the now-trampled grass. I suppose he was still just getting his bearings, and not actually stalking the water striders. Summer, Mine Falls Park. 24 seconds, 16 Megabytes. Downloaded 21 Times.

A queen bumblebee (Bombus sp.) gathering nectar from a maleberry bush (Lyonia ligustrina) on a rainy spring morning. (No, the picture to the left is not a mid-spring maleberry bush, but a late-summer pickerelweed {Pontederia cordata}. I just used one of the best bumblebee pictures I have as a link to the video.) Spring, Mine Falls Park. 39 seconds, 20 Megabytes. Downloaded 76 Times.

Butterfly In Snow. A question mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis) near the Crawford Connector trail head. Although the calendar says late April, the snow on the ground says this butterfly emerged from hibernation a bit early. Spring, White Mountain National Forest. 36 seconds, 20 Megabytes. Downloaded 56 Times.

Snow Fly At Christmas. A "snow fly" or winter crane fly of the family Trichoceridae sits on the snow, then takes flight. Read more about my "discovery" of these unusual insects in Snow Flies. Christmas Day, Mine Falls Park. 26 seconds, 13 Megabytes. Downloaded 61 Times.

Snow Fly Walking. A "snow fly" or winter crane fly of the family Trichoceridae walking on the snow. (Oh, the hazards the amateur nature videographer must face! While I'm concentrating on documenting the behavior of this unusual creature, my wife is thinking I should pick up some milk and bread on my way home.) Winter, Mine Falls Park. 36 seconds, 18.5 Megabytes. Downloaded 67 Times.

Snow Fly Flying. A "snow fly" or winter crane fly of the family Trichoceridae takes off from the snow and lands on a boulder, then takes off again and lands on the snow. Winter, Mine Falls Park. 52 seconds, 27 Megabytes. Downloaded 90 Times.

Snow Fly Courtship. A group of about half a dozen winter crane flies of the family Trichoceridae engage in a display reminiscent of the courtship displays of unrelated fireflies, or the territorial displays of equally unrelated dragonflies. Winter, Mine Falls Park. 43 seconds, 22.5 Megabytes. Downloaded 59 Times.

Snow Fly Takeoff. A winter crane fly of the family Trichoceridae takes off from the snow and lands on a twig. Winter, Pack Monadnock. 38 seconds, 19.8 Megabytes. Downloaded 67 Times.

Snow Fly On Twig. A close-up view of a winter crane fly of the family Trichoceridae crawling along the underside of a twig while I hold my hand behind it for scale and clarity. Winter, Pack Monadnock. 35 seconds, 19 Megabytes. Downloaded 83 Times.

Dragonflies with that? A dragonfly lays her eggs, and a bluegill sunfish gets his lunch. Summer, Mine Falls Park. 21 seconds, 11 Megabytes. Downloaded 58 Times.

Bullfrog Croaking.. A bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) bellows near the shore of the Mill Pond. Notice how his body rises to the surface as he puffs himself up with air in preparation. Notice how his eardrums bulge each time he forces a gulp of air down to his lungs. As he calls, see the ripples and the very dense interference patterns in the surface of the water. Early summer, Mine Falls Park. 57 seconds, 40 Megabytes. Downloaded 20 Times.

Toad croaking.. An American toad (Bufo americanus americanus) sings his mating song. The background noise is the water spilling over the dam right beside me at the southern corner of Saco Lake. Notice the ripples on the water as the toad croaks. Late spring, Saco Lake, Crawford Notch State Park. 28 seconds, 19.5 Megabytes. Downloaded 49 Times.

Large Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). This is not "The Monster," but it is a typical adult-size snapping turtle, maybe a little larger than typical for Mine Falls Park. I would estimate the carapace length at maybe 13 or 14 inches. Add about 11 or 12 inches for the outstretched neck and head, another ten or so for the tail, and this turtle approaches a yard long, overall. He was swimming in the easternmost of the three distributaries that flow from from the Mill Pond to the Nashua River (which is the slowest and murkiest of the three). When the turtle passed behind some trees and I moved to get a clear view, he saw me and disappeared into the opaque water. Spring, Mine Falls Park. 54 seconds, 28 Megabytes. Downloaded 99 Times.

Dragonflies with that? A dragonfly lays her eggs, and a bluegill sunfish gets his lunch. Summer, Mine Falls Park. 21 seconds, 11 Megabytes. Downloaded 58 Times.

Snow Devils. Biting winds swirl like dust devils on the frozen Mill Pond, but the dust they stir up is snow. Winter, Mine Falls Park. 42 seconds, 22.5 Megabytes. Downloaded 86 Times.

Touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis) seed pods burst open when you touch them. Fall, Mine Falls Park. 46 seconds, 25 Megabytes. Downloaded 127 Times.

Forest Glitter. Sunlight glancing off ripples on the Mill Pond sends waves of light dancing among the trees. Fall, Mine Falls Park. 52 seconds, 28 Megabytes. Downloaded 121 Times.