Natural Resources Trust Of Easton
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NATURETALK

NRT'S FUN BLOG ABOUT ALL THINGS NATURE.
READ ON TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NATURE IN YOUR WORLD.

Nature Journal Notes

2/16/2021

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Winter is a time for resting and conserving energy for most animals, including humans! Because of animals’ need to seek shelter and use resources sparingly, we don’t see as much animal activity going on as we do during other times of the year. That being said, there are still animals who venture out into the cold when they can and even a couple of critters who aren’t really affected by cooler temperatures and snow-covered landscapes at all! Even though we may not see as much animal activity, there is definitely still a lot going on in the forests and other habitats throughout the winter. We know this because we can looks for signs that animals have been present in certain areas. One sign, that we have mentioned before in our blogs, is animal tracks, but there are all sorts of other clues and indicators that animals might be frequenting or just passing through a particular area during the winter.

A great place to record these alternative signs is in our nature journals! A very fun activity to do while journaling is to pick a specific place in nature that you’d like to examine more closely. There is no limit to the size of the space, it could be a backyard, a certain location within a larger green space, or even a trail that you would like to explore. Once you have your green space in mind, record where you are, the time of day, the date, the weather, the temperature and anything else you think will be useful to you when you look back at your notes.


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As you are exploring this area, look for as many possible signs of animal activity as you can find! You can look for animal scat, broken branches, places where animals might have been eating, bark on tree that looks like it is scratched or rubbed, etc. While investigating, start to think about what kinds of animals might be the cause of what you are seeing. A good place to begin is to determine what animals are most likely to be active in the winter in the area you are exploring. There are many great resources online for determining which animals migrate, which animals stick around, and which animals go into deep sleeps for the season. You may need to do a little bit of investigating, but knowing which animals could be seen will definitely help to narrow down who the culprit of your winter animal activity signs could be.

In Massachusetts during the winter, many mammals will stay at least partially active and some won't have much change to their routine. Animals that can be seen pretty much at any time throughout the winter in MA are deer, coyote and fox. Birds are also animals that will stay active throughout the winter if they did not migrate. Reptiles and amphibians will pretty much become completely inactive, unless there are a couple of really warm days, which in New England isn’t entirely out of the question… For the most part, you can expect that any animal signs in Massachusetts and other parts of New England will be cause by either birds or some kind of medium to large mammal.

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Some signs to look for while out exploring are:
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Trees that have bark stripped from the outside
  • Many critters will turn to bark as a source of food during the cold, winter months as the trees become bare. In Massachusetts, it isn’t uncommon for deer, squirrels, porcupines, rabbits and others to turn to bark when the going gets rough. When determining who the culprit is, be sure to think about how much bark has been stripped, and where on the tree. A deer is not going to be stripping bark from the same place as a rabbit. You can also look for teeth marks in the trunk!
  • In addition to eating bark, some animals will strip bark for other reasons like in the case of the American Black Bear. Oftentimes in the spring, bears will strip and mark the bark of trees using their teeth and claws to mark their territory. Deer can also cause gashes in bark when males begin to get irritated by their antlers and use trees to itch them! This behavior usually happens midwinter.
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Bark stripped by large animal with antlers

Snapped branches low to the ground
  • A trail of branches that have been bent and snapped is a wonderful sign that an animal has been walking through an area! You can examine the broken branches carefully to determine how tall (or short) the animal that bent them must be. You can also make some assumptions about the size of animal that is big enough to snap branches. Smaller mammals don’t weight enough or take up enough space to cause branches to snap, but larger mammals such as deer or bears could definitely be the culprit of many snapped branches.

Scat & Tracks
  • Of course, tracks and scat are exceptional clues to what types of animals might be in an area. Tracks and scat can be one of the more helpful clues because of the ability for them to help us decide definitively which types of animals have been around. That being said, in conjunction with other clues such as stripped bark, pieces of hair, and places where animals might have been eating, we can begin to paint an entire picture about the secret life of animals that’s happening when we aren’t around.

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Bird tracks in snow

Possible feeding sites
  • Another great animal sign is looking for places where animals may have stopped for a snack! One place to look for signs of feeding in the winter is on the tips of branches that may have had buds. Animals, especially deer, will take full advantage of the nutritious fuzzy buds produced by plants as they overwinter. If you find a bush or cluster of plants with buds or berries, see if you can spot any areas that looks like the buds/berries have been clipped of right at the end! Nuts and seeds that have been recovered by animals such as squirrels are often found on rocks and at the base of trees throughout the winter. Here in Massachusetts, we have two types of squirrels that might be leaving traces of their meals around. Gray Squirrels will hide acorns, hickory nuts and other seeds in various places during the fall months so that they can find them throughout the winter when they are in need of energy. Because of this, it isn’t uncommon to find nut and seed shells scattered throughout the forest floor where squirrels have been digging up their winter supplies. Signs of Gray Squirrels are one or two nuts uncovered as well as the remains of some shelling. Our other winter residents, the red squirrels, have a slightly different approach to winter food storage. Red squirrels will hide all of their food in one location called a “cache”, so if you find many shell casings in one place, this is usually a sign that a Red Squirrel has dipped into their winter “cache.” Pinecones are a favorite of Red Squirrels, so be sure to keep an eye out for piles of pinecone scales in one spot when looking for signs of Red Squirrels.
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Many pinecones stripped of their scales in one location indicates a red squirrel may have been eating here
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Hickory nut casings scattered in different locations indicates a gray squirrel is snacking here

​There are all sorts of other signs that help us to determine what type of animal activity is happening in an area when we aren’t around, so do your best to note any oddities in your journals and try to make connections between your recordings. How you keep track of your findings is completely up to you! You can draw pictures of your observations, or keep detailed notes! Once you are done with your investigation, try to figure out what the signs are telling you about which types of animals are in the area. As always, happy journaling!
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Meet our Sheep!

2/4/2021

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Sheep are sheep are sheep, right? Not quite! It’s pretty easy to assume that all sheep are the same, especially if you live in a place where sheep are few and far between. Even in Easton, there aren’t too many sites you can head to locally to check out these radiant ruminants.
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​Sheep have some characteristics that are common among all species like the fact that they all have hooves that are split into two separate toes. Sheep are also all cud-chewing ruminants (along with cows, goats and other mammals who eat a lot of greens), meaning that they have four compartments in their stomach: the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum! From the reticulum of a sheep’s stomach, their food is regurgitated in the form of cud where it is chewed for a second time before moving into the omasum! This is why whenever observing sheep, it often looks like they are chewing on bubblegum! Not only are they re-chewing their food, but sheep also don’t have any teeth on the front of their upper jaw, so they are grinding down all that cud with very flat, back molars, which just makes the whole process even more noticeable!
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Diagram depicting the flow of digestion for ruminant mammals. Image taken from http://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Ruminant_Digestion.html
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All that being said, there are over 10,000 species of domestic sheep in the world all with unique traits and characteristics! Funnily enough, there are only six species of wild sheep roaming the world, two of which can be found in the U.S. along with a couple of subspecies. At the NRT’s Sheep Pasture, we are lucky enough to have two different species of domestic sheep, the Cheviot Sheep and the Jacob Sheep!
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The Jacob Sheep


​At the NRT’s Sheep Pasture property when walking around our barn and surrounding area, it’s pretty obvious that not all of the sheep look exactly the same! Our more notable sheep species, with four large  protruding horns, is the Jacob Sheep! It’s easy to confuse our Jacob Sheep with goats because and other farm animals because of their giant horns, which is not something we often associate with sheep.


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​There are quite a few characteristics of Jacob Sheep that make them unique, including their four horns. Both of the NRT’s Jacob Sheep have four horns. One of which has them all growing in spirals together that make it look like it has two, massive horns. There is variability among the number of horns that Jacob Sheep can have, but they are always an even number between two and six. You may think that because our two Jacob Sheep are horned that they must be males, but Jacob Sheep is a species in which both the males and females will be horned! It just so happens that both of our sheep are, in fact, male…
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​Another important trait of the Jacob Sheep is their black spots, which is also how they got their name! According to the Livestock Conservancy, Jacob Sheep are named for Jacob from the Bible who was known for breeding spotted sheep!
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​Jacob Sheep are considered to be a threatened heritage sheep breed of the world. Heritage breeds are ones whose characteristics and traits can be lost overtime due to mixed breeding, which could eventually lead to the end of an entire species. To combat this, The Livestock Conservancy has lists of heritage breeds that farmers are able to help maintain populations of. To read more about Jacob Sheep, you can explore this informative article published by The Livestock Conservancy. While on their site, be sure to check out other heritage breeds – you might be surprised at the many different species of livestock there are!
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​We love our Jacob Sheep not only for their good looks and preservation importance, but also because of their friendly and curious demeanors! Both Four-Horn and Big-Horn (see if you can guess who is who in the photos of our Jacob Sheep) love to welcome visitors, especially before breakfast! We currently have two Jacob Sheep living with us at Sheep Pasture.

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The Cheviot Sheep

What a classic! Here at Sheep Pasture, we share space with four Cheviot sheep who perfectly embody the white, woolly sheep in all the quintessential farm images. Cheviots are a European species who was brought the U.S. in 1838. Unlike the Jacob Sheep, all Cheviots have no horns and no spots, and are always completely white with a cute, black muzzle and black feet. Cheviots are also noticeable by their very fluffy bodies, with very little wool on their legs and face!
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Cheviot Sheep are a favorite among farmers, especially those in areas with variable climates, because of their ability to withstand a wide-range of temperatures and weather conditions without a bother. Overtime, selection for Cheviot sheep included sheep who were low-maintenance, which makes them pretty independent. If you visit the NRT’s Sheep Pasture property, you may notice that our Jacob Sheep seem a little more inclined to come over and say "hi!" Not only are Cheviots low-maintenance because of their care-free attitudes, but they also are designed to suffer from many less ailments than other sheep species. These friendly, hardy sheep are perfect for the relaxed farmer!
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We love watching our four independent Cheviots go about their business each day with confidence! There’s no feeling quite like being stared down across the pasture by a cud-chewing Cheviot. For more information on Cheviots, check out the American Cheviot Sheep Society!
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Next time you're at the Sheep Pasture property, be sure to stop by and say "hi!" to our Jacob and Cheviot sheep! They love the attention!
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Nature Journal Notes

2/2/2021

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​Getting out in harsh weather conditions to do nature journaling can be difficult! Thankfully, there are lots of awesome ways to keep up with nature journaling right from the comfort of our homes. Below are a few ways to continue journaling even when the motivation to get outside is lost. Journal entries written from home create opportunities to spend time practicing skills that we sometimes don’t have time to focus on when journaling out in nature!

​The first activity you can do while journaling from inside is to find anything in your home that is connected to nature. Whether it be a pet, a plant, a fruit, a nut, or even an egg, and start making observations! If the thing you found to observe is something that will stay still, spend some time trying to get as much detail as possible! For instance, if you are observing something like an egg, are you able to capture the texture of the egg? Is it smooth or a little bit bumpy?

​I started to observe my dog, but after a couple of minutes he got up and walked away. This was OK because I was practicing using shapes to help me detail general structure and even though he left, I was able to get kind of a cool outline of him that I think captured his proportions and even his posture and positioning! Sometimes I jump right in to drawing animals as I see them, without taking the time to use shapes as tools for proportions and general body structure. The more I practice this, the more I am realizing it is a great tool for quickly sketching animals whose detail can be added later!

​Another indoor journaling activity is finding a window and sketching what you see outside! Even if you are somewhere that doesn’t have too much wildlife going on outdoors, this is a great exercise for understanding perspective! Roads and buildings can be wonderful ways to practice creating lines that meet at the horizon for capturing perspective properly. This is also a great way to practice using depth and how objects look compared to other objects in a scene. For instance, things that are closer will appear larger than things that are further away.

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Dog observations trying to capture shape
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Dog observations trying to capture shape
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Wildlife window scene...
If your window does offer a scene with wildlife, do your best to document the different types of plants and animals you are seeing! Even though it is the middle of winter, you can look up different kinds of trees, or old photos of the view you are looking at to see if you can figure out what kinds of bare plants you might be documenting. Be sure to keep track of birds and other animals make that appearances!

​The final journaling suggestion is to do a deep dive into a plant, animal, or something in nature that interests you that isn’t found locally. One great way to practice our sketching and coloring skills is to copy from photographs. After picking something that interests you, do as much research as possible to record some of the details of the plant or animals life! You can start by scouring your home for any books that might be helpful, and then, of course, you can turn to the internet for help.

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I decided to do a deep dive into the life of an African Lion!
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Quick initial sketch of lion body shape

​If you are researching an animal, try to determine where it is native to, what it eats, when it is most active, what type of animal it is, and anything else you feel may be relevant, or that you just want to include! If you are researching a plant, you can look up what type of plant it is, where it is native to, in what weather conditions does it thrive, if anything eats it, and anything else interesting!

Nature journaling from home can be an extremely cozy activity and offers a great break from the normal snow day activities. Be creative in your journaling and definitely don’t feel stuck to follow these guidelines. As always, the best part about our nature journals is that what we put in them and how we make entries is completely up to us!

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Natural Resources Trust of Easton 
PO Box 188
307 Main Street
 N.Easton, MA 02356
Info@nrtofeaston.org
508-238-6049

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Office Hours:
Monday-Friday by appointment
Closed weekends & holidays

Sheep Pasture Property Hours:
Monday-Sunday 
Dawn to dusk
Gates are closed at dusk.
​Times vary seasonally.
  • Home
    • About >
      • Sheep Pasture Property Use Information
      • Publications & Brochures
      • NRT's Elise Ames Parker Award >
        • Elise Ames Parker Award 2018
        • Elise Ames Parker Award 2019
        • Elise Ames Parker Award 2020
      • A Life Well Lived: Lyn White
      • A Champion of Conservation: Ginny Reusch
      • NRT's Sheep Pasture >
        • Seasonal Visitor Updates and Information
        • Sheep Pasture Trail Map
      • NRT Land Stewardship
      • Staff
      • Board of Directors
      • Directions
      • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Education
    • NRT School Programs >
      • On-Site Programs
      • In-School Programs
      • Programs for Young Children
      • Virtual School Programs
    • Private Group Programs >
      • Adult Programs
      • Pre-K Programs
    • Summer Camp & Leadership Youth Programs >
      • SPNC Extended Day Program
    • Sheep Pasture Vacation Programs
    • Birthday Party Programs
  • Events
    • Sheep Pasture After Dark
    • Harvest & Craft Fair
    • Sheep Pasture SPOOKTACULAR
    • Spring Farm Festival
    • SP Volunteer Days
  • Resources
    • Current Weather at Sheep Pasture
    • Photographer Info
    • Partners & Community Contacts
    • Animal Resources
    • Conservation Resources
    • Gold Award Scavenger Hunts
  • Giving to NRT
  • NRT Store
    • Sheep Pasture Nature Camp
    • Leadership Youth
    • April Vacation Registration
    • Sheep Pasture Family Programs
    • NRT Memberships
    • Specialty Donations to NRT: Simba Memorial
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Community Gardens
    • Property Rentals
    • Sheep Pasture Eggs
    • Support NRT >
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      • Volunteer/Internships
      • Wish List
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Website Inquiries