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By BILL DANIELSON

One of the great joys of the spring is the year’s first appearance of the tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). In my yard this event almost always occurs in the first week of April and this year was no exception. It was a close call, but the first...

As the first moments of daylight crept over the horizon like a sedated manatee on the last day of turkey hunting season, I was mesmerized at how long it took for the sun to appear that day. I honestly don’t know why this was, or what was making me...

By ANNA LAIRD BARTO

Last summer, I chronicled my 68-mile paddle of Connecticut River through Massachusetts. Along the way, I became very well acquainted with the river, its bends and currents, dams and bridges, trees and wildlife — even its sewage overflows! Here are a...

By DOMENIC POLI

The Boston Red Sox season will still be warming up by the end of this month, with about 110 games remaining before the playoffs. But outdoor sportsmen across Massachusetts will have already hung up their gear until around the time the World Series...

With this year’s wild turkey hunting season nearing the end of a second full week, stories have been coming in from all over the state from friends and colleagues who’ve had a great start to the 2024 season. And with two full weeks-plus remaining, I...

By BILL DANIELSON

It was the morning of April 16 and I was up early. It seems to be impossible for me to sleep late at this time of year because I am so excited about seeing the first birds of the season, but this particular morning was a little different. It was the...

By BILL DANIELSON

During a recent lecture on evolutioin I had to explain the differences between three different processes known as geographic, temporal and behavioral isolation. Geographic isolation is the easiest of these concepts to understand because it involves...

MassWildlife reminds us that April through May is the height of the breeding season for wild turkeys and, as a result, turkey activity is increasing daily across the Commonwealth.In some areas turkeys may even act aggressively by pecking, following,...

By BILL DANIELSON

It just so happens that I am a creature of habit and I always write my column on a Thursday. On this particular morning I find myself luxuriating in an unexpected, but most welcome, deviation from my normal routine. A huge winter storm has arrived and...

By DOMENIC POLI

It seems people from all over are anxious for spring to arrive as bookings at the three state camping locations in Franklin and Hampshire counties are filling up fast.The state Department of Conservation and Recreation reports that at least 756 total...

As opening day of the 2024 turkey hunting season slowly approaches, I found myself wandering into my den looking over my collection of turkey calls while reaching for certain ones that have meant something to me over the years. Now, this yearly...

By BILL DANIELSON

It was a rainy Sunday morning at the beginning of March and I was suffering from cabin fever. It hasn’t been a particularly cold winter, but I had been cooped up nonetheless. Saturday had gone by without incident, like so many Saturday’s since the new...

A few weeks back during this year’s Springfield Sportsmen’s Show, I found myself in conversation with many different people regarding the green “hunt safely” stickers that are required by law in Massachusetts to have positioned on your gun during...

By BILL DANIELSON

It was the end of a very long day, but, because of the increasing daylight that we have all been enjoying, it was still light out when I got home. I pulled up to the garage, but I had to get out to open the garage door because my door opener had died....