The Nature of Things and Nature Notes, by Rich MacDonald, were alternating weekly columns that appeared in The Bar Harbor Times for four years. Here is a sampling of those columns.
This article was published in the March 8, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. Nature and kids are intrinsically linked. What better way to nourish this connection than by sending kids to nature camp. In this week’s column, Rich shares some scholarship opportunities for local kids to go to camp.
This article was published in the February 23, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. Pollution comes in many forms. In this week’s column, Rich focuses on both light and sound pollution.
This article was published in the February 10, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. In this week’s column, Rich explores the concept of non-native and invasive species, focusing on several examples from Mount Desert Island, Maine.
This article was published in the January 26, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. The winter of 2011-2012 is seeing one of the most significant Snowy Owl irruption years of all time. Rich treats this week’s column as a species account for this denizen of the Arctic.
This article was published in the January 12, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. In this week’s column, Rich discusses snow and words for snow. If you like etymology and nature trivia, be sure to read this piece.
This article was published in the March 01, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. Snowy Owls persist. Red-bellied Woodpeckers in Hulls Cove, Maine. A fly-by Razorbill off Acadia National Park’s Great Head. Bohemian Waxwings. Merlins making White-throated Sparrows nervous. All these and more are highlighted in Rich’s column this week.
This article was published in the February 16, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. The Manset, Maine, Dovelie persists. Snowy Owls galore! An early Turkey Vulture. Northern Shrike. All these and more are highlighted in Rich’s column this week.
This article was published in the February 02, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. Highlights in Rich’s column this week focus on a Dovekie in Manset, Maine, and the ducks of the Somesville mill pond, including three American Wigeon and five banded Mallards.
This article was published in the January 19, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. In this week’s column, Rich departs from discussing local observation in order to share sightings from a trip to Sarasota, Florida.
This article was published in the January 5, 2012, edition of The Bar Harbor Times. In this week’s column, Rich shares observations from a pelagic boat trip to Mount Desert Rock, 25 miles offshore. He also summarized the results from the 2011 Maine “Big Year” birding competition.
