Friends of Alewife Reservation (FAR)
Join Email List
|
|
|
|
|
Great Horned Owl at Alewife
by Ellen Mass May 16th early afternoon, Dave Morimoto, Program Director of Lesley College's Natural Science and Mathematics Dept. was strolling with companion in the Belmont Silver Maple forest on Acorn park Dr. in Belmont in preparation for the town's Conservation Commission site visit the following week as a necessary trip to scrutinize the developer's plans of cutting down seven and a half acres of silver maple forest to build a biotech office park and garage. As a conservation biologist and ecosystem specialist, he has spent 20 years of exploring ecosystems and teaching around the world. Dave spotted a Great Horned Owl. It sat at Little Pond in Belmont and flew through the forest and trees towards Cambridge. The owl not only eats the rodents and reptiles of the Reservation, but also eats their predators, such as skunks and racoons, keeping the ecosystems in balance. It is uncommon to see a Great Horned so close to the city. Between forest and the large wetland buffer zone of wetlands, Black Crowned Night herons' roosts were also discovered. Contact information: David C. Morimoto Program Director Natural Sciences and Mathematics Lesley University 33 Mellen Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617 349-8226 morimoto@lesley.edu Great Horned Owl photo (taken in New Mexico) from U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service/photo by Gary M. Stolz 
|