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The fish are running, swimming and jumping in Wellesley

April 12, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Thanks to readers MC and Colette Aufranc for sharing video and photos, respectively, of the fish doing their annual thing at Fuller Brook.

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A post shared by Swellesley Report (Wellesley) (@theswellesleyreport)

Colette says her son and friends helped some of the fish on their way at Grove Street.

We’ve been told in the past by town officials that these are alewife, though this young angler suspects white suckers could be among the crowd, too.

fuller brook fish

fuller brook fish

If you’re angling for rainbow trout, then head to Natick, where the Charles River, Dug Pond, and Lake Cochituate have all been stocked within the past few weeks. Wellesley doesn’t get its waters stocked with trout by MassWildlife.


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Filed Under: Animals

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Online program: Fairies, Frogs, and Damsels

April 11, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Up next in the Wellesley Conservation Land Trust Educational Series:

An online program on Fairies, Frogs, and Damsels (Spring & Summer Wildlife of Vernal Pools: Part 2)

With Joy Marzolf, naturalist and educator

Wednesday, April 14 at 4-4:30pm via Zoom. Preregistration required.

Register in advance for this educational event. Designed for children of all ages.

vernal pool north 40
Vernal pool at North 40

In the spring vernal pool animals are often in a race against time for survival before the pool dries up during the summer. Come see what you can find in one of Wellesley’s 15 vernal pools.  From fairy shrimp to damselflies, green frogs and painted turtles, learn about these seasonal pools and the many creatures that might inhabit them.

Learn the answers to these questions and more:

  • What is a vernal pool?
  • How does the vernal pool change from early spring to late spring/ summer?
  • Why and how does that affect what creatures are in the pool?
  • How does that affect what critters are drawn to the pool?
  • Who are the predators and who are the prey?

Co-sponsored with the Wellesley Free Library, Natural Resources Commission, and Sustainable Wellesley.


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Filed Under: Animals, Education, Environment

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Wellesley owl succumbs despite best efforts of human friends

March 29, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

A Babson College MBA student did his best to help a red-faced screech owl but to health, but the bird’s injuries proved too severe.

Fellow Babson MBA student Jacob Shotmeyer contacted us to let us know that his friend Alex Zhang had discovered the owl in his backyard in Wellesley, and that it wouldn’t move when approached.

Zhang contacted Alison Webber, a nearby state-and -federally licensed wildlife rehabilitator, who examined and treated the owl. The bird apparently been attacked by another bird of prey and suffered an abdominal injury and infection, likely a few days before being discovered, Webber told us.

Unfortunately, the infection had already gone too far and the owl died overnight, Webber said.

During the ordeal, Shotmeyer said he learned that Zhang coincidentally comes from a family in which other members have come across injured owls and made efforts to help them.

owl rescue

 

owl rescue

More: Wellesley taps farm system for new animal control officer


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Filed Under: Animals

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Wellesley Fire Dept. responds to Natick Community Organic Farm barn fire

March 17, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Fire Department joined those from Natick and Framingham on Wednesday morning to contain a 3-alarm fire that destroyed Natick Community Organic Farm’s 200-plus-year-old barn and killed a total of 16 pigs and piglets. On site caretakers were able to evacuate and call 9-1-1 after a farm dog awoke them to the fire at about 4:30am.

The devastating fire has generated a huge outpouring from the community, which frequents the farm for volunteer opportunities, to visit the animals, buy maple syrup and vegetables, and more.

We were on site to interview farm staff.

More on this story on Natick Report.

natick community organic farm barn
The barn before the fire

 

natick community farm fire

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Filed Under: Animals, Fire

Wellesley woman rescues lab from pond, dog owners reminded to leash up near icy water

March 10, 2021 by Bob Brown 4 Comments

Jason Connelly says he and his wife Tina could not have had two more different days on Wednesday: There he was comfortably Zooming for work while Tina arrived home sopping wet and with bloodied hands after wading into a pond at Centennial Reservation to save another dog owner’s pet that had fallen through ice.

The scary incident serves as a reminder to keep pets leashed when near bodies of water while the ice is melting, as it’s doing during this week’s warm-up. While the air temperature topped 50 degrees in Wellesley today, the water temperature wasn’t close to that.

“She could feel herself getting numb, and the cold water was talking her breath away,” Jason says.

centennial bezanson

Upon hearing a woman screaming about the dog, which had fallen through thin ice and drifted under the ice sheet on Benzanson Pond, Tina secured her own dog and waded in fully dressed.

She wound up swimming after a bit though because of all the muck at the bottom of the half-acre pond, which has an average water depth of under 3 feet and a maximum depth of about 6 feet. Once she got near the dog she wound up smashing the ice with her hands to free the animal, and get it back to shore.

The dog appeared fine, and the owner asked for Tina’s contact information to follow up with more thanks.

Jason described his wife as a good swimmer and comfortable around ice as part of a hockey family with two kids and 3 dogs. Still, it was a scary situation and all are relieved that everyone wound up OK.

Late last year, police and firefighters rescued an unleashed dog that broke through ice on the Charles River at Elm Bank Reservation.

Authorities discourage dog owners from unleashing their dogs near icy water, but urge the public to call 9-1-1 if a dog does get loose and into a dangerous situation.

“This is when I highly encourage everyone to keep their dogs on leash or a trained voice command,” says Wellesley Animal Control Officer Jenny Smith. “I never recommend letting dogs go out onto the ice. You never know how thin it is, especially with these warm days we’ve been having. Hopefully the ice will all melt away in the next few days and we will not have to worry about any other dogs falling in.”


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Filed Under: Animals, Weather

Super Frogs! Early Spring Wildlife of Vernal Pools (online program)

March 8, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Join naturalist Joy Marzolf for an online education program called “Super Frogs! Early Spring Wildlife of Vernal Pools: Part 1” on Wednesday, March 10 at 4PM.

Register in advance for this half-hour educational event.

Learn about what vernal pools are, where you can find them in Wellesley, and why they are important. And find about super frogs, and how they live survive and thrive.

Designed for children of all ages.

This program is part of the Wellesley Conservation Land Trust Educational Series.

Co-sponsored with the Wellesley Free Library, Natural Resources Commission, and Sustainable Wellesley.

Part 2: Wednesday, April 14, 4PM – Pre-register here

“Spring & Summer Wildlife of Vernal Pools: Fairies, Frogs, and Damsels”

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Filed Under: Animals, Education

Cuteness alert: Babson College adds working puppy to the Wellesley campus

February 15, 2021 by Deborah Brown 2 Comments

We’ve missed feeling welcome at Babson College since the pandemic has closed the campus to outside visitors, but when we heard the business school had added a puppy to the community, we invited ourselves over. When a five-month old English cream golden retriever gets added to the family, well-wishers will come a-calling.

The pup’s name is Roger, and the Student Government Association, in response to students’ requests, provided the funding to bring him to campus. Now that he’s there, Roger is being raised up to serve as certified community resource dog. It’s hard work that keeps him busy four mornings a week learning important skills such as sit, stay, come, and heel as Roger internalizes his recall training lessons.

Babson College, Wellesley
Meet Roger, Babson College’s new community resource dog.

Babson Police Officer Kevin Carrigan is Roger’s partner in service to the community. The two not only work together, they also clock out together. In his off-hours, Roger enjoys family life with Officer Carrigan and his wife. But what if Carrigan moves on to a job outside of Babson? These things happen. “I’m not leaving,” Carrigan shrugged.

To meet Roger, I didn’t exactly storm the gates of entrepreneurial school. Roger, Carrigan and I rendezvoused outside the Forest Street entrance for our photo-op. The calm pup never once strained at his leash or, when briefly unleashed to show off his skills, even so much as glanced at the busy street as something that maybe he’d run off to explore. Roger is all about the human friends, and he takes his job seriously. Since everyone Roger meets is someone who might need an emotional boost, Roger let me know with eye contact and a wagging tail that he was there for me.

I fell hard for that sweet face. Roger has had that effect on the campus community as well. During his strolls on campus and while attending events, Carrigan says students approach the two all the time just to experience the joy of petting a puppy. Every positive interaction Roger has as a youngster helps him along his career path as a community resource dog. As Roger’s training progresses, he will be used on campus to respond to emotional, mental, and physical health emergencies and serve as a calming influencer. Already he’s brought students to tears.

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Officer Kevin Carrigan and Roger are partners in service.

“I’ve had students cry when they meet him because he makes them think of their dogs at home, or they say that the stress of dealing with school durning COVID is sometimes hard,” Carrigan said.

Although Roger hasn’t yet come across Babson’s mascot, Biz E. Beaver, Roger confided to me that he looks forward to meeting his colleague. He said he’d like to help Biz E out with the anxiety issues that have led to his compulsive gnawing problem. Maybe give Biz E some strategies to take the stress level down a notch.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Animals, Babson College, Business

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Wed 21

Wellesley Select Board online office hours

April 21 @ 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Thu 22

Ben Franklin, The Early Years: Wellesley Historical Society online lecture

April 22 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Sat 24

WellesleyRocks concert: Shira Doron & Patrick Hayden; Bigfoot acoustic

April 24 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Mon 26

Virtual lab tour, pooled COVID testing

April 26 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
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Fay School virtual information session

April 28 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am

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