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Boston in 2024: Wildlife - from our feral steer to bird-killing oil in the Muddy River
By adamg on Thu, 12/26/2024 - 11:21am
Turtle laying eggs in Millennium Park in June. Photo by Mary Ellen.
2024 once again brought tons of sightings of deer, turkeys and even bald eagles across the Boston area. But:
2024 was also the year a steer being kept as a pet in Jamaica Plain (sure, why not?) escaped and enjoyed a feral summer in the woods and hillside behind the Flaming Grill buffet off American Legion Highway in Roslindale before being captured and named Moodini and rehomed.
And it was also the year oil got into the Muddy River, coating ducks and geese with oil and killing some of them.
The year in Boston wildlife:
 After a refueling stop, the turboduck turned on its afterburner for a quick takeoff1/8/24 |
 Fort Point murmuration1/11/24 |
 Citizen complaint of the day: It may be injured and blind, but one Back Bay rat is still menacing1/26/24 |
 Boston's most transcendental deer2/18/24 |
 Rustic dining in Roslindale3/2/24 |
 What does a muskrat love?3/5/24 |
 For once a good reason to get stuck: Green Line stopped to save a baby duck3/7/24 David Yamada took a screen... |
 Track turkeys3/15/24 |
 Keeping an eye on the Charles3/16/24 |
 The return of the turtles to San Juan Jamaicapondo3/16/24 |
 I want a bird with a short tail and a loooong beak3/24/24 |
 Police officers in Needham gave a hoot and freed an owl4/1/24 |
 Who's a good fuzzy-wuzzy raptor?4/8/24 |
 Getting some sun in4/15/24 |
 An iceberg frog4/16/24 |
 Watching Coolidge Corner like a hawk4/21/24 |
 Spring is sprung, the grass is riz, I wonder where the birdies is - They're at Millennium Park, getting plump and scary4/27/24 |
 Tobie the Turkey settles in in Charlestown5/4/24 |
 Faceoff in Cambridge5/16/24 The... |
 Siesta time at the pond5/18/24 |
 Oh, sure, you lay a couple dozen eggs and see how you feel6/6/24 |
 Strolling the Neponset River animalway6/17/24 |
 Watching the Green Line like a hawk - and riding it like one, too6/21/24 |
 It's bright yellow, oozes along the ground and can solve mazes, but has one of the worst names in the world6/24/24 |
 Admission to the Arboretum yesterday was two bucks7/7/24 Mary Ellen reports... |
 Bird watchers flock to South Boston for look at tropical sea bird rarely seen north of the Caribbean7/13/24 |
 Not the elusive Roslindale bull, but couple still sees something startling up in their hillside backyard this morning7/21/24 |
 Raccoon with its head stuck in a sewer grate rescued with some liberal use of olive oil8/1/24 |
 In the Boston version of Donkey Kong, the gorilla is, of course, replaced by a turkey8/4/24 |
 Lookouts8/19/24 |
 Out in the ocean, a sadder whale story unfolds8/25/24 |
 Reflections on a cormorant8/27/24 |
 No bull: Roslindale bovine was actually a steer, but now has a name and is looking for a home8/29/24 |
 311 complaint of the day: Eastie is getting awfully skunky, and it's not because of an invasion of weed smokers9/15/24 |
 Table for one, please9/15/24 |
 Butterfly tops up at Millennium Park9/28/24 |
 Fabulous feathered fall finches10/8/24 |
 Brookline voters expected to gobble up new 'I Voted' stickers10/23/24 |
 Bucolic nature scene that would be even more bucolic without all the tires11/7/24 |
 Apex predators, assemble!11/18/24 |
 Hoping the T will get them out of town for Thanksgiving faster than flying11/24/24 |
 Oil flows into Muddy River on Boston/Brookline line, coating, endangering birds12/8/24 |
 Wildlife rehabbers in hazmat suits, volunteers try to save more waterfowl from the Muddy River, which still reeks of oil12/9/24 |
 Hopefully Sam didn't get a sudden craving for fresh fish12/9/24 |
 You wouldn't think a hawk would need to catch a plane, but these are unusual times12/12/24 |
 Esplanade eagle12/18/24 |
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Comments
Thank you, Adam and Mary Ellen
Thank you for the spectacular coverage, keeping the natural world in the forefront of our community knowledge.
I am sorry to learn (based on the facial expression) that turtles apparently experience labor pains.
Meanwhile, as I type this, sitting outside with legs crossed, a pigeon briefly hopped onto the shoe of my elevated leg. Sorry I didn’t have the presence of mind to snap a photo before kicking it off.
The "Moodini" saga was my
The "Moodini" saga was my favorite for 2024.