Nice picture, and very helpful, too. It indicates what I thought. The indigenous people of the area have a colloquialism that describes these towers...pile 'o rocks. Visitors, tourists, and seasonal folks to and of the area refer to them in their own languages...art. The structures in the picture appear to be above the high water mark, and therefore might be considered a more permanent feature of the beach, were it not for the non-indigenous species, Rockpilus destructus, that frequents the waters edge. A 2-legged species of unknown origin, these creatures prey upon the creations of the unwitting artisan or visitor, having not the ability to see and walk by in wonder and admiration. Rather, their propensity is to reak havoc upon the rocks. They can frequently be found in the local bars after the sun retires. Below the high water mark, Neptunes own frequently see to it that the efforts of the day are wrought asunder below the waves, to be reconstructed another day...and the cycle continues. Materials for these creations are locally available on the beach or in shallow waters. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, but all seem to share similar traits...rounded and flat, or simply flat and rounded, and then of course, there's the ever popular round...or flat...whichever....

LOL-- even our botanist has a hard time identifying most moss species! There are people who specialize in mosses who have long discussions about which moss they are looking at. Many are simply listed in our inventories as "moss species". There are some common ones that even I can identify, but most of my knowledge about specific plants is based on western ecosystems. If your moss is widespread, it won't hurt it to take a specimen. You could take a specimen to a local botanist-- if you have a university, national forest, or a nature conservancy type of organization near by, there are usually people there who are happy to do a quick id for you. Best of all, most states have a Native Plant Society with local chapters, and they are a wonderful resource, because many members are professional botanists. If there is a local chapter, I bet they'd jump at the chance if you invited them to a field tour of your property! Imagine how much you'd be able to learn. As for farm ponds, I think Nancy is right-- many, maybe most farm ponds were wet spots to begin with. Sometimes, though, farmers will put in a pond for fire protection purposes, irrigation, stock watering or for fishing, or all of the above. Depending on the soil, they may be compacting existing clayish soil so that it retains water, or in some cases, bringing in liner clay by the truckload (I've seen this done). Sometimes, though, ponds are spring-fed, or simply get enough inflow from rain than lost through seepage. This is the case with my tiny pond which is spring-fed and also gets runoff when it rains a lot. Which it has done in excess this last year. Dayle Ann

Hi Molie, ahh...more water envy. Great pictures of a great bird! My suggestions for bird guides: In paperback, I like 'The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America' which Claire recommended to me a few years ago. I like Sibley's very much because it shows drawings of birds with their changing plumage at various stages of development. That one feature of Sibley's Guide has helped me often. (but I still confuse little brown birds) When out in the field looking for eagles, ospreys and everything else the Connecticut River offers, I bring my iPod Touch because it fits in a shirt pocket and I loaded it with two apps from the iTunes Store - 'iBird North' and 'The Ultimate Audubon New England Field Guide'. If you wanted one app for your iPhone for the sake of portability, I suggest the Audubon NE Guide because it offers birds, mammals, fish, plants,butterflies, spiders & insects, wildflowers, trees, seashells, and the natural history of New England. Plus, it has multiple voices of most birds and animals,their ranges, etc. It is the most complete guide I've seen, and the pictures and sounds are crystal clear throughout each category. The iTunes App Store lists it as"Audubon Nature New England", if you're interested. "5 Top Bird Guides for iPhone" Jane

Who knew there was such a thing as skin lightening creams? A new study on the prevalence of mercury in the environment was just released. As usual, things are worse than anyone thought. _____ "Mercury contamination is more pervasive in New England than researchers previously believed, according to a study being released today that indicates the toxic substance appears to be polluting the environment in ways that scientists previously did not think possible. The four-year study in Northeastern United States and eastern Canada also indicates significant levels of mercury in forest songbirds and other animals that researchers did not suspect were ingesting mercury. The study, comprising 21 papers being published in the journal Ecotoxicology, also identifies nine hot spots in the region, including in the lower Merrimack River area in Massachusetts and New Hampshire where mercury levels in animals such as brook trout, loons, mink, and eagles are alarmingly high. In some locations, the levels appear to be interfering with some species' reproduction. "The impacts of mercury go well beyond what anyone would have envisioned yesterday," said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project in Vermont and cochairman of the state mercury committee, who was not involved in the study. "It doesn't look like there are any limits on mercury's reach." The $300,000 study, financed by the US Department of Agriculture's Northeastern States Research Cooperative, enlisted 50 scientists to analyze existing data of mercury in animals, soil, rivers, lakes, and streams. It also looked for the first time at mercury levels in such species as salamanders and songbirds in the region.For years, scientists and public policy makers have focused on mercury that is emitted from power plants and incinerators and falls into lakes and ponds, where it is easily converted into its toxic form when it interacts with bacteria in freshwater sediment. Across the region, pregnant woman and children have been warned not to eat many freshwater fish because the creatures can pass on the mercury concentrated in their flesh. (clip) But today's report indicates that the same type of toxic conversion may be happening on mountaintops and forests, with mercury falling out of the sky onto tree leaves and then dropping onto the moist forest floor. Tiny insects then take up the mercury, and as insects are eaten by larger creatures the mercury accumulates in greater concentrations up the food chain, said David C. Evers, executive director of the BioDiversity Research Institute who helped conceive the research idea with Tom Clair, of Environment Canada, that country's environmental protection agency. "These terrestrial systems have been completely overlooked," said Evers, who wants far more monitoring of the environment. "It's a complicated story, and we don't have all the answers yet." _____ Here is a link that might be useful: Boston Globe