Naugatuck River Revival Group

11/01/2026

New month, new roll call. Here's where the yard stands.

💤 Asleep

The groundhog has gone under. It's a true hibernator, and most stay down until late winter.
The box turtle is a few inches into soft soil under the leaf litter. It won't move until spring.
The bumble bee queen is alone in loose soil or leaves. The colony is finished; next summer's is inside her.

🌙 Half asleep

The chipmunk is settling into its winter routine: days of torpor in the burrow, then a wake-up to eat from the pantry it spent all fall filling.

🦉 Awake

The opossum doesn't hibernate. It's out on mild nights all winter.
The great horned owls are starting their night duets. They're among the earliest nesters of the year.
The deer are in the rut. Across much of the East, November is when they move the most.

🐦 Just arrived

Dark-eyed juncos, the snowbirds, are showing up under the feeders. White-throated sparrows are scratching through the leaves next to them.

Look where almost everyone is. In the soil. Under the leaves. On the ground.

Beds stay undug. Seed goes on the ground. 🍂

10/21/2026

10/21/2026

Sue is an acclaimed naturalist who has spent 50+ years exploring the wilds and wildlife of North America, documenting her findings with compelling narratives and spectacular photos. Preview this definitive, limited printing of her work -- and reserve your copy -- at keepingtrack.org/WH4

10/20/2026

A window well is a trap that nobody meant to set.

Those half-circle pits beside basement windows have smooth walls and no way out. Anything that tumbles in stays in, and the list is longer than most people expect: snakes, toads, salamanders, turtles, moles, baby rabbits, young raccoons and opossums.

Fall is when they get checked, mostly by accident, while the leaves are being cleared.

🪜 What to do with what's down there:

- Small ones — a toad, a salamander, a little snake — can be lifted out, or swept gently into a bucket with a broom and let go nearby
- Bigger visitors, like an opossum, need a ramp. Lean a rough board into the well at a slant so it can climb out on its own
- The lasting fix is a plastic or metal cover that sits tight against the wall and the well. If it's metal, a small-mesh grate so nothing small drops through

A two-minute look each time the rake goes past.

Look down. Lean a board. 🍂

10/20/2026

Skip the bread. Here's what actually gets a bird through a freezing night.

A chickadee burns a startling share of its own body weight on one cold night just staying warm. By morning it needs fat, fast, and that's what a winter feeder is for.

❄️ The winter menu:

- Black-oil sunflower — thin shells, high fat. Nearly all feeder birds take it
- Suet — pure energy for woodpeckers, nuthatches, and wrens
- Unsalted peanuts — jays, titmice, woodpeckers
- Nyjer in a finch feeder — goldfinches, in their olive winter coats
- White millet scattered low — juncos, sparrows, and doves feed on the ground
- Safflower — cardinals love it; grackles and starlings mostly leave it alone
- Dried mealworms — bluebirds and wrens
- Open water — the one thing a frozen yard can't give them

🚫 What to skip: bread and crackers fill without fueling. Sugary or salty snacks don't belong in a feeder. Pet food draws raccoons, rats, and the neighborhood cats straight to the birds.

The days that matter most are the hardest ones — snow cover, ice storms, the first deep freeze. That's when a clean, full feeder earns its keep. 🐦

10/09/2026

They're not vermin, and they're not pests either. Rats are empathetic, highly intelligent animals who possess social dynamics surprisingly similar to our own.

Rats are capable of complex problem-solving, they can use tools, and they will actively choose to rescue a trapped companion even if it means sacrificing food for themselves. They communicate through ultrasonic giggles when happy, experience deep bonds with their family units, and even possess metacognition: the rare ability to think about their own thoughts and decisions.

10/07/2026

How great would it be if Naugatuck was the next town.

🌿 Wi******er Takes Action to Protect Wildlife & Our Environment

At last night’s meeting, the Wi******er Board of Selectmen adopted a new Anticoagulant Rodenticide Policy on Municipal Properties.

The policy is designed to ensure the Town can continue addressing rodent issues effectively while reducing the unintended risks these products can pose to owls, hawks, foxes, other wildlife, pets, and our environment.

Beginning November 1, 2026, Wi******er will emphasize prevention, Integrated Pest Management, and safer alternatives on Town-owned and Town-maintained properties before turning to anticoagulant rodenticides.

We encourage residents to learn more about the new policy, why it was adopted, and how it will work.

👉 Click the link below to read the full announcement, policy, and presentation on the Town of Wi******er website:

https://www.townofwinchester.org/articles/anticoagulant-rodenticide-policy

🦉🌳 Together, we can protect our community while being responsible stewards of Wi******er’s parks, open spaces, and wildlife.

10/01/2026

09/12/2026

Congratulations Donna Finneran and the Brian O’Connell Homeless Foundation! You embody the meaning of “Good Neighbor”. Thank you for all you do!!