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While winter in New England can be stunningly beautiful, with its magical snowfalls and ethereal silences, I must admit that by mid-February the long absence of so many songbirds has me feeling bereft. I miss the vireos; I miss the thrushes and most especially I miss the pair of phoebes who settle into the well-worn nest on the gable end of my house to raise their young...

Our brook in February is not yet in flood stage, nor is it in full throat, although now I can hear it from the house. If I could stir myself sufficiently, I'd approach the brook's icy edge to see what's happening. For the best viewing I could use the equipment of warmer months, but right now submerging my face with a mask and snorkel is unthinkable...

Bob Chandler came across this scene on a logging job in Maine.

Every other week we run a photo of something unusual found in the woods. Guess what it is and you'll be eligible to win a copy of The Outside Story, a paperback collection of our Outside Story newspaper columns. A prize winner will be drawn at random from all the correct entries. The correct answer, and the winner's name, will appear in our next e-newsletter. 

We won't make you guess how many there are, but we want to know what they are and why they all landed on the ground at the same time in late December? (Penny Harris took this shot in Cambridge, Vermont).               

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