Friend and photographer Kevin Watson saw two Red Foxes at the Celery Farm yesterday. He was able to photograph one with a pocket camera.
   The link is here.

                                                                  I took these photos last night, with the permission of the marsh warden, since the Celery Farm is closed to the public after dusk.

The lake was frozen, and not a creature was stirring, not even a goose.

There was a  hush over the refuge, with the only sound coming from the sound of cars whizzing along the Franklin Turnpike.
   
Light was minimal, so I left the lens open. I still had to boost the images a bit on the computer.
   
    The good news is that there are still a few places in these parts that are dark at night.

   A little ice and snow on Lake Appert this morning -- but no screech owl yet in the nesting box.

My friend, photographer Jerry Barrack, has been working on a little gem of a book called "The Birds of the Celery Farm."
  His idea was to celebrate the smaller winged wonders that enrich our visits to the Celery Farm -- from kinglet and hummingbirds to swallows and warblers.  No herons, ducks, geese, swans, bitterns or other traditional crowd-pleasers.

  Jerry asked if I would contribute some text to his labor of love, and after doing several projects with him, I was not about to say no.
  Now the book is done.
  The trouble is that we do not know how big a market exists for this sort of endeavor. Absent any better ideas, Jerry and I now plan to sell the book as a limited edition through an online publisher, Blurb, available in early December in time for holiday giving.
  The book, 7 by 7 inches square, 80 pages and chock full of color photography, is dedicated to Marsh Warden Stiles Thomas and his wife Lillian's late grandson Carlos Parnell Lopez, who died tragically last year.
  By ordering in decent quantity, we will be able to save 10 percent on costs and postage. Any savings would be passed on to you. Jerry and I are paying for our own copies and not making a penny on this.
  We are expecting a high-quality paperback version to sell for under $18, including shipping and handling.
  A hard-cover with dust jacket should sell for under $28, and a hard-cover with laminated front should sell for under $32. All books can be signed and inscribed as you like.
   E-mail me if you are interested in placing order or to ask a question or two.  I have prototypes of the book si f you would like to see one. We can figure out how...

I have been battling a cold for almost a week, which means I have not been to the Celery Farm -- although I do stare out at it quite a bit between sips of tea and gargles of salt water.
  This has left me in a bind -- what to do for the Monday Morning Mystery?
  I did some rummaging around the Internet and came up with avian literary mystery.  Here goes:
  Why did Lewis Carroll portray himself as a dodo in "Alice in Wonderland"?

  Click here for other Monday Morning Mysteries.

  Click here for the Project Gutenberg's on-line "Alice in Wonderland."