Sightings – Animals
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 10/19/12
Observation Time: 2:05 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond
Common Name: Wood Duck
Scientific Name: Aix sponsa
Comments: These skittish ducks have spectacular plumage. Unlike most other ducks, they have sharp claws for perching in trees.
Wood Duck populations increased between 1966 and 2015 according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. This is good news considering their dramatic declines in the late 19th century. Wood Ducks can be found throughout the year in the U.S., with some individuals breeding in Canada, and some wintering in Mexico.
More Information: All About Birds.org
Observer: Richard Kramer
Observation Date: 4/13/19
Observation Time: midnight
Observation Location: Moose Hill Street near TTOR’s Moose Hill Farm
Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Comments: As their name implies, wood frogs live in the woods and reproduce in vernal pools. Listen to the recording of the quacking sound it makes at the Wikipedia link below so you can recognize it when they thaw out after the snow melts in early spring and begin their courtship.
The photo below was taken on “big night” – the first rainy night after the snow has melted in spring when woodland amphibians migrate from uplands down to nearby wetlands to spawn.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 9/13/09
Observation Time: 3:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Mass Bay Circuit Trail near Borderland State Park
Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Comments: Very well camouflaged in center of photo.
In case you were wondering how frogs survive the winter, check out this 2-minute time-lapse video of a frozen wood frog thawing out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofSdw5V21Ek
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 9/13/14
Observation Time: 12:10 p.m.
Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd.
Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Comments: This amphibian lives in the woods and reproduces in vernal pools. Listen to the recording of the quacking sound it makes at the Wikipedia link below so you can recognize it when they thaw out after the snow melts in early spring and begin their courtship.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7/13/13
Observation Time: 11:05 a.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond area
Common Name: Wood Nymph butterfly
Scientific Name: Cercyonis pegala
Comments: Note the “pink earth” lichen in the background of the upper photo.
More information: Mass Audubon Butterfly Atlas
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7/27/13
Observation Time: 2:43 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond area
Common Name: Wood Nymph butterfly
Scientific Name: Cercyonis pegala
Comments: It’s a thrill to get so close to something wild and beautiful.
More information: Mass Audubon Butterfly Atlas
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 8/13/20
Observation Time: 3:20 p.m.
Observation Location: Mountain St.
Common Name: Wood Nymph butterfly
Scientific Name: Cercyonis pegala
Comments: Despite its name the Wood Nymph butterfly prefers open areas including fields, wet meadows, salt marshes, and bogs. It also inhabits open woods and ventures along well lit woodland trails.
More information: Mass Audubon Butterfly Atlas
3Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 8/25/12
Observation Time: 3:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road – soccer field parking lot
Common Name: Wood Nymph butterfly
Scientific Name: Cercyonis pegala
Comments: This striking wood nymph butterfly was a challenge to photograph, but with persistence I was able to get close enough to get this shot.
More Information: Massachusetts Butterfly Club
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 5/13/23
Observation Time: 11:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Wood thrush
Scientific Name: Hylocichla mustelina
Comments: The wood thrush’s melodic “ee-oh-lay” song is often heard in the woods. If you learn to recognize it, you can follow the sound to get a look at the bird.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/14/14
Observation Time: 12:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Wood thrush
Scientific Name: Hylocichla mustelina
Comments: The “Ee-oh-lay” song of the wood thrush has a melodic quality.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/2/24
Observation Time: 8:15 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Wood thrush
Scientific Name: Hylocichla mustelina
Comments: The wood thrush’s melodic “ee-oh-lay” song is often heard in the woods. If you learn to recognize it, you can follow the sound to get a look at the bird.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/27/14
Observation Time: 6:40 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Wood thrush
Scientific Name: Hylocichla mustelina
Comments: This wood thrush was spotted on its nest.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/9/23
Observation Time: 6:50 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Wood thrush
Scientific Name: Hylocichla mustelina
Comments: We heard this wood thrush’s melodic “ee-oh-lay” song before we spotted it high in a dead tree.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/7/25
Observation Time: 10:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Wood thrush
Scientific Name: Hylocichla mustelina
Comments: The wood thrush’s melodic “ee-oh-lay” song is often heard in the woods. If you learn to recognize it, you can follow the sound to get a look at the bird.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/27/10
Observation Time: 4:25 p.m.
Observation Location: Beneath the high tension lines near So. Walpole St.
Common Name: Wool Sower Gall Wasp
Scientific Name: Callirhytis seminator
Comments: Pink-spotted, white cottony wool sower galls are about the size of a ping-pong ball and are produced by a tiny species of Cynipid wasp, Callirhytis seminator, and are most commonly found on white oaks.
More Information: The UnderStory
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/15/15
Observation Time: 12:40 p.m.
Observation Location: woods beyond Everett Street
Common Name: Worm-eating Warbler
Scientific Name: Helmitheros vermivorum
Comments: The worm-eating warbler is so-named because it eats caterpillars. It overwinters in Central America and Caribbean islands.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/23/23
Observation Time: 8:45 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Worm-eating Warbler
Scientific Name: Helmitheros vermivorum
Comments: The worm-eating warbler is so-named because it eats caterpillars. It overwinters in Central America and Caribbean islands.
Unlike most other warbler species that pass through Sharon on their spring and fall migrations to and from their breeding areas farther north, worm-eating warblers only migrate as far north as Massachusetts, where they nest and rear their young.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/25/18
Observation Time: 7:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Worm-eating Warbler
Scientific Name: Helmitheros vermivorum
Comments: The worm-eating warbler is so-named because it eats caterpillars. It overwinters in Central America and Caribbean islands.
Unlike most other warbler species that pass through Sharon on their spring and fall migrations to and from their breeding areas farther north, worm-eating warblers only migrate as far north as Massachusetts, where they nest and rear their young.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/3/25
Observation Time: 9:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Worm-eating Warbler
Scientific Name: Helmitheros vermivorum
Comments: The worm-eating warbler is so-named because it eats caterpillars. It overwinters in Central America and Caribbean islands.
Unlike most other warbler species that pass through Sharon on their spring and fall migrations to and from their breeding areas farther north, worm-eating warblers only migrate as far north as Massachusetts, where they nest and rear their young.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/4/24
Observation Time: 9:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Worm-eating Warbler
Scientific Name: Helmitheros vermivorum
Comments: The worm-eating warbler is so-named because it eats caterpillars. It overwinters in Central America and Caribbean islands.
Unlike most other warbler species that pass through Sharon on their spring and fall migrations to and from their breeding areas farther north, worm-eating warblers only migrate as far north as Massachusetts, where they nest and rear their young.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Punitha Hanumantha
Observation Date: 5/13/23
Observation Time: 9:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary – Billings Loop
Common Name: Yellow Warbler (female)
Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia
Comments: Yellow warblers are typically found near wetlands. It has a song that sounds like, “sweet-sweet-sweet-little more sweet.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Faith Berkland
Observation Date: 2/17/22
Observation Time: 4:20 p.m.
Observation Location: 359 Mansfield Street, Sharon
Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum
Comments: Although it’s generally best not to handle amphibians, it was on the street so I picked it up and put it under some leaves across the street before a car came. Unfortunately I did not get a photo.
Salamanders typically do not emerge until “Big Night” – the first rainy night after the snow melts in late March. Perhaps the recent warm weather (up to 60º in February) has fooled them into coming out early – a potentially fatal mistake if freezing weather returns.
More Information: animaldiversity.org
Observer: Rita Corey
Observation Date: 3/22/10
Observation Time: 10:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Between 268 & 281 Mountain St, going east to west
Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum
Comments: Rainy night; stopped car to watch it cross the road; told the neighbor driving behind me and he came out to watch: he had never seen one before.
More Information: Read about the salamander migration at Moose Hill in 2008.
Observer: Rita Corey
Observation Date: 3/23/10
Observation Time: 10:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Between 268 & 281 Mountain St, going west to east
Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum
Comments: Was it the same one I had seen the night before crossing the road? I suspect there are lots of them! Gave a note to all neighbors on Mountain St from Hampton Rd to dirt road to be on the lookout as they drive home on rainy nights.
More Information: Read about the salamander migration at Moose Hill in 2008.
Observer: Rita Corey
Observation Date: 3/29/10
Observation Time: 9:30 p.m.
Observation Location: Between 268 & 281 Mountain St, going west to east
Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum
Comments: Again, a rainy night in late March…
More Information: Read about the salamander migration at Moose Hill in 2008.
Observer: Richard Kramer
Observation Date: 4/13/19
Observation Time: midnight
Observation Location: Moose Hill Street near Kendall Estate
Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum
Comments: To see a variety of frog and salamander species on the first rainy night after the snow melts in late March or early April, take an umbrella and a flashlight, and walk down Moose Hill Street near TTOR’s Moose Hill Farm . That’s when mole salamanders migrate from their burrows to nearby wetlands to spawn.
It’s best not to handle salamanders because the salts and oils on your skin don’t do amphibians any good.
More Information: animaldiversity.org
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/11/18
Observation Time: 1:40 p.m.
Observation Location: meadow at Morse and Lakeview
Common Name: Yellow warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia
Comments: The yellow warbler has a song that sounds like, “sweet-sweet-sweet little more sweet.” It is typically found near wetlands.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/19/14
Observation Time: 12:20 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road
Common Name: Yellow warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia
Comments: The yellow warbler has a song that sounds like, “sweet-sweet-sweet
little more sweet.” It is typically found near wetlands.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/2/20
Observation Time: 6:15 a.m.
Observation Location: near wetlands downstream of Gavins Pond dam
Common Name: Yellow Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia
Comments: The yellow warbler is typically found near wetlands. It has a song that sounds like, “sweet-sweet-sweet-little more sweet.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/20/20
Observation Time: 2:35 p.m.
Observation Location: wetlands under high tension lines across the street from Ward’s Berry Farm
Common Name: Yellow Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia
Comments: The yellow warbler is typically found near wetlands. It has a song that sounds like, “sweet-sweet-sweet-little more sweet.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/23/18
Observation Time: 11:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR)
Common Name: Yellow Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia
Comments: Yellow warblers are typically found near wetlands. Learn to recognize their “sweet-sweet-sweet-little-more-sweet” song, and you’ll detect these bright yellow birds often in Sharon.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/2/19
Observation Time: 4:00 p.m.
Observation Location: in the wetlands beneath the power lines across the street from Ward’s Berry Farm
Common Name: Yellow warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia
Comments: The yellow warbler has a song that sounds like, “sweet-sweet-sweet little more sweet.” It is typically found near wetlands.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/23/16
Observation Time: 6:45 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Scientific Name: Coccyzus americanus
Comments: I heard this yellow-billed cuckoo’s “kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-cowp-cowp-cowp” before I spotted it. Even though cuckoos are relatively large birds, they typically don’t move around much, so they are hard to find unless you know what their call sounds like.
The photo quality is poor because the bird was high in a distant tree, and flew away before I could get closer for a better shot.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Bruce Lewis
Observation Date: 7/2/24
Observation Time: 5:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Scientific Name: Coccyzus americanus
Comments: I heard the yellow-billed cuckoo as I was standing at the beginning of the Billings path but the bird was deep in the woods. I recorded its song with my cell phone and then I edited the recording by first importing the phone movie into iMovie. Then I imported the file into Audacity, which is a free sound application which you can use on your laptop. It made the original recording much louder.
If you play the recording below while running Merlin at the same time on your smart phone, Merlin will identify the song as that of a yellow-billed cuckoo.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/28/16
Observation Time: 6:45 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: Yellow-rumped warblers arrived at Moose Hill toward the end of April in 2016.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/29/24
Observation Time: 9:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: I spotted this yellow-rumped warbler in a flowering crabapple tree on the Billings Loop. Flowering trees oftern attract birds, especially those that feed on the insects attracted by the blossoms.
The annual northward bird migration is getting started and a few colorful warblers and other photogenic migrants are beginning to show up in Sharon. To keep track of the waves of migrating birds heading our way, check out the animated bird radar maps at https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/
Also, don’t leave home without the free app Merlin on your cell phone. It will tell you which birds are singing within earshot.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/11/19
Observation Time: 7:45 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: The western sub-species of yellow-rumped warbler has a bright yellow throat. The eastern sub-species, also known as a myrtle warbler, has a white throat.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/13/14
Observation Time: 1:40 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: Colorful woodland warblers such as this yellow-rumped warbler are often observed at Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in the early morning in May as they migrate through Sharon to breeding grounds farther north.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/3/20
Observation Time: 9:50 a.m.
Observation Location: woods near Gavins Pond
Common Name: Yellow-rumped warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: The western sub-species of yellow-rumped warbler has a bright yellow throat. The eastern sub-species, also known as a myrtle warbler, has a white throat.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/3/25
Observation Time: 8:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler (a.k.a. Myrtle Warbler)
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: I spotted this yellow-rumped warbler high in a flowering tree on the Billings Loop. Flowering trees often attract birds, especially those that feed on the insects attracted by the blossoms.
The annual northward bird migration gets started in late April and continues through mid-May To keep track of the waves of migrating birds heading our way, check out the bird radar maps at https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/
Also, don’t leave home without the free app Merlin on your cell phone. It will tell you which birds are singing within earshot.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/6/23
Observation Time: 7:50 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: The western sub-species of yellow-rumped warbler has a bright yellow throat. The eastern sub-species, also known as a myrtle warbler, has a white throat. I photographed this individual in one of the huge sugar maples near the barn on the Billings Loop trail.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/7/25
Observation Time: 8:15 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: Flowering trees attract birds, especially those such as warblers that feed on the insects attracted by the blossoms.
The annual northward bird migration is in full swing and colorful warblers and other photogenic migrants are passing through Sharon. To keep track of the waves of migrating birds heading our way, check out the animated bird radar maps at https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/
Also, don’t leave home without the free app Merlin on your cell phone. It will tell you which birds are singing within earshot.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/13/15
Observation Time: 11:25 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: I got these photos standing underneath a flowering crabapple tree. The blossoms attracted insects, which in turn attracted insectivorous warblers that needed fuel to continue their migration.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/8/23
Observation Time: 9:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata
Comments: The bird migration radar (https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/) showed a surge of migrating birds on the evening of May 7, so I was not surprised to see many migrating warblers at Moose Hill on the morning of May 8.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Bruce Lewis
Observation Date: 3/13/22
Observation Time: 4:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill St. near TTOR’s Moose Hill Farm
Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum
Comments: It’s generally best not to handle amphibians, so I left it alone.
Salamanders typically do not emerge until “Big Night” – the first rainy night after the snow melts in late March. This specimen was crawling around while it was snowing.
More Information: animaldiversity.org
4Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/2/05
Observation Time: 9:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Street near Kendall Estate
Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum
Comments: It’s best not to handle salamanders because the salts and oils on your skin don’t do amphibians any good (mea culpa!). To see a variety of frog and salamander species, walk down Moose Hill Street on the first rainy night after the snow melts in late March. That’s when mole salamanders migrate from their their burrows to nearby wetlands to spawn.
More Information: animaldiversity.org
Observer: Scott Didham
Observation Date: 9/24/11
Observation Location: Mansfield St.
Common Name: Yellow-spotted salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum
More Information: Read about the salamander migration at Moose Hill in 2008.
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/15/20
Observation Time: 8:35 a.m.
Observation Location: conservation land near Lakeview & Morse Sts.
Common Name: Yellow-throated vireo
Scientific Name: Vireo flavifrons
Comments: I did not realize what kind of bird I was photographing when I took this photo. A friend of mine who is an expert birder identified it from the photos.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Deborah Radovsky
Observation Date: 6/4/22
Observation Time: 7:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Sanctuary, in tree on edge of meadow, near Billings Barn.
Common Name: Yellow-throated vireo
Scientific Name: Vireo flavifrons
Comments: Not only does this bird have a bright yellow throat, it looks as if it’s wearing bright yellow spectacles.
While the Yellow-throated Vireo is associated with forest edge habitat, it actually requires large blocks of forest to breed successfully. Numbers decrease sharply in forests smaller than 250 acres (100 hectares) in the northeastern United States.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/20/20
Observation Time: 5:15 p.m.
Observation Location: under high tension wires across the street from Ward’s Berry Farm
Common Name: Yellow-washed metarranthis moth
Scientific Name: Metarranthis obfirmaria
Comments: I spotted this brown moth on the dirt road under the high tension wires. Moths typically have bigger antennae than butterflies. They can be hard to identify. I got help with identification of this specimen at Bugguide.net
More Information: North American Moth Photographers Group
