Sightings – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Barn Swallow – 5/31/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/31/26 Observation Time: 3:40 pm Observation Location: stone hut by Upper Leach Pond at Borderland State Park Common Name: Barn Swallow Scientific Name: Hirundo rustica Comments: I spotted this pair of barn swallows sitting on a birch branch as I was sitting on a bench in front ot the stone hut by Leach Pond. Then I saw them fly into the stone hut, where I took […]

Box Turtle – 5/27/26

Observer: Kelli Pittenger Observation Date: 5/27/27 Observation Time: 12:15 pm Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm Common Name: Eastern Box Turtle Scientific Name: Terrapene carolina Comments: Box turtles are a Species of Special Concern in Massachusetts. A Species of Special Concern is any species of plant or animal which has been documented by biological research and inventory to have suffered a decline that could threaten the species if allowed […]

Little Wood Satyr – 5/26/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/26 Observation Time: 7:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Little Wood Satyr butterfly Scientific Name: Megisto cymela Comments: As the name implies, the little wood satyr is a small butterfly most commonly seen in woods and shrubby areas. This one was in a field near the edge of the woods. More Information: Wikipedia

Ash Tree (diseased) – 5/26/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/26 Observation Time: 6:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Ash Tree (diseased) Scientific Name: genus Fraxinus Comments: This ash tree was killed by emerald ash borer beetles, which have killed millions of ash trees and threaten the future of ash trees. The holes drilled by the ash borer beetles are clearly visible in the second […]

Magnolia Warbler – 5/20/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/20/26 Observation Time: 7:25 a.m. Observation Location: Trustees of Reservations’ Moose Hill Farm Common Name: Magnolia Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga magnolia Comments: These gorgeous little birds pass through Sharon on their northward migration in spring. Learn to recognize their song to improve your chances of seeing one early on a clear morning between late April and mid-May. I was surprised to […]

Leopard’s-bane – 5/19/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/26 Observation Time: 10:30 a.m. Observation Location: Sharon Historical Society at 16 High St. Common Name: Leopard’s-bane Scientific Name: Doronicum pardalianches Comments: Leopard’s-bane is a flowering plant in the sunflower family. It is a herbaceous perennial native to Europe, southwest Asia and Siberia. It produces yellow, daisy-like flowerheads in spring and summer. It typically thrives in cool, mountainous regions and […]

Yellow-billed Cuckoo – 5/19/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/26 Observation Time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (by the field behind the barn on the Billings Loop) Common Name: Yellow-billed Cuckoo Scientific Name: Coccyzus americanus Comments: I heard this yellow-billed cuckoo 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 […]

Cedar Waxwing – 5/19/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/26 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Cedar Waxwing Scientific Name: Bombycilla cedrorum Comments: These striking birds are typically seen in groups. Their tails look as if they were dipped in yellow paint, and each of their wings has a bright red spot. More Information: All About Birds

Eastern Box Turtle – 5/16/26

Observer: Al Mollitor Observation Date: 5/16/26 Observation Time: Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm Common Name: Eastern Box Turtle Scientific Name: Terrapene carolina Comments: Box turtles are a Species of Special Concern in Massachusetts. A Species of Special Concern is any species of plant or animal which has been documented by biological research and inventory to have suffered a decline that could threaten the species if allowed to […]

American Redstart – 5/13/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/26 Observation Time: 4:00 p.m. Observation Location: TTOR’s Moose Hill Farm Common Name: American redstart Scientific Name: Setophaga ruticilla Comments: Redstarts are members of the warbler family. Their song is variable, and can be confused with the songs of some other warblers. See: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Redstart/id More Information: All About Birds

Indigo bunting – 5/13/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/26 Observation Time: 4:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) under the power lines Common Name: Indigo Bunting Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea Comments: Indigo buntings are actually black; the diffraction of light through their feathers makes them look blue. This explains why males can appear as various hues from turquoise to black. Indigo buntings are more common now than […]

Great-crested Flycatcher – 5/13/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/26 Observation Time: 2:45 p.m. Observation Location: TTOR’s Moose Hill Farm Common Name: Great-crested flycatcher Scientific Name: Myiarchus crinitus Comments: The great-crested flycatcher has a pale yellow breast. The underside of its tail is reddish brown. The memory hook I use to remember its call is “weep, weep, weep.” More Information: All About Birds

Yellow Warbler – 5/12/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/26 Observation Time: 4:10 p.m. Observation Location: near Billings Brook 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

Brown Thrasher – 5/12/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/26 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road near soccer field parking lot Common Name: Brown Thrasher Scientific Name: Toxostoma rufum Comments: The last time I saw a brown thrasher in Sharon was 15 years ago on May 2, 2011. It was in the same place where I saw this one – at the soccer parking lot near Gavins […]

Common Yellowthroat – 5/12/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/26 Observation Time: 10:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (boardwalk) Common Name: Common Yellowthroat Scientific Name: Geoothlypis trichas Comments: Common yellowthroats are typically found in or near wetlands. They are a type of warbler, with a distinctive black mask that is reminiscent of a raccoon. Their song sounds like, “witchety, witchety, witchety.” More Info: All About Birds

Warbling Vireo – 5/12/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/26 Observation Time: 7:35 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Warbling Vireo Scientific Name: Vireo gilvus Comments: Warbling vireos are often found near water. More Information: All About Birds

Ovenbird – 5/7/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/26 Observation Time: 12:15 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Ovenbird Scientific Name: Seiurus aurocapilla Comments: This is one of the most common birds in the woods at Moose Hill. Learn to recognize its song, an insistent, piercing ‘tea-Cher, tea-Cher, tea-CHER, Tea-CHER, TEA-CHER’, and you will be able to find them. Ovenbirds are warblers. Their name comes from […]

Red-tailed Hawk – 5/7/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/26 Observation Time: 11:10 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red-tailed Hawk Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis Comments: The oldest known wild Red-tailed Hawk was at least 30 years, 8 months old when it was found in Michigan in 2011, the same state where it had been banded in 1981. More Information: All About Birds

Baltimore Oriole – 5/7/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/26 Observation Time: 8:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: Baltimore Orioles seek out ripe fruit. Cut oranges in half and hang them from trees to invite orioles into your yard. Special oriole feeders filled with sugar water supplement the flower nectar that Baltimore Orioles gather. You can even put […]

White-lipped Snail – 5/6/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/6/26 Observation Time: 8:10 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: White-lipped Snail Scientific Name: Cepaea hortensis Comments: This snail was crawling on the underside of our bulkhead. The white-lipped snail or garden banded snail, scientific name Cepaea hortensis, is a large species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Helicidae. The only other […]

Worm-eating Warbler – 5/5/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/26 Observation Time: 10:30 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 […]

Scarlet Tanager – 5/5/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/26 Observation Time: 9:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers often unwittingly host eggs of the brown-headed cowbird, particularly where the forest habitat has been fragmented. When a pair of tanagers notices a female cowbird approaching, they aggressively drive her away. However, if the tanagers don’t notice, the cowbird […]

Yellow-rumped Warbler – 5/5/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/26 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler (a.k.a. Myrtle Warbler) Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata Comments: Flowering trees often attract birds, especially warblers 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 […]

Red-tailed Hawk – 5/5/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/26 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red-tailed Hawk Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis Comments: The oldest known wild Red-tailed Hawk was at least 30 years, 8 months old when it was found in Michigan in 2011, the same state where it had been banded in 1981. More Information: All About Birds

Baltimore Oriole – 5/4/26

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/4/26 Observation Time: 8:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: Baltimore Orioles seek out ripe fruit. Cut oranges in half and hang them from trees to invite orioles into your yard. Special oriole feeders filled with sugar water supplement the flower nectar that Baltimore Orioles gather. You can even put […]

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