Category: Bird

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

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 […]

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

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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

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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/1/26 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: Near the foot bridge over Beaver Brook by the tennis courts Common Name: Brown Creeper Scientific Name: Certhia americana Comments: Brown creepers are tiny woodland birds with an affinity for the biggest trees they can find. Look for these little, long-tailed scraps of brown and white spiraling up stout trunks and main branches. Their curved […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/1/26 Observation Time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Mourning Dove Scientific Name: Zenaida macroura Comments: The mourning dove is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American bird species. It is also a leading gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S., […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/1/26 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (Billings Loop) Common Name: Palm Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga palmarum Comments: Palm warblers pass through Sharon in late April and early May on their northward migration. They sometimes mingle with other species of warblers. They are often seen in low branches rather than high in the treetops. I saw […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/1/26 Observation Time:  7:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: White-throated Sparrow Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis Comments: This sparrow passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. If you look at the dates of the white-throated sparrow sightings on this web site over the years, you will see that none are in summer. Its […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/29/26 Observation Time: 7:25 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. Common Name: Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male) Scientific Name: Archilochus colubris Comments: Male ruby-throated hummingbirds usually arrive in New England in late April to early May. The females typically arrive a week or so later. These males arrive first to establish and defend breeding territories before the females arrive to select mates. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/29/26 Observation Time:  10:05 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: White-throated Sparrow Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis Comments: This sparrow passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. If you look at the dates of the white-throated sparrow sightings on this web site over the years, you will see that none are in summer. Its […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/29/26 Observation Time: 10 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Wild Turkey Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo Comments: Wild turkeys are often seen near the headquarters building of the Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary. They glean bird seed that spills from the bird feeders onto the ground. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/26 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (The Trustees of Reservations Common Name: Field Sparrow Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla Comments: Field sparrows have a relatively long tail, a thin white eye ring, and a distinctive pinkish conical bill. They have a gray face and a rust-colored cap. However, the best way to tell them apart from other sparrows […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/26 Observation Time: 10:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (The Trustees of Reservations) Common Name: Blue-winged Warbler Scientific Name: Vermivora cyanoptera Comments:  The blue-winged warbler’s song sounds like, “bee-buzz.” Note its distinctive black eye line. I found this one in the scrubby habitat under the high tension lines near Moose Hill Farm. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/26 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (The Trustees of Reservations) Common Name: Prairie Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor Comments: Prairie warblers are found in scrubby fields and forest edges throughout the eastern and south-central United States. Unlike many other warblers that migrate through Sharon in spring and fall, prairie warblers nest in Sharon and stay around all […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/26 Observation Time: 9:10 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (The Trustees of Reservations) Common Name: American Kestrel (a.k.a. sparrow hawk) Scientific Name: Falco sparverius Comments: This kestrel (a.k.a sparrow hawk) was in a tree by the big cow pasture. It was very far away so I could not get a good photo. Later I saw it hovering above the […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/26 Observation Time: 8:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blue Jay Scientific Name: Cyanocitta cristata Comments: Blue jays are common in Sharon. They eat insects, nuts and seeds. They will also eat the eggs and nestlings of other birds if they get the chance. This pair was taking advantage of the suet feeder at Moose […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/27/26 Observation Time: 10:30 a.m. Observation Location: Beaver Brook Trail near train station Common Name: Pine Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga pinus Comments: Pine warblers are typically found in pine groves. Many warbler species migrate through Sharon in late April and May on their way to nesting areas farther north, but pine warblers nest here in Sharon, and can be found in […]