Category: Bird

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/25 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Scientific Name: Polioptila caerulea Comments: Blue-gray gnatcatchers are tiny – smaller than a chickadee. They are the northernmost-occurring species of gnatcatcher genus, and the only truly migratory one. Most other gnatcatcher species are resident in Central and South America. The nesting range of blue-gray […]

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: 5/7/25 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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/25 Observation Time: 7:30 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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/4/25 Observation Time: 10:00 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. They can live up to 17 years. Blue Jays have an […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/4/25 Observation Time: 9:00 a.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: 5/4/25 Observation Time: 8:20 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: Most of the nesting boxes near the barn on the Billings Loop are occupied by tree swallows, which tend to be more aggressive than bluebirds, but at least one pair of bluebirds has managed to occupy a nesting box. More […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/25 Observation Time: 9:45 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/2/25 Observation Time: 10:15 p.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: 5/2/25 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: White-breasted nuthatch Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis Comments: White-breasted nuthatches are year-round Sharon residents. They scurry up and down tree trunks looking for insect larvae under the bark with their upturned beak. Learn to identify their nasal call. More Information: All About Birds: White-breasted Nuthatch

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/25 Observation Time: 8 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Wild Turkey Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo Comments: This lone male was showing off near the barn on the Billings Loop. Sometimes turkeys attack people, but this one left me alone. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/25/25 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Pileated Woodpecker Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus Comments: A pair of pileated woodpeckers showed up near the barn along the Billings Loop. You can tell the maie by the red band under its eye, which the female lacks. The female dropped down to a rotted stump to forage […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/24/25 Observation Time: 7:30 am Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Ruby-crowned Kinglet Scientific Name: Corthylio calendula Comments: Ruby-crowned kinglets are tiny – even smaller than chickadees. They migrate through Sharon in spring en route to nesting areas in northern New England and Canada. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/26/24 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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 the […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/23/25 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male) Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus Comments: Towhees are common birds in Sharon, especially along edges between woods and open fields, but they are heard more than seen. The male’s song sounds like he’s singing, “Drink your tea.” They are sometimes seen scratching among dead […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/23/25 Observation Time: 8:35 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: In 1972, DDT was banned (note that bluebirds eat insects), and in 1973, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. Bluebirds were listed as a Species of Special Concern in several states. In 1973, the Camp Fire Girls began Project Save […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/23/25 Observation Time: 8:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Song Sparrow Scientific Name: Melospiza melodia Comments: Song sparrows have a distinctive dark spot on their breast. This one was wading in a shallow pool in a seasonal rill near the barn on the Billings Loop at Moose Hill. There are at least 18 species of […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/23/25 Observation Time:  8:00 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: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 4/20/25 Observation Time: 6:45 PM Observation Location: 302 Mansfield Street Common Name: Wood Duck Scientific Name: Aix sponsa Comment:  This is from my bedroom window and it’s hard to see but this is a male and female wood duck. There were 2 pairs earlier. “Sponsa” means “betrothed” — dressed for a wedding – a comment on the beauty of the male […]

Observer: Marshall Katler Observation Date: 3/21/25 Observation Time: 1:30 p.m. Observation Location: Mansfield Street Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: At least one male and 2 females have been at our suet feeder since March 4, 2025. Bluebirds are looking for good nesting places at this time of year (early spring). More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Jean Zaniewski Observation Date: 12/28/24 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Old Post Rd Common Name: Cooper’s hawk Scientific Name: Accipiter cooperii Comments: We interrupted this Cooper’s hawk as it was tearing apart a rodent under a bush beside our house. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Matt Moses Observation Date: 11/17/24 Observation Time: 2:40 p.m. Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: Snowy Owl Scientific Name: Bubo scandiacus Comments: Snowy owls migrate south from the arctic in winter, when they can be found in Massachusetts. Snowy owl populations wax and wane as populations of lemmings, upon which they feed in the arctic, wax and wane. When snowy owls are plentiful, the juveniles […]

Observer: Bruce Lewis Observation Date: 11/9/24 Observation Time: 4:00 pm Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Billings Loop Common Name: Red-tailed Hawk Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis Comments: Check out this video I took of a Red Tailed Hawk eating its prey on Moose Hill. A rare sight. The hawk was only interested in its meal and was unperturbed by my being near it. More Information: […]