Category: Bird

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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

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

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 […]

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

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 […]