Category: Bird

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/19 Observation Time: 1:20 p.m. Observation Location: on the bluff beneath the power lines that parallel So. Walpole St. Common Name: Prairie Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor Comments: Prairie warblers are found in scrubby fields and forests throughout the eastern and south-central United States, not on the prairies. Unlike many other warblers that migrate through Sharon in spring and fall, the Prairie […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/19 Observation Time: 1:10 p.m. Observation Location: beneath the high tension wires that parallel So. Walpole St. 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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:30 p.m. Observation Location: Under high tension wires across the street from Ward’s Berry Farm Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male) Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus Comments: This male towhee tried to scare me away by repeatedly raising one wing or the other to make itself look more intimidating. Note its deep red eye. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:10 p.m. Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole St. 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: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:05 p.m. Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole Street Common Name: Field Sparrow Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla Comments: Field sparrows have a relatively long tail, a thin white eye ring, and a pinkish conical bill. They have a gray face and a rust-colored cap. However, the best way to tell them apart from other sparrows is […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: May 27, 2019 Observation Time: 1:55 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Pine Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga pinus Comments: Pine warblers nest here in Sharon, and can be found in pine woods in summer. The song of the pine warbler is hard to distinguish from the song of the chipping sparrow – unless you are a pine warbler! More Information: All […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 1:10 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers often play host to eggs of the brown-headed cowbird (male and female shown below), particularly where the forest habitat has been fragmented. When a pair of tanagers notices a female cowbird approaching, they aggressively drive her away. If […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 9:35 a.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Swainson’s Thrush Scientific Name: Catharus ustulatus Comments: I lucked into this one. As I was walking down a trail through the woods I saw it fly from the trail up to a nearby branch, and I got just one photo before it flew away. I assumed it […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 3:40 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: I heard this oriole’s flutelike call before I spotted it. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: Bobolink Scientific Name: Dolichonyx oryzivorus Comments: The big pasture at Moose Hill Farm is ideal breeding habitat for bobolinks. Meadow habitat is not nearly as prevalent in Massachusetts since industry replaced agriculture, and forests grew back in former farmlands. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 1:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) 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 Information: All About Birds

Observer: Richard Mandell Observation Date: 5/24/19 Observation Time: afternoon Observation Location: 580 Mountain St. Common Name: American Woodcock Scientific Name: Scolopax minor Comments: Woodcocks are also called timberdoodles. They nest on the ground, and are very well camouflaged. Youtube video of woodcock mating flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta1fxy0MR2c&t=6s Youtube video of woodcocks “waltzing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSh9Shgwc5o More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 7:45 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 leaves on the […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Northern Flicker Scientific Name: Colaptes auratus Comments: Flickers are woodpeckers, but they are unusual in that they eat ants and beetles on the ground. They are sometimes called yellow-shafted flickers. The last photo below shows the yellow feathers on the underside of its tail. This individual was […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 6:55 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: American Goldfinch (male) Scientific Name: Carduelis tristis Comments: This common finch travels in groups. Its song sounds like “per-chick-o-ree, per-chick-o-ree” interspersed with an occasional mewing sound. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/19 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Hairy Woodpecker Scientific Name: Picoides villosus Comments: Hairy woodpeckers look like downy woodpeckers, but they are larger. This one worked for hours to hollow out a hole for nesting high up in a dead tree. Woodpecker species can be differentiated by the drumming sound they make, as […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/19 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: This male was guarding the territory near a nesting box where his mate had laid her blue eggs. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/19 Observation Time: 10:00 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: 5/13/19 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Wild Turkey Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo Comments: As wild turkey numbers dwindled through the early twentieth century, people began to look for ways to reintroduce this valuable game bird. Initially they tried releasing farm turkeys into the wild but those birds didn’t survive. In the 1940s, people began […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/19 Observation Time: 8:20 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Magnolia Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga magnolia Comments: These gorgeous little birds pass through Sharon in early May on their northward migration. Learn to recognize their song to improve your chances of seeing one. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/19 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black-throated Blue Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga caerulescens Comments: Black-throated blue warblers pass through Sharon in early May on their northward migration. Learn to recognize their buzzy “zree–zree–zreeeee” song to improve your chances of seeing one. Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPKuQB1bEqs. You can monitor the bird migration in spring by keeping an […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/19 Observation Time: 7:30 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., both […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/19 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Baltimore Oriole (female) Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: Baltimore oriole females are much drabber than the bright-orange males. This acrobatic individual seemed to be eating the petals of this flowering crabapple tree. 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: 5/11/19 Observation Time: 10:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: House Wren Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon Comments: This house wren was nowhere near a human habitation. House wrens often fill bluebird nesting boxes chock full of twigs, presumably to prevent other birds from nesting in their territory. More Information: All About Birds.org