Category: Bird

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 4/23/18 Observation Time: 6:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Billings Loop Common Name: Eastern Towhee Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus Comments: The Towhee’s song sounds like, “Drink your tea,” making it easy to remember when you’re in the woods. It’s call sounds like its name, “Toe-wee.” Eastern Towhees are often victims of the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird. Female cowbirds lay eggs […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/21/18 Observation Time:  2:00 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road, Sharon Common Name: white-throated sparrow Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis Comments: This species passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. It’s distinctive song sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada Canada Canada.” More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 4/9/18 Observation Time: evening Observation Location: Cottage and Ames Streets Common Name: Red-shouldered Hawk Scientific Name: Buteo lineatus Comments: Although the American Crow often mobs the Red-shouldered Hawk, sometimes the relationship is not so one-sided. They may chase each other and try to steal food from each other. They may also both attack a Great Horned Owl and join forces to chase the […]

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 4/14/18 Observation Time: 3:30 p.m. Observation Location: 302 Mansfield Street Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis More Information: All About Birds or Animalia  

Observer: Jeff Rose Observation Date: 3/10/18 Observation Time: 8:00 AM Observation Location: 302 Mansfield Street, Sharon, MA Common Name: Wood duck (drake) Scientific Name: Aix sponsa Comment: Male ducks are referred to as drakes. More Information: All About Birds    

Observer: Deb  Radovsky Observation Date: 2/27/18 Observation Time: afternoon Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: Canvasback duck Scientific Name: Aythya valisineria Comments: The species name of the Canvasback, Aythya valisineria, comes from Vallisneria americana, or wild celery, whose winter buds and rhizomes are its preferred food during the nonbreeding period. The oldest recorded Canvasback was a male and at least 22 years, 7 months old when he […]

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 2/26/18 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: Common Merganser Scientific Name: Mergus merganser Comments: Common Mergansers are sometimes called sawbills, fish ducks, or goosanders. The word “merganser” comes from the Latin and roughly translates to “plunging goose”—a good name for this very large and often submerged duck. Young Common Mergansers leave their nest hole within a day or so of […]

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 12/14/17 Observation Time: sunset Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: Lesser Scaup Scientific Name: Aythya affinis Comments: The peaked profile of the heads indicates that these are Lesser Scaups. Greater Scaups have a rounder head. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 10/27/17 Observation Time: early morning Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: Double-crested Cormorants Scientific Name: Phalacrocorax auritus Comments: The double-crest of the Double-crested Cormorant is only visible on adults during breeding season. The crests are white in cormorants from Alaska, and black in other regions. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 10/8/17 Observation Time: 5:15 p.m. Observation Location: Fence of horse corral, Willow St, Foxboro Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: 3 bluebirds were spotted here, 1 bright blue, one maybe an immature male because less bright, and one female. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 9/26/17 Observation Location: 302 Mansfield Street Sharon Common Name: Black throated green warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga virens Comments: A nice collection of photos of black-throated green warblers can be found at: The Internet Bird Collection More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/5/16 Observation Time: 10:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red-eyed Vireo Scientific Name: Vireo olivaceus Comments: Red-eyed vireos are a common summer resident in Sharon. They sing all day long. Since they are notoriously hard to spot in the canopy, the mnemonic for their song is, “Here I am. Where are you?” Hear a recording at: […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/25/16 Observation Time: 12:55 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Street under high tension wires Common Name: Indigo Bunting Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea Comments: In parts of the East, Indigo Bunting may be the most abundant songbird, with the deep-blue males singing along every roadside. The plain brown females are seen far less often, and they have good reason to be […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/18/16 Observation Time: 3:55 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Trustees of Reservations 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. They are more common now than when the pilgrims […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/13/16 Observation Time: 1:05 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd., backyard garden Common Name: House Wren Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon Comments: A plain brown bird with an effervescent voice, the House Wren is a common backyard bird over nearly the entire Western Hemisphere. Listen for its rush-and-jumble song in summer and you’ll find this species zipping through shrubs and […]

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/30/16 Observation Time: 11:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Wood Duck Scientific Name: Aix sponsa Comments: This guy went running through our yard this morning. We were initially concerned to see such a young bird on his own, but my bird app says that wood ducks leave the nest shortly after hatching. ‘sponsa’ means ‘bethrothed’, i.e. dressed for a wedding, from the bird’s attractive […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/29/16 Observation Time: 1:50 p.m. Observation Location: near Lake Massapoag boat ramp Common Name: Song Sparrow Scientific Name: Melospiza melodia Comments: There are at least 18 species of sparrows in Massachusetts. Learning their respective calls is a good way to find and identify them. The spot on its chest also helps with identification. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 12:35 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers are common in Sharon, but few people see these brilliantly colored birds because they live in the woods, where they are concealed by foliage. If you learn their song, which sounds like a robin with a sore throat, you can […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Center Common Name: Ovenbird Scientific Name: Seiurus aurocapilla Comments: Ovenbirds are in the warbler family. Their insistent “teacher, teacher, teacher” call is one of the most commonly heard birdsongs in the woods around Sharon. They are called ovenbirds because their nests, which are built on the ground, resemble little ovens. More Information: All About Birds 

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 8:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: American Goldfinch 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: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Rose-breasted Grosbeak Scientific Name: Pheucticus ludovicianus Comments: The male rose-breasted grosbeak is one of our more photogenic songbirds, especially on a sunny morning. The female is drab brown. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Wood-Pewee Scientific Name: Contopus virens Comments: The unmistakable song of the wood-pewee (“pee-a-wee”) sounds like its name. It’s a member of the flycatcher family that is typically found in or near forested areas. You can find and play bird songs online. The more bird calls […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 6:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Yellow-billed Cuckoo Scientific Name: Coccyzus americanus Comments: I heard this yellow-billed cuckoo’s “kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-cowp-cowp-cowp” 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 you know what their call sounds like. The photo quality […]

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/22/16 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Paul Revere Rd., Sharon Common Name: Northern Flicker Scientific Name: Colaptes auratus Comments: Although it can climb up the trunks of trees and hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find food on the ground. Ants are its main food, and the flicker digs in the dirt to find them. It uses […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/21/16 Observation Time: 7:10 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (The Trustees of Reservations) Common Name: Ruby-throated Hummingbird Scientific Name: Archilochus colubris Comments: Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only species of hummingbird commonly seen in New England. They overwinter in Costa Rica, and arrive in Massachusetts around May 1 every year. That’s a good time to put out a hummingbird feeder. If […]