Category: Bird

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/18/2016 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Cedar Waxwing  Scientific Name:  Bombycilla cedrorum Comments: Cedar Waxwings typically travel in groups. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/18/16 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Tree Swallow Scientific Name: Tachycineta bicolor Comments: Tree swallows compete with bluebirds for nesting boxes. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/18/2016 Observation TIme: N/A Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Rose-breasted Grosbeak Scientific Name: Pheucticus ludovicianus Comments: More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/18/16 Observation TIme: N/A Observation Location: Moose Hill area 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 you’re lucky, and you change […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/16 Observation Time: 9:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Northern Waterthrush Scientific Name: Parkesia noveboracensis Comments: A bird of northern forests, the Northern Waterthrush is in the warbler family. It sings its loud, ringing song from wooded swamps, bogs and streams. It migrates through Sharon in spring and fall, bobbing its tail in the woods near water. More Information: All […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/16 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: Baltimore orioles are among the most brightly colored birds found in Sharon. They weave remarkable hanging nests. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/16 Observation Time: 7:45 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: 5/12/16 Observation Time: 6:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Center Common Name: Rose-breasted Grosbeak Scientific Name: Pheucticus ludovicianus Comments: Look for these birds in forest edges and woodlands. Listen, too, for their distinctive voices. They sound like American Robins, but listen for an extra sweetness, as if the bird had operatic training; they also make a sharp chink like the squeak of a sneaker.  More […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/11/16 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Center Common Name: Blue-gray gnatcatcher Scientific Name: Polioptila caerulea Comments: The blue-gray gnatcatcher is a tiny, long-tailed bird of broadleaf forests and scrublands. It makes itself known by its soft but insistent calls and its constant motion. It hops and sidles in dense outer foliage, foraging for insects and spiders. As it moves, it conspicuously flicks […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/10/16 Observation Time: 9:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Center Common Name: Wilson’s warbler Scientific Name: Cardellina pusilla Comments: This striking yellow warbler has an unmistakable black cap. It is more commonly found in western states, but it is occasionally sighted in Sharon.  More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Nancy Mollitor Observation Date: 5/8/16 Observation Time: morning Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Barred Owl (juvenile) Scientific Name: Strix varia Comments: A common owl in Sharon, the barred owl’s vocalization sounds like, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” Barred Owls don’t migrate, and they don’t even move around very much. Of 158 birds that were banded and then […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/16 Observation Time: 6:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata Comments: Yellow-rumped warblers arrived at Moose Hill toward the end of April in 2016. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/17/16 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: woods near Gavins Pond Common Name: Great Horned Owl Scientific Name: Bubo virginianus Comments: Half-grown owlet on a branch with its mother, which is partially obscured by branches. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/14/15 Observation Time: 6:05 p.m. Observation Location: in the trees between the back soccer field and Gavins Pond Common Name: Black-billed Cuckoo Scientific Name: Coccyzus erythropthalmus Comments: We heard this black-billed cuckoo before we finally 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 to listen […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/30/15 Observation Time: 1:00 p.m. Observation Location: woods beyond Everett Street 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: May 24, 2015 Observation Time: 5:20 p.m. Observation Location: along Beaver Brook near the train station Common Name: Pine Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga pinus Comments: Notice that this pine warbler is in a pine tree. Many warbler species migrate through Sharon in May on their way to nesting areas farther north, but pine warblers nest here in Sharon, and can be found in summer. More Information: All […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/22/15 Observation Time: 4:20 p.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Prairie Warbler Scientific Name: Setophagia discolor Comments: Prairie warblers can be found in unforested areas such as those under the high-tension lines. I encountered this one in a field near Gavins Pond. If you learn to recognize their song, you will find them much easier. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/17/15 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Tennessee Warbler Scientific Name: Leiothlypis peregrina Comments: This bird was flitting around in a flowering crabapple tree. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/15 Observation Time: 8:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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: 5/16/15 Observation Time: 8:20 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Chestnut-sided Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga pensylvanica Comments: Dazzling woodland warblers migrate through Sharon every spring on their way from South and Central America to Canada. Catching sight of one leaves an indelible impression. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/15 Observation Time: 12:40 p.m. Observation Location: woods beyond Everett Street 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. More Information: All About Birds  

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/15 Observation Time: 10:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/15 Observation Time: 10:35 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Veery Scientific Name: Catharus fuscescens Comments: A veery is a woodland thrush with an ethereal call, which if played back in slow motion reveals that the bird is actually mingling two calls simultaneously, like a violin player bowing two strings at once. I think of the veery’s two strands of […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/15 Observation Time: 7:35 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. See:http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/id

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/15 Observation Time: 7:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blackburnian Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga fusca Comments: This photo does not do justice to these gorgeous warblers, which overwinter in South America. They tend to flit about high in tall trees, making them a challenge to photograph. More Information: All About Birds