Category: Bird

Observer: Deborah Radovsky Observation Date: 5/6/22 Observation Time: early morning Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Towhee (female) Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus Comments: A strikingly marked, oversized sparrow of the East More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deborah Radovsky Observation Date: 5/5/22 Observation Time: early morning Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male) Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus Comments: A strikingly marked, oversized sparrow of the East More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deb  Radovsky Observation Date: 5/2/22 Observation Time: early morning Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary boardwalk Common Name: Veery Scientific Name: Catharus fuscescens Comments: Check out the veery’s ethereal song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK1gaTqBRRk More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Julia Tavares Observation Date: 4/28/22 Observation Time: 6:30 p.m. Observation Location: Pine Grove Ave. Common Name: Great Horned Owl (juvenile) Scientific Name: Bubo virginianus Comments: We first saw this juvenile Great Horned Owl on our back porch. Then it moved to the front yard. At first we thought it was a snowy owl, but we found out later that it was a juvenile Great […]

Observer: Deborah Radovsky Observation Date: 4/28/22 Observation Time: early evening Observation Location: Moose Hill, near nature center Common Name: Broad-winged hawk Scientific Name: Buteo platypterus Comments: A small, stocky raptor with black-and-white bands on the tail, the Broad-winged Hawk is a bird of the forest interior and can be hard to see during the nesting season. Its call is a piercing, two-parted whistle. One of the […]

Observer: Steven Woolner Observation Date: 2/14/22 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: Osprey Road Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: Delighted to see Bluebirds at my feeder for the first time in 25+ years! I use Lyric Waste Free feed. They have also been visiting my birdbath 20 feet away, which luckily had water instead of ice, due to the recent warm spell. […]

Observer: Colin Barbera Observation Date: 12/11/21 Observation Time: afternoon Observation Location: Tolman St. Common Name: Peregrine falcon Scientific Name: Falco peregrinus Comments: “Powerful and fast-flying, the Peregrine Falcon hunts medium-sized birds, dropping down on them from high above in a spectacular stoop. They were virtually eradicated from eastern North America by pesticide poisoning in the middle 20th century. After significant recovery efforts, Peregrine Falcons have made […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/14/21 Observation Time: 2:45 p.m. Observation Location: my back yard (4 Gavins Pond Rd.) Common Name: Wild Turkey Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo Comments: I photographed this hen and her chicks out my bedroom window. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7-6-21 Observation Time: 12:50 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd. Common Name: House Wren Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon Comments: House wrens often fill bluebird nesting boxes chock full of twigs, presumably to prevent other birds from nesting in their territory. This year a pair of house wrens raised their chicks in a bird house we placed on the back deck. We watched […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/3/21 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd. 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. When they migrate north in spring, they fly several hundred miles across the Gulf of Mexico. They arrive in Massachusetts in late April. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/21 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: tall cell tower by the composting area at the end of Farnham Road Common Name: Osprey Scientific Name: Pandion haliaetus Comments: A pair of ospreys built a nest atop the tall cell tower by the composting area at the end of Farnham Road. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/22/21 Observation Time: noon Observation Location: composting area at the end of Farnham Road Common Name: Killdeer Scientific Name: Charadrius vociferus Comments: This “freshwater sandpiper” makes a piercing cry, which explains its species name “vociferus“. This species is one of the least water-associated of all shorebirds. Note the red rings around its large eyes. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 4/4/21 Observation Time: 3:45 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Common Name: Red Crossbill Scientific Name: Loxia curvirostra Comments: I wish I could claim some special birding or photography skill but three red crossbills flew literally right over my head and into a tree a few feet above me, and then jumped over to a nearby branch to get some water. There is […]

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 3/31/21 Observation Time: 11:00 AM Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Wood duck Scientific Name: Aix sponsa Comment: “sponsa” means “betrothed” — dressed for a wedding – a comment on the beauty of the male plumage. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 12/30/20 Observation Time: 1:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Pine Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga pinus Comments: Pine warblers are typically found in pine groves. 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 here all summer. Although they typically migrate south in winter, some of […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 12/18/20 Observation Time: 8:35 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. (our back yard) Common Name: Dark-eyed Junco Scientific Name: Junco hyemalis Comments: Juncos are a type of sparrow commonly seen around Sharon in winter. They head north in spring and don’t return until fall. More Information: Cornell Lab of Ornithology “All About Birds”

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 12/18/20 Observation Time: 8:30 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. (our back yard) Common Name: Northern Cardinal (female) Scientific Name: Cardinalis cardinalis Comments: One of the most common birds in Sharon, cardinals have a whistle-like voice, and sing strongly. Learn to recognize their various vocalizations at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_cardinal/sound Cardinals typically travel in pairs. The male is bright red and the female is mostly tan. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 11/27/20 Observation Time: 12:30 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. (my back yard) Common Name: Northern Cardinal Scientific Name: Cardinalis cardinalis Comments: One of the most common birds in Sharon, cardinals have a whistle-like voice, and sing strongly. Learn to recognize their various vocalizations at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_cardinal/sound Cardinals typically travel in pairs. The male is bright red and the female is mostly tan. More […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 11/27/20 Observation Time: 12:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. (my back yard) Common Name: Tufted Titmouse Scientific Name: Baeolophus bicolor Comments: Tufted titmice are abundant in Sharon. They are often encountered in the company of chickadees. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 11/27/20 Observation Time: 12:05 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd. (my back yard) Common Name: House Finch Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor Comments: Male house finches have reddish coloration on their head and breast. Females are streaked brown. Both have a heavy, conical beak for cracking seeds open. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 10/24/20 Observation Time: 3:55 p.m. Observation Location: 302-296 Mansfield St., Sharon Common Name: Pileated Woodpecker Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus Comments: Unfortunately I did not get a picture. However, this was very recognizable for the loud call, the large white spot under its wings when it flew from tree to tree and its pointy crest. I only briefly made out the coloring […]

Observer: Ilan Fisher Observation Date: 8/28/20 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: near intersection of Beach & Harding Streets Common Name: Gray Catbird Scientific Name: Dumetella carolinensis Comments: Catbirds are one of three mimics in our area. Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers are the other two. Catbirds repeat sounds just once, whereas Brown Thrashers repeat sounds twice, and Mockingbirds repeat them three or four times before moving on to […]

Observer: Ilan Fisher Observation Date: 8/28/20 Observation Time: 12:00 p.m. Observation Location: near intersection of Beach & Harding Streets Common Name: Mallard Scientific Name: Anas platyrhynchos Comments: Perhaps the most familiar of all ducks, Mallards occur throughout North America and Eurasia in ponds and parks as well as wilder wetlands and estuaries. The male’s gleaming green head, gray flanks, and black tail-curl arguably make it […]

Observer: Ilan Fisher Observation Date: 8/22/20 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: near intersection of Beach & Harding Streets Common Name: Northern Cardinal (male) Scientific Name: Cardinalis cardinalis Comments: One of the most common birds in Sharon, cardinals are also one of the most striking. Cardinals have a whistle-like voice, and sing strongly. Learn to recognize their various vocalizations at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_cardinal/sound Cardinals typically travel in pairs. The female is mostly […]

Observer: Ilan Fisher Observation Date: 8/22/20 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: near intersection of Beach & Harding Streets Common Name: Downy Woodpecker Scientific Name: Dryobates pubescens Comments:  “Pubescens” refers to its downy hairs of puberty compared to those of the Hairy woodpecker, D. villosus. [The Dictionary of American Bird Names by Ernest A. Choate] Downy woodpeckers look very much like hairy woopeckers, but downy woodpeckers are much smaller than […]