Animal – Page 12 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Early Tachinid Fly – 6/2/22

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 6/2/22 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Early Tachinid Fly Scientific Name: Epalpus signifer Comments: This specimen was identified with the Seek iOS app. More Information: Wikipedia and Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium

Dimorphic Jumping Spider – 6/12/22

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 6/12/22 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Dimorphic Jumping Spider Scientific Name: Maevia inclemens Comments: Identified by Seek iOS app. More Information: Wikipedia

Eastern Wood-Pewee – 5/29/22

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/29/22 Observation Time: early morning Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary near Billings barn 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 […]

Japanese Quail – 5/26/22

Observer: Levi McGowan & Ilan Fisher Observation Date: 5/26/22 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: Beach & Harding Common Name: Japanese Quail Scientific Name: Cotumix japonica Comments: Check out this Youtube video to see the quail and hear its call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3y08Iub_k The call could be a distress call. Perhaps mom is looking for her chicks, or perhaps this is a juvenile looking for its mom. Or perhaps […]

Scarlet Tanager – 5/24/22

Observer: Marshall Katler Observation Date: 5/24/22 Observation Time: 10:15 a.m. Observation Location: King Phillip Rock where Lakeview Field Trail and Horizon’s path diverge Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers are common in Sharon, but seldom seen. Their woodland habitat obscures them in the leaves. I identified this one by hearing its song. To hear what they sound like, click HERE. To find them, […]

Barred Owl – 5/24/22

Observer: Marshall Katler Observation Date: 5/24/22 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: King Phillip Trail near King Phillip Rd. Common Name: Barred Owl Scientific Name: Strix varia Comments: At least 2 barred owls were calling, possibly 3. They were identified by the call since they were quite far from the trail. More Information: All About Birds

Tiger Swallowtail – 5/20/22

Observer: Richard Mandell Observation Date: 5/20/22 Observation Time: 11:55 a.m. Observation Location: Mountain Street Common Name: Tiger Swallowtail butterfly Scientific Name: Papilio glaucus Comments: This gorgeous butterfly discovered the sugar water in my hummingbird feeder. More Information: Butterflies and Moths of North America

Great Blue Heron – 5/13/22

Observer: Tamara Fisher Observation Date: 5/13/22 Observation Time: 8:30 a.m. Observation Location: Mann’s Pond Common Name: Great Blue Heron Scientific Name: Ardea herodias Comments: Adult great blue herons weigh about 5 lbs. They weigh more than great horned owls, which weigh about 3 lbs., but they are not the largest bird found in Sharon. Bald eagles can reach 14 lbs. Great blue herons make large nests in tall […]

Eastern Towhee (female) – 5/6/22

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

Eastern Towhee (male) – 5/5/22

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

Veery – 5/2/22

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

Great Horned Owl (juvenile) – 4/28/22

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 […]

Broad-winged Hawk – 4/28/22

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 […]

Flying Squirrel – 4/4/22

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 4/4/22 Observation Time: 9:22 p.m. Observation Location: Beach St. Common Name: Northern flying squirrel Scientific Name: Glaucomys sabrinus Comments: Click the link below to see a very short (but very cool!) video of a flying squirrel taking flight from a flying squirrel nesting box installed by Kurt Buermann and Richard Kramer. They also installed a video camera to see and record flying squirrel […]

Yellow-Spotted Salamander – 3/13/22

Observer: Bruce Lewis Observation Date: 3/13/22 Observation Time: 4:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill St. near TTOR’s Moose Hill Farm Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum Comments: It’s generally best not to handle amphibians, so I left it alone. Salamanders typically do not emerge until “Big Night” – the first rainy night after the snow melts in late March. This specimen was crawling around while it was snowing. More […]

Fisher – 2/27/22

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 2/27/22 Observation Time: 5:30 pm Observation Location: 302 Mansfield St., Sharon Common Name: Fisher Scientific Name: Pekania pennanti Comments: I was on phone with daughter looking into the woods in my back yard. It ran to the left about 10 feet then back to the right then to the left again. We have a huge woodpile and a drainage ditch out there. […]

Bobcat tracks – 2/26/22

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 2/26/22 Observation Time: 3:00 pm Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon WIldlife Sanctuary Common Name: Bobcat Scientific Name: Lynx rufus Comments: Here’s a link to compare cougar, coyote and bobcat tracks: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79135_79218_79619_84911-146656–,00.html More Information: Wikipedia

Yellow Spotted Salamander – 2/17/22

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 2/17/22 Observation Time: 4:20 p.m. Observation Location: 359 Mansfield Street, Sharon Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum Comments: Although it’s generally best not to handle amphibians, it was on the street so I picked it up and put it under some leaves across the street before a car came. Unfortunately I did not get a photo. Salamanders typically do not emerge until “Big Night” […]

Eastern Bluebird – 2/14/22

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. […]

Fisher – 1/23/22

Observer: Deborah Gilden Observation Date: 1/23/22 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Manns Pond & Billings St. Common Name: Fisher Scientific Name: Pekania pennanti Comments: Fishers are sometimes referred to as fisher cats, but they do not fish and they are not cats. They are the second largest member of the weasel family in Massachusetts. Among members of the weasel family found in Massachusetts, only otters grow larger. […]

Peregrine Falcon – 12/11/21

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 […]

Red Fox – 11/30/21

Observer: Deborah Radovsky Observation Date: 11/30/21 Observation time: 3:45 a.m. Observation Location: Rock Ridge Cemetery Common Name: Red fox Scientific Name: Vulpes vulpes Comments: Red foxes and gray foxes have both been sighted in Sharon. They are only distant cousins, belonging to different genera in the family Canidae. Gray foxes can climb trees but red foxes cannot. More Information: National Wildlife Federation

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug – 11/11/21

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 11/11/21 Observation Time: 2:10 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. (my back yard) Common Name: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (adult) Scientific Name: Halyomorpha Halys Comments: Stink bugs molt several times before reaching maturity. Each phase is referred to as an instar. More Information: Featured Creatures

Flying Squirrel – 9/7/21

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 9/17/21 Observation Time: 10:00 p.m. Observation Location: Beach St. Common Name: Northern flying squirrel Scientific Name: Glaucomys sabrinus Comments: Both northern and southern flying squirrels are found in Massachusetts. Northern flying squirrels are larger than southern flying squirrels. Note the long tails in the photo. Flying squirrels don’t actually fly like a bird. They glide. Long tails help flying squirrels steer themselves when […]

White Perch – 8/16/21

Observer: Steven D’Addieco Observation Date: 8/15/21 Observation Time: 8:30 p.m. Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: White Perch Scientific Name: Morone Americana Comments: There are lots of white perch in Lake Massapoag. White perch are good to eat. White perch are not a true perch but, rather, belong to the bass family, Moronidae. More Information: Wikipedia

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