Category: Animal

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/20 Observation Time: 7:10 a.m. Observation Location: near the soccer field parking lot at Gavins Pond Common Name: Blue-winged warbler Scientific Name: Vermivora cyanoptera Comments: The blue-winged warbler’s song sounds like, “bee-buzz.” Note the distinctive mask-like black line through its eyes. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/16/20 Observation Time: 7:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Eastern Towhee (female) 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 often seen scratching among dead leaves on the ground, looking […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/20 Observation Time: 6:45 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Olive-sided flycatcher Scientific Name: Contopus cooperi Comments: I encountered this bird perched about 30 feet up in a leafless tree on the right side of the trail leading from the soccer fields to Gavins Pond dam, where the trail emerges from the woods and bends left toward the dam. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/20 Observation Time: 9:35 a.m. Observation Location: Flume house near the Lake Massapoag boat ramp 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: 5/15/20 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: parking area by Lake Massapoag boat ramp 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., […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/20 Observation Time: 9:20 a.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Lakeview & Morse Sts. 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. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/20 Observation Time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: conservation land near Lakeview & Morse Sts. 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: 5/15/20 Observation Time: 8:35 a.m. Observation Location: conservation land near Lakeview & Morse Sts. Common Name: Yellow-throated vireo Scientific Name: Vireo flavifrons Comments: I did not realize what kind of bird I was photographing when I took this photo. A friend of mine who is an expert birder identified it from the photos. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/20 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: conservation land near Lakeview & Morse Sts. Common Name: White-breasted nuthatch Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis Comments: Here’s a lucky shot of a white-breasted nuthatch in flight. More Information: All About Birds: White-breasted Nuthatch

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/20 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: conservation land near Lakeview & Morse Common Name: Barred Owl 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: 5/15/20 Observation Time: 6:45 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond soccer parking area 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. More Information: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cedar_Waxwing/id

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/12/20 Observation Time: 6:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Red-winged blackbird (female) Scientific Name: Agelaius phoeniceus Comments: Red-winged blackbirds are typically found near water. The males are black with bright red epaulets on their wings. The females are dramatically different. The bird in this photo is a female. More Information: All about Birds

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/12/20 Observation Time: 6:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area 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 the next sound. Sometimes you […]

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/12/20 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: The oriole’s flutelike call is quite distinctive, once you know what to listen for. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/11/20 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: near high-tension lines across the street from the Gavins Pond soccer fields Common Name: Red-tailed Hawk Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis Comments: Red-tails are big, but they only weigh a maximum of about 3 lbs. They can live up to 30 years. They feed predominantly on small mammals. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/11/20 Observation Time: 10:50 a.m. Observation Location: under the power lines across the street from the Gavins Pond soccer fields Common Name: Prairie Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor Comments: Prairie warblers are found in scrubby fields and forest edges throughout the eastern and south-central United States. Unlike many other warblers that migrate through Sharon in spring and fall, the prairie warbler hangs around […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/11/20 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: near Billings Brook wetlands under the high tension lines across the street from Gavins Pond soccer fields 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, […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/11/20 Observation Time: 8:10 a.m. Observation Location: field near Gavins Pond dam Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: The male bluebird caught an insect and gave it to its mate. The Sharon Friends of Conservation maintains six bluebird nesting boxes near Gavins Pond. Most of them are occupied by tree swallows. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/11/20 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: woods beyond Gavins Pond dam Common Name: Blue Jay Scientific Name: Cyanocitta cristata Comments: Blue Jays are common in Sharon. They eat insects, nuts and seeds. They will also eat the eggs and nestlings of other birds if they get the chance. They can live up to 17 years. Their vocalizations are distinctive and […]

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/10/20 Observation Time: 1:15 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: White-breasted nuthatch Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis Comments: White-breasted nuthatches are year-round Sharon residents. Learn to identify their nasal call. More Information: All About Birds: White-breasted Nuthatch

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/10/20 Observation Time: 1:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area 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] More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/10/20 Observation Time: 1:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Brown-headed Cowbird Scientific Name: Molothrus ater Comments: Cowbirds parasitize other bird species. Female Cowbirds forgo building nests and instead lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, abandoning their young to foster parents, usually at the expense of at least some of the host’s own chicks. Once confined to the open grasslands […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/20 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: Conservation land at Lakeview & Morse Streets Common Name: Blue-headed Vireo Scientific Name: Vireo solitarius Comments: The woods were pretty quiet this morning. After walking a long way along a trail, I heard this blue-headed vireo singing high in the treetops. These photos were taken with my new Sony RX-10 iv zoom camera. Note the bold […]