Category: Animal

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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/20 Observation Time: 10:35 a.m. Observation Location: woods near Gavins Pond 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 varied. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/20 Observation Time: 10:05 a.m. Observation Location: woods near Gavins Pond Common Name: Black-and-white warbler Scientific Name: Mniotilta varia Comments: Black and white warblers make a high-pitched squeaking sound like a turning wheel that needs to be oiled. They are most often found scurrying up and down tree trunks and branches looking under the bark for insect larvae. More Information: All About […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/20 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: pine woods by Gavins Pond Common Name: Palm Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga palmarum Comments: Palm warblers pass through Sharon in late April and early May on their northward migration. They sometimes mingle with other species of warblers. This one was in the company of a yellow-rumped warbler and a black-and-white warbler. You can monitor the bird […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/20 Observation Time: 9:50 a.m. Observation Location: woods near Gavins Pond Common Name: Yellow-rumped warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata Comments: The western sub-species of yellow-rumped warbler has a bright yellow throat. The eastern sub-species, also known as a myrtle warbler, has a white throat. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/2/20 Observation Time: 1:00 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road (my back yard) 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. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/2/20 Observation Time: 12:50 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road (in my back yard) Common Name: Tufted Titmouse Scientific Name: Baeolophus bicolor Comments: Tufted titmice are abundant in the woods in Sharon. They are often encountered in the company of chickadees. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/2/20 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Ward’s Berry Farm Common Name: House Finch Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor Comments: Male house finches have reddish coloration on their head and breast. Females are brown. Both have a heavy, conical beak for cracking seeds open. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/2/20 Observation Time: 6:15 a.m. Observation Location: near wetlands downstream of Gavins Pond dam Common Name: Yellow Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia Comments: The yellow warbler is typically found near wetlands. It has a song that sounds like, “sweet-sweet-sweet-little more sweet.” More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/25/20 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: Conservation land at Lakeview St. & Morse St. Common Name: Carolina Wren Scientific Name: Thryothorus ludovicianus Comments: The Carolina Wren is sensitive to cold weather, with the northern populations decreasing markedly after severe winters. Global warming might be responsible for the northward range expansion seen in the late-1900s and early 2000’s. A pair bond may form between […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/25/20 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: The Sharon Friends of Conservation maintains some bluebird nesting boxes at this site. Volunteers monitor these nesting boxes and keep track of the bluebirds’ nesting activities. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/20/20 Observation Time: 9:10 a.m. Observation Location: conservation land near Lakeview & Morse Common Name: Turkey Vulture Scientific Name: Cathartes aura Comments: Turkey vultures are gliders. They ride thermal updrafts, so they rarely need to flap their wings. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/17/20 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: The Sharon Friends of Conservation maintains six bluebird nesting boxes at this site. Most of them are occupied by tree swallows. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/15/20 Observation Time: 2:45 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Sandy Ridge Circle 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