Category: Animal

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/18 Observation Time: 8:05 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary 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: 5/5/18 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/18 Observation Time: 7:25 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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 female is mostly tan. More Information: All About Birds male: female:

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/18 Observation Time: 7:20 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Downy Woodpecker Scientific Name: Dendrocopos pubescens Comments: Dendrocopos means “tree dagger” and “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: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/18 Observation Time: 10:05 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Scarlet Tanager (male & female) Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers are common in Sharon, but few people see these brilliantly colored birds because they live in the woods where they are concealed by foliage. If you learn their song, which sounds like a robin with a sore […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/18 Observation Time: 8:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black and White Warbler Scientific Name: Mniotilta varia Comments: Black and white warblers are usually seen moving up and down tree trunks looking for bugs under the bark. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/2/18 Obseration Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red-tailed hawk Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis Comments: This red-tail had caught something – either a mouse or a frog. The hawk lost its grip on its prey, which dropped to the ground. The hawk immediately swooped down to the ground to retrieve its prize. More information: All About […]

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/2/18 Observation Time: 6:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (Wood Thrush Trail) Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: You can find Eastern Bluebirds in open country with patchy vegetation and large trees or nest boxes. Meadows, old fields, and golf courses are good places. Bluebirds typically sit in the open on power lines or along fences, with […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/1/18 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Northern Waterthrush Scientific Name: Parkesia noveboracensis Comments: The northern waterthrush is actually a type of warbler. It looks a lot like an ovenbird, which is also a warbler. This one was seen near the boardwalk through the wetlands at Moose Hill. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/1/18 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audbon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Tufted Titmouse Scientific Name: Baeolophus bicolor Comments: Often seen in the company of chickadees. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Contact Information:  lauenstein@comcast.net   (781) 784-2986 Observation Date: 5/1/18 Observation Time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: This male bluebird caught a spider and brought it back to the nest to feed its young. More Information: All About Birds 

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Contact Information:  lauenstein@comcast.net   (781) 784-2986 Observation Date: 5/1/18 at 8:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blue-gray gnatcatcher Scientific Name: Polioptila caerulea Comments: A tiny, long-tailed bird of broadleaf forests and scrublands, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 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. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/30/18 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Common Name: Wild Turkey Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo Comments: Male (“tom”) turkeys display in springtime mating season to compete for status and the opportunity to mate. More Information: All About Birds  

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/27/18 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Pileated Woodpecker Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus Comments: This large woodpecker (about the size of a crow) was peeling bark off a tree to get at the bugs underneath. Its tongue is visible in the last photo below. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 4/24/18 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, near bird feeders Common Names: Chipping Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco Scientific Names: Spizella passerina and Junco hyemalis Comments: If you want to get an idea of what birds are around, spend some time watching the feeders at the Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary. You’ll see everything from hummingbirds to wild turkeys. More […]

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 4/23/18 Observation Time: 6:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Billings Loop Common Name: Eastern Towhee Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus Comments: The Towhee’s song sounds like, “Drink your tea,” making it easy to remember when you’re in the woods. It’s call sounds like its name, “Toe-wee.” Eastern Towhees are often victims of the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird. Female cowbirds lay eggs […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/21/18 Observation Time:  2:00 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road, Sharon Common Name: white-throated sparrow Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis Comments: This species passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. It’s distinctive song sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada Canada Canada.” More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 4/9/18 Observation Time: evening Observation Location: Cottage and Ames Streets Common Name: Red-shouldered Hawk Scientific Name: Buteo lineatus Comments: Although the American Crow often mobs the Red-shouldered Hawk, sometimes the relationship is not so one-sided. They may chase each other and try to steal food from each other. They may also both attack a Great Horned Owl and join forces to chase the […]

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 4/14/18 Observation Time: 3:30 p.m. Observation Location: 302 Mansfield Street Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis More Information: All About Birds or Animalia  

Observer: Jeff Rose Observation Date: 3/10/18 Observation Time: 8:00 AM Observation Location: 302 Mansfield Street, Sharon, MA Common Name: Wood duck (drake) Scientific Name: Aix sponsa Comment: Male ducks are referred to as drakes. More Information: All About Birds    

Observer: Deb  Radovsky Observation Date: 2/27/18 Observation Time: afternoon Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: Canvasback duck Scientific Name: Aythya valisineria Comments: The species name of the Canvasback, Aythya valisineria, comes from Vallisneria americana, or wild celery, whose winter buds and rhizomes are its preferred food during the nonbreeding period. The oldest recorded Canvasback was a male and at least 22 years, 7 months old when he […]

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 2/26/18 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: Common Merganser Scientific Name: Mergus merganser Comments: Common Mergansers are sometimes called sawbills, fish ducks, or goosanders. The word “merganser” comes from the Latin and roughly translates to “plunging goose”—a good name for this very large and often submerged duck. Young Common Mergansers leave their nest hole within a day or so of […]