Category: Animal

Observer: Claire Forman Observation Date: 5/24/24 Observation Time: 4:54 p.m. Observation Location: Harris Pond Common Name: Mute Swan Scientific Name: Cygnus olor Comments: All of the Mute Swans in North America descended from swans imported from Europe from the mid 1800s through early 1900s to adorn large estates, city parks, and zoos. Escapees established breeding populations and are now established in the Northeast, Midatlantic, Great […]

Observer: Bruce Lewis Observation Date: 5/23/24 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Billings Loop Common Name: Red-tailed Hawk Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis Comments: Mammals make up the bulk of most red-tailed hawk meals. Frequent victims include voles, mice, wood rats, rabbits, snowshoe hares, jackrabbits, and ground squirrels. The hawks also eat birds, including pheasants, bobwhite, starlings, and blackbirds; as well as snakes […]

Observer: Joe Blansfield Observation Date: 5/9/24 Observation Time: 12:30 p.m. Observation Location: Bay Road, Sharon (on the deck) Common Name: Common Yellowthroat Scientific Name: Geoothlypis trichas Comments: This guy crashed into my sliding glass door as I was reading the paper. He was temporarily stunned, but he recovered and went on his merry way! Common yellowthroats are typically found in or near wetlands. They are a type […]

Observer: Barry Dulong Observation Date: 5/7/24 Observation Time: 1:40 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary – Tower Trail (halfway up) Common Name: Black-and-white warbler Scientific Name: Mniotilta varia Comments: I did not get a photo of the black and white warbler, but it was clear as day and was not a blackpoll warbler, which looks similar but has a solid black cap. I’d never seen […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/24 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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: 5/7/24 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (boardwalk) 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, witchety.” More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/24 Observation Time: 8:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black-throated Blue Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga caerulescens Comments: Black-throated blue warblers pass through Sharon in early May on their northward migration. Learn to recognize their buzzy “zree–zree–zreeeee” song to improve your chances of seeing one. Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPKuQB1bEqs. You can monitor the bird migration in spring by keeping an […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/6/24 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blue-winged warbler Scientific Name: Vermivora cyanoptera Comments:  I saw this blue-winged warbler catch a huge caterpillar. Check out the last photo below. The blue-winged warbler’s song sounds like, “bee-buzz.” Note its distinctive mask-like black eye line. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Jean Zaniewski Observation Date: 5/5/24 Observation Time: 3:15 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary near the barn on the Billings loop Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: I am a new bluebird monitor this year (through Friends Of Conservation). After stealthily checking a dozen boxes once a week since March, I was really thrilled on May 5 to finally see […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/4/24 Observation Time: 11:20 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) – under the power lines 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 nests in Sharon and […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/4/24 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red-bellied Woodpecker Scientific Name: Melanerpes carolinus Comments: Primarily a bird of the southeast, where its rolling calls are familiar sounds in swamps and riverside woods. Omnivorous and adaptable, this woodpecker has also adjusted to life in suburbs and city parks, and in recent years it has […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/4/24 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Worm-eating Warbler Scientific Name: Helmitheros vermivorum Comments: The worm-eating warbler is so-named because it eats caterpillars. It overwinters in Central America and Caribbean islands. Unlike most other warbler species that pass through Sharon on their spring and fall migrations to and from their breeding areas farther north, worm-eating warblers only […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/4/24 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Hermit Thrush Scientific Name: Catharus guttatus Comments: This one was singing near a trail in the woods. I heard its song before I saw it. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/4/24 Observation Time: 6:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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 […]

Observer: Dan O’Brien Observation Date: 5/3/24 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Barred Owl Scientific Name: Strix varia Comments: This barred owl perched high in a tree near the trail. A short while after this photo was taken, the owl was heard making its familiar “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?” call. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/24 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black-throated Green Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga virens Comments: The call of this colorful warbler sounds like: “zee-zee-zee-zoo-zee.”  It migrates through Sharon in early May. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/24 Observation Time: 10:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male & 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.” I heard this male and […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/24 Observation Time: 10:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blue-gray gnatcatcher Scientific Name: Polioptila caerulea Comments: Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are tiny – smaller than a chickadee. They are the northernmost-occurring species of gnatcatcher genus, and the only truly migratory one. Most other gnatcatcher species are resident in Central and South America. The nesting range of blue-gray gnatcatchers […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/24 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Nashville Warbler Scientific Name: Leiothlypis ruficapilla Comments: It’s hard to get a good photo of a small bird in the top of a tall tree, especially on a cloudy day when the light is dim, but at least the bird in this photo is identifiable as […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/24 Observation Time: 7:35 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Pileated Woodpecker Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus Comments: You will improve your chances of sighting one of these magnificent raven-size woodpeckers by learning their calls and the sound of their drumming, which is different from that of other smaller woodpeckers. More Information: Audubon Guide to N. American Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/2/24 Observation Time: 8:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Wood thrush Scientific Name: Hylocichla mustelina Comments: The wood thrush’s melodic “ee-oh-lay” song is often heard in the woods. If you learn to recognize it, you can follow the sound to get a look at the bird. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/2/24 Observation Time: 7:45 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 type of warbler. This one was seen along the boardwalk through the wetlands at Moose Hill. More Information: All About Birds