Category: Sightings

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/9/23 Observation Time: 6:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon WIldlife Sanctuary Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: This oriole was building its hanging nest in one of the huge sugar maple trees near the barn on the Billings Loop. More Information: All About Birds This last photo was taken on 5/11/23. The nest is almost complete in just two […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/23 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Phoebe Scientific Name: Sayornis phoebe Comments: Phoebes are members of the flycatcher family. The song of the Phoebe sounds like its name. You can find and play bird songs online. The more bird calls you memorize, the more bird species you will be able to identify in the […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/23 Observation Time: 10:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/23 Observation Time: 9:05 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Northern Parula Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga americana Comments: Northern parula warblers pass through Sharon in late April and early May on their northward migration. They are typically seen high in the trees, so it helps to look for them at the end of April and the […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/23 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata Comments: The bird migration radar (https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/) showed a surge of migrating birds on the evening of May 7, so I was not surprised to see many migrating warblers at Moose Hill on the morning of May 8. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/23 Observation Time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon WIldlife Sanctuary Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: The oriole’s flutelike call is quite distinctive, once you know what to listen for. I heard this oriole before I saw it. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/23 Observation Time: 7:05 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black-throated Green Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga virens Comments: The call of this 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: 5/8/23 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blue-headed Vireo Scientific Name: Vireo solitarius Comments: I took this photo of a blue-headed vireo thinking it was a warbler of some kind. When I got home and uploaded my photos to my computer, I discovered it was a vireo, not a warbler. Note the white “spectacles” […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/23 Observation Time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers often play host to eggs of the brown-headed cowbird, particularly where the forest habitat has been fragmented. When a pair of tanagers notices a female cowbird approaching, they aggressively drive her away. If they don’t notice, the cowbird gets […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/23 Observation Time: 8:20 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Northern Parula Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga americana Comments: Northern parula warblers pass through Sharon in late April and early May on their northward migration. They are typically seen high in the trees, so it helps to look for them at the end of April and the […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/23 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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 northern parula warbler and a black-and-white warbler. You can […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/23 Observation Time: 6:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Brown-headed Cowbird (male) Scientific Name: Molothrus ater Comments: Brown-headed 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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/6/23 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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. I photographed this individual in one of the huge sugar maples near the barn on the Billings Loop […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/23 Observation Time: 12:35 pm Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blue-gray gnatcatcher Scientific Name: Polioptila caerulea Comments: The blue-gray gnatcatcher is the northernmost-occurring species of gnatcatcher, and the only truly migratory one. Most members of its genus are resident in Central and South America. The nesting range of blue-gray gnatcatchers has been shifting northward since the early twentieth […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/23 Observation Time: 7:25 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 along the boardwalk through the wetlands at Moose Hill. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/20 Observation Time: 7:05 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary 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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/5/23 Observation Time: 6:50 am Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Tree Swallow Scientific Name: Tachycineta bicolor Comments: Tree swallows compete with bluebirds for nesting boxes. This pair was sitting on the post of a nesting box. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/4/23 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers often play host to eggs of the brown-headed cowbird, particularly where the forest habitat has been fragmented. When a pair of tanagers notices a female cowbird approaching, they aggressively drive her away. If they don’t notice, the cowbird gets […]