Category: Sightings

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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/23 Observation Time: 11:00 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 was able to identify its song before I saw it. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/23 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Brown Creeper Scientific Name: Certhia americana Comments: Brown creepers are tiny woodland birds with an affinity for the biggest trees they can find. Look for these little, long-tailed scraps of brown and white spiraling up stout trunks and main branches. Their curved claws allow them to creep up […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/23 Observation Time: 8:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Brown-headed Cowbird 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 host’s […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/23 Observation Time: 7:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Chipping Sparrow Scientific Name: Spizella passerina Comments: Chipping sparrows are very common in Sharon. They have a distinctive reddish cap above a white eyeline. Their song is described as a reedy trill that sounds a lot like the songs of the pine warbler and the junco. More Information: […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/27/23 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: American Kestrel (a.k.a. sparrow hawk) Scientific Name: Falco sparverius Comments: This kestrel (a.k.a sparrow hawk) was in a tree by the big cow pasture. It flew down and disappeared in the grass. I think it might have caught a mouse. Then it flew off. Kestrels are the […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/27/23 Observation Time: 6:45 am Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Ruby-crowned Kinglet Scientific Name: Corthylio calendula Comments: Ruby-crowned kinglets are tiny – even smaller than chickadees. They migrate through Sharon in spring en route to nesting areas in northern New England and Canada. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/26/23 Observation Time: 6:25 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (boardwalk) Common Name: Swamp Sparrow Scientific Name: Melospiza georgiana Comments: The Swamp Sparrow has longer legs than other sparrows, which allows it to wade in shallow water to forage. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/26/23 Observation Time: 6:00 am 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 […]