Sightings – Page 27 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Eastern Chipmunk – 5/8/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/19 Observation Time: 8:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Chipmunk Scientific Name: Tamias striatus Comments: This chipmunk was using gaps in a stone wall to hide from predators such as hawks. It would not come out until I moved away. More Information: Wikipedia

Tussock Sedge – 5/8/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/19 Observation Time: 8:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (wetland boardwalk) Common Name: Tussock Sedge Scientific Name: Carex stricta Comments: A clumping, upright sedge with narrow, yellowish green leaves. Reddish brown flowers bloom early summer. Prefers moist fertile soil but will tolerate dry or wet sites. More Information: North Creek Nurseries

Magnolia Warbler – 5/8/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/19 Observation Time: 7:55 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Magnolia Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga magnolia Comments: Warblers are like jewels in the woods. I was very lucky to get this shot, but those who spend time looking around outdoors, especially on sunny mornings in early May, are treated to sightings like this once in a while. More […]

Red Squirrel – 5/8/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/8/19 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red Squirrel Scientific Name: Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Comments: Red squirrels can be easily distinguished from other North American tree squirrels by their smaller size, territorial behavior, and reddish fur with a white underbelly). Red squirrels are somewhat larger than chipmunks. More Information: Wikipedia

Blue-headed Vireo – 5/7/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/19 Observation Time: 8:28 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blue-headed Vireo Scientific Name: Vireo solitarius Comments: Sorry about the poor picture quality. My challenge to you is to get out there and take a better one! Learn to recognize the song so you will know when you are near one. The best time to find one is […]

Wild Violet – 5/7/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/19 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Wild Violet Scientific Name: Viola odorata Comments: V. odorata is native to Europe and Asia, but has also been introduced to North America and Australia. It is a hardy herbaceous flowering perennial. More Information: Wikipedia

White-tailed Deer – 5/7/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/19 Observation Time: 7:55 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: White-tailed Deer Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus Comments: White-tailed deer are common in Sharon due to the absence of top predators such as wolves and cougars. If the deer population becomes too high, they will starve. Exclosures have been erected in the woods at the Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife […]

Double-crested Cormorant – 5/7/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/19 Observation Time: 7:42 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Double-crested Cormorant Scientific Name: Phalacrocorax auritus Comments: When migrating, cormorants fly loosely in lines, as opposed to the familiar “vees” that geese use. More Information: All About Birds

Narrow-leaved Spring Beauty – 5/7/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/19 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Sharon Common Name: Narrow-leaved Spring Beauty Scientific Name: Claytonia virginica Comments: Its scientific name honors Colonial Virginia botanist John Clayton (1694–1773). Please do not dig up any wildflowers you may find in Sharon. Leave them for everyone to enjoy! More Information: Wikipedia

Pileated Woodpecker – 5/7/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/7/19 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Pileated Woodpecker Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus Comments: This magnificent crow-sized bird was the inspiration for the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker. Unfortunately, its cousin, the ivory-billed woodpecker, has gone extinct. More Information: Audubon Guide to N. American Birds

Common Mullein – 4/16/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/16/19 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Common Mullein Scientific Name: Verbascum thapsus Comments: Verbascum thapsus has a wide native range including Europe, northern Africa and Asia, from the Azores and Canary Islands east to western China, north to the British Isles, Scandinavia and Siberia, and south to the Himalayas. In the United States […]

Skunk Cabbage – 4/16/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/16/19 Observation Time: 1:50 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Skunk Cabbage Scientific Name: Symplocarpus foetidus Comments: Skunk cabbages are among the first plants to emerge in early spring. They can maintain an internal temperature significantly warmer than the surrounding air – as much as 15-35 degrees warmer – by consuming carbohydrates stored in their fleshy rhizomes. […]

Rock-shield Lichen – 4/16/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/16/19 Observation Time: 12:55 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Rock-shield Lichen Scientific Name: Xanthoparmelia sp. Comments: A lichen is a composite organism that emerges from algae or cyanobacteria living among the filaments of the fungi in a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship. The fungi benefit from the carbohydrates produced by the algae or cyanobacteria via photosynthesis. […]

Red-backed Salamander – 4/13/19

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 4/13/19 Observation TIme: midnight Observation Location: Moose Hill Street near TTOR’s Moose Hill Farm Common Name: Red-backed Salamander Scientific Name: Plethodon cinereus Comments: This photo was taken on “Big Night” – the first rainy night after the snow has melted in spring when a variety of woodland amphibians migrate from uplands down to nearby wetlands to spawn. To witness this amazing […]

Wood Frog – 4/13/19

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 4/13/19 Observation Time: midnight Observation Location: Moose Hill Street near TTOR’s Moose Hill Farm Common Name: Wood Frog Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica Comments: As their name implies, wood frogs live in the woods and reproduce in vernal pools. Listen to the recording of the quacking sound it makes at the Wikipedia link below so you can recognize it when they thaw […]

Yellow Spotted Salamander – 4/13/19

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 4/13/19 Observation Time: midnight Observation Location: Moose Hill Street near Kendall Estate Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum Comments: To see a variety of frog and salamander species on the first rainy night after the snow melts in late March or early April, take an umbrella and a flashlight, and walk down Moose Hill Street near TTOR’s Moose Hill Farm . That’s when mole […]

Red-tailed Hawk – 4/3/19

Observer: Ilan Fisher Observation Date: 4/3/19 Observation Time: 2:00 PM Observation Location: Junction of E. Foxboro St. & Harding St. Common Name: Red-tailed Hawk Scientific Name: Buteo jamaicensis Comments: Red-tails are big, but they only weigh a maximum of about 3 lbs. They can live up to 30 years. They feed predominantly on small mammals. More Information: All About Birds

Red-shouldered Hawk – 2/11/19

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 2/11/19 Observation Time: 10:30 a.m. Observation Location: west side of Lake Massapoag near the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Common Name: Red-shouldered Hawk Scientific Name: Buteo lineatus Comments: One of the best ways to find Red-shouldered Hawks is to learn their distinctive whistle. Listen for these birds in and around wet forests, where you may find them hunting from a perch along stream […]

White Pine – 12/20/18

Observer: Deborah Radovsky Observation Date: 12/20/18 Observation Time: early morning Observation Location: Conservation trail near the lake (dog park trail) Common Name: White Pine Scientific Name: Pinus strobus Comments: White pines can live over 500 years and grow to more than 150 feet tall. More Information: Wikipedia O

Pine Siskin – 12/15/18

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 12/15/18 Observation Time: morning Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (near feeders) Common Name: Pine Siskin Scientific Name: Spinus pinus Comments: Every couple of years, Pine Siskins make unpredictable movements called irruptions into southern and eastern North America. Though they’re erratic, these movements may not be entirely random. Banding data suggest that some birds may fly west-east across the continent […]

Osprey – 12/6/2018

Observer: Michael Scutari Acciavatti Observation Date: 12/6/2018 Observation Location: Prescott Pond, Lakwood Drive, Stoughton Common Name: Osprey Scientific Name: Pandion haliaetus Comments: Ospreys can also be seen in Sharon. They are most commonly seen over a lake or pond, where they dive for fish. More Information: Wikipedia

Red-throated Loon – 12/3/18

Observer: Deborah Radovsky Observation Date: 12/3/18 Observation time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: Lake Massapoag, swimming very close to shore Common Name: Red-throated Loon Scientific Name: Gavia stellata Comments: Adult, non-breeding plummage. Breeds in the arctic. More information: Wikipedia

Red-breasted Nuthatch – 12/3/18

Observer: Deborah Radovsky Observation Date: 12/3/18 Observation Time: 9:10 a.m. Observation Location: on trail in woods, near Sharon dog park Common Name: Red-breasted Nuthatch Scientific Name: Sitta canadensis Comments: There have been flocks of these for weeks in these woods, more than I have ever observed over many years, possibly due to plentiful food sources. Note that the population of red-breasted nuthatches is shifting northward, according to the […]

Bald-faced Hornet – Nov., 2018

Observer: Richard Mandell Observation Date: November, 2018 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: 280 Mountain Street Common Name: Bald-faced Hornet Scientific Name: Dolichovespula maculata Comments: The bald-faced hornet is related to yellowjacket wasps, and is not a true hornet. Its colloquial names include bald hornet, white-faced hornet, white-tailed hornet, spruce wasp, blackjacket, and bull wasp. Bald-faced hornets are social insects and are most active during the […]

Bald Eagle – 11/30/18

Observer: Todd Arnold Observation Date: 11/30/18 Observation Time: 10:45 a.m. Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: Bald Eagle Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus Comments: Large bird with white head and tail feathers spotted over Lake Massapoag. Unquestionably a bald eagle, it was seen riding the thermals before the clouds rolled in and covered the sun. Could this one be scouting a good spot to nest? Or was […]

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