Sightings – Page 28 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Great Crested Flycatcher – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:10 p.m. Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole St. 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

Field Sparrow – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:05 p.m. Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole Street Common Name: Field Sparrow Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla Comments: Field sparrows have a relatively long tail, a thin white eye ring, and a pinkish conical bill. They have a gray face and a rust-colored cap. However, the best way to tell them apart from other sparrows is […]

Painted Skimmer dragonfly – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: on a bluff under high tension wires near S. Walpole St. Common Name: Painted Skimmer dragonfly Scientific Name: Libellula semifasciata Comments: Painted Skimmers live up to their name, and the wings especially glow with color. A rich brown, the thorax has two whitish to yellow diagonal stripes on each side. The abdomen has yellow edges and […]

Bird’s Foot Violet – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 4:40 p.m. Observation Location: Power lines near Walpole St. Common Name: Bird’s Foot Violet Scientific Name: Viola pedata Comments: Bird-foot violets are perennials with five-petaled flowers that bloom from March to June. The flowers are typically blue, but can range from white to purple. They spread by sending out rhizomes. The fan-shaped leaves have three lobes which are said to […]

Wool Sower Gall Wasp – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/10 Observation Time: 4:25 p.m. Observation Location: Beneath the high tension lines near So. Walpole St. Common Name: Wool Sower Gall Wasp Scientific Name: Callirhytis seminator Comments: Pink-spotted, white cottony wool sower galls are about the size of a ping-pong ball and are produced by a tiny species of Cynipid wasp, Callirhytis seminator, and are most commonly found on white […]

Black Huckleberry – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 4:20 p.m. Observation Location: Beneath high tension wires near So. Walpole St. Common Name: Black Huckleberry Scientific Name: Gaylussacia baccata Comments: These are the distinctive bright red unopened flower buds of black huckleberry, Gaylussacia baccata. They are typically no more than waist-high. They often form a near-continuous shrub layer in dryish oak woods. In moister soils they tend to […]

Orchard Orbweaver spider – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 2:20 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Orchard Orbweaver spider Scientific Name: Leucauge venusta Comments: I had a hard time focusing the camera on this tiny spider and its gossamer web. More Information: Wikipedia

Yellow Birch Tree – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 2:15 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Yellow Birch Tree Scientific Name: Betula alleghaniensis Comments: A large and important lumber species of birch native to North-eastern North America. It has shaggy bark. More Information: Wikipedia

North American Millipede – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: boardwalk through Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: North American Millipede Scientific Name: Narceus americanus Comments: Millipedes first appeared in the fossil record 400 million years ago and are some of the first animals to have lived on land. It is hypothesized that these ancient species are the largest animals without backbones to […]

Pine Warbler – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: May 27, 2019 Observation Time: 1:55 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Pine Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga pinus Comments: Pine warblers nest here in Sharon, and can be found in pine woods in summer. The song of the pine warbler is hard to distinguish from the song of the chipping sparrow – unless you are a pine warbler! More Information: All […]

Scarlet Tanager – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 1:10 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers often play host to eggs of the brown-headed cowbird (male and female shown below), particularly where the forest habitat has been fragmented. When a pair of tanagers notices a female cowbird approaching, they aggressively drive her away. If […]

Snipe Fly – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 1:00 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Snipe Fly Scientific Name: Rhagio mystaceus Comments: Also known as a down-looker fly. Two of the photos show why. More Information: Wikipedia

Common Ringlet butterfly – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 12:45 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Common Ringlet butterfly Scientific Name: Coenonympha tullia Comments: Ringlets can be found in a variety of grassy habitats, including roadsides, woodland edges and clearings, prairies, bogs, and arctic and alpine taiga and tundra. It is an erratic flyer. It is a holarctic species found in northern […]

Swainson’s Thrush – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 9:35 a.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Swainson’s Thrush Scientific Name: Catharus ustulatus Comments: I lucked into this one. As I was walking down a trail through the woods I saw it fly from the trail up to a nearby branch, and I got just one photo before it flew away. I assumed it […]

Baltimore Oriole – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 3:40 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: I heard this oriole’s flutelike call before I spotted it. More Information: All About Birds

Wild Geranium – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 2:45 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: Wild geranium Scientific Name: Geranium maculatum Comments: Geranium maculatum, the wild geranium, spotted geranium, or wood geranium, is a perennial plant native to woodlands of eastern North America. More Information: USDA Forest Service

Autumn Olive – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 2:40 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Autumn Olive Scientific Name: Elaeagnus umbellata Comments: Autumn-olive is a hardy, prolific shrub that thrives in a variety of conditions, in part because it is capable of fixing nitrogen. Some varieties can produce up to 80 pounds (37 kilos) of bright red edible berries in a season, which ripen […]

Bobolink – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: Bobolink Scientific Name: Dolichonyx oryzivorus Comments: The big pasture at Moose Hill Farm is ideal breeding habitat for bobolinks. Meadow habitat is not nearly as prevalent in Massachusetts since industry replaced agriculture, and forests grew back in former farmlands. More Information: All About Birds

Common Yellowthroat – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 1:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) 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

American Lady butterfly – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 1:15 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: American Lady butterfly Scientific Name: Vanessa virginiensis Comments: American Lady butterflies look a lot like Painted Lady butterflies. The American Lady has two large spots on the undersides of its trailing wings. The Painted Lady has four smaller spots instead. This Amerian Lady was visiting a mud puddle, but […]

Black Swallowtail butterfly – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 12:20 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (The Trustees of Reservations) Common Name: Black Swallowtail butterfly Scientific Name: Papilio polyxenes Comments: The big meadow at Moose Hill Farm was alive with pairs of black swallowtails chasing each other on this glorious spring day. Black swallowtail butterflies look a lot like spicebush swallowtail butterflies. You can learn how to tell […]

Ground Ivy – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 8:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Ground Ivy (a.k.a. “Gill-over-the-ground”) Scientific Name: Glechoma hederacea Comments: Commonly known as ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground, creeping charlie, alehoof, tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, and run-away-robin, it has numerous medicinal uses, and is used as a salad green in many countries. European settlers carried it around the world, and it has become a well-established […]

Tan Jumping Spider – 5/25/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/25/19 Observation Time: 8:15 a.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road (kitchen window) Common Name: Tan Jumping Spider Scientific Name: Platycryptus undatus Comments: A member of Salticidae, this spider jumps to ambush its prey in lieu of creating webs to ensnare it. It is a fast runner and it pounces on top of the insect it plans to eat. As the […]

American Woodcock – 5/24/19

Observer: Richard Mandell Observation Date: 5/24/19 Observation Time: afternoon Observation Location: 580 Mountain St. Common Name: American Woodcock Scientific Name: Scolopax minor Comments: Woodcocks are also called timberdoodles. They nest on the ground, and are very well camouflaged. Youtube video of woodcock mating flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta1fxy0MR2c&t=6s Youtube video of woodcocks “waltzing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSh9Shgwc5o More Information: All About Birds

Painted Skimmer dragonfly – 5/21/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/21/19 Observation Time: 12:15 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Painted Skimmer dragonfly Scientific Name: Libellula semifasciata Comments: Painted Skimmers live up to their name, and the wings especially glow with color. A rich brown, the thorax has two whitish to yellow diagonal stripes on each side. The abdomen has yellow edges and a jagged black central stripe on […]

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