Sightings – Page 34 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male) – 5/18/16

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/18/2016 Observation TIme: N/A Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Rose-breasted Grosbeak Scientific Name: Pheucticus ludovicianus Comments: More Information: All About Birds

Ruby-throated Hummingbird – 5/18/16

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/18/16 Observation TIme: N/A Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Ruby-throated Hummingbird Scientific Name: Archilochus colubris Comments: Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only species of hummingbird commonly seen in New England. They overwinter in Costa Rica, and arrive in Massachusetts around May 1 every year. That’s a good time to put out a hummingbird feeder. If you’re lucky, and you change […]

Eastern Chipmunk – 5/14/16

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/14/16 Observation Time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern chipmunk Scientific Name: Tamias striatus Comments: The common name originally may have been spelled “chitmunk,” from the native Odawa (Ottawa) word jidmoonh, meaning “red squirrel” (cf. Ojibwe, ajidamoo). The earliest form cited in the Oxford English Dictionary (from 1842) is “chipmonk,” however, “chipmunk” appears in several […]

Northern Waterthrush – 5/12/16

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/16 Observation Time: 9:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Northern Waterthrush Scientific Name: Parkesia noveboracensis Comments: A bird of northern forests, the Northern Waterthrush is in the warbler family. It sings its loud, ringing song from wooded swamps, bogs and streams. It migrates through Sharon in spring and fall, bobbing its tail in the woods near water. More Information: All […]

Baltimore Oriole (on nest) – 5/12/16

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/16 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: Baltimore orioles are among the most brightly colored birds found in Sharon. They weave remarkable hanging nests. More Information: All About Birds

Ovenbird – 5/12/16

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/16 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Center Common Name: Ovenbird Scientific Name: Seiurus aurocapilla Comments: Ovenbirds are in the warbler family. Their insistent “teacher, teacher, teacher” call is one of the most commonly heard birdsongs in the woods around Sharon. They are called ovenbirds because their nests, which are built on the ground, resemble little ovens. More Information: All About Birds

Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 5/12/16

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/16 Observation Time: 6:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Center Common Name: Rose-breasted Grosbeak Scientific Name: Pheucticus ludovicianus Comments: Look for these birds in forest edges and woodlands. Listen, too, for their distinctive voices. They sound like American Robins, but listen for an extra sweetness, as if the bird had operatic training; they also make a sharp chink like the squeak of a sneaker. More […]

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – 5/11/16

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/11/16 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Center Common Name: Blue-gray gnatcatcher Scientific Name: Polioptila caerulea Comments: The blue-gray gnatcatcher is a tiny, long-tailed bird of broadleaf forests and scrublands. It makes itself known by its soft but insistent calls and its constant motion. It hops and sidles in dense outer foliage, foraging for insects and spiders. As it moves, it conspicuously flicks […]

Wilson’s Warbler 5/10/16

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/10/16 Observation Time: 9:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Center Common Name: Wilson’s warbler Scientific Name: Cardellina pusilla Comments: This striking yellow warbler has an unmistakable black cap. It is more commonly found in western states, but it is occasionally sighted in Sharon. More Information: All About Birds

Barred Owl – 5/8/16

Observer: Nancy Mollitor Observation Date: 5/8/16 Observation Time: morning Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Barred Owl (juvenile) Scientific Name: Strix varia Comments: A common owl in Sharon, the barred owl’s vocalization sounds like, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you all?” Barred Owls don’t migrate, and they don’t even move around very much. Of 158 birds that were banded and then […]

Yellow-rumped Warbler – 4/28/16

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/16 Observation Time: 6:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata Comments: Yellow-rumped warblers arrived at Moose Hill toward the end of April in 2016. More Information: All About Birds

Great Horned Owl – 4/17/16

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/17/16 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: woods near Gavins Pond Common Name: Great Horned Owl Scientific Name: Bubo virginianus Comments: Half-grown owlet on a branch with its mother, which is partially obscured by branches. More Information: All About Birds

Eastern Coyote – 1/24/16

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 1/24/2016 Observation Time: 4:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Parkway Common Name: Eastern Coyote Scientific Name: Canis latrans Comments: The eastern coyote is part coyote, part wolf, and part domestic dog. They howl like wolves and yip like coyotes and can hunt in both open field areas and forests. More Information: Wikipedia

Brown-hooded Owlet Moth caterpillar – 9/22/15

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 9/22/15 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Mansfield Street Common Name: Brown-hooded Owlet Moth caterpillar Scientific Name: Cucullia convexipennis Comments: The moth flies from May to September depending on the location. The caterpillars feed on Aster, Solidago and Callistephus chinensis. More Information: Wikipedia

Puffball mushroom – 9/20/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/20/15 Observation Time: 4:20 p.m. Observation Location: Lake Massapoag (near boat ramp) Common Name: Puffball mushroom Scientific Name: Genus: Calvatia, Bovista and others Comments: There are many kinds of puffballs. Some are edible and some are poisonous. More Information: eattheplanet.org

Virginia Marsh-St. John’s Wort – 8/23/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/23/15 Observation Time: 5:45 p.m. Observation Location: bank of Hammershop Pond at Ames and Cottage Streets. Common Name: Virginia Marsh-St. John’s wort Scientific Name: Triadenum virginicum Comments: Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL). Please do not dig up wildflowers! More Information: Go Botany

Northern Walkingstick – 8/7/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/7/15 Observation Time: 5:10 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Northern Walkingstick Scientific Name: Diapheromera femorata Comments: This harmless insect uses its bizarre body shape to blend in to the foliage and avoid detection by potential predators. More Information: Bugguide

American Carrion Beetle – 8/6/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/6/15 Observation Time: 12:50 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: American Carrion Beetle Scientific Name: Necrophilia americana Comments: From spring through fall, during daylight, a few hours after flies begin arriving at a carcass, the adult beetles will arrive as well. They immediately begin eating the already hatching fly larvae, mating, and laying their own eggs. As long as the […]

Crayfish – 7/31/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/31/15 Observation Time: 3:15 p.m. Observation Location: outflow pool below Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Crayfish Scientific Name: Procambarus spp.? Comments: Crayfish are like miniature lobsters that live in fresh water. They are common in Sharon’s streams. Ten crayfish species have been collected in New England. More Information: The Crayfishes of New England

Snowberry Clearwing Moth – 7/29/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/29/15 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Snowberry Clearwing Moth Scientific Name: Hemaris diffinis Comments: Feeding on butterfly bush. More information: Butterflies and Moths of North America

Milkweed – 7/22/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/22/15 Observation Time: 5:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Milkweed Scientific Name: Asclepias syriaca Comments: Monarch butterflies depend on milkweed as a food source for their caterpillars. The advent of genetically modified “Roundup-ready” corn and soybeans has facilitated large-scale application of herbicides, reducing the availability of milkweed to migrating monarchs. Hence, the monarch population is in steep decline. […]

Queen Anne’s Lace – 7/22/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/22/15 Observation Time: 5:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Queen Anne’s Lace Scientific Name: Daucus carota Comments: Daucus carota, whose common names include wild carrot, bird’s nest, bishop’s lace, and Queen Anne’s lace (North America), is a white, flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate regions of Europe and southwest Asia, and naturalized to North America and […]

Wild Indigo – 7/22/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/22/15 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: field near Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Wild Indigo Scientific Name: Baptisia australis Comments: It is a perennial upright bushy plant with attractive foliage and yellow blossoms. Seed heads turn a deep indigo color providing winter interest. More Information: Wikipedia

Spotted Knapweed – 7/22/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/22/15 Observation Time: 4:40 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Spotted Knapweed Scientific Name: Centaurea maculosa Comments: Spotted knapweed is poisonous to other plants, creating barren areas where only knapweed grows. It is a threat to pastures and dry ecosystems including prairies and dunes. Can be a skin irritant. More Information: Michigan Invasive Species

Great Golden Digger Wasp – 7/20/15

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/20/15 Observation Time: 5:10 p.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Great Golden Digger Wasp Scientific Name: Sphex ichnumoneus Comments: Sphex ichnumoneus is a species of solitary wasp, commonly known as the Great Golden Digger Wasp. This large and colorful wasp can frequently be found nectaring at flowers in late summer and fall. It makes burrows in bare ground or grassy places. […]

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