Category: Sightings

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/29/16 Observation Time: 1:50 p.m. Observation Location: near Lake Massapoag boat ramp Common Name: Song Sparrow Scientific Name: Melospiza melodia Comments: There are at least 18 species of sparrows in Massachusetts. Learning their respective calls is a good way to find and identify them. The spot on its chest also helps with identification. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 12:35 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers are common in Sharon, but few people see these brilliantly colored birds because they live in the woods, where they are concealed by foliage. If you learn their song, which sounds like a robin with a sore throat, you can […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 11:30 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 

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 8:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: American Goldfinch Scientific Name: Carduelis tristis Comments: This common finch travels in groups. Its song sounds like “per-chick-o-ree, per-chick-o-ree” interspersed with an occasional mewing sound. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Rose-breasted Grosbeak Scientific Name: Pheucticus ludovicianus Comments: The male rose-breasted grosbeak is one of our more photogenic songbirds, especially on a sunny morning. The female is drab brown. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Wood-Pewee Scientific Name: Contopus virens Comments: The unmistakable song of the wood-pewee (“pee-a-wee”) sounds like its name. It’s a member of the flycatcher family that is typically found in or near forested areas. You can find and play bird songs online. The more bird calls […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/16 Observation Time: 6:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Yellow-billed Cuckoo Scientific Name: Coccyzus americanus Comments: I heard this yellow-billed cuckoo’s “kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-cowp-cowp-cowp” before I spotted it. Even though cuckoos are relatively large birds, they typically don’t move around much, so they are hard to find unless you know what their call sounds like. The photo quality […]

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/22/16 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Paul Revere Rd., Sharon Common Name: Northern Flicker Scientific Name: Colaptes auratus Comments: Although it can climb up the trunks of trees and hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find food on the ground. Ants are its main food, and the flicker digs in the dirt to find them. It uses […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/21/16 Observation Time: 7:10 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (The Trustees of Reservations) 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 […]

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/18/2016 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Cedar Waxwing  Scientific Name:  Bombycilla cedrorum Comments: Cedar Waxwings typically travel in groups. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/18/16 Observation Time: N/A Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Tree Swallow Scientific Name: Tachycineta bicolor Comments: Tree swallows compete with bluebirds for nesting boxes. More Information: All About Birds

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

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 […]

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 […]

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

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 

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 […]

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 […]

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

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 […]

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

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