Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/15 Observation Time: 7:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blackburnian Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga fusca Comments: This photo does not do justice to these gorgeous warblers, which overwinter in South America. They tend to flit about high in tall trees, making them a challenge to photograph. More Information: All About Birds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/14/15 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black-billed Cuckoo Scientific Name: Coccyzus erythropthalmus Comments: We heard this cuckoo before someone in our group spotted it. They tend to sit quietly on a branch, so the absence of movement makes them hard to find. Black-billed cuckoos have distinctive red eyes. More Information: All About Birds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/14/15 Observation Time: 6:45 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
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/15 Observation Time: 11:25 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata Comments: I got these photos standing underneath a flowering crabapple tree. The blossoms attracted insects, which in turn attracted insectivorous warblers that needed fuel to continue their migration. More Information: All About Birds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/15 Observation Time: 11:10 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black-throated Green Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga virens Comments: The call of this warbler sounds like: “zee-zee-zee-zoo-zee.” It migrates through Sharon in May. I got these photos standing underneath a flowering crabapple tree. The blossoms attracted insects, which in turn attracted insectivorous warblers. More Information: All About Birds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/13/15 Observation Time: 9:35 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: American Goldfinch Scientific Name: Spinus tristis Comments: One of Sharon’s most striking – and most common – songbirds. Goldfinches are frequent visitors to bird feeders. More Information: Audubon Guide to N. American Birds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/19/15 Observation Time: 2:10 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Mourning Cloak Butterfly Scientific Name: Nymphalis antiopa Comments: This is a striking butterfly overwinters as an adult.That is why it is the first butterfly you are likely to see in early spring. More Information: http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Nymphalis-antiopa
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/6/15 Observation Time: 3:41 p.m. Observation Location: soccer field parking lot near Gavins Pond Common Name: Savannah Sparrow Scientific Name: Passerculus sandwichensis Comments: Savannah sparrows are often seen in flocks feeding on the ground. More Information: All About Birds http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Savannah_Sparrow/sounds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/6/15 Observation Time: 3:38 p.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Warbling Vireo Scientific Name: Vireo gilvus Comments: Warbling vireos are often found near water. More Information: All About Birds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/6/15 Observation Time: 3:30 p.m. Observation Location: field near Gavins Pond Common Name: Eastern Towhee Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus Comments: The Eastern Towhee is our largest sparrow. Its song can be remembered easily because it sounds like it is singing, “Drink your tea.” More Information: All About Birds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/6/15 Observation Time: 3:25 p.m. Observation Location: field near Gavins Pond Common Name: Prairie Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor Comments: This striking yellow and black warbler has a high-pitched trill that ascends. It can be seen in open fields and under power lines all summer in Sharon. More Information: All About Birds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/6/15 Observation Time: 2:30 p.m. Observation Location: tree near Gavins Pond Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: I heard this oriole’s flutelike call before I spotted it. You can listen to a recording of an oriole’s song at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Baltimore_Oriole/sounds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/15 Observation Time: 2:05 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Common Baskettail dragonfly Scientific Name: Epitheca cynosura Comments: This is the most common baskettail within its range, hence the name. The scientific name, cynosura, means dog tail, and possibly refers to the way the cerci at the end of the abdomen curve outward like a dog wagging its tail […]
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/3/15 Observation Time: 1:55 p.m. Observation Location: field near Gavins Pond Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: I found a couple of sky-blue eggs in one of the nesting boxes near Gavins Pond. Then I saw the parents. As I was snapping photos of the male bluebird, it suddenly stretched out its wing. A moment later it was gone. More Information: National Audubon […]
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/19/15 Observation Time: 4:50 p.m. Observation Location: field near Gavins Pond Common Name: Field Sparrow Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla Comments: The song of the field sparrow is a series of chirps that gets progressively more rapid like a bouncing ping-pong ball. Check it out at: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Field_Sparrow/sounds
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/19/15 Observation Time: 2:35 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: American Chestnut Scientific Name: Castanea dentata Comments: American chestnut was once very common in New England, but it has been practically wiped out by the chestnut blight, a pathogenic fungus. The fungus does not kill the roots, which continue to send up shoots for years. However, the fungus usually prevents […]
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/5/13 Observation Time: noon Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Little Wood Satyr butterfly Scientific Name: Megisto cymela Comments: As the name implies, the wood satyr is most commonly seen in woods and shrubby areas. More Information: Wikipedia
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/14 Observation Time: 6:50 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Wisteria Scientific Name: Wisteria spp. Comments: Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody climbing vines that are native to China, Korea, and Japan and as an introduced species to the Eastern United States. More […]
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/25/11 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Willow Leaf Beetle Scientific Name: Plagiodera versicolora Comments: I got help identifying this tiny beetle at www.bugguide.net. I set up a free account and uploaded my photo. In a few days I received an email from one of their entomologists with the identification. Given that there are thousands […]
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/31/11 Observation Time: 3:45 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Widow Skimmer dragonfly Scientific Name: Libellula luctuosa Comments: The widow skimmer is famous for its pruinosity – the white, waxy coating on the dragonfly’s wings and abdomen. Dragonflies have excellent eyesight. Their compound eyes have up to 30,000 facets, each of which is a separate light-sensing organ or […]
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/3/10 Observation Time: 8:05 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Widow Skimmer dragonfly Scientific Name: Libellula luctuosa Comments: Odonates (dragonflies) are completely harmless – they do not sting or bite. Indeed, they are beneficial in the same way spiders and other predators are beneficial – they keep the burgeoning insect population in check. More Information: North American Insects and […]
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/14/09 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Trustees of Reservations land Common Name: Whorled Loosestrife Scientific Name: Lysimachia quadrifolia More Information: Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake 3 Whorls: 4 Whorls: 5 Whorls:
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Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/8/04 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Parkway Common Name: White Squirrel (leucistic variation of the Eastern Gray Squirrel) Scientific Name: Sciurus carolinensis Comments: There are several different reasons why Eastern Gray Squirrels sometimes are sometimes white. Check out this video: http://www.untamedscience.com/biodiversity/white-squirrel/ More Information: White Squirrel Research Institute and Jamaica Pond’s Albino Gray Squirrel
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/14 Observation Time: 12:10 p.m. Observation Location: Borderland State Park Common Name: White Corporal dragonfly (female) Scientific Name: Libellula (Ladona) exusta Comments: Dragonflies eat insects. That’s a good thing because bat populations have plummeted due to a mysterious disease called white-nose. More Information: White corporal dragonfly
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Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/25/11 Observation Time: 12:25 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: White Corporal dragonfly (female) Scientific Name: Libellula (Ladona) exusta Comments: The pale rusty abdomen indicates this is a young female. Older females have a drab white abdomen more similar to the males. Found in fields and clearings near water. White corporals inhabit the northeast coastal plain into SE Canada. Fairly common in […]
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