Sightings – Page 59 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Hooded Merganser – 11/14/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 11/14/10 Observation Time: 9:15 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Hooded merganser Scientific Name: Lophodytes cucullatus Comments: Hooded mergansers are diving ducks. The drake (male) has a spectacular white “hood” on the back of its head, and striking black and white bars on its body, while the female is drab reddish brown. “A small fish-eating duck of wooded ponds, […]

Opossum – 10/12/10

Observer: Richard Mandell Observation Date: 10/12/10 Observation Time: dusk Observation Location: Mountain St. Common Name: Opossum Scientific Name: Didelphimorphia Comments: Opossums are voracious eaters that will try anything they find. Surprisingly, opossums eat ticks by the thousands. Ticks, particularly the black-legged ticks like deer ticks that are responsible for the spread of Lyme disease, appear to be a top item on the opossum’s menu. Several years […]

Yellow Toadflax – 10/3/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 10/3/10 Observation Time: 9:10 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Yellow Toadflax (a.k.a. Common Toadflax) Scientific Name: Linaria vulgaris Comments: Also known as butter and eggs plant or wild snapdragon, this invasive perennial weed from Eurasia thrives in poor soil where there is little competition from larger plants. More Information: Wikipedia

Eastern Bluebird – 9/30/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/30/10 Observation Time: 9:25 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road near soccer fields Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: Bluebirds are becoming an increasingly common sight in the open fields bordered by woods in the vicinity of the soccer fields on Gavins Pond Road, thanks to the nesting boxes provided by SFOC. More Information: Cornell Lab of Ornithology […]

Fisher – 9/23/10

Observer: Kate Kavanagh Observation Date: 9/23/10 Observation Time: 7:15 a.m. Observation Location: Woods at the end of South Pleasant St. Common Name: Fisher Scientific Name: Martes pennanti Comments: Not too far from the neighborhood houses, moving quickly through the woods along the trail path. More Information: MassAudubon.org or Wild Things Unlimited

Bullhead Catfish – 8/27/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/27/10 Observation Time: 3:45 p.m. Observation Location: Beaver Brook near tennis courts Common Name: Bullhead Catfish Scientific Name: Ameiurus melas Comments: I noticed a number of small black fish swimming near the dam, so I got a dipnet and caught this one (don’t worry, I released it alive!). It turned out to be a bullhead catfish. When the Department of […]

Snapping Turtle Drama – 8/25/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/25/10 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: Spillway at Gavins Pond dam Common Name: Snapping Turtle Scientific Name: Chelydra serpentina On August 25 the spillway at the Gavins Pond dam was flowing strongly following four inches of rain in three days. A good-sized snapping turtle had gotten swept by the current into the spillway at the Gavins Pond dam. It […]

Snapping Turtle – 8/21/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/21/10 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Snapping Turtle Scientific Name: Chelydra serpentina Comments: It is a common misconception that snapping turtles may be safely picked up by the tail with no harm to the animal; in fact, this has a high chance of injuring the turtle, especially the tail itself and the vertebral column. […]

Pickerel Frog – 8/20/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/20/10 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Pickerel Frog Scientific Name: Rana palustris Comments: The skin secretions of a stressed pickerel frog are known to be toxic to other frogs, as many a novice frog catcher has found when he finds only the pickerel frogs still alive in his bucket. These secretions can also be […]

Wild Turkey – 8/11/10

Observer: Judy Heap Observation Date: 8/11/10 Observation Time: evening Observation Location: Wilshire Drive backyard Common Name: Wild Turkey Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo Comments: Wild turkeys can be aggressive, so keep a safe distance. More Information: Cornell Lab of Ornithology “All About Birds”

Common Pondhawk dragonfly (female) – 8/11/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/11/10 Observation Time: 8:35 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road (bridge near soccer fields) Common Name: Common Pondhawk dragonfly (female) Scientific Name: Erythemis simplicicollis Comments: Pondhawk dragonflies are voracious hunters, but they are completely harmless to humans. Females are green. Males are blue. Females oviposit in flight, hovering low over the water and repeatedly dipping their abdomens into the water […]

Redfin Pickerel – 8/11/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/11/10 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond outflow pool Common Name: Redfin Pickerel Scientific Name: Esox americanus americanus Comments: Redfin pickerel only reach a maximum of about a foot in length. They are typically much smaller—this specimen was only about 4″ long. They are common in Sharon’s streams. Preys on invertibrates and smaller fish. More Information: Wikipedia

Belted Kingfisher – 8/3/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/3/10 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Belted Kingfisher Scientific Name: Megaceryle alcyon Comments: A pair of belted kingfishers were diving simultaneously several times into Gavins Pond. The bottom photo shows the splash of the kingfisher diving in. Kingfishers nest in burrows on the banks of ponds and rivers. More Information: University of Massachusetts

Mourning Dove – 8/2/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/2/10 Observation Time: 8:40 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Mourning Dove Scientific Name: Zenaida macroura Comments: The mourning dove is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American bird species. It is also a leading gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot annually in the U.S., both for sport […]

Spotted Sandpiper – 7/31/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/31/10 Observation Time: 11:15 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond outflow pool Common Name: Spotted Sandpiper Scientific Name: Actitis macularia Comments: Though you may think of the beach as the best place to see a sandpiper, look for Spotted Sandpipers alone or in pairs along the shores of lakes, rivers, and streams. More Information: All About Birds

Ruby Meadowhawk dragonfly – 7/26/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/26/10 Observation Time: 6:45 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Ruby Meadowhawk dragonfly Scientific Name: Sympetrum rubicundulum More Information: Wikipedia

Painted Turtle – 7/25/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/25/10 Observation Time: 10:40 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Painted Turtle Scientific Name: Chrysemys picta Comments: Painted turtles mostly stay in the water, or climb out to sun themselves on logs. This one was walking around on Gavins Pond Dam. More Information: Warner Nature Center

Indigo Bunting – 7/20/10

Observer: Patti Austin Observation Date: 7/20/10 Observation Time: 4:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary – back yard Common Name: Indigo Bunting Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea Comments: WOW! More Information: All About Birds

Eastern Box Turtle – 7/19/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/19/10 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: undisclosed location in Sharon (to protect the turtle) Common Name: Eastern Box Turtle Scientific Name: Terrapene carolina Comments: I spotted this rare male box turtle (Terrapene carolina) in Sharon (exact location undisclosed to protect the turtle) at 7:30 on Monday, July 19, 2010. Although it appeared at first to want to cross the […]

Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (male) – 7/17/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/17/10 Observation Time: 9:40 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (male) Scientific Name: Perithemis tenera Comments: The wings of the male are entirely amber, whereas the wings of the female are clear with amber blotches. More Information: Odonata Central

American Bullfrog – 7/16/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/16/10 Observation Time: 5:25 a.m. Observation Location: Beaver Brook near tennis court Common Name: American Bullfrog Scientific Name: Rana catesbeiana Comments: Bullfrogs are voracious, opportunistic, ambush predators that prey on any small animal they can overpower and stuff down their throats. Bullfrog stomachs have been found to contain rodents, small reptiles, amphibians, crayfish, birds, and bats, as well as the […]

Eastern Bluebird (juvenile) – 7/15/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/15/10 Observation Time: 10:50 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road soccer field parking lot Common Name: Bluebird (juvenile) Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: Young bluebirds that recently left the nest have distinctive white spots on their wings. The presence of this juvenile at the Gavins Pond Road soccer field parking lot indicates the success of SFOC efforts to provide nesting […]

White-Tailed Deer – 7/12/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/12/10 Observation Time: 7:40 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road soccer field Common Name: White-Tailed Deer Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus Comments: This doe was grazing on the green grass at the soccer field. More Information: University of Michigan Museum of Zoology “Animal Diversity Web”

Common Mullein – 7/11/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/11/10 Observation Time: 9:45 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Common Mullein Scientific Name: Verbascum thapsus Comments: Mullein is widely used for herbal remedies, with well-established emollient and astringent properties. Mullein remedies are especially recommended for coughs and related problems, but also used in topical applications against a variety of skin problems. The plant has also been used to […]

Common Pondhawk dragonfly (young male) – 7/9/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/9/10 Observation Time: 4:50 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Common Pondhawk dragonfly (young male) Scientific Name: Erythemis simplicicollis Comments: Males are blue. Females are bright green. Voracious hunter near vegetated ponds and slow streams, but they are completely harmless to humans. More Information: North American Insects and Spiders

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