Sharon Friends of Conservation
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Observer: Rita Corey Observation Date: 3/29/10 Observation Time: 9:30 p.m. Observation Location: Between 268 & 281 Mountain St, going west to east Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum Comments: Again, a rainy night in late March… More Information: Read about the salamander migration at Moose Hill in 2008.
Read moreObserver: Rita Corey Observation Date: 3/23/10 Observation Time: 10:00 p.m. Observation Location: Between 268 & 281 Mountain St, going west to east Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum Comments: Was it the same one I had seen the night before crossing the road? I suspect there are lots of them! Gave a note to all neighbors on Mountain St from Hampton Rd […]
Read moreObserver: Rita Corey Observation Date: 3/22/10 Observation Time: 10:00 p.m. Observation Location: Between 268 & 281 Mountain St, going east to west Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum Comments: Rainy night; stopped car to watch it cross the road; told the neighbor driving behind me and he came out to watch: he had never seen one before. More Information: Read about the […]
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 3/11/10 Observation Time: 5:45 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road across the street from the soccer fields Common Name: American Woodcock Scientific Name: Scolopax minor Comments: The “peents” began at 5:45. The spectacular mating flights began about 6:00 p.m. They will continue every evening at dusk (getting later as the days grow longer) for another month or so. Call me […]
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 3/10/10 Observation Time: 1:00 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Hooded merganser Scientific Name: Lophodytes cucullatus Comments: I observed two males and a female hooded merganser diving frequently. Also saw one common merganser, several ring-necked ducks, and a pair of wood ducks among a large number of Canada geese. More Information: All About Birds
Read moreObserver: Ken Weiner Observation Date: 2/19/10 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: Chessman Drive, Sharon Common Name: Bald Eagle Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus Comments: Definite ID from about 200 ft away. Eagle was flying. Possibly a second eagle further away. Did not get picture. More Information: All About Birds: Bald Eagle
Read moreObserver: Alison Siegel Observation Date: 12/20/09 Observation Time: noon Observation Location: Lakeview St. Common Name: Bald Eagle Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus Comments: While drinking hot chocolate after a morning of sledding, four of us clearly saw a bald eagle fly over our backyard. It was flying from Lake Massapoag toward the woods. More Information: All About Birds: Bald Eagle
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 12/4/09 Observation Time: 3:30 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road opposite soccer fields Common Name: British Soldier Lichen Scientific Name: Cladonia cristatella More Information: Backyard Nature: Lichen Compare the British soldier lichen to the pink earth lichen below. These photos were taken at about the same time, and in the same area.
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 10/11/09 Observation Time: 4:30 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Wood Duck Scientific Name: Aix sponsa Comments: Brilliantly marked wood ducks are among our most beautiful birds (which is saying a lot), but they are easily spooked, so it’s hard to get close enough for a good photo. More Information: All About Birds.org
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/13/09 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Mass Bay Circuit Trail near Borderland State Park Common Name: Wood Frog Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica Comments: Very well camouflaged in center of photo. In case you were wondering how frogs survive the winter, check out this 2-minute time-lapse video of a frozen wood frog thawing out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofSdw5V21Ek More Information: Wikipedia
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/12/09 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Pink Earth lichen Scientific Name: Dibaeis baeomyces More Information: Naturally Curious with Mary Holland
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/14/09 Observation Time: 11:20 a.m. Observation Location: Beaver Brook near tennis courts Common Name: Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly Scientific Name: Calopteryx maculata Comments: Common along shallow forested streams. Adults perch on vegetation within a few feet of the water. Males are territorial and perform fluttering courtship displays. Females, which are bronze-colored with a distinctive white dot at the tops of their […]
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/5/09 Observation Time: 1:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Trustees of Reservations Common Name: Indigo Bunting Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea Comments: Indigo Buntings are actually black; the diffraction of light through their feathers makes them look blue. This explains why males can appear as various hues from turquoise to black. They are more common now than when the pilgrims […]
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/14/09 Observation Time: morning Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Trustees of Reservations land Common Name: Black Racer Scientific Name: Coluber constrictor Comments: Photos taken on Sunday, 6/14/09 at SFOC’s Biodiversity Day event at Trustees of Reservations on Moose Hill. More Information: UMass Amherst Natural Resources & Environmental Conservation
Read moreObserver: Rick Dumont Observation Date: 5/21/09 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Belcher St. Common Name: Raccoon Scientific Name: Procyon lotor Comments: The raccoon is mostly nocturnal. It is also solitary, except for mothers and their young. In the winter the raccoon may sleep in its den for a few weeks but it does not hibernate. The raccoons usually walks, but it can run at speeds […]
Read moreObserver: Rick Dumont Observation Date: 5/21/09 Observation Time: 8:30 a.m. Observation Location: Massapoag Sportsmen’s Club, Belcher St. Common Name: Green Frog Scientific Name: Lithobates clamitans Comments: This is one of our most familiar frogs and is found statewide. It has a green face and a green-brown body, and a ridge running down each of its sides. This species prefers permanent or semipermanent water bodies, eating whatever […]
Read moreObserver: Alison Siegel Observation Date: 5/20/09 Observation Time: 7:05 a.m. Observation Location: Lakeview Street Common Name: Coyote Scientific Name: Canis latrans Comments: At 7 AM on the mornings of 5/20 and 5/21 a single coyote was observed walking in our backyard. More Information: Nature Works
Read moreObserver: Ilan Fisher Observation Date: 5/1/09 Observation Location: Beside the school admin building on School St. Common Name: Wood Duck Scientific Name: Aix sponsa Comments: Yes, these ducks actually roost in trees! They nest in cavities in large trees. More Information: All About Birds.org
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/25/09 Observation time: 1:05 p.m. Observation Location: Beaver Brook, Sharon (downstream of the wooden foot bridge near the tennis courts) Common Name: White Sucker Scientific Name: Catostomus commersoni Comments: White suckers in spawning frenzy in Beaver Brook, 4/25/09. Note the red stripes and erect dorsal fins. Suckers typically spawn for a few days sometime between April 15 and April 30. […]
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/25/09 Observation Time: 11:05 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: Female (above) and male (below) More Information: Cornell Lab of Ornithology “All About Birds”
Read moreObserver: Yujie Hu Observation Date: 3/25/09 Observation Time: 4:30 p.m. Observation Location: Saw Mill Pond Common Name: Mute Swan Scientific Name: Cygnus olor Comments: Our two sons spotted these two swans on the pond behind our back yard, and they have stayed for about a week; we hope they will make it their home. For more information about the pros and cons of swans, see: […]
Read moreObserver: Liz Dichiara Observation Date: 3/21/09 Observation Time: 5:45 p.m. Observation Location: Cheryl Drive Common Name: Wild Turkeys Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo Comments: Two beautiful males and five females walked through my wooded backyard today. The males were displaying to the females, who did not appear impressed. More Information: All About Birds: Wild Turkey
Read moreObserver: Rick Dumont Observation Date: 3/21/09 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Backyard near Bay Road Common Name: Northern Flicker Scientific Name: Colaptes auratus Comments: Love the coloring… If you learn to recognize the distinctive call of the flicker, you will hear them frequently in wooded areas. More Information: Cornell Lab of Ornithology “All About Birds”
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 3/19/09 Observation Time: 4:00 p.m. Observation Location: Gavin’s Pond Common Name: Ring-necked Duck Scientific Name: Aythya collaris Comments: I saw ring-necked ducks last spring at Gavins Pond. They must use Gavins Pond to rest and feed during their migration. More Information: All About Birds: Ring-necked Duck
Read moreObserver: Ilan Fisher Observation Date: 2/24/09 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Lake Massapoag Common Name: Bald Eagle Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus More Information: All About Birds: Bald Eagle
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