Sightings – Birds
Observer: Deb Radovsky
Observation Date: 4/23/18
Observation Time: 6:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Billings Loop
Common Name: Eastern Towhee
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: The Towhee’s song sounds like, “Drink your tea,” making it easy to remember when you’re in the woods. It’s call sounds like its name, “Toe-wee.”
Eastern Towhees are often victims of the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird. Female cowbirds lay eggs in towhee nests, then leave the towhees to raise their cowbird young. In some areas cowbirds lay eggs in more than half of all towhee nests. Towhees, unlike some other birds, show no ability to recognize or remove the imposter’s eggs. Female cowbirds typically take out a towhee egg when laying their own, making the swap harder to notice.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/11/19
Observation Time: 7:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male)
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: Towhees are common birds in Sharon, especially along edges between woods and open fields, but they are heard more than seen. The male’s song sounds like he’s singing, “Drink your tea.” They are sometimes seen scratching among dead leaves on the ground, presumably looking for insects to eat.
Note its deep red eye.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/15/14
Observation Time: 3:40 p.m.
Observation Location: field near Gavins Pond dam
Common Name: Eastern Towhee
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: The Eastern towhees is the largest member of the sparrow family. Its call, “Drink your tea.” can be heard much more often than it is seen, but once you become aware of them, you will realize that they are very common in Sharon.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/19/19
Observation Time: 7:45 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male)
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: Towhees are common birds in Sharon, especially along edges between woods and open fields, but they are heard more than seen. The male’s song sounds like he’s singing, “Drink your tea.” They are sometimes seen scratching among dead leaves on the ground, presumably looking for insects to eat.
Note its deep red eye.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/27/19
Observation Time: 5:30 p.m.
Observation Location: Under high tension wires across the street from Ward’s Berry Farm
Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male)
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: This male towhee tried to scare me away by repeatedly raising one wing or the other to make itself look more intimidating. Note its deep red eye.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/4/11
Observation Time: 1:50 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond
Common Name: Eastern towhee
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: Towhees are the largest of the sparrows. They are quite common in Sharon. They have a distinctive call that sounds like “Drink your tea.”
More Information: All About Birds.org
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/4/13
Observation Time: 5:55 p.m.
Observation Location: Soccer parking area on Gavins Pond Road
Common Name: Eastern Towhee
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: The Eastern Towhee is our largest sparrow. This male was scuffing for food in the dry leaves on the ground in a grove of trees beside the soccer parking lot. The racket he was making attracted my attention.
The call of the Towhee, which sounds like “Toe-wee,” accounts for its name. It has another call that is said to sound like “Drink Your Tea.” Once you learn to recognize the Towhee’s call, you will begin to realize that these shy birds are quite common around here, even though you may not see them in the foliage.
More Information: All About Birds
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
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 5/16/20
Observation Time: 7:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill area
Common Name: Eastern Towhee (female)
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: Towhees are common birds in Sharon, especially along edges between woods and open fields, but they are heard more than seen. The male’s song sounds like he’s singing, “Drink your tea.” They are often seen scratching among dead leaves on the ground, looking for insects to eat.
Towhees are large members of the sparrow family.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Deborah Radovsky
Observation Date: 5/6/22
Observation Time: early morning
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Eastern Towhee (female)
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: A strikingly marked, oversized sparrow of the East
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Jason Platt
Observation Date: 5/8/18
Observation Time: 10:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Eastern Towhee (female)
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: Towhees are common birds in Sharon, especially along edges between woods and open fields, but they are heard more than seen. The male’s song sounds like he’s singing, “Drink your tea.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/29/11
Observation Time: 11:40 a.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond
Common Name: Eastern Towhee (female)
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: This female Rufous-sided Towhee chirped “towee” repeatedly as it hopped around in a shrub. It’s a common bird that is heard more than seen. The male’s song sounds like he’s singing, “Drink your tea.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Deborah Radovsky
Observation Date: 5/5/22
Observation Time: early morning
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male)
Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Comments: A strikingly marked, oversized sparrow of the East
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 you memorize, the more bird species you will be able to identify in the field, where the birds themselves are often concealed by foliage.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/24/18
Observation Time: 6:55 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 you memorize, the more bird species you will be able to identify in the field, where the birds themselves are often concealed by foliage.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Deb Radovsky
Observation Date: 5/29/22
Observation Time: early morning
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary near Billings barn
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 you memorize, the more bird species you will be able to identify in the field, where the birds themselves are often concealed by foliage.
More Information: All About Birds
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
Observer: Deb Radovsky
Observation Date: 5/12/18
Observation Time: 9:10 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR), Powerline Trail
Common Name: Field Sparrow
Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla
Comments: The clear trill of the Field Sparrow is a familiar summer sound in brushy fields and roadsides of the East and Midwest. The tempo of its song accelerates like a bouncing ping-pong ball.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/26/14
Observation Time: 5:55 p.m.
Observation Location: field near Gavins Pond dam
Common Name: Field sparrow
Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla
Comments: The song of a field sparrow starts out slowly and then gets faster, like a bouncing ping-pong ball. There are at least 18 species of sparrows in Massachusetts. Learning their respective calls is a good way to find and identify them.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/27/19
Observation Time: 5:05 p.m.
Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole Street
Common Name: Field Sparrow
Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla
Comments: Field sparrows have a relatively long tail, a thin white eye ring, and a pinkish conical bill. They have a gray face and a rust-colored cap. However, the best way to tell them apart from other sparrows is their song, an accelerating trill reminiscent of a bouncing ping-pong ball.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/2/19
Observation Time: 2:40 p.m.
Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole Street
Common Name: Field Sparrow
Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla
Comments: Field sparrows have a relatively long tail, a thin white eye ring, and a pinkish conical bill. They have a gray face and a rust-colored cap. However, the best way to tell them apart from other sparrows is their song, an accelerating trill reminiscent of a bouncing ping-pong ball.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 5/12/20
Observation Time: 6:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill area
Common Name: Gray Catbird
Scientific Name: Dumetella carolinensis
Comments: Catbirds are one of three mimics in our area. Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers are the other two. Catbirds repeat sounds just once, whereas Brown Thrashers repeat sounds twice, and Mockingbirds repeat them three or four times before moving on to the next sound. Sometimes you can hear the calls of other common birds echoed in the calls of these mimics.
Catbirds also make a “mewing” sound, hence their name.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/9/13
Observation Time: 1:55 p.m.
Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road (back yard)
Common Name: Gray Catbird
Scientific Name: Dumetella carolinensis
Comments: Catbirds are one of three mimics in our area. Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers are the other two. Catbirds repeat sounds just once, whereas Brown Thrashers repeat sounds twice, and Mockingbirds repeat them three or four times before moving on to the next sound. Sometimes you can hear the calls of other common birds echoed in the calls of these mimics.
Catbirds also make a “mewing” sound, hence their name.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Ilan Fisher
Observation Date: 8/28/20
Observation Time: 2:00 p.m.
Observation Location: near intersection of Beach & Harding Streets
Common Name: Gray Catbird
Scientific Name: Dumetella carolinensis
Comments: Catbirds are one of three mimics in our area. Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers are the other two. Catbirds repeat sounds just once, whereas Brown Thrashers repeat sounds twice, and Mockingbirds repeat them three or four times before moving on to the next sound. Sometimes you can hear the calls of other common birds echoed in the calls of these mimics.
Catbirds also make a “mewing” sound, hence their name.
Catbirds are mostly gray with a dark cap, but they also have a striking rusty-red patch on the underside of the base of the tail.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 11/11/12
Observation Time: 4:25 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam
Common Name: Great Blue Heron
Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Comments: These magnificent birds are often seen wading in shallow ponds looking for a meal of fish, frogs, snakes, and even small mammals.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Alison Siegel
Observation Date: 4/16/10
Observation Time: 6:00 a.m.
Observation Location:
Common Name: Great Blue Heron
Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Comments: Great Blue Heron was walking across beach off of Lakeview Street in shallow water.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Tamara Fisher
Observation Date: 5/13/22
Observation Time: 8:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Mann’s Pond
Common Name: Great Blue Heron
Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Comments: Adult great blue herons weigh about 5 lbs. They weigh more than great horned owls, which weigh about 3 lbs., but they are not the largest bird found in Sharon. Bald eagles can reach 14 lbs.
Great blue herons make large nests in tall trees. They establish rookeries consisting of multiple nests.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/26/10
Observation Time: 5:15 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond
Common Name: Great Blue Heron
Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Comments: Great blue herons primarily feed on small fish, but they are opportunistic feeders and will eat whatever comes within striking distance. They occasionally snack on shrimp, crabs, small mammals, amphibians, small birds, rodents, and insects.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Ilan Fisher
Observation Date: 7/20/14
Observation Time: 12:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Massapoag Ave/Community center
Common Name: Great Blue Heron
Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Comments: Probably checking out Sucker Brook, which flows into Lake Massapoag nearby, for a snack.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Ilan Fisher
Observation Date: 8/20/20
Observation Time: 10:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Lake Massapoag
Common Name: Great Blue Heron
Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Comments: Adult great blue herons weigh about 5 lbs. They weigh more than great horned owls, which weigh about 3 lbs., but they are not the largest bird found in Sharon. Bald eagles can reach 14 lbs.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/15/13
Observation Time: 1:40 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Great Blue Heron Rookery
Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Comments: These three juvenile herons were occupying a huge nest in a big tree, waiting for their parents to bring food. They will fly away soon to fend for themselves.
Note the eyes of the right-most bird in the photo. Being able to look down has obvious utility for a wading hunter. Although Great Blue Herons have a wingspan of around six feet, they only weigh about five pounds because they have hollow bones. This helps them fly. They can live up to 24 years, according to banding records.
Great Blue Herons prey on fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, rodents, and even birds.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/26/10
Observation Time: 3:10 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Great Blue Heron Rookery
Scientific Name: Ardea herodias
Comments: Comments: The great blue heron nest shown in the photos below was part of a rookery consisting of many heron nests clustered in a pine grove.
While walking in the woods on a summer afternoon, we heard a clattering cacaphony, and followed out ears to find out what was making the racket. We came to a place where the forest floor was splotched in white guano. We looked up and saw many huge nests scattered among the tall pine trees.
It appears from the photo that the juvenile herons were as interested in us as we were in them. Note how their eyes stick out a little and are able to swivel so they can peer downwards. I imagine this trait is useful when the herons are wading around the edge of a pond looking for fish.
This observation occurred late in the nesting season when the young herons were almost ready to fly away.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/11/18
Observation Time: 2:30 p.m.
Observation Location: meadow at Lakeview & Morse (see photo below)
Common Name: Great crested flycatcher
Scientific Name: Myiarchus crinitus
Comments: The great-crested flycatcher has a pale yellow breast. The memory hook I use to remember its call is “weep, weep, weep.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/15/20
Observation Time: 8:45 a.m.
Observation Location: conservation land near Lakeview & Morse Sts.
Common Name: Great crested flycatcher
Scientific Name: Myiarchus crinitus
Comments: The great-crested flycatcher has a pale yellow breast. The underside of its tail is reddish brown.
The memory hook I use to remember its call is “weep, weep, weep.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/26/14
Observation Time: 11:45 a.m.
Observation Location: Borderland State Park
Common Name: Great crested flycatcher
Scientific Name: Myiarchus crinitus
Comments: The great-crested flycatcher has a pale yellow breast. The memory hook I use to remember its call is “weep, weep, weep.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/27/19
Observation Time: 5:10 p.m.
Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole St.
Common Name: Great Crested flycatcher
Scientific Name: Myiarchus crinitus
Comments: The great-crested flycatcher has a pale yellow breast. The underside of its tail is reddish brown.
The memory hook I use to remember its call is “weep, weep, weep.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 7/2/20
Observation Time: 3:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill area
Common Name: Great crested flycatcher
Scientific Name: Myiarchus crinitus
Comments: The great-crested flycatcher has a pale yellow breast. The underside of its tail is reddish brown.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 8/21/12
Observation Time: 5:30 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond
Common Name: Great Egret
Scientific Name: Ardea alba
Comments: The great egret, symbol of the National Audubon Society, is almost as big as a great blue heron, but it is pure white. The legs are black and the beak is yellow. They summer in North America, where they nest, and winter in Central and South America.
Great egrets are easily confused with the white-phase great blue heron, but great egrets have black legs while white-phase great blue herons have much lighter legs. Herons also have slightly heavier beaks and “shaggier” feathers on their breast.
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
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 1/20/10
Observation Time: 4:30 p.m.
Observation Location: Ward’s Berry Farm
Common Name: Greater White-fronted Goose
Scientific Name: Anser albifrons
Comments: Note the white at the base of the beak, the mottled breast and the orange legs that differentiate the white-fronted goose from the Canada geese with which it was mingling.
More Information: All About Birds: Greater White-fronted Goose
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 12/14/09
Observation Time: 1:50 p.m.
Observation Location: Wolomolopoag Pond
Common Name: Greater White-fronted Goose
Scientific Name: Anser albifrons
Comments: White-fronted geese, barnacle geese, and snow geese, which summer in the arctic, depend on Sharon’s open spaces for winter refuge. Catching a glimpse of one is a reminder of the role Sharon’s open spaces play in global ecosystems. Scan flocks of Canada geese for one that looks different.
More Information: All About Birds: Greater White-fronted Goose
Observer: Will Sweet
Observation Date: 2/22/09
Observation Time: 9:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Ward’s Fields
Common Name: Greater White-fronted Goose
Scientific Name: Anser albifrons
Comments: The Greater White-fronted Goose I saw was with about 180 Canada Geese. This is at least the second individual this winter. The other one was seen from November to mid December
More Information: All About Birds: Greater White-fronted Goose
Observer: Keevin Geller
Observation Date: 8/5/13
Observation Time: 5:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Saw Mill Pond, Sharon
Common Name: Green Heron
Scientific Name: Butorides virescens
Comments: Green Herons are common breeders in coastal and inland wetlands. They nest along swamps, marshes, lakes, ponds, impoundments, and other wet habitats with trees and shrubs to provide secluded nest sites. They may even nest in dry woods and orchards as long as there is water nearby for foraging. Green Herons spend the winter in southern coastal areas of their range, and in marine and freshwater habitat throughout Mexico and Central America.
More Information: Cornell Lab of Ornithology “All About Birds”
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/13/19
Observation Time: 11:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: Hairy Woodpecker
Scientific Name: Picoides villosus
Comments: Hairy woodpeckers look like downy woodpeckers, but they are larger. This one worked for hours to hollow out a hole for nesting high up in a dead tree. Woodpecker species can be differentiated by the drumming sound they make, as well as their calls.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7/6/10
Observation Time: 8:50 a.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road
Common Name: Hairy Woodpecker
Scientific Name: Picoides villosus
Comments: Hairy woodpeckers look like downy woodpeckers, but they are larger.
More Information: All About Birds
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, the Hooded Merganser nests in holes in trees. It is frequently seen on shallow waters where its only waterfowl companion is the Wood Duck.” – All About Birds
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: 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
Observer: Ilan Fisher
Observation Date: 3/8/20
Observation Time: 3:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Car Shop Pond
Common Name: Hooded merganser
Scientific Name: Lophodytes cucullatus
Comments: Check out the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnoGijQwyvw
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 11/17/12
Observation Time: 4:45 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond
Common Name: Hooded Merganser (male)
Scientific Name: Lophodytes cucullatus
Comments: Hooded mergansers are small but striking diving ducks that migrate through Sharon on their way south for the winter.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 11/27/20
Observation Time: 12:05 p.m.
Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd. (my back yard)
Common Name: House Finch
Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor
Comments: Male house finches have reddish coloration on their head and breast. Females are streaked brown. Both have a heavy, conical beak for cracking seeds open.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/2/20
Observation Time: 7:45 a.m.
Observation Location: Ward’s Berry Farm
Common Name: House Finch
Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor
Comments: Male house finches have reddish coloration on their head and breast. Females are brown. Both have a heavy, conical beak for cracking seeds open.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/5/18
Observation Time: 8:05 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: House Finch
Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor
Comments: Male house finches have reddish coloration on their head and breast. Females are brown. Both have a heavy, conical beak for cracking seeds open.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/17/13
Observation Time: 4:30 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond area
Common Name: House Finch
Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor
Comments: Male house finches have reddish coloration on their head and breast. Females are brown. Both have a heavy, conical beak for cracking seeds open.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7/13/13
Observation Time: noon
Observation Location: Gavins Pond soccer fields
Common Name: House Finch (female)
Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor
Comments: Male house finches have reddish coloration on their head and breast. Females are brown. Both have a heavy, conical beak for cracking seeds open.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/11/19
Observation Time: 10:50 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: House Wren
Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon
Comments: This house wren was nowhere near a human habitation. House wrens often fill bluebird nesting boxes chock full of twigs, presumably to prevent other birds from nesting in their territory.
More Information: All About Birds.org
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/13/16
Observation Time: 1:05 p.m.
Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd., backyard garden
Common Name: House Wren
Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon
Comments: A plain brown bird with an effervescent voice, the House Wren is a common backyard bird over nearly the entire Western Hemisphere. Listen for its rush-and-jumble song in summer and you’ll find this species zipping through shrubs and low tree branches, snatching at insects.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 6/9/20
Observation Time: 9:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill area
Common Name: House Wren
Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon
Comments: House wrens often fill bluebird nesting boxes chock full of twigs, presumably to prevent other birds from nesting in their territory. They have a harsh, jumbled scolding call. Learn it and you will find them around town.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7-6-21
Observation Time: 12:50 p.m.
Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd.
Common Name: House Wren
Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon
Comments: House wrens often fill bluebird nesting boxes chock full of twigs, presumably to prevent other birds from nesting in their territory. This year a pair of house wrens raised their chicks in a bird house we placed on the back deck. We watched the parents constantly bringing insects to their chicks.
More Information: All About Birds.org
Chick peeking out in expectation of being fed
Chick being fed
Observer: Jason Platt
Observation Date: 5/8/18
Observation Time: 7:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: House Wren
Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon
Comments: House Wrens have a huge geographic range, and they live in many habitats, so long as they feature trees, shrubs, and tangles interspersed with clearings. Examples range from eastern deciduous forests and southern swamps to western conifer forests and aspen groves as high as 10,000 feet elevation. Because they’re cavity nesters, House Wrens thrive around buildings, yards, farms, and other human habitations with their many nooks and crannies.
More Information: All About Birds.org
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/21/20
Observation Time: 9:20 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR)
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. Note the different color of the bird in the last photo below. These photos are all of the same bird.
Indigo buntings are more common now than when the pilgrims first landed. This is due to an increase in their favorite habitat of woodland edges, power line clearings and along roads.
They migrate at night, using the pattern of stars nearest the North Star to guide them. In captivity, these birds will become disoriented if they can’t see the stars in April/May and September/October.
A group of buntings are collectively known as a “decoration”, a “mural”, or a “sacrifice” of buntings.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/22/18
Observation Time: 8:15 a.m.
Observation Location: under the powerlines near Moose Hill Farm (TTOR)
Common Name: Indigo Bunting
Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea
Comments: Only the male indigo bunting is blue. The female is brown. Indigo buntings are members of the family Cardinalidae, which includes cardinals.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Deb Radovsky
Observation Date: 5/24/18
Observation Time: N/A
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Powerline Trail
Common Name: Indigo Bunting
Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea
Comments: Like all other blue birds, Indigo Buntings lack blue pigment. Their jewel-like color comes instead from microscopic structures in the feathers that refract and reflect blue light, much like the airborne particles that cause the sky to look blue.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Deb Radovsky
Observation Date: 5/27/18
Observation Time: 7:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Old Farm Trail
Common Name: Indigo Bunting
Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea
Comments: Sometimes nicknamed “blue canaries,” these brilliantly colored yet common and widespread birds whistle their bouncy songs through the late spring and summer all over eastern North America. Look for Indigo Buntings in weedy fields and shrubby areas under power lines, singing from dawn to dusk atop the tallest perch in sight or foraging for seeds and insects in low vegetation.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/30/14
Observation Time: 11:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Under the powerlines near Walpole St.
Common Name: Indigo Bunting
Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea
Comments: Only the male indigo bunting is blue. The female is brown. Indigo buntings are members of the family Cardinalidae, which includes cardinals.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/30/20
Observation Time: 2:45 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR)
Common Name: Indigo Bunting
Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea
Comments: Male 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.
Female indigo buntings are brown (see photos below).
More Information: All About Birds
Male:
Female:
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/18/16
Observation Time: 3:55 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 first landed. This is due to an increase in their favorite habitat of woodland edges, such as power line clearings and along roads.
They migrate at night, using the pattern of stars nearest the North Star to guide them. In captivity, these birds will become disoriented if they can’t see the stars in April/May and September/October.
A group of buntings are collectively known as a “decoration”, a “mural”, or a “sacrifice” of buntings.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/25/16
Observation Time: 12:55 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Street under high tension wires
Common Name: Indigo Bunting
Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea
Comments: In parts of the East, Indigo Bunting may be the most abundant songbird, with the deep-blue males singing along every roadside. The plain brown females are seen far less often, and they have good reason to be inconspicuous: they do almost all the work of caring for the eggs and young, hidden away in dense thickets. This species favors brushy edges rather than unbroken forest, and is probably far more common today than when the Pilgrims landed.
More Information: Audubon Guide to North American Birds
Observer: Molly DellaRoman
Observation Date: 7/11/13
Observation Time: 3:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Trustees of Reservations Moose Hill Farm
Common Name: Indigo Bunting
Scientific Name: Passerina cyanea
More Information: All About Birds
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
Observer: 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 first landed. This is due to an increase in their favorite habitat of woodland edges, such as power line clearings and along roads.
They migrate at night, using the pattern of stars nearest the North Star to guide them. In captivity, these birds will become disoriented if they can’t see the stars in April/May and September/October.
A group of buntings are collectively known as a “decoration”, a “mural”, or a “sacrifice” of buntings.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Levi McGowan & Ilan Fisher
Observation Date: 5/26/22
Observation Time: 5:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Beach & Harding
Common Name: Japanese Quail
Scientific Name: Cotumix japonica
Comments: Check out this Youtube video to see the quail and hear its call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZ3y08Iub_k
More Information: eBird
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/13/13
Observation Time: 6:15 p.m.
Observation Location: Field near Gavins Pond Dam
Common Name: American Kestrel
Scientific Name: Falco sparverius
Comments: I was puzzled that five of the six bluebird houses that I checked were empty in mid-April when nesting should have been in full-swing. Then I saw a kestrel (a.k.a sparrow hawk) in a tree by the field. You can tell it’s a male by the blue wings.
Kestrels are the smallest falcons. They are declining in parts of their range.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/22/21
Observation Time: noon
Observation Location: composting area at the end of Farnham Road
Common Name: Killdeer
Scientific Name: Charadrius vociferus
Comments: This “freshwater sandpiper” makes a piercing cry, which explains its species name “vociferus“. This species is one of the least water-associated of all shorebirds. Note the red rings around its large eyes.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7/5/10
Observation Time: 5:35 p.m.
Observation Location: Ward’s Berry Farm
Common Name: Killdeer
Scientific Name: Charadrius vociferus
Comments: This “freshwater sandpiper” was attracted to a puddle in Ward’s field during hot dry weather. A member of the plover family, killdeers lay their camouflaged eggs on the ground without bothering to make a nest.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Deb Radovsky
Observation Date: 12/14/17
Observation Time: sunset
Observation Location: Lake Massapoag
Common Name: Lesser Scaup
Scientific Name: Aythya affinis
Comments: The peaked profile of the heads indicates that these are Lesser Scaups. Greater Scaups have a rounder head.
More Information: All About Birds
