Category: Mammal

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/21/24 Observation Time: 10 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red Squirrel Scientific Name: Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Comments: Red squirrels can be easily distinguished from other North American tree squirrels by their smaller size, territorial behavior, and reddish fur with a white underbelly. Red squirrels are somewhat larger than chipmunks and lack chipmunks’ distinctive stripes. More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 4/20/24 Observation Time: 9:45 a.m. Observation Location: 302 Mansfield St., Sharon Common Name: Mink Scientific Name: Neovison vison Comments: Mink are semi-aquatic. They eat crayfish, small frogs and fish, along with small mammals such as shrews, rabbits, mice, and muskrats. They also prey on ducks and other water fowl. The mink I saw ran across my back yard. I am […]

Observer: Rob Observation Date: 4/17/24 Observation Time: 11:35 pm Observation Location: back yard on Norwood Street Common Name: American Black Bear Scientific Name: Ursus Americanus Comments: Black bears are hungry when they emerge from hibernation in spring, and there is not much to eat in the natural environment. That’s why it is important to secure bird feeders and garbage cans. Interactions between humans and bears often […]

Observer: Richard Mandel Observation Date: 6/24/23 Observation Time: at night Observation Location: Mountain Street Common Name: American Black Bear Scientific Name: Ursus Americanus Comments: This black bear destroyed two bird feeders at our house during the night of June 24, 2023, and devoured the contents of the feeders. In addition it left some droppings. American black bears have better eyesight and hearing than humans. Their keenest […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/22/23 Observation Time: 11:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red Squirrel Scientific Name: Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Comments: Red squirrels can be easily distinguished from other North American tree squirrels by their smaller size, territorial behavior, and reddish fur with a white underbelly. Red squirrels are somewhat larger than chipmunks and lack chipmunks’ distinctive stripes. Red squirrels are […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/23 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: White-tailed Deer Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus Comments: White-tailed deer are common in Sharon due to the absence of top predators such as wolves and cougars. If the deer population becomes too high, they will starve. This doe was still gaunt from the privations of winter. She did […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/12/23 Observation Time: 6:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Red Squirrel Scientific Name: Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Comments: Red squirrels can be easily distinguished from other North American tree squirrels by their smaller size, territorial behavior, and reddish fur with a white underbelly. Red squirrels are somewhat larger than chipmunks. More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Kurt Buermann Observation Date: 5/6/23 Observation Time: nighttime Observation Location: 45 Furnace St. Common Name: American Black Bear Scientific Name: Ursus Americanus Comments: A young black bear raided Kurt’s cache of bird seed. Kurt used a camera trap to get this video of the bear wandering around his house. More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Michael Bissanti Observation Date: 3/12/23 Observation Time: morning Observation Location: Moose Hill St. Common Name: Short-tailed wWeasel Scientific Name: Mustela erminea Comments: White undersides (as opposed to cream-colored), white feet, and small size differentiate short-tailed weasels from long-tailed weasels. Mink are all brown. Short-tailed weasels are also known as a stoats. In winter, they turn all white with a black-tipped tail, and are called […]

Observer: Emily Smith-Lee Observation Date: 7/30/22 Observation Time: 3:00 pm Observation Location: 33 Moose Hill Parkway Common Name: American Black Bear Scientific Name: Ursus Americanus Comments: He came out of the woods behind our house (town owned conservation land between Moose Hill Parkway and Upland Road) and walked across our back yard before going back into the woods where our yard meets a little creek. According to […]

Observer: Michael Bissanti Observation Date: 6/30/22 Observation Time: morning Observation Location: Moose Hill St. Common Name: Striped Skunk Scientific Name: Mephitis mephitis Comments:  The little skunks in the attached video were a riot!  Not shy at all, they would wander right onto our patio and didn’t seem to be bothered by our being there.  I did some research and learned young skunks don’t spray, so […]

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 4/4/22 Observation Time: 9:22 p.m. Observation Location: Beach St. Common Name: Northern flying squirrel Scientific Name: Glaucomys sabrinus Comments:  Click the link below to see a very short (but very cool!) video of a flying squirrel taking flight from a flying squirrel nesting box installed by Kurt Buermann and Richard Kramer. They also installed a video camera to see and record flying squirrel […]

Observer: Faith Berkland Observation Date: 2/27/22 Observation Time: 5:30 pm Observation Location: 302 Mansfield St., Sharon Common Name: Fisher Scientific Name: Pekania pennanti Comments: I was on phone with daughter looking into the woods in my back yard. It ran to the left about 10 feet then back to the right then to the left again. We have a huge woodpile and a drainage ditch out there. […]

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 2/26/22 Observation Time: 3:00 pm Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon WIldlife Sanctuary Common Name: Bobcat Scientific Name: Lynx rufus Comments: Here’s a link to compare cougar, coyote and bobcat tracks: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79135_79218_79619_84911-146656–,00.html More Information: Wikipedia

Observer: Deborah Gilden Observation Date: 1/23/22 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Manns Pond & Billings St. Common Name: Fisher Scientific Name: Pekania pennanti Comments: Fishers are sometimes referred to as fisher cats, but they do not fish and they are not cats. They are the second largest member of the weasel family in Massachusetts. Among members of the weasel family found in Massachusetts, only otters grow larger. […]

Observer: Deborah Radovsky Observation Date: 11/30/21 Observation time: 3:45 a.m. Observation Location: Rock Ridge Cemetery Common Name: Red fox Scientific Name: Vulpes vulpes Comments: Red foxes and gray foxes have both been sighted in Sharon. They are only distant cousins, belonging to different genera in the family Canidae. Gray foxes can climb trees but red foxes cannot. More Information: National Wildlife Federation

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 9/17/21 Observation Time: 10:00 p.m. Observation Location: Beach St. Common Name: Northern flying squirrel Scientific Name: Glaucomys sabrinus Comments:  Both northern and southern flying squirrels are found in Massachusetts. Northern flying squirrels are larger than southern flying squirrels. Note the long tails in the photo. Flying squirrels don’t actually fly like a bird. They glide. Long tails help flying squirrels steer themselves when […]

Observer: Kurt Buermann Observation Date: 2/26/21 Observation Time: 7:43 p.m. Observation Location: Furnace St. Common Name: Fisher Scientific Name: Martes pennanti Comments: Kurt Buermann mounted a motion-activated animal cam in his yard and got this video of a fisher: https://youtu.be/FbpcRP6W3D8m. Fishers are omnivorous. You can see the fisher eating raisins near the end of the video. Fishers are sometimes referred to as fisher cats, but they […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 11/27/20 Observation Time: 12:10 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Rd. (my back yard) Common Name: Eastern Gray Squirrel Scientific Name: Sciurus carolinensis Comments: The eastern gray squirrel hoards food in numerous small caches for later recovery. Some caches are quite temporary, especially those made near the site of a sudden abundance of food which can be retrieved within hours or days for […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/25/20 Observation time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Rd. Common Name: Red fox Scientific Name: Vulpes vulpes Comments: It was a thrill to see these three playful red foxes in our back yard. One of them seemed quite interested in the neighbor’s fluffy cat, which stood its ground. Despite its name, individual red foxes have variable coloration. The […]

Observer: Kurt Buermann Observation Date: 6/16/20 Observation Time: 8:20 p.m. Observation Location: Furnace Street Common Name: Raccoon and Gray Fox Scientific Name: Procyon lotor and Urocyon cinereoargenteus Comments: This raccoon and gray fox – both of which are predators – were feeding peacefully together on the porch. More Information: Wikipedia and Nature Works Here’s a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX-v4iZD_j4

Observer: Eric Zaniewski Observation Date: 6/4/20 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Old Post Road Common Name: Fisher Scientific Name: Martes pennanti Comments: Eric Zaniewski spotted this fisher while bicycling along Old Post Road, and managed to get this remarkable photo. Fishers are sometimes referred to as fisher cats, but they do not fish and they are not cats. They are members of the weasel family. […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/31/20 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Eastern cottontail rabbit Scientific Name: Sylvilagus floridanus Comments: The Eastern cottontail is an introduced species that is now common in Sharon. Much rarer is the native New England Cottontail, which is smaller and has shorter ears and a black spot on its forehead. If is very hard to tell these […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/29/20 Observation Time: 7:55 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: White-tailed Deer Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus Comments: White-tailed deer are common in Sharon due to the absence of top predators such as wolves and cougars. If the deer population becomes too high, they will starve. This individual was still gaunt from the privations of winter. More Information: Wikipedia