Category: Animal

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/18/23 Observation Time: 6::25 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Blackburnian Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga fusca Comments: These gorgeous warblers overwinter in South America. They tend to flit about high in tall trees, making them a challenge to photograph. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/18/23 Observation Time: 6:15 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Bluebird Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: In 1972, DDT was banned (note that bluebirds eat insects), and in 1973, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. Bluebirds were listed as a Species of Special Concern in several states. In 1973, the Camp Fire Girls began Project Save […]

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/17/23 Observation Time: 12:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Parkway Common Name: Ruby-throated Hummingbird Scientific Name: Archilochus colubris Comments: The throat of the hummingbird in the photo looks black, but when it catches the sunlight it flashes bright red. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only species of hummingbird commonly seen in New England. They overwinter in Costa Rica. When they migrate […]

Observer: Will Sweet Observation Date: 5/17/23 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Hooded Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga citrina Comments: Hooded warblers are typically not found in Massachusetts. The northern extent of their range is reportedly southern Connecticut and Rhode Island. See: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Warbler/maps-range It will be interesting to see if this sighting is a harbinger of a northward shift in […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/17/23 Observation Time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Pileated Woodpecker Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus Comments: I heard this magnificent, large, red-crested woodpecker before I saw it near a dead tree where it had hollowed out a nesting cavity. I watched and photographed it as it made its way to the nest, went in, and then […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/23 Observation Time: 9:45 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 […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/23 Observation Time: 9:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Veery Scientific Name: Catharus fuscescens Comments: Check out the veery’s ethereal song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK1gaTqBRRk More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/23 Observation Time:  8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: White-throated Sparrow Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis Comments: This sparrow passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. Its distinctive song sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada Canada Canada.” More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/23 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Tufted Titmouse Scientific Name: Baeolophus bicolor Comments: Tufted titmice are abundant in the woods in Sharon. They are often encountered in the company of chickadees. This one had caught a caterpillar. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5-16-23 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Brown-headed Cowbird (fledgling) Scientific Name: Molothrus ater Comments: Brown-headed Cowbirds parasitize other bird species. Female Cowbirds forgo building nests and instead lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, abandoning their young to foster parents, usually at the expense of at least some of the […]

Observer: Deb Radovsky Observation Date: 5/15/23 Observation Time: 4:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers often play host to eggs of the brown-headed cowbird, particularly where the forest habitat has been fragmented. When a pair of tanagers notices a female cowbird approaching, they aggressively drive her away. If the tanagers don’t notice, the cowbird […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/23 Observation Time: 10:20 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Ovenbird Scientific Name: Seiurus aurocapilla Comments: This is one of the most common birds in the woods at Moose Hill. Learn to recognize its song, an insistent, piercing ‘tea-Cher, tea-Cher, tea-CHER, Tea-CHER, TEA-CHER’, and you will be able to find them. Ovenbirds are warblers. Their name comes from […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/23 Observation Time: 9:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary (boardwalk) Common Name: Veery Scientific Name: Catharus fuscescens Comments: Check out the veery’s ethereal song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK1gaTqBRRk More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/23 Observation Time: 8:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers often play host to eggs of the brown-headed cowbird, particularly where the forest habitat has been fragmented. When a pair of tanagers notices a female cowbird approaching, they aggressively drive her away. If the tanagers don’t notice, the cowbird […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/23 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black-throated Blue Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga caerulescens Comments: Black-throated blue warblers pass through Sharon in early May on their northward migration. Learn to recognize their buzzy “zree–zree–zreeeee” song to improve your chances of seeing one. Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPKuQB1bEqs. You can monitor the bird migration in spring by keeping an […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/15/23 Observation Time: 6:35 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Ruby-throated Hummingbird Scientific Name: Archilochus colubris Comments: The throat of the hummingbird in the photo looks black, but when it flew I saw a flash of bright crimson. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only species of hummingbird commonly seen in New England. They overwinter in Costa Rica. […]

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/14/23 Observation Time: 12:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Parkway Common Name: Ovenbird Scientific Name: Seiurus aurocapilla Comments: This is one of the most common birds in the woods at Moose Hill. Learn to recognize its song, an insistent, piercing ‘tea-Cher, tea-Cher, tea-CHER, Tea-CHER, TEA-CHER’, and you will be able to find them. Ovenbirds are warblers. Their name comes from the mounded […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/14/23 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Magnolia Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga magnolia Comments: These gorgeous little birds pass through Sharon in early May on their northward migration. Learn to recognize their song to improve your chances of seeing one early on a clear morning at the end of April or in early May. The […]

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/14/23 Observation Time: 6:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Canada Warbler Scientific Name: Cardellina canadensis Comments: Canada Warblers migrate through Sharon in mid-May. They have a distinctive black collar and a white eye-ring. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/13/23 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Parkway Common Name: Black-and-white warbler Scientific Name: Mniotilta varia Comments: Black and white warblers make a high-pitched squeaking sound like a turning wheel that needs to be oiled. They are most often found scurrying up and down tree trunks and branches looking under the bark for insect larvae. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/13/23 Observation Time: 4:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Parkway Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: Baltimore Orioles seek out ripe fruit. Cut oranges in half and hang them from trees to invite orioles into your yard. Special oriole feeders filled with sugar water supplement the flower nectar that Baltimore Orioles gather. You can even put out small […]

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 5/13/23 Observation Time: 11:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Wood thrush Scientific Name: Hylocichla mustelina Comments: The wood thrush’s melodic “ee-oh-lay” song is often heard in the woods. If you learn to recognize it, you can follow the sound to get a look at the bird. More Information: All About Birds

Observer: Punitha Hanumantha Observation Date: 5/13/23 Observation Time: 9:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary – Billings Loop Common Name: Yellow Warbler (female) Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia Comments: Yellow warblers are typically found near wetlands. It has a song that sounds like, “sweet-sweet-sweet-little more sweet.” More Information: All About Birds