Gray Catbird – 6/9/13

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 […]

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Six-spotted Fishing Spider – 6/2/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/13 Observation Time: 5:50 p.m. Observation Place: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Six-spotted Fishing Spider Scientific Name: Dolomedes triton Comments: Fishing Spiders get their name from their hunting behavior and occasional food source. They are adept at ambushing insects and other food items on land, but they are also able to submerge their bodies just under the surface of calm water and […]

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Musk Turtle – 5/29/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/29/13 Observation Time: 1:30 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Musk turtle Scientific Name: Sternotherus odoratus Comments: This small turtle, which only grows to 5″ in length, is common in Sharon. When disturbed, it emits a disagreeable odor, which accounts for both its common and scientific names. This individual presumably came ashore to lay eggs. Believe it or not, musk turtles […]

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Chipping Sparrow – 5/20/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/20/13 Observation Time: 4:20 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Chipping Sparrow Scientific Name: Spizella passerina Comments: Chipping sparrows are very common in Sharon. They have a distinctive reddish cap above a white eyeline. Their song is described as a reedy trill that sounds a lot like the songs of the pine warbler and the junco. More Information: […]

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Spring Azure butterfly – 5/19/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/13 Observation Time: 2:40 p.m. Observation Location: Field near Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Spring Azure butterfly Scientific Name: Celastrina spp. Comments: Spring azures are small butterflies that emerge in early spring. The wings are blue on top and pale white with black spots on the bottom. More Information: New Jersey Butterflies  

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Black and White Warbler (female) – 5/16/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/13 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black and White Warbler (female) Scientific Name: Mniotilta varia Comments: Black and white warblers creep along tree trunks and branches foraging for insects. Their high-pitched squeaky song sounds like a wheel turning that needs to be oiled. More Information: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-and-white_Warbler/overview  

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Downy Woodpecker – 5/16/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/13 Observation Time: 6:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Downy Woodpecker Scientific Name: Picoides pubescens Comments: This pair of small, common woodpeckers was hollowing out a nesting cavity in a dead tree. More Information: All About Birds

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Scarlet Tanager – 5/16/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/16/13 Observation Time: 6:15 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Scarlet tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers live in the woods, so they are seldom seen due to the foliage. However if you learn their call, which sounds like a robin with a sore throat, you can hear them singing and follow your ears until you find them. […]

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Eastern Towhee – 5/4/13

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 […]

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Eastern Pine Elfin – 5/4/13

Observer: Vin Zollo Observation Date: 5/4/13 Observation Time: 3:35 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (Trustees of Reservations) Common Name: Eastern Pine Elfin Scientific Name: Callophrys niphon More Information: Butterflies of Massachusetts

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Black-capped Chickadee – 4/26/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/26/13 Observation Time: 4:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Black-capped Chickadee Scientific Name: Poecile atricapillus Comments: Chickadees are one of Sharon’s most common birds. They often travel in groups that sometimes include tufted titmouse. With patience, chickadees can be trained to eat sunflower seeds out of your hand! More Information: All About Birds

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Eastern Bluebird (male) – 4/25/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/25/13 Observation Time: 2:30 p.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Eastern Bluebird (male) Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Comments: This male bluebird was guarding a nest with five sky-blue eggs in a nesting box provided by Kurt Buermann, President of the Sharon Friends of Conservation. The blue color is more or less vivid depending on the brightness and angle of the […]

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White Suckers – 4/19/13

Observer: Richard Kramer Observation Date: 4/19/13 Observation Time: 2:35 p.m. Observation Location: Sucker Brook near the entrance to the Community Center Common Name: White Sucker Scientific Name: Catostomus commersoni Comments: White suckers spawn in Sucker Brook for a few days in mid to late April. Remember to look for them after you file your taxes. The female and the males release their eggs and sperm […]

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Ring-necked Duck – 4/18/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/18/13 Observation Time: 2:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavin’s Pond Common Name: Ring-necked Duck Scientific Name: Aythya collaris Comments: Ring-necked ducks migrate through Sharon, and can be seen in spring and fall. More Information: All About Birds: Ring-necked Duck

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White Suckers – 4/17/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/17/13 Observation Time: 12:40 Observation Location: Beaver Brook, Sharon (downstream of the wooden footbridge near the tennis courts at the outbound train station) Common Name: White Sucker Scientific Name: Catostomus commersoni Comments: White suckers spawn in Beaver Brook for a few days in mid to late April. Remember to look for them after you file your taxes. Note the reddish […]

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Pussy Willow – 4/13/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/13/13 Observation Time: 5:50 p.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Pussy Willow Scientific Name: Salix discolor Comments: The fuzzy nubs that appear on pussy willows in early spring are actually flowers just before they fully bloom. The species most commonly called pussy willow in the Northeast, Salix discolor, is a small, shrubby species of willow that can be […]

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Bald Eagle – 3/20/13

Observer: Carol Moawed Observation Date: 3/20/13 Observation Time: 11:15 a.m. Observation Location: Massapoag, near entrance to community center Common Name: Bald Eagle Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus Comments: He was flying down near the edge of lake, it looked like he was going after something on the edge of the lake. I was shocked and thrilled to see him. More Information: Boidnoise: Adult Bald Eagle Call

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Coyote – 3/3/13

Observer: Kirk Thomas Observation Date: 3/3/13 Observation Time: 6:20 a.m. Observation Location: Griffin Land Common Name: Coyote Scientific Name: Canis latrans Comments: The eastern coyote (Canis latrans var.) is a wild North American canine of both coyote and wolf origins. The hybridization likely first occurred in the Great Lakes region, as western coyotes moved east. It was first noticed during the early 1930s to the late […]

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Red-Breasted Nuthatch – 2/24/13

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 2/24/13 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill area Common Name: Red-breasted Nuthatch Scientific Name: Sitta canadensis Comments: Small photo due to heavy cropping. More Information: All About Birds

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Blue Jay – 11/19/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 11/19/12 Observation Time: 10:25 a.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Blue Jay Scientific Name: Cyanocitta cristata Comments: Blue Jays are common in Sharon. They eat insects and nuts. They will also eat the eggs and nestlings of other birds if they get the chance. They can live up to 17 years. More Information: All About Birds  

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Northern Cardinal – 11/19/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 11/19/12 Observation Time: 10:25 a.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Northern Cardinal Scientific Name: Cardinalis cardinalis Comments: Cardinals are seen year-round in Sharon. In springtime they defend their territories, sometimes hurling themselves against glass windows when they see their own reflections, thinking it’s a competitor. More Information: All About Birds

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Hooded Merganser (male) – 11/17/12

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

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Wood Ducks – 10/19/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 10/19/12 Observation Time: 2:05 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Wood Duck Scientific Name: Aix sponsa Comments: These skittish ducks have spectacular plumage. Unlike most other ducks, they have sharp claws for perching in trees. Wood Duck populations increased between 1966 and 2015 according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. This is good news considering their dramatic declines in […]

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American Lady Butterfly – 10/5/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 10/5/12 Observation Time: 3:55 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: American Lady Butterfly Scientific Name: Vanessa virginiensis Comments: This American Lady butterfly was feeding on Nippon daisies blooming in our garden. There was also a Painted Lady butterfly, which looks very similar, but has four small spots on the undersides of its trailing wings instead of the American Lady’s two large […]

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Painted Lady butterfly – 10/5/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 10/5/12 Observation Time: 3:55 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Painted Lady butterfly Scientific Name: Vanessa cardui Comments: The Painted Lady has four small spots on the undersides of its hind wings, whereas the American Lady has two large spots. Otherwise they look very similar. More Information: Butterflies and Moths of North America

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