Wachusett Reservoir (10/29)

The weekend was mostly a wash out but I did get over to Wachusett Reservoir for a short hike on Sunday morning. To be expected, the day after a major storm it was particularly windy. I started over near River Rd. The wind made it really hard to hear any birds, but I did have a couple of nice sightings. Small groups of Dark-eyed Juncos huddled together in the bushes and I found a couple of Yellow-rump Warblers high in the trees. The sunny spots were havens for Chickadees and Blue Jays. And I did see one Northern Flicker before it escaped into the evergreens.

But the best sighting of the day was on the water across from the bridge. I spotted two birds there and, even though they had their beaks tucked under their wings, I finally identified them as Lesser Scaup.

I made one last stop at the Scar Hill area. The walk thru the woods was nice with Golden-crowned Kinglets calling all around me) but as I approached the overlook, the winds almost blew me away. Worst of all there was nothing on the water except a few gulls. As I walked along the shore I found a few small patches of sand that were still supporting wildflowers this late in the year. I think that it was Blue Toadflax but I wasn't able to get a very good shot with all of the wind.

All Faiths Cemetery: Worcester, MA (10/21)

Sunday afternoon we headed out for a quick walk around All Faiths Cemetery. We were surprised to see that the pond there was packed with ducks. At the entrance of the cemetery we found Wigeon, Green-wing Teal, and at least 3 Pintail amongst the more common Mallards and Wood Ducks. Land ducks of note were a Brown Creeper and an Eastern Phoebe.

Birds: Rock Pigeon, Wigeon, Green-wing teal, Mallard, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Eastern Phoebe, Mourning Dove, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Pintail, Brown Creeper, Northern Cardinal, Great Blue Heron

Greenbriar Park : Oxford, MA (10/21)

I got up early on Sunday and headed over to Greenbriar Park. It certainly wasn't the break of dawn but there was still a significant amount of bird activity. Right off the parking lot we immediately heard lots of birdsong. A few Golden-crowned Kinglets flitted about in the bushes and Red Wing Blackbirds called from the treetops. A group of Cedar Waxwings flew from tree to tree and a Cardinal perched on a low branch. But the most abundant birds were the Robins. They were everywhere.

Surprisingly we found almost no waterfowl even though the pond was packed with Duckweed. We did see a flock of Canada Geese flying overhead but that was all.

As we continued our walk we had a few more great sightings. In the sunny areas we were able to find one Yellow-rump Warbler and several Titmice. A Brown Creeper hopped up the trunk of a small tree before diving to another one. Finally, just before we turned around for the hike back, I spotted an Osprey circling over the water.

We didn't have a huge list of species but this was one of those mornings when quality overwhelmed quantity. Just being outside on this beautiful sunny fall day was worth the time.

Birds: American Robin, American Goldfinch, Brown Creeper, Cedar Waxwing, White-throated Sparrow, Osprey, Northern cardinal, Red Wing Blackbird, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Northern Flicker, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Mourning Dove, Canada Goose, Yellow-rump Warbler, Blue Jay

Plum Island and Vicinity (10/21)

After my vacation day was largely wasted on Friday I decided to get out to Plum Island on Saturday. Unfortunately when we got to the island the high winds almost blew us away. But, we did the best we could to enjoy the day anyway.

We started at the Salt Pannes. There we found a nice flock of American Wigeon along with Black Ducks and and Green-wing Teal. There was also two or three Yellowlegs. As we quietly watched, a Peregrin Falcon swooped down and spooked everything up. I think that we must have seen more than one of these raptors since we saw one at almost every stop.

At the heavy equipment area we had the strangest sightings of the day. Even though it was a very cold Fall day, we spotted a Monarch and a Clouded Sulphur flying by. I also had a dragonfly which (maybe one of the Ruby Meadowhawks) resting on a bush. Another surprise was what looked to be a fresh bloom of Butter and Eggs.

We took a quick hike at Hellcat. By this time it was late morning so there wasn't too much bird activity. We did find some White-throated Sparrows in the bushes though. Plus, on the way up to the observation platform, I found another new flower with a strange name: Herb Robert. According to the Connecticut Botanical Society's entry, it is a member of the Geranium family.

We headed back to the car and drove to the end of the island. On the ocean side we didn't find too much. Only one large flock of Common Eider. On the way back, we stopped at the bird blind to check out North Pool. There we found a few Northern Pintails, Mallards, and at least one Gadwall. A Great Blue Heron crouched along the shore. As we left the blind, I think I spotted a pair of Dark-eyed Juncos.

Our final sighting of note was just before we left the refuge. In the distance I spotted a large raptor soaring high in the air. After several minutes of observation, we decided that it was a Bald Eagle. Quite a nice find.

After getting off the island, we stopped at the Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary Joppa Flats. From the observation platform one of the sanctuary employees pointed out a flock of Brant and we watched as they came in for a landing. There wasn't much elese to see there, but as we went to leave, we heard a series of kek calls and watched as two small birds fought amongst the reeds. We didn't get a good look but I'm guessing they were Clapper Rails.

Our final stop was at Cherry Hill Reservoir where we hoped to find some diving ducks. Our effort was rewarded by a lake full of birds. They were mostly Rick-neck Ducks and Ruddy Ducks but we did find one Redhead. It was the perfect end to the day.

Birds: Common Eider, Redhead, American Wigeon, American Black Duck, Mallard, Ruddy Duck, Northern Pintail, Green-wing Teal, Gadwall, Double-crested Cormorant, Brant, Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Clapper Rail (?), Greater Yellowlegs, Peregrin Falcon, Nothern Harrier, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, American Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Mockingbird, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, Rock Pigeon, Greater Black Backed Gull, Hering Gull, Mute Swan.

BOO Meadow Brook: Worcester, MA (10/20)

On Friday I took the day off to help out with the annual Halloween event at Broad Meadow Brook. The entire day was just horrible. It rained for most of the day and even when the precipitation held off, it was still overcast and dreary. But, just as the event was about to start the clouds cleared and everyone was treated to a beautiful double rainbow.

Some interesting facts about rainbows. They are only visible when the sun is between 40 deg and 42 deg in regards to the horizon (ie. the morning and afternoon). Below 40 degrees they are not visible to an observer on the ground. This Wikipedia entry gives a better explanation. Also, I've never figured this out myself but when you view a rainbow, the sun will always be directly behind you. This web site has a bunch of other facts on rainbows if you're interested.

Though a tried pretty hard, the rainbow was difficult to photograph. And, reading the Wikipedia entry I learned why. Using a 35mm camera like my digital Rebel, a rainbow can't be photographed with anything more than an 19mm lens. My kit lens only goes down to 28mm.

Central Mass (10/15)

On Sunday we went out looking for waterfowl. We started at Sterling Peat. Its amazing to see how this area has grown up in the last year ago. When the summers are hot and dry it seems like nothing grows in the sandy soil. But, this year medium sized bushes were windspread. Some of them had these weird red "berries". I thought that they might be invasive Russian Olive but comparing photos it looks like I was wrong. Also, along the water we found a very small yellow flower. I tried to identify it but the best I could do was guess that it was a species of cinquefoil.

As for birds, there were dozens of Robins and sparrows in the bushes. We did locate one Greater Yellowlegs foraging along the water's edge and a Belted Kingfisher perched in a dead tree. But, there weren't much of anything in terms of waterfowl. A large flock of Canada Geese did come in for a landing on the water as we watched though.

Before we left, we took a walk along the "back" side of the pond. There I found some White-throated Sparrows flocking together in the bushes. Along the path were several large clusters of mushrooms. As I made my way deeper into the undergrowth, I spooked a Great Blue Heron who had been wading in the water.

Then, we left the Peat for our next stop. Along the road we spied three Red-tailed Hawks circling above and an Osprey perched in a tree along the road.

Birds: Greater Yellowlegs, White-throated Sparrow, American Robin, Great Blue Heron, American Goldfinch, Common Yellowthroat, Belted Kingfisher, Canada Goose, Mallard, Blue Jay, Song Sparrow, Turkey Vulture, Double-crested Cormorant, Greater Black-backed Gull, Red-tailed Hawk, Osprey

Next we headed over to River Road. We didn't stay long since the only bird we saw was a single Common Loon.

From there we drove over to the West Washacum Lake. There were one or two Mallards on the water but that was about it. Land birds sighted were a Downy Woodpecker and a Mourning Dove.

Our next stop was Fort Meadow Reservoir in Marlboro. This was probably our best body of water for birds all day. There was a large flock of Ruddy Ducks as well as two Ring-neck Ducks and a Coot. We were also surprised to see a single Killdeer.

Birds: Mute Swan, Rudy Duck, Canada Goose, Mallard, Coot, Ring-neck Duck, Ring-bill Gull, Killdeer

Next we drove over to Wachusett Reservoir in the Dike 110 are. There we were able to spot several Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons across the water. Cormorants and Loons shared the water and there was a group of Crows jumping about on the banks. Just as we went to leave we were buzzed by a Merlin. After a quick up-close look we were able to watch as it flew higher and higher.

Birds: Double-crested Cormorant, Common Loon, American Crow, Merlin, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron

Our final stop was at Little Chancy. As we drove in, we spotted a Groundhog who was walking back to its den. He let me get close enough to take one or two acceptable shots of him before ducking back dwon the tunnel. At the lake, we were surprised to find a nice flock of foraging Yellow-rump Warblers. We also heard Mockingbirds, Catbirds, and at least one Red-bellied Woodpecker. Not a bad day of birding.

Broad Meadow Brook: Worcester, MA (10/14)

On Saturday morning my Mom and I took a short hike along the stretch at BMB. There wasn't much different than I had had the previous Saturday but it was a nice time anyhow.

Birds: Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, Song Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, American Goldfinch, White-throated Sparrow, Mallard, Red-bellied Woodpecker

Herps: Red Backed Salamander (3)

Boo Meadow Brook

Anyone with younger kids might be interested in the annual Halloween event at Broad Meadow Brook. Groups of visitors are brought on a night hike thru a portion of the sanctuary. Along the way they encounter volunteers dressed up as local animals. The event takes place on two nights: Friday, October 20 and Saturday, October 21. More details can be found here.

Wachusett Meadow MAS

On Sunday my parents and I headed out to Wachusett Meadow MAS for a morning walk. While my Mom rested on the bench near the meadow, my Dad and I went for a short hike. We started at the Wildlife Pond but all we found was a single Canada Goose. This pond is always pretty good for Northern Water Snakes and I hoped to find one basking in the morning sun but lucked out. As we headed back to the trail, a Northern Flicker flushed from the bushes and perched on the top of the barn.

As we walked down the trail, Cindy came out to adjust the electric fence before letting the sanctuary's sheep out. The staff uses the flock to keep the plant growth in the meadow in check. The best part is that the sheep don't even touch the Milkweed so the Monarchs still have their foodsource.

At the bottom of South Meadow Trail we had our sighting of the day. In the shallow water were three Otters horsing around. When the heard us approach, they turned and looked at us quizzically before jumping into the bushes. Even though they were only a couple of feet away, we couldn't see them. But we could still hear them grunting as the "fought".

We stopped for a while at the dock at the bottom of the hill looking for ducks but didn't spot even one. There was a Bullfrog floating in the water though.

We sped up our hike as we passed thru Beaver Bend Trail. The woods were serene but pretty much devoid of animal activity. A Red Squirrel gave out a warning call and Chipmunks chipped from all of the rock crevices but there were no birds.

We made it to the Second Meadow but that was pretty quiet too. So we decided to head back. On the road near that leads to the sanctuary headquarters we did find a nice flock of Yellow-rump Warblers. They were really fun to watch as they jumped from tree to tree looking for insects and caterpillars. I watched one individual bird and was surprised to see that he had no trouble finding food.

Back at the parking lot we had one last good sighting: three or four Turkey Vultures spiraling overhead.

Birds: Eastern Phoebe, Canada Goose, Tufted Titmouse, Norther Flicker, Song Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, Blue Jay, American Goldfinch, Whited-breasted Nuthatch, Palm Warbler, Mourning Dove, Black-capped Chickadee, Yellow-rump Warbler, Turkey Vulture

Mammals: Chipmunk, Gray Squirrel, Red Squirrel, River Otter

Butterflies: Cabbage White, Clouded Sulphur, Monarch

New Bird Species Discovered

Researchers discovered a new species of finch in a remote cloud forest in the Andeas. The full story is available here.

Broad Meadow Brook MAS: Worcester, MA (10/7)

I got up early on Saturday and headed over to Broad Meadow Brook. I parked by the Dunkirk St. entrance and started my hike. It was a cool morning but the stretch was filled with bird activity. Just over the bridge, in the wet meadow area I found a medium sized flock of White-throated Sparrows. It was great to see these guys even though their return is a sure sign that winter is just around the corner.

I retraced my steps and returned to Trioano Brookside Trail where I ran into the Saturday morning birding class lead by Howard Shainheit. They were intently watching a Sharp-shinned Hawk as the raptor was being mobbed by a group of Blue Jays. Whenever he perched, the Jays would dive bomb him, screaming loudly as they "attacked". Finally, the Sharpie would get tired of this harassment and would take off after the Jays.

They repeated this several times and the Sharpie was forced to switch from perch to perch to avoid the Jays. I thought that I could take advantage of this situation so I moved under one of the Sharpie's favorite perches and hid in the fragmites hoping that he would return. I kept my camera at the ready for several minutes but finally gave up.

Further up the stretch I found a Downy Woodpecker who was inspecting the dead trees at the edge of the brook for breakfast. Further down the path, an Eastern Cottontail scampered into the bushes as I approached. As I continued up the road, I noticed a turtle nest that had been excavated by scavengers. I counted four nests in the sand along the road that had been raided. I couldn't tell what species of turtle eggs they were but I know that the brook supports Snapping Turtles and Eastern Painted Turtles.

After hiking the entire stretch, I headed up towards the powerlines. As I walked thru the woods, I was struck by how much was still growing this late in the year. I found a few that I hadn't seen before: Bluestem Goldenrod and White Snakeroot.

Once I got to the powerlines I was surprised to find that it was filled with flowers. There were tons of asters in bloom, especially New England Aster. In some areas I found three or four species of asters in the same area. It was amazing. Another incredible sight was a group of Ruby-crowned Kinglets who were foraging in the sunny trees that border the meadow under the powerlines. These guys extended their red crests and chased each other but mostly spend there time looking for food. They are absolutely fascinating to watch. And science says that they shouldn't be able to survive the winter here in New England. The only way they do so is by foraging during every waking moment and huddling together at night for warmth.

Midway down the powerlines I took a side trail and headed towards Granite St. On the ridge I got a great look at a Palm Warbler as it jumped about in the leaf litter. I continued up past Granite St. hoping to find a Brown Snake basking on the hill but lucked out.

Then I started back to my car. Along the Cardinal Trail, I happened upon what I think were three Hermit Thrushes in the bare trees. They flew about a bit, but I still got fantastic looks at them.

After getting back to my car, I drove over to the sanctuary headquarters. I asked if there was anything that I could volunteer to do and Selina gave me some trail maps to place at the kiosks around the property. So, I went out and did the entire loop all over again. Other than filling the trail maps, I also piked up some trash along the stretch. And, it was worth the effort since I stumbled upon two Garter Snakes in the bushes.

Birds: Blue Jay, American Robin, White-throated Sparrow, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch, Belted Kingfisher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Towhee, Eastern Phoebe, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, Palm Warbler, Yellow-rump Warbler, Mallard, Hermit Thrush (?), Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird

Mammals: Eastern Cottontail, Chipmunk, Gray squirrel

Herps: Green Fog, Eastern Garter Snake

Butterflies: Pearl Crescent, Cabbage White

Milestones on my PBase Site

Recently my PBase site surpassed 30,000 page views which I think is really impressive. To celebrate, this week I posted my 700th photo. A few more and I'll run out of space. Thanks to everyone who has visited my site and especially to those who have left such great comments.

Westport, MA (9/29)

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day so we decided to take another trip out to the coast. Earlier in the week there had been reports of over 13,000 Monarch butterflies roosting for the night at Gooseberry Neck in Westport, MA. This huge congregation of insects is heading south towards their winter roost in Mexico. But, as they travel down the coast, they need to stop periodically to rest and refuel.

The big day at Gooseberry Neck was apparently on Monday and the reports diminished as the week went on. But this was still our best chance to see these quantities outside of a trip to Mexico so we decided to give it a try.

We got to Gooseberry Neck around 10:00. The morning was sunny but a bit cool so we were surprised to find Monarchs almost immediately. Almost all of them were intently feeding off the Goldenrod which was in full bloom all around us. We started to walk down the central road that leads out to the point counting as we went. But, it didn't take long before we gave up and just enjoyed the sights.

In addition to the Monarchs, Sulphurs, Cabbage Whites, and swarms of bees shared the blossoms. A Barn Spider hid under the Smartweed waiting for one of the pollinators to get caught in its web. Other butterflies included American Coppers and at least one Black Swallowtail.

But there was more than just butterflies to enjoy. A few Fowler's Toads hopped along the fringes of the road. And there were great birds too. The ocean was filled with Double-crested Cormorants, Common Eider, and at least one Common Loon. On land, we spotted a handfull of Eastern Phoebes swooping back and forth over the grass. We took a side path off the main road and found a small mixed flock of warblers including Yellow-rump, Palm, and Common Yellowthroat.

But the theme of the day was the Monarchs. Everywhere you looked there were six, eight, or ten of them altogether. We didn't quite make it all the way to the point before we started back to the parking lot. But I'd guess that we saw 200 - 300 on Gooseberry Neck alone.

As we got back to the parking lot, we happened upon a Common Buckeye (which is always a welcome sight). The parking lot was actually closed for the day so we had to hike across the causeway to get to the car. On one side of the causeway were 2 or 3 Semi-palmated Sandpipers picking food off the rocks. As the waves crashed into the causeway, the birds flew up just long enough to avoid getting wet. On a large rock on the opposite side of the causeway was what appeared to be hundreds of Sanderlings resting with the cormorants.

After finishing up at the neck, we headed over to the nearby Allen's Pond Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary. After lunch we took a short loop around the property. In the meadow near the office there were dozens more Monarchs with a multitude of other butterflies. A Northern Harrier and Tree Swallows worked the field and Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets were spotted in the brackish pond. We even found a Blue Crab and some small fingerlings moving about in the shallows.

Then, as we were walking back along the rocky shore, I nearly stumbled onto the sighting of the day. I just happened to be looking down at the ground and only 24 inches or so from my feet were a small flock of Least Sandpipers. They walked about nervously but they didn't fly. We decided that they were just too tired from a night's migration to expend the energy to escape through the air. Amazingly, a couple even tucked their beaks under their wings as we stood there. I took a few pictures but I tried not to get too close and spook them.

We finished the loop and headed back to the sanctuary office. Our last bird sighting there was what I think was a Peregrine Falcon making its way south.

We finished the day with a quick trip over to Demarest Lloyd State Park. It was a bit hard to find but it was worth the extra trip. We had great looks at an Osprey and even heard some "forest" birds (Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay, etc.) flittering about in the woods.