Hodges Village Dam; Oxford, MA (11/24)

My employer graciously gives me the day after Thanksgiving as a holiday. So, after wasting the morning unsuccessfully trying to secure some Black Friday specials, I planned on spending the afternoon hiking at Westboro WMA. But, when I got there I remembered that it was still hunting season. And seeing the number of pick-up trucks in the parking lot, I decided that I'd better try somewhere else.

My next choice was Hodges Village Dam in Oxford. This is usually a good property for common winter birds and Friday was no different. I started by walking down from the dike, thru the woods, to the river's edge. Then it was over the bridge to the old train tracks. There were Dark-eyed Juncos and Chickadees along both sides of the path but that was about it.

I hiked to the end of the path and then looped back thru the woods. This is where most of the birds were. For some reason the area was packed with dozens of Mourning Doves who all spooked and flew to higher perches as I passed by.

About halfway back thru the woods, I came across a nice mixed flock of birds. It was mostly Tufted Titmice and Golden-crowned Kinglets but I did find at least one Hairy Woodpecker. It was fun to watch the flock pick thru the trees looking for insects. Even though the individual birds were competing for the same food, they still stayed together as they moved thru the woods. Very cool.

Finally, as I got back to the bridge I got one last good bird. A Kingfisher flew over chattering away as it traveled.

The only downside of the day was the prescence of dirt bikes along the path. I came across five bikers during the hike. Four were riding along the area which is designated for these vehicles. They were curteous and slowed down to when they saw me. But, the last bike was riding on the opposite side of the river (where they are prohibited). The Corps. of Engineers used to have a gate on the bridge to prevent dirt bikes from getting onto this side of the property. But, for some reason its gone now.

This is pretty typical of the Corps' management of this area. They have no enforcement of the rules in the dam area. But they can devote resources to have four "rangers" on fourwheelers patroling Greenbriar Park on a Sunday.

Even worse, while walking thru the woods I noticed several trees spray painted blue. My only guess is that these are trees that will be cut down. If that's true, it will totally disrupt the area and wreck the hiking trail. They did a massive cut along the railroad bed last spring for no apparent reason. The area is still recovering.

Its such a waste too. Since this land is already set aside for the dam they could really make a difference by planting native species and attracting wildlife. Instead they mow the grass to the ground and install frisbee golf courses.

Birds: Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Belted Kingfisher, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Mouring Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, Hairy Woodpecker