Millbury Bike Path (12/20)

After doing some volunteering work at Broad Meadow Brook, I had a quick lunch and then headed over to the Millbury Bike Path to see if there was anything there. I hiked in from the parking lot and took a short side trip over the river into a small field along RT 146. There were Blue Jays and Cardinals in the field as well as some sparrows which I couldn't identify. I also found a Red-tailed Hawk perched in a nearby tree. I thought that it would be a great subject for practicing with my new lens even though it was quite a distance away. As I crept forward it finally saw me and took off. I was able to get a cool shot of it in mid takeoff (see above) and some others as it circled above.

Then I continued on to the branch of the river. There were lots of Mallards on the river and I even spotted one Hooded Merganser. There was also a Belted Kingfisher in a tree on the riverbank.

Birds: Mallard, Red-tailed Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Black-capped Chickadee, Hooded Merganser, Golden-crowned Kinglet

Broad Meadow Brook MAS, Worcester (2/20)

I got to the end of the year with a full week of vacation to burn so I've had this entire week off. On Wednesday I was even motivated enough to get up relatively early and head over to Broad Meadow Brook. Per my usual routine, I parked at Dunkirk Ave. and headed down the Stretch. It was still early so there was still a good deal of bird activity. A pair of Mourning Doves crouched on the path and Goldfinches and Robins were perched in the bushes.

After spooking everything, I headed over the bridge and into the wet meadow. It was pretty cold out so all of the dead plants were covered with frost. The bright morning sun seemed to give the meadow a golden hue.

I continued my hike up to the powerlines. It was relatively quiet there but I did spot two Bluebirds perched on the power line. Its good to see that these guys have made the sanctuary their home. Maybe the boxes that we installed last spring made a difference.

Midway down the powerlines I took Blue Well Trail into the woods. Next, I followed Lady Slipper Trail back towards the Stretch. This is when things started to get really interesting. Right near the first beaver dam, I heard the knocking of a Hairy Woodpecker on the opposite shore of the brook. A few seconds later I heard a strange bird call from my side of the brook. When I looked up it was another Hairy Woodpecker. But this wasn't a call that I'd ever heard from this species. Before I knew it, the first woodpecker had flown over and the pair started mating. I couldn't believe that they would be mating at the start of winter. Every resource that I can find says that in Massachusetts these birds mate at the beginning of Spring. The incubation period is 11-15 days followed by another 28-30 days or so until the chicks are fledged. I can't believe that the female woodpecker would want to undergo this difficult period during the winter when food is scarce. Maybe it was just a pair bonding ritual.

Before I could get over that experience, I had an even better one. As I walked further up the path I spotted a large mammal on top of the next beaver dam. I immediately recognized it as a River Otter. I quickly brought my camera up an got a picture of it jumping into the water (unfortunately there was a tree in my way). Then the otter swam by me and I was able to get one more shot off before it dove. I could see the direction it was headed so I ran back to the next beaver dam. I realized that the water wasn't deep enough for it to swim past the dam so it was going to have to jump over it. I stood and waited for it to surface but all I got was a couple of air bubbles here and there. Finally I got worried that I was unnecessarily stressing the animal so I decided to leave it. Just as I did I saw small ripples in the water. As I watched, the otter swam back to the first beaver dam, jumped over it, and quickly dove back into the deep water.

This was quite an outstanding sighting. I spoke with the Audubon employees and they had found otter tracks on the sanctuary, but had never seen the animal itself. So, now I've personally seen the following mammals on the Stretch - River Otter, Common Muskrat, Mink, and Beaver. Its pretty unbelievable when you think that this sanctuary is located in a pretty large city.

Birds: American Robin, American Crow, American Goldfinch, Black-capped Chickadee, Hairy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Eastern Bluebird, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Mallard

The Cascades: Worcester, MA (12/19)

After I passed the airport, I headed over to Boynton Park. It was early afternoon and I wanted to get a quick walk in before the sun went down. I started up the main road and at the top of the hill I took a side path into the Greater Worcester Land Trust's property (The Cascades). I looked around a bit in the vernal pool area but there wasn't much to see. The only bird that I heard was a White-breasted Nuthatch.

So, I started back down the hill walking thru the woods instead of along the road. When I got to the bottom of the hill I heard the knocking of a woodpecker. As I went to investigate I heard another woodpecker on the opposite side of the trail. After a few seconds of scanning the bare trees I finally found the bird. It was a Pileated Woodpecker and it was relatively close. So close, in fact, that I attempted to take some pictures. But this was very difficult since the bird was foraging and he didn't stay put in one place for very long before moving on to the next tree. So, while my best photo isn't that great, at least you can tell its a Pileated.

After 10 minutes or so of clumsily chasing the bird thru the forest, it finally had enough of me. It let out that distinctively Pileated call. This was echoed by the second bird and both of them flew off towards the road. I never found them again.

So, even though I only had two species on my walk, it was worth my time. Pileated Woodpeckers are one of my favorite species and you don't often get good looks at them. Plus, trying to photograph this bird really demonstrated to me how difficult it will be to get photos of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas/Florida.

This encounter got me motivated to add more photos of Pileated Woodpecker sign to my "Animal Tracks and Sign" site. These birds can really do some damage. Also, I did a quick search of PBase and I found an artist with some really great shots of Pileated Woodpeckers for anyone who doesn't know what they actually look like.

He Must Have Been Waiting for His Flight

On Tuesday when driving by Worcester Airport I spotted an American Kestrel perched in one of the trees near the parking lot. He was all puffed up in an effort to stay warm. Its really late for a Kestrel in Worcester County but the weather has been relatively warm so far this winter.

No Two Are Alike

For those of you who are patiently waiting for some snow this winter, here's a web site which has close-up photos of dozens of snowflakes.

Westboro WMA (12/17)

On Sunday I took a trip to the wildlife management area in Westboro. No matter how nice the weather has been here, the birds have still migrated to warmer climes. I did have a couple nice sightings though. The first was a House Finch traveling with a large group of American Goldinches. Further down the path I stumbled on a huge flock of what I think were Common Grackles (the lighting was against me). Other than that, it was just a nice winter hike.

West Hill Dam: Uxbridge (12/16)

After enjoying the Little Blue Heron we decided to spend the afternoon at West Hill Dam. It was cool but not too cold. Most of our hike was pretty quiet but we did find a nice flock near the entrance to lake area.

Birds: Golden-crowned Kinglet, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, American Robin, Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch

Singletary Lake: Millbury (12/16)

On Saturday my parents and I decided to make the short trip to Millbury to see if we could find the Little Blue Heron that had been reported at Lake Singletary. Unlike some of the other rarities that we've chased this year, we were lucky enough to find this guy. When we pulled up in the parking lot, it only took us a few minutes to locate the bird on the shore. We watched for a few minutes from the car before we decided to chance getting out. To our surprise, the bird didn't fly away. It just stood there preening.

Since it was being relatively cooperative, I decided to try to shoot some pictures. This was my first opportunity to use the Canon EF 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens that I got on Friday. And the heron turned out to be a great starter bird. Just after I got into position, it started to feed. It walked along the shore until it spotted something in the water. Then, its head would rock back and forth as if it was triangulating its target. Then it would strike. I saw it catch at least three small fish over 30 minutes or so.

The best part is that, as it foraged, it got closer and closer to me. I tried to stay as still as possible and it got within a couple feet of me. So, I got some REALLY nice photos (1, 2, 3). So far, I just love my new lens. The image stablizer really works.

Finally the heron decided he was a little too close to me and flew off to the other side of the lake. But, the great sightings weren't over. A few minutes later my Mom spotted a Bald Eagle soaring over the water. As it spiraled closer and closer to us, I tried to get a shot off. But I couldn't get the autofocus to find the bird and I missed the shot. Oh well.

Birds: Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Ring-billed Gull, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Bald Eagle

Wachusett Reservoir (12/10)

On Sunday I took a short walk around Wachusett Reservoir. I started at the deer checking station and followed the road down to the water. Along the way I came across a nice mixed flock of birds. It was mainly Chickadees with a few Golden-crowned Kinglets, a Brown Creeper, and a Hairy Woodpecker accompanying them.

As I walked thru the woods I was struck by how the birds stuck together like this. Long stretches of the road would be "desolate" followed by a flurry of activity once I did find a flock.

About a 1/2 mile into the hike I took a side path that went down to the water and unintentially spooked a Mallard that was floating near the shore. The water was still open but the cold night had left the shrubs and driftwood covered with ice. I'm guessing that the water vapor from the crashing waves was what coated everything with thick icicles. It certainly was strange to see. But, even though there was no ice on the water, I couldn't find many birds. My only sighting was a single Bufflehead flying just above the water.

That wasn't to say that it was boring. The shore was just packed with animal tracks. The sand was at that state where its cold enough to keep a good track but not frozen (so that the animal's track never registers). The first tracks I spotted were the ubiquious White-tailed Deer. There were also some that were obviously canine (Coyote, Fox, or Dog I couldn't tell). I even found what I'm pretty sure were River Otter tracks coming out of a small pool of water. Further along the shoreline I found another track with a visible tail drag. I don't know if this was from the Otter or another animal. There were several roots stripped of bark in the area so its possible that it could have been a Beaver.

After walking some way along the shore, I found another offshoot path and headed back. This brought me into a portion of the forest that wasn't as regularly hiked. The ground was covered with some strange green moss and there were small pine shoots everywhere. I also found a couple of midden piles. These were most likely made by Red Squirrels peeling pine cones to get to the nuts.

All of this tracking rekindled my interest in the subject so I spent some time this week reading a book I never finished last year - Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign by Paul Rezendes. Its a really good resource for anyone who's interested in animals. My only complaint is that there isn't more on the possible gait patterns of each animal. For that aspect of tracking I prefer A Field Guide to Mammal Tracking in North America by James Halfpenny. Together they make a for a pretty comprehensive resource.

When I finally got back to the car, I decided to stop one more place on the reservoir before heading home. Just up the road is the pumping station and, for some reason, this area always has some ducks. As I drove up, I could see some Hooded Mergansers feeding in the cover. I got out and walked thru the woods to get a better view. But, before I could get there, the birds spooked and flew to deeper water. In addition to the 5 or 6 mergansers there was actually a small group of Goldeneye as well. I got out the scope and searched the water. It turned out that there were lots of Goldeneye on the reservoir. Plus, I was able to find one or two Horned Grebes.

Birds: Hairy Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Dark-eyed Junco, American Goldfinch, Blue Jay, Mallard, Bufflehead, Downy Woodpecker, Common Goldeneye, Horned Grebe, Hooded Merganser

Calliope Hummingbird Found in CT

A friend of mine told me about a story in the Hartford Courant about a rare western hummingbird that was discovered in New Haven. These birds seem to get trapped in New England more than we'd expect. A friend of mine in western MA had a Rufous Hummingbird (photo by Paul Higgins) that showed up at his home in the late fall and took shelter in his greenhouse. He got a permit from the state to keep it for the winter and then let it out in the spring. It came back every winter for the next few years. I guess that it really liked the short migration.

All Faiths Cemetery: Worcester, MA (12/10)

OK, now its official... winter is here. I went over to All Faiths Cemetery on Sunday and there was a thin layer of ice on most of the pond. There was some open water where it was moving swiftly and in that area I found nine Hooded Mergansers and a few Mallards. But the large flock of Canada Geese were all gone.

Broad Meadow Brook: Worcester, MA (12/3)

On Sunday I made a quick trip over to Broad Meadow Brook MAS for a hike. It was REALLY quiet. I was only able to find a few species of birds. They were all our winter residents: Blue Jay, Nuthatch, Chickadee, and Downy Woodpecker.

But at least I got the chance to take some more photos of the powerlines area. This area is owned by National Grid but managed by Mass Audubon. As part of the power companies maintenance of property, they need to come thru and cut back all the woody plants that might grow large enough to reach the lines above. In the past they have done this culling by spraying individual plants. This year the advisory council suggested a substantial cut. This certainly wasn't an easy decision since this would be change to the powerlines. And there were some concerns that the sanctuary's population of Harris' Checkerspot butterflies would be adversely affected.

But, the cut was approved and everyone crossed their fingers. In the early spring the property looked really bad but it didn't take long before the plants sprung out of the ground. So, since March I've been taking pictures of the area every time I was at BMB to document the changes. It certainly is cool to see how the new meadow filled in.

All Faith's Cemetery (12/2)

I took a short walk at the cemetery on Saturday afternoon. It was pretty cold and almost all the birds were gone. There was a large flock of Canada Geese and a few Mallards but that was about it. Just as I was going to give up and head home, I saw a falcon land at the top of a large pine. The light was against me making identification really difficult. I have not been blessed with the ability to judge scale very well so it could have been a Merlin or an immature Peregrine. It was probably the Peregrine since a pair has been nesting in Worcester for many years now. But, I couldn't get over how the bird was buffeted by the wind. It seems to me like a Peregrine would have the mass to take the wind. But, its just a guess.

Fort Meadow Reservoir: Marlboro, MA (12/2)

This time of year its gets really hard to be outside. I don't mind the cold so much... its just the desolation. All the leaves are off the trees and everything is brown. Soon there will be snow and I actually welcome that. At least it covers everything with a "clean" coat. Late Fall is just too depressing.

And, the worst part is that the animals become really hard to find. Even the ducks have mostly continued on their migration south. But, Fort Meadow Reservoir is always a good place to find something. This Saturday was no different. The pond was pretty full. The mixed flock was mostly Ruddy Ducks and Mallards but there were still some Ring-neck Ducks. Also, I found a couple Hooded Mergansers and a small group of Common Mergansers. There were even 7 Coot dabbling for vegetation along the shore.

Birds: Ring-bill Gull, Mallard, Ring-neck Duck, Common Merganser, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Coot, Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, Canada Goose

Osprey (11/26)

On Sunday afternoon, my Dad spotted an Osprey flying over the house. Apparently this guy had been seen numerous times at Leesville Pond this fall/winter.