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