Tuesday, June 30, 2015

MBC Field Trip to Willow Farm



Brian K. led a very enthusiastic and appreciative group on a walk through a portion of Willow Farm (his private property) in Ware, MA.  We were able to add two new hairstreak species (banded and striped) to the 72 butterfly species he has recorded so far.  We also enjoyed native wildflowers, indigo buntings, gray catbirds, common yellowthroats and several interesting moths.  It was a beautiful day!  We were warned about ticks, so I wore my treated pants, but Freddie found at least 8 ticks crawling on her as we drove home.  Later, I found two more on the passenger side of the car.  She was quite a tick magnet!

Great Spangled Fritillary
on possible coyote poop

Fireweed

Cabbage White
(in the remains of a fire)

Banded Hairstreak

Ctenucha Virginica moth

Wild Columbine

Eastern Comma

Indigo Bunting

Spotted Apatelodes Moth

Brian knew the name of this moth, and told me twice, but I knew I'd forget!  It was long!  I'll keep looking.  Found it!


Little Wood Satyr

Gray-Cheeked or Bicknell's Thrush
(I did not pay enough attention to the song to distinguish between them later.)

Silver-Spotted Skipper

Beautiful meadow of Fleabane

Violet Dancer
(the only violet damselfly in the Northeast)

Eastern Pine Elfin

Striped Hairstreak

Purple-Flowering Raspberry

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Striped Hairstreak






7 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Could the mystery bird be a Veery?

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    1. Hi Josh, it wasn't very reddish. Also, I checked against the songs on AllAboutBirds, and thought the Bicknell's matched, but then read that the two songs are very close except for the last note going up or down to distinguish them. So....I am unsure, but I do think it's between those two birds.

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    2. You may be right. I would add that either species is very rare in Massachusetts, outside of migration. Gray-cheeked breeds in Canada, and Bicknell's typically above 3000' in northern New England. That said, I have zero direct experience with these birds.

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    3. Uh oh! I'm doubting it very much based on this latest info! Rats!

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