Forbush Bird Club Field Trip to Bolton Flats

I joined the Forbush Bird Club last year and this was my first field trip.  We met at Bolton Flats at 7AM.  On the way there, while on Route 495, I saw a dead turkey in the passing lane.  Not one minute later, a wild turkey was attempting to cross the three lanes of traffic.  I made it past the turkey as did the cars behind me.  Hope he/she made it across!  This made me think, "Why did the wild turkey cross the highway?"

According to the experts with the area, the ducks flush easily when people walk in, and one person had already gone in ahead of our group.  We did immediately see several Killdeer scattered across the wet fields.  Then, those with scopes focused in on a pair of Blue-Winged Teals (life bird) and a couple of Greater Yellowlegs at the far end of the trail.  Song sparrows sang from the scrub trailside.  Two Hairy Woodpeckers were seen at the far end of the trail.  And several saw their first Tree Swallows of the year (although I had seen my first earlier).

Killdeer

(Click to enlarge)

Greater Yellowlegs

(Click to enlarge)

This was my favorite bird of the day!

Hairy Woodpeckers

Tree Swallows

 Wood Duck

These next photos are from our 2nd stop, some land near Fort Devin (but I don't know the name of the area).  As we were leaving this spot, a bird flushed from the side of the trail that could have been a Ruffed Grouse (life bird).  I saw it, but having not seen one before, I can't be sure of the identification.  Its tail seemed reddish to me.

Great Blue Heron

Field Sparrow (life bird!)

There was some debate about whether or not a call that had been heard was a Field Sparrow.  Alan M. had an iPod with bird calls, so we all listened to it.  Then, not two minutes later, the actual bird called, and we all knew it was identical to the recorded call.  Soon after, the bird was spotted in this birch tree. Nice team work!  I had to quit the trip at this point, but others were moving on to Dexter Drumlin.  I can only hope I didn't miss out on seeing a Sandhill Crane, but nature was calling and there were no facilities so I headed for home.

Drumlin Farm Baby Animals

I went back to Drumlin Farm to see the lambs, knowing that by now they'd be old enough to be out and about.  The three little kids that I saw last time were playing "King of the Hill" on top of a boulder, jumping to stand on top and either falling or knocking each other off.  They have been joined by many other kids since my last visit.  So cute.  Oh, and let's not forget the baby pigs which were born on April 4th!  Their mother is HUGE in comparison to them.  The lambs and the kids were enjoying the warmth of the sun outside their barns.  Inside the barns, there were various heat lamps being used to try to keep the babies warm on this cold spring day.

How cute is the big black spot on this lamb?

Smile!

sun bathing

Here's a little movie clip to show how cute they are in action.

Mass Audubon Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary

I took a long hike at the Broadmoor today, the first in a long time.  It was a beautiful day, although chilly.  It was in the 30s when I hiked and there was a brisk breeze.

I saw my first Eastern Phoebes today, probably about 6 of them as I made my way around the sanctuary.

The other highlight would be a beautiful Eastern Bluebird posing nicely on a dead tree trunk.

Canada goose

Could it be incubating eggs already?

Mallards

Ring-Necked Ducks

Eastern Painted Turtle

There were so many turtles coming up from the bottom of the marsh to warm themselves in the sun!  I saw 5 in a row at one spot, but probably saw more than 2 dozen overall.

American Woodcock

I drove over to Sudbury Valley Trustees Waters and Weir Field (a small field at the side of Edmands Road) in Framingham tonight with hopes of seeing an American Woodcock.  The American Woodcock looks like a shorebird, but it lives in the woods.  At this time of year, it comes out of the woods at dusk and performs aerial displays in hopes of attracting a female.   After a bit of waiting and wondering if I would even be able to hear its sound with all the traffic that was zooming past, I did hear it!

Another couple arrived about 15 minutes after me also hoping to see the woodcock.  I told them I had already heard it but had not yet seen it.  She was maintaining two bluebird nesting boxes on the property, opening them up and frightening off some sparrows that were trying to settle in them.  The man said that if they did that enough times, the sparrows would leave, and the bluebirds would be able to move in.  After a few minutes, and our return to silence, the woodcock started peenting again.

The woman, familiar with the property, traipsed right into the overgrowth towards the sound of the American Woodcock, and not too much later, we followed her as she had found the spot where the American Woodcock was peenting.  It flew up and did one of its mating displays (flying up up up above us about 300 feet and then spiraling back to earth).  It landed back out in the field where we had been before.  This time, the man spotted it and we all got wonderful views of it through our binoculars, watching it peent over and over until it got tired of us and flew off again, this time landing back in the overgrowth.  It was by this time too dark for photos.

It was a great view of an odd looking bird and a good start to the weekend!  I'm including a photo from Wikipedia, since I did not get one of my own, just so you can all have an idea what a funny looking and interesting bird it is!

American Woodcock

Photo by guizmo_68 [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Chestnut Hill Farm

I took a short walk at Chestnut Hill Farm today in Southboro, MA.  The weather was beautiful - sunny and 50s (just clearing up after being grey and overcast all morning).  As soon as I got out of the car, I spotted two Eastern Bluebirds, a male and a female.  As I entered the trail system, I saw a pair of Northern Cardinals and a 2nd pair of Eastern Bluebirds.  It really felt like Spring today and was such an enjoyable walk.  I also saw 5 Dark-Eyed Juncos, 5 Tree Swallows, a Downy Woodpecker, 3 American Crows, and a couple American Robins.

 Eastern Bluebird

 Cabbage White butterfly (sitting on the leaf)

blurry, but proof all the same!

I was foolishly thrilled at the sight of this common butterfly species, my first sighting of a butterfly this year.  Let the season begin!

 I liked the layers of colors in this scene.  You can see that the lower stand of trees has budded leaves.

Fox Sparrows!

Two fox sparrows have been scratching around under the feeder in my backyard today!  This is a first sighting for my own yard!

Wild Turkeys at Wildwood Cemetery

There was a wild turkey singles mixer this morning at Wildwood Cemetery in Ashland, MA, just inside the entrance.  Two males were competing for the attention of nine females.  It was quite a show.  

 3 out of 9 females

 1 of 2 Toms strutting

2 of 2 Toms strutting (this one quite a bit smaller and wasn't as popular)

Great Blue Heron

Sudbury Reservoir
Southboro, MA

Great Blue Heron

Looking Back: 1Q2013

THINK OUTSIDE!

No Box Required

My bird list for 2013 so far stands at 93 species, with 20 new birds added to my life list.

My yard list for 2013 is up to 22 species.  The Pileated Woodpeckers were the greatest addition to my yard list!!!

New  Birds:
American Pipit
Barred Owl (calling only)
Black-Legged Kittiwake
Bonaparte's Gull
Dovekie
Great Cormorant
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Horned Grebe
Iceland Gull
Ipswich Savannah Sparrow
Long-Tailed Duck
Northern Gannet
Northern Shoveler
Northern Shrike
Pine Grosbeak
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Snow Bunting
Snow Goose
Surf Scoter

Out of these new birds, it's hard to pick a favorite.

The Pine Grosbeak was a real beauty, and I really enjoyed watching it for a nice long while and got some nice photos of it.   I love how it matched the berries it was eating.

The Long-Tailed Duck was also really beautiful.  I was walking across a bridge so I got a nice close look at it from above.  So pretty!    I may have to have two favorites!

The Ipswich Savannah Sparrow was also pretty special - a light colored sparrow, noticeably different than any sparrow I had seen before, beautifully camouflaged for its winter habitat, and cooperative for a photo!  I think I'll have to have three favorites!

New Butterflies:
Not yet.....although others saw their "firsts" this past week.


Mammals:
White-Tailed Deer
Dolphins
Gray Seals
Harbor Seals
Muskrats
Rabbit


New Places:
George tries to convince me that birding repeatedly at my local spots makes more sense than driving an hour away to do the same thing.  I explain that it isn't just "birding"; it is adventure, seeing new things, walking different trails, and seeing other habitats that might be home to different birds from our local sites.  The beach makes a nice winter destination here.  There is no fighting with traffic, no $25 parking fee, and no crowds.

Andrews Point, Rockport, MA
Crane Beach, Ipswich, MA
Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary, Marshfield, MA
Dorchester Harbor Walk, Boston, MA
Institute Park, Worcester, MA
Jamaica Pond, Jamaica Plain, MA
Nantasket Beach, Hull, MA


Biggest Surprise:
The biggest surprise of this quarter was finding a Pileated Woodpecker in my own yard!

Favorite Photos:

Eastern Bluebird (on my deck!!!!)

Hopkinton State Park sunrise

Crane Beach

Ipswich, MA

Great Meadows NWR

coldest hike of the winter

Common Redpoll

Great Meadows NWR

Nantasket Beach

Hull, MA

On the technical side, I posted my first video of a wild turkey on March 25th.  It was an experiment!