Massachusetts Butterfly Club Field Trip

The 2nd Mass Butterfly Club field trip of 2013 was scheduled for 11-1 today at the Sherborn Power Lines.   While it's not the most beautiful place to hike, there are habitats for multiple species of butterflies there.

The sun was trying hard to peak out between the clouds, and the temperature was only in the low 40s when I left home.  There was not much chance of seeing butterflies unless the sun worked its way out and the temperature rose.....but we tried anyway.

One woman on the walk turned over a large rock and found a Red-bellied Snake.  I never saw one of those before!

We walked from about 11:30 to 1:30 (after arranging parking and carpooling to the far end of the power lines, leaving half the cars at the start.  We immediately saw a couple Eastern Bluebirds and several Field Sparrows and heard a Pine Warbler, although I never saw it.  About halfway into the walk, it did warm up enough that I took my jacket off.  We saw a couple of Eastern Phoebes, a Northern Mockingbird and several Red-Tailed Hawks.

Eastern Phoebe

Red-Tailed Hawk

Barbara spotted a Spring Azure.  I was surprised at how well my photo turned out, because it was in a tricky position under some branches.

Spring Azure

A little bit later we saw a Mourning Cloak, but it flew off before everyone could see it.  Then, we did all see one that was a little tattered and worn and cooperated for a photo.

Mourning Cloak

It was nice to be outside, but compared to last year at this time, the butterflies were few and far between!

Pussywillow

Preying Mantis egg case

Bolton Flats Revisited

I made a quick pit stop at Bolton Flats tonight after work.  The trail was a bit flooded at the beginning, but after that it dried out again.   I saw my first of the year Green-Winged Teals!

The sky was menacing looking as the storm moved in.  Pretty though.

Greater Yellowlegs

 Snapping Turtle

 Green-Winged Teals

What a beautiful duck, but shy.  Most of them flew off when I walked in, but later about 10 of them flew back in.  They stayed on the far side of the water, though.

a Great Yellowlegs and a Lesser Yellowlegs (life bird)

Lesser Yellowlegs

Gulls

When the gulls took flight, I decided it was time to go home.

Birding at Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary II

Yes, I went back again today!  I figured since it was overcast and cool, it was much less likely that anyone else would be at the sanctuary.  I was right.  I had the place all to myself.

I enjoyed seeing a pair of Hooded Mergansers quite near the dam, some Ring-Necked Ducks hiding away at the far end of the water, the Osprey pair now apparently with some eggs in the nest, a Belted Kingfisher, a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, and a couple of Eastern Phoebes.  Not bad....not bad at all.

 Eastern Phoebe

Don't worry - I didn't go beyond this sign!

Eastern Phoebe

Belted Kingfisher

Hooded Mergansers

Osprey (working on a fish lunch)

If you recall from yesterday's post, the Ospreys were not "on the nest" yet.  I guess the female laid eggs since yesterday, because this Osprey flew over to the nest to share his fish with the Osprey sitting on the eggs.

You can barely see the Osprey that's sitting on the eggs.  Click to enlarge.

I saw the Belted Kingfisher splash the surface of the water, probably catching a fish.  Too far away for my eyes to see details, but still neat to witness.  The sun came out just as I was leaving, another unexpected surprise!

Birding at Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary

I took my lunchtime walk at Waseeka today.  There was one other person already on the dam, photographing some fresh scat.  This  is a whole other area of expertise that I have yet to learn about (ha ha).  People can identify what creature left the scat by looking at it!  Wow.  I'm still wondering about that big orange pile I saw repeatedly on the trail at Great Meadows back in March.....I think it's the only scat I have actually photographed, because it was so strange looking.

Back to Waseeka.....both osprey were visible today, one in the same position to the left of the nest; the other on a different tree a ways back from the nest tree.

Also seen:  Common Grackles, Ring-Necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Tree Swallows, Eastern Painted Turtles

Click for a bigger view.

Ditto

I love this view!

And I love watercolor reflections!

Farm Pond

And just like that, we've turned our backs on Winter and embraced Spring wholeheartedly.  Daffodils are in bloom everywhere (except my yard which has a lot of shade).

Trees are heavily budded.   I saw two magnolias in bloom!   Eastern Painted Turtles are sunning themselves on every available log, stick, rock and tire in the ponds.  Birds are singing.  The sky is blue and the temperature is above 70.  I also saw two Mourning Cloak butterflies here, but neither would cooperate for a photo.  A beautiful day!

Turtle beach

Song Sparrow

(nice camouflage)

Mute Swan

(one of 63 there today)

 poss. Eastern Phoebe?

 so lonely compared to the others!

 Mallard (female)

 Mallard (male)

 This photo doesn't really give you the perspective of just how small this turtle was, but look at the leaves for comparison!  It was tiny!

 The first kayaker I've seen out on the pond!

  Farm Pond is quite polluted.  You can't always tell from my photos.  

I also saw lots of plastic bottles, a solitary black flip flop and lots of cans.

Great Blue Heron

Mourning Cloak

I saw my first Mourning Cloak butterfly of the season right in my own backyard!  

Let the games begin!

(photo from Oct 2012 - by the time I found my camera, today's butterfly was long gone)

My husband took a power walk this afternoon and when he got home, he told me he saw a brown butterfly with beige/yellow edges.  It flew around him and batted him twice on the forehead.  He was sweating and he thought the butterfly was trying to get at his sweat.

Eastern Bluebirds and Territorial Northern Flickers

Today's morning stop at Wildwood Cemetery in Ashland gave me a good look at one of my favorites, Eastern Bluebirds.

The male was flying down to the ground, getting something to eat, and then returning to a perch, either on a tombstone or on a nearby tree branch.  The female wouldn't come near me, so I only got a shot of her off in a distant tree.  You just have to love their brilliant coloring in the early spring muted brown world we are still in.

 See the female?  You may need to click on the photo to enlarge it!

I was about to quit for the morning and head home when a ruckus broke out in the trees.   For a few moments, I thought there might be a Pileated Woodpecker in the area.  But it wasn't.   A couple of Northern Flickers were battling over territorial boundaries.  Since the town cut down so many of the old, rotting trees, I bet the available nesting areas in the cemetery are much more in demand than they were last year at this time.

Remember the Downy Woodpeckers I saw quarreling over territory a few weeks ago?  The male Northern Flickers were behaving quite similarly:  pointing bills in the air and chasing each other from branch to branch.  

The brightness setting is off in these photos, but I wanted the birds to show up!   I took a short video, too, which you will find below. I just love being a witness to behaviors like this!  I had to go home before they were finished!  It went on for quite some time!

The coloring of these birds (who belong to the woodpecker family) is really stunning!

See the beautiful yellow underside of the tail feathers?  The underside of the wings are also colored this way.  Flickers in the western part of the US have red on the underside of their wings and tail feathers.  I've never seen the western version.

This is a very short clip.  

Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary

I walked this afternoon at Waseeka, and saw my first Osprey of the year sitting at the side of the nest.  I walked the Sassafras Trail, which I had never taken before.

 Osprey

Sassafras Trail