Chipping Sparrow

I saw my first Chipping Sparrow of the year today in my yard.  That was a nice surprise!  So, he/she joins the other early migrants, proving that Spring has indeed sprung:  Red-winged Blackbirds, Great Blue Herons, Eastern Phoebes, Song Sparrows, and Wood Ducks (so far!).  It's nice to start seeing more variety in addition to the "regulars" that stuck around through the winter.

Chipping Sparrow

(dark and rainy at this point, so blurry)

Song Sparrow

This little Song Sparrow was serenading me in spite of the heavy rain.  Poor thing!  I bet they're not particularly enjoying the cold temps and rain/snow mix!  I know I'm not!

Good thing I went out early this morning when the weather was better.  I was searching for ducks and only found a few, but I did enjoy the early morning light.

Sudbury Reservoir Trail, Deerfoot Road

Hopkinton State Park

 We need more melting!!

Pileated Woodpeckers

I was working away on a document for work when I heard a strange bird singing outside my office window.  I never did spot it, because when I stood up to look out, I immediately spotted a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers moving around a snag!  Thrilling!  It had been a little over 2 years since I last spotted these birds in the yard, again a pair.  I ran for the camera and went out the back door so as not to spook them, but one flew away before I was able to draw near enough for photos.  I only ended up with one mediocre shot of the other, but it was so nice to see them again!

Three American Crows flew in and chased them off, but I could hear them whinnying for quite a while after that.  They make a real strange sound, not something you expect to hear in a residential area.  More like a jungle noise!  What an awesome bird!

Pileated Woodpecker

(red whisker stripe on face indicates male)

At lunch, I took a rainy walk at Chestnut Hill Farm and once again had a nice Wilson's Snipe sighting.  This time it was right in the dirt road!

 Wilson's Snipe

It wasn't the only thing I found in the dirt road today.  There were lots of Killdeer as well.

Killdeer

(How many do you see?)

The fields were filled with American Robins, Killdeer, Red-Winged Blackbirds (male and females), European Starlings, Common Grackles, and Brown-Headed Cowbirds.  It was noisy and busy and nice to see so much activity.  One wet area in a field was serving as a communal bird bath.  At one time, there were more than twelve birds splashing and bathing at the same time.  I just couldn't get close enough to get a photo.  Would have loved that!

Not bad for a rainy day!

Buffleheads

I went out after work to check various spots in Southboro as well as Hopkinton State Park.   There were three male Buffleheads competing for one female.  They were pretty far off, but here's a shot showing how one would fly in and chase another one away from the female.

Buffleheads

Northern Cardinal

Mallards were taking advantage of a flooded portion of the trail.

Skunk Cabbage (another sign of spring)

Red Squirrel

Eastern Bluebird

Deerfoot Road

The sky was amazing, so I stopped at my favorite white-steepled church in Southboro.

Finally the sidewalk in front of this old stone bridge (near the Southboro train station) had reappeared from under the snow.  I missed most of the sunset, but a little color remained.  I'll try to go back another day.

Mourning Cloaks!!!

I had my first butterfly sighting of 2015!  I wasn't even expecting it.  We had partly cloudy skies and it was 47 degrees.  Apparently, the Mourning Cloaks are tired of waiting for spring to come, too, and came out of hiding anyway!

I took a walk at Breakneck Hill and cut through the Southboro Town Forest to see if I could find any more Mourning Cloaks flying around in there.  I did!  So, the butterfly season of 2015 has officially begun!

Southboro Town Forest

My yard

What a beautiful butterfly species, and I am especially happy to see it after this long, hard winter!

Green-Winged Teal

Late afternoon, I headed out again to see if I could find an American Kestrel in Westboro.  Success!  I wasn't able to get very close to it, so the photo is grainy, but I was happy to see this beautiful bird.

I next went to Mill Road to check out the dam and see if there were any odd geese there.  The water was still mostly frozen, and birds were few.  I only saw a single pair of Canada Geese and 9 Mute Swans.  The view was the best part of this stop.

On the way home, I thought I'd check out Heirloom Harvest CSA Farm.  I am glad I did.  There was a small temporary pond in the wet fields, and it was full of ducks.  I had to walk carefully out there, avoiding some very deep mud, but I was rewarded with a beautiful Green-Winged Teal sighting!

Green-Winged Teal (male)

I'm pretty sure this is his mate.

Wilson's Snipe at Chestnut Hill Farm

I woke up early, and since it wasn't raining (as had been predicted), I headed out to check out some potential Southboro hotspots.  I was really hoping for some kind of odd goose (other than Canada), but I don't think I saw anything special.  It was also significantly cooler feeling than the 50 degrees reported.  There was quite a gusty wind, and I was cold in my sweatshirt!

Muskrat

Sudbury Reservoir at Parkerville Road

poss. Cackling Canada Goose

Chestnut Hill Farm

This is the only possible "odd" goose that I am not sure about.  There is a species called Cackling Goose, which looks identical to Canada goose, except that it is smaller in size.  This one was significantly smaller than the one to the left, so it could be a Cackling.  I'd prefer someone more expert in birding to confirm it before I claim it, though.

My friend Alan M. has confirmed for me that this was NOT a Cackling Goose.  He said that Canada Geese come in a variety of sizes and that the bill would be significantly shorter and stubbier on a Cackling.  So I continue to learn, and I will continue to search for odd geese.

Otto, an adorable Southboro resident

Killdeer

There were at least a dozen Killdeer in the fields at Chestnut Hill Farm.  Their white coloring was showing up nicely now that most of the snow is gone.

Wilson's Snipe

best sighting of the morning!

While I was scanning the edge of the field for Killdeer, this popped into my view.  It was a nice surprise.  I then stopped to chat with the owner of Otto and lost sight of it before I had secured a photo. I thought I had missed my chance, but luckily, I was able to spot it again in spite of its excellent camouflage!

Red-Winged Blackbird

On the way back through town, I stopped at Deerfield Road where I saw two Common Mergansers.

You can tell the season has officially changed for birds.  There are so many more around:  singing, bathing, flying in the sky over the fields.  It's wonderful!

I had to stop at Breakneck Hill Conservation Land on the way home.  Took a walk through and enjoyed the sights.  The sun started to peek out, too, but it didn't last long.

 Song Sparrow

These sparrows were serenading me from all sides.  A joy to hear it!

 Mourning Dove

Someone has repaired all the bird nesting boxes, and Tree Swallows, recently returned, have already claimed one of them.  Thank you!

Tree Swallow

 Breakfast!  

Back at home, my crocuses were not open, but with the raindrops on them, they were still so pretty!

Some Firsts for 2015

I actually saw the sun rise today!  Haven't done that in quite some time.  It was beautiful, and even though the sun disappeared behind clouds almost as soon as it rose, the clouds themselves were also stunning.

While I was enjoying the colors in the sky at Hopkinton State Park, I heard a strange hawk-like sound coming from the forest.  I spotted my first Wood Duck of 2015, a female, high in one of the trees.

I headed over to Southboro and checked out the water on the Sudbury Reservoir along Parkerville Road.  The little patch of open water was busy with Canada Geese, Common Mergansers, and Hooded Mergansers.

 Common Merganser (male)

Hooded Merganser pair

I stopped at Chestnut Hill Farm, too, and the sky was very beautiful above the open fields.

During my lunch break, I walked at Beals Preserve, which I found to be still quite snowy in the woods.  Ice Pond was still a good source of ice, and showed very little water at all, except a slight melting around the edges.   Down by the channel, a lot more of the ground was visible, so I thought I might return to check for American Woodcocks at sunset.

The channel was open and hosted Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Common Mergansers, Mallards, and Hooded Mergansers.  I also saw my first Tree Swallows of 2015 flying over the channel.  They are a good sign of spring.  Why?  Because they eat insects and can't come back until there is a steady food supply!

Black-Capped Chickadee

In the woods, I spotted Song Sparrows, a Brown Creeper, Black-Capped Chickadees, Dark-Eyed Juncos, and Tufted Titmice.

Back home, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised to find some color in my yard!

I did visit Beals Preserve at sunset and didn't have to wait long before I heard two American Woodcocks peenting and performing flight displays.  I saw one fly across the path, but otherwise could only hear the whistling of their wings in the air.  I wasn't able to spot them in the sky.  In the parking lot at Chestnut Hill Farm, I heard my first Killdeer of 2015, too.