Loss of a Great Horned Owl at Forest Grove Reservation

Muscovy Duck (Domestic)

Today I joined the bird walk along the Charles sponsored by the Newton Conservators and the Waltham Land Trust. The walk focused on the Auburndale Park area along the Charles. I was about 30 minutes late when I parked by the old watch factory in Waltham and was walking quickly when I was surprised to find a pure white water fowl. Upon closer inspection it proved to be a Muscovy Duck! The wild Muscovy is native to Central and South America, but this all white duck is a domesticated type. (There is an article here about domestic and hybrid ducks). The only other time I have ever seen a Muscovy was a pretty black and white duck domestic loose in the middle of the Australian bush, go figure. This is also only the 3rd ebird record in MA. I snapped a quick picture and carried on. When I finally caught up to the group they were enjoying great views of a number of Wood Ducks, Mallards, and a pair of Mute Swans with goslings. Just then a large accipiter flew across the river. Because it was so large is was likely a Cooper's though I didn't see it well enough to be sure.

Mute Swan and goslings

We continued into Forest Grove Reservation and the Flowed Meadow wetlands. We heard a few Cowbirds and lots of Red-Winged Blackbirds. Further into the Flowed Meadow I thought I heard the high, thin, wheezy notes of a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. I fell behind most of the group to see if my eyes could confirm what my ears had already told me. It took a little bit of work but we finally found it and could see its small build and the white feathers on the edges of his long tail. This little wonder of the forests looks like a small Mockingbird, is shy and quick like a warbler, but has little musical skill. Further along, three Downy Woodpeckers were calling and tussling. Were the two males arguing over territory or a mate? When we finally entered Auburndale Park proper, we found a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Chipping Sparrow, and a second Gnatcatcher.

On our way back towards the cars, Alison, one of our group leaders, found a dead Great Horned Owl! At first I was quite confused thinking she had found an owl pellet and didn't figure it out until I could see the owl. While in actuality he was a quite large owl, his stiff body and rumpled feathers seemed diminished compared to the Great Horned Owls of Houghton Gardens. While the spark that gave this owl life was gone, up close you could truly appreciate his massive talons and heavy beak. The rumpled feathers revealed his downy under coat to be a rich auburn and the feathers of his ear tufts seemed so wispy and fragile. We all wanted to think that he was an old man of forest and had peacefully died in his sleep and slipped off his White Pine. We quickly tried to alert those who might be interested in a dead owl, but on a Saturday it took a couple of hours to find a home for him at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology who arranged to collect the owl. While it was sad to to think that this powerful predator will no longer grace our forests with his silent flight and haunting calls, I hope that he may yet be able to contribute to science and conservation.