A Birdy Spring Afternoon at Newton Cemetery

Newton Cemetery

Earlier this month there was a mass bird post from some Newton birders noting the warblers they found at Newton Cemetery. That reminded me that Suzette and Scott would posts from the Cemetery, noting rarities like a Eurasian Widgeon. Between that and wanting to stay out of really woodsy areas for tick purposes, Newton Cemetery seemed like a great destination on Sunday. Similar to its more famous cousin, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Newton Cemetery is a garden cemetery and its beauty struck me as soon as I entered the grounds just after 5pm. The azaleas and rhododendrons were in full bloom and the massive oaks lining the shores of the ponds added to the serenity.

Red-tailed Hawk in a Rhododendron

Blue jays and warbling vireos assaulted my ears as I walked the roads and paths following the ponds and streams across the grounds. Baltimore orioles added their wonderful songs to the air. I ran across a large group of agitated grackles who alerted me to the presence of a red-tailed hawk they were mobbing. The hawk seemed almost oblivious to me, being more concerned with keeping her head down or wanting me to flush a rabbit, squirrel, or muskrat on my walk. (Cornell Lab of Ornithology has an awesome streaming camera on a red-tailed hawk nest full of young hawks).

Warbling Vireo

At the next pond a dry rattle announced the presence of a belted kingfisher who shyly headed off before I could see more than some blue wings. Though a pair of eastern kingbirds didn't seem to mind as they called constantly making a few splash-downs on the surface of the pond. Were they hunting or drinking? If the later it was so much less elegant than a swallow's graceful in-flight drink. The path along the little steam yielded a warbling vireo, while he didn't want to sit still he seemed to enjoy the attention I was giving him from just a few yards away as he flitted between branches and occasionally dove at the stream making and auditory splash before returning to the brush. Was he drinking? After about 20 blurry pictures I finally got a good pose. This close encounter with the warbling vireo was certainly the highlight of the walk.

A Juvenile Robin

The only warblers were some Yellows, but the abundance of brightly colored orioles made up for the low warbler count. On my way back, I again passed the mob of grackles and the red-tail, I was starting to feel sorry for her, but the harassing must have been worth it or she would have moved further away. Just then I saw a flash of dark blue across the lake and was able to finally have a distant but good view of the belted kingfisher with her double breast bands of navy and burnt orange. A great way to end my walk at the Newton Cemetery.