I have not found great opportunity recently to get out birding recently. But fortunately I decided to make up for it this morning by spending half and hour at Hammond Pond.
Spotted Sandpiper
When I first stepped out of the car I couldn't help but feel a little disappointment at the lack of obvious avian activity at the pond. I couldn't see any herons or ducks, but I then started to scan the lily pads and was very excited to find a sandpiper with a tell-tale tail bobbing of a spotted sandpiper! In the past I have gotten the spotted and the solitary sandpipers confused as they generally have similar structure and coloring (at least when the spotted sandpiper is in its un-spotted winter molt), but no solitary has ever teetered like the spotted sandpiper. I was just reading about the spotted sandpiper and apparently they have a little gender role reversal with the females defending territory and the males raising the chicks.
A Wood Duck Family
With that sighting buoying my spirits, I headed towards the next overlook and heard a downy and a warbling vireo up in the trees. At the overlook two catbirds and a robin flushed from the brush while several noisy kingbirds flitted through the trees tops. Their electric song was quite thick as they chased each other around, making me think they must be a youngster and parents. I found another spotted sandpiper in quick order and noted a green heron in his silent vigil waiting for prey to pass while red-winged black birds moved around him searching the water lilies for food. Further towards the back of the pond a great blue heron took to wing with her heavy slow wing beats. Just as I was turning away, a family of wood ducks appeared as they were working their way towards open water. Mom moved along serenely while seven little ducklings sputtered around her obviously having much more trouble navigating the aquatic plants.
Hammond Pond
Just as I was reaching for the car door, I heard the high thin "see see see" of a cedar waxwing and a goldfinch calling from the lamp-post. While I may have only found 15 species (Canada geese, grackles, and house sparrows rounding out the count), I was quite contented with my morning.
I was enjoying the cooler weather this afternoon while walking around Boston and the Public Gardens. Initially, a fenced off section of the shore drew in my attention. As it turns out the mute swans had made a nest of twigs and sticks on the banks, but in addition to a preening swan, many mallards were making use of the undisturbed location. I turned to go when a little movement on the island in the pond caught my attention. When I was finally able to get a good look it turned out to be a black-crowned night-heron! I was pleasantly surprised by this accidental find in the middle of the city. So far, I have only had luck finding them in Boston, with this being my third sighting. I know that Haynes and Suzette have seen black-crowned night-herons at the vernal pool in Nahanton (you can see Suzette's picture here) and eBird shows sightings at Hammond Pond, Chestnut Hill Reservoir, and Auburndale Park. Before too long I'll have to run into a night heron in Newton between the Charles and all our ponds.
I opened my Newton Tab this morning expecting the same sleepy news, when I see a picture of a large black bear up in a tree in Chestnut Hill. On Tuesday morning residents on Pine Road off Hammond Street (just to the southeast of Hammond Pond) noticed the black bear running through the yard before climbing a tree. MassWildlife decided due to the bear's location in a highly populated area that they would tranquilize the bear and remove it to western Massachusetts. Fortunately the bear was quite lucky to hit some branches and land in a bush to break his fall. It has been reported that he survived without injury.
They later discovered that this was the same bear that had been captured on Cape Cod and moved to central Massachusetts. Initial sightings of black bears in the area come from the south end of Cutler Park. Then, as Suzette noted, a bear was seen across the Charles from Nahanton Park. If it is the same bear, then it probably crossed into Newton before heading into Brookline. My only encounter with black bears has been deep in the Appalachian Mountains (which is where I took this picture) so it makes this bear in our backyards that much more exciting. While we do not frequently have bears, black bears are known to be residents in northern Middlesex. Hopefully this means that the population of bears is doing well as black bears and people are able to co-exist as they tend not to be violent.
If you are interested here are some links to local news stories that have video and pictures. Newton Tab - With pictures and video Boston Globe - A nice article about what they should have done better to protect the bear. CBS Local - With pictures and video Map of black bear sightings . While we don't know that all these sightings are necessarily the same bear it is fun to speculate about his path nonetheless.
So I have to admit that my ability to identify my flowers is just a shadow of my knowledge of avian life, so if you have an idea of what this one is, please let me know!
A few days ago I got in an early morning at Millennium Park and beat our recent heat wave. The first thing I heard were red-wing blackbirds, robins, song sparrows, and savannah sparrows. The introductory notes and two buzzy phrases of their songs compelled me to start up the hillside in search of these grass loving sparrows. While the first group of birds I came across were house sparrows, I quickly found plenty of savannahs, with the males all jockeying for good perches from which to sing. I was actually slightly surprised by the amount of savannah song, I would have thought they would be in chick raising mode, not defending territory and finding mates. During the summer months they primarily eat insects (including spittle bugs), while in the winter they switch to seeds. One male hopped up on a sign post right in front of me (it was the tallest perch around) and started to sing. This allowed me to grab a good recording of a song that is often too faint. I also had some great views of his yellow eyebrow that is his most striking feature. The savannah sparrows song is roughly similar to our more common song sparrows. Both have several introductory notes and end in trills. But while the song sparrow has a highly variable middle portion, the savannah has another trill that is a higher pitch than the trill he ends with.
Red-winged Blackbird
After spending some time amongst the savannah sparrows, I headed back down the hill towards the boat ramp. In the marshy area right by the parking lot red-winged blackbirds were calling and even found a female or juvenile with a good amount of orange on the head the throat. When the water is low, mudflats along the Charles are revealed and provide shorebird habitat. But today, with higher water, only two mallards were working the weeds. Warbling vireos, Baltimore orioles, downys, cardinals and a female red-breasted grosbeak were all found along the path near the river.
Female Yellow Warbler with Caterpiller
Yellow warblers seemed to be everywhere I turned, with males singing brightly and numerous females foraging as well. Tree swallows were likewise ubiquitous, sweeping low over the river or above the grassy hillsides. I kept checking the brook hoping for herons or rails (I once found a sora here). Just as I was thinking it was odd that I hadn't seen a single heron, two great blues flew over head, one after the other.
Cedar Waxwing
On the side of the park opposite the river, I encountered a gregarious flock of cedar waxwings with one individual who almost seemed to pose for me. She was lacking the waxy red tips of her wing feathers which are so endearing to this species. Does this mean she was a younger bird? But the silken smoothness of the rest of her feathers was quite evident. All the while watching the waxwings, a common yellowthroat's song came floating up from the marsh. Even though I spent a fair amount of time looking, yellow warblers were the closest thing I found.
Beyond the birds, there was a small mouse or vole that ran across the trail, but it was so fast I didn't get a chance to check it out. I was able to get three good pictures of the wildflowers being grown on the hillsides that make Millennium Park such a great habitat. I didn't have enough space to share them here, so I'll post a new flower picture every few days so you can see them.
