Migration may be over, but I had a whopper of a list after birding this morning. 60 species! Most of these birds can be found along our walking trails (a few hints are below if you want to come and have a look). I’ll admit the ducks were not on the Pond trail. I’ll also admit that the Bobolink was at a large, grassy meadow owned by Norcross in Monson, where I went to see them and hoped to see an Eastern Meadowlark. Unfortunately, there was no Meadowlark but I did learn a wonderful useless fact of the day: The latin for Eastern Meadowlark is Sturnella magna, which means “large little starling” and I hope that is on Jeopardy tonight!
Wood Duck
Mallard
Wild Turkey
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture (look up)
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Woodcock (be observant in the Pine Barrens and also near the Visitors’ Center)
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo*
Yellow-billed Cuckoo*
*A note on the Cuckoos this year…Cuckoos like caterpillars, and we have plenty of gypsy moth caterpillars for them to eat. Cuckoos are also called “rain crows” by some, and are said to call before showers. Between the gypsys and the weather, no wonder we’ve seen them both!
Barred Owl (listen, especially as the train goes through Monson. We can hear the whistle it all the way up here and often it gets the owls hooting)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-peewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe (over the front door)
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird (best spot for viewing is in front of the Trailside Museum)
Veery
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula (good luck)
Yellow Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart (everywhere)
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush (lower trail)
Common Yellowthroat (Pine Barrens)
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting (Pine Barrens)
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow (sorry)
