eBird Report - Hartwell Family Memorial Preserve, Hartwell Ave., Littleton, MA, 3/6/10

Location:     Hartwell Family Memorial Preserve, Hartwell Ave., Littleton, MA
Observation date:     3/6/10
Notes:     I just had to get out on this gorgeous fair weather day! So, I decided to take my first stroll of the year around the Hartwell Preserve, which is just down the street from my home. As figured, numerous BC Chickadees and Titmice were seen and heard. The Red-wings and the Grackle was seen around the wetland are that encompasses Beaver Brook. The Sharpie was seen flying over the fields that are located nearby. And please note, the Barred Owl was heard giving its characteristic grouping of hoots 3 times. It is heard almost daily, (for like I stated earlier, our home is fairly close to the Preserve) but I am never able to get on it. If anyone is curious as to directions to the Hartwell Preserve, please feel free to email me! (Here is a web address for those who desire a little background information on the Preserve: http://www.littletonconservationtrust.org/guide/hartwell/hartwell.html) Good birding to all!
Number of species:     15

Canada Goose - Branta canadensis     4
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos     3 (fly-over around Beaver Brook)
Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus     1 (over fields near Beaver Brook)
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     3
Barred Owl - Strix varia     1 (judging from location of hooting, seems near Proctor Hill)
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     2
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     3
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     X
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     X
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     4
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     6
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     3 (Beaver Brook area)
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula     1 (Beaver Brook area)

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/massaudubon/)

Sharp-shinned Hawk at our home in Littleton, MA

Hello fellow birders!

My Dad was up and at 'em this morning, and while making coffee, he looked out our back window overlooking our main feeder that is surrounded by lilac bushes and a firebush, he noticed a small raptor chowing down on his most recent kill. So, he came upstairs to wake me up to tell me that a small raptor was enjoying breakfast near the feeder underneath the firebush. I immediately jumped out of bed (this was around 9 am) to witness this spectacle. After conferring with my field guides at hand, we had a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk gorging himself on, as I later found out, a Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco. I watched the Sharpie for about 10 minutes, admiring him before deciding to hit the sack again (didn't fall asleep til 3 am because I was engrossed in a very good book). Also, while the Sharpie was busy with his meal, a bold Blue Jay kept harassing him from atop the main feeder, though the little hawk paid the Jay no attention. Just wanted to share that with ya folks! A good way to start the day (even though I did fall back asleep afterwards)!