Some thoughts about birding....

I have only been seriously bird watching for a few years now, many many thanks to my good friend Kirk Marshall for turning me into a monster (or bird nerd). I have absolutely loved every moment of it, but I guess what irks me a little bit, at least from my own perceptions, is that some people just do it to get a target bird and thats it.

Believe me, I want to see every bird in the world if I had the means and time to do so (sadly I do not), but for me, when I am out birding, I'm not only out there to see the target bird that Kirk and/or I have identified pursuing via Massbird or through some other avenue of communication. I am out there to become enveloped by Nature's grandeur, taking in all the sights and sounds, the whole atmosphere, soaking up the entire experience. (Hence my love for such places as Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson, NH and Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge in Harvard, MA)

Yeah, I do get disappointed if I miss a target bird (and I admittedly sometimes do not let myself be calmed by my environs)....failed on getting to see the Tufted Duck in Wayland on the Sudbury River and also the Eurasian Green-winged Teal at Nine-Acre Corner that were both seen in late winter of this year, but most of the time, I am just happy to be outside. Even if I see one or many common birds, I soak it up, try to watch their antics, their behaviours (the soaring flight of a Red-tailed Hawk, the acrobatics of a Black-capped Chickadee) and I am always amazed by some of my favorite common birds (the bright gold and cute chatterings of an American Goldfinch, the laughing call and mannerisms of a White-breasted Nuthatch).

I know many people share and feel and love the same way that I do about birds, wildlife and nature in general, but I wish everybody could. Take stock in what a wonderful planet we live on, with all the landscapes and gorgeous wildlife that call it home. That is why it is so important that we take the time to enjoy every moment of it and do what we can to help preserve, maintain and help thrive what hasn't been developed by the destructive tendencies of mankind. For I know we have been falling down a deep trench for a while now and its going to be a while before most everyone truly appreciates what we have and what needs to be done to ensure the health of our planet.

So, when next you find yourself in the mesmerizing gaze of Nature's sweet beauty, please, take a moment, inhale deeply, sense acutely and just take it all in, because it is these moments in time when life is at its sweetest, its very best!!!

eBird Report - Memorial Forest, Sudbury, MA , 3/5/10

Here are some directions copied from the Sudbury Valley Trustees website:

From Sudbury Center (the intersection of Concord Road and Route 27), take Hudson Road west (staying left on Hudson rather than following Route 27 north) for 2.0 mi to Dutton Road on the left. Take Dutton Road 1.8 mi, staying on Dutton Road by bearing right at intersection with Garrison, to an unpaved access on the right into a parking area under pine trees. There is an SVT sign at the entrance to the parking area.

Location:     Memorial Forest, Sudbury, MA
Observation date:     3/5/10
Notes:     A vast and glorious pine forest at Memorial with some wetlands and several brooks running through the property. Numerous Black-capped Chickadees (seemed to be BC Chickadee central!) and Tufted Titmice. The highlights of course was the lone Eastern Bluebird and the Red-breasted Nuthatch. My inclination is that there were probably more RB Nuthatches around, but I find they tend to be more seclusive than their White-breasted brethren. If anybody decides to check out Memorial Forest, you'll need waterproof boots with good grip (still packed ice and snow along trails) and the loop south of Trout Brook is partially flooded (you'll have to do some trekking around it).
Number of species:     9

Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis     3
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     4
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     3
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     X
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     X
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis     1
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     4
Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis     1

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

eBird Report - 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460 , 3/5/10 - Very vocal Carolina Wrens!

Location:     83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date:     3/5/10
Notes:     Definitely the first time I have seen 2 Carolina Wrens on our property at the same time! Always a pleasure! The 4 House Finches (2 m, 2 f) have been the first ones I have seen since December. All in all a fairly active morning at our home in Littleton.
Number of species:     17

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     3
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     3
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus     3
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     3
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos     2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     7
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     6
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     3
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus     2
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     4
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     1
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis     2
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis     3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     3
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus     4
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis     1

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

eBird Report - 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460, 3/3/10: Red-wings = Sign of Spring!

Location:     83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date:     3/3/10
Notes:     After having come home to a raucous of varying bird calls (most notably the flock of Red-wings), I decided to spend some time observing all the feeders as well as the property itself around the house. I am so very excited to hear/see Red-wings....a true sign that spring is close-at-hand!
Number of species:     12

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus     1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     6
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     4
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     1
American Robin - Turdus migratorius     2
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis     3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus     26
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis     1

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

eBird Report - 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460 , 2/7/10 - Focus on Feeders Watch

Location:     83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date:     2/7/10
Notes:     This eBird Report is of my list of observed birds for Mass Audubon's "Focus on Feeders" program. The Eastern Towhee has been a regular visitor for approximately 3 weeks during the last 2 weeks of December and the first week of January. It hadn't been seen since until yesterday in the late morning (stayed underneath the Holly near our back porch, then would pop out over to underneath the main feeder to scrounge around for fallen sunflower seeds. This is about 15 feet from our main feeder (Black Sunflower seeds). It would stick around until about Noon time, then fly off.
Number of species:     15

Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus     1
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     3
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus     1
Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus     1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata     3
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     6
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     5
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     1
Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus     1
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia     1
White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis     2
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis     3
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis     2
American Goldfinch - Carduelis tristis     3

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

eBird Report - Memorial Forest, Sudbury, MA , 1/27/10

Location:     Memorial Forest, Sudbury, MA
Observation date:     1/27/10
Notes:     Saw and heard the 2 Ravens while walking back to the parking lot when walking over the boardwalk that crosses Hop Brook (near the confluence of Hop Brook and Trout Brook in Memorial Forest.
Number of species:     6

Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens     2
Common Raven - Corvus corax     2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus     3
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor     4
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis     1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis     3

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

eBird Report - 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460 , 1/13/10

Location:     83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date:     1/13/10
Notes:     The Eastern Towhee has been a regular visitor for the past 3 weeks, especially in the early morning and in the late afternoon/early evening hours flitting back and forth from underneath our porch which is surrounded by snow, holly bushes and lilac bushes to the backyard feeder, picking off fallen black sunflower seeds that other birds have dropped.
Number of species:     13

Mourning Dove     2
Downy Woodpecker     3
Hairy Woodpecker     2
Blue Jay     5
Black-capped Chickadee     7
Tufted Titmouse     6
White-breasted Nuthatch     1
Eastern Towhee     1
White-throated Sparrow     10
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)     6
Northern Cardinal     3
House Finch     1
American Goldfinch     2

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