More signs of Spring have become evident with the coming of the Eastern Phoebe! The phoebe I observed at Nashoba Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in Westford was not the first one nor would it be the last one for today! When I got up this morning, after having showered and had breakfast, I observed a singing Eastern Phoebe on the edges of our backyard while taking Mr. Gildor, our Corgi, outside for a bathroom break. And as the phoebe at Nashoba was not the last one, another was heard singing along Gray Farm Road in Littleton while taking Gildor for a walk late this afternoon, after having done my 4 miles worth of trekking at Nashoba.
It sure was a pleasant day to be outside, in spite of the brisk winds and slightly-below-normal temperatures. Today's little excursion started off with coming across 5 Golden-crowned Kinglets way up in the tops of the pines along the Woodland Loop Trail. Onwards, while on the trails situated on lands owned by the Westford Conservation Trust that connect the 2 parcels of property that make up Nashoba Brook, I came upon a Brown Creeper going from tree to tree, singing its lovely, ethereal song....a treat that was since the song of the creeper is one of my favorites! Lastly, the other most notable species of bird I came across was while on the trails near Nonset Brook that reside within property owned and maintained by the Westford Conservation Commission. These trails also connect to the MAS lands comprising Nashoba Brook. This particular species was a pair of calling Common Ravens observed flying just above the treetops heading northwards. I just love their guttural croak! The full listing of birds seen at MAS Nashoba Brook Wildlife Sanctuary are below:
Location: Nashoba Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Observation date: 3/28/11
Number of species: 17
Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos 6
Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 1
Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 1
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 3
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 5
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 1
American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 15
Common Raven - Corvus corax 2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 18
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 6
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 14
Brown Creeper - Certhia americana 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - Regulus satrapa 5
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 2
Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
Before I depart here, I also wanted to mention a bird I have never had in our yards at home before until this past Saturday, that being a lone Fox Sparrow that came around late afternoon time (4:15 to 5:40), kicking up the ground very much in the fashion of an Eastern Towhee.....twas only the 3rd time I had ever seen a Fox Sparrow! Below is the full listing of birds in our yards observed at that time:
Location: 83 Hartwell Avenue, Littleton, MA 01460
Observation date: 3/26/11
Notes: First Fox Sparrow I have ever seen in our yard, only the 3rd Fox Sparrow I have seen in my life thus far (first in 2009 in Sanbornton, NH; 2nd in 2010 at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary).
Number of species: 15
Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 4
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 1
Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus 1
Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 2
Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 7
Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis 2
White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 2
Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus 2
Fox Sparrow (Red) - Passerella iliaca iliaca/zaboria 1
Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) - Junco hyemalis hyemalis/carolinensis 5
Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 2
House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus 6
American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
It has been another good year of birding thus far! Get out there folks and enjoy it! Happy birding!!
