West Bridgewater State Forest

I went birding in West Bridgewater State Forest last Sunday. Steve suggested it since he had noticed on a map of the Bridgewater area. We're always looking for new places to go hiking and birding, plus we're also slightly obsessed with Hockomock Swamp...

I was a little disappointed not to see anyone else out enjoying the beautiful weather this past weekend. There was plenty of evidence of people partying in the area, and ATV tracks, but that was it. Lucky for me I hit it up in off-peak hours! I got to enjoy the sounds of the woodpeckers, chickadees and robins. I also encountered some red squirrels, which scared the heck out me.

I saw Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers (a lifer!).

Red-bellied Woodpecker:

The red squirrels I encountered while I was walking by a historic stone wall. Steve and I encounter these a lot while hiking in New England. I remember learning as a child about early settlers who cleared the land for farming and used the rocks to build fences. Then, as they found the land to be too resistant to crop-growing they abandoned it and headed West leaving their fences behind.

I just did a little follow-up research and learned these interesting tidbits about New England stone walls:

- In addition to boundary lines, they were also used for animal fences
- There was an official "fence viewer" who would inspect the fences to make sure they were structurally sound
- If they were deemed sound the farmer wasn't liable for any damage done to his crops by other farmers' animals
- 1775 - 1825 was known as the Golden Age of stone wall building

To read the full article visit: http://www.primaryresearch.org/stonewalls/schweizer/index.php

So back to the red squirrels- they scared the heck out of me when I was approaching a trail that cross through the fence. They came barrelling through the woods toward me and one ran up a nearby tree and the other sat on top of the stone fence- both chattering away at me.

I assumed they must have had a nest nearby, and sure enough on the way back I noticed one of them run into this little nook under the stone wall:

Here are some pictures of the state forest in case any of you Southeastern Mass residents are interested in visiting. There's also a good overview of the area I found on a mountain biking website: http://www.nemba.org/ridingzone/West_Meadows.html

The recent snow melting left the trails very muddy and many sections of the trail were flooded. I hope it's drier next time I go back.

Difference Between Grackles and Starlings

I saw a sad sight today during my lunchtime jog—a dead grackle. Or was it a starling? I'll get to that in a minute. I was making my way down to the trail along the Charles River when I saw what I thought was an injured bird in the middle of the road. It was just sitting there and I figured it was just stunned or maybe had an injured wing. The bird probably didn't have much of a chance, but the least I could move it out of the road. As I got closer to the bird I saw it had its mouth open and then I realized the gruesome truth—it was dead and was frozen in that position. I just got shivers thinking about it. The poor thing. Anyway, so it got me to thinking 'What is the difference between grackles and starlings?' I use the two interchangeably and haven't really made an effort to sort it out. Until now. I like to use All About Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as an online resource. The site is comprehensive and easy to use. (I also really like the 'Cool ...

Killdeer Chick in Yellowstone National Park

These were taken at West Thumb Geyser Basis, along the beach. It was really cool to get to watch these little chicks up close and personal. I had never seen Killdeer chicks before- only adults. These pictures are from our trip to Montana/Wyoming in July 2012.

Indigo Bunting at Mt. Auburn Cemetery- Lifer!

I was so excited to see my first Indigo Bunting today. I quickly ran over to Mt. Auburn during lunch to take advantage of peak warbler season before it's over. I'm going to be in San Francisco for work all next week so I fear by the time I get back the birds will have moved on. There were a lot of birders there today and of course lots of activity around the Dell. That's where I saw a flash of blue fly into the undergrowth at the edge of the water. None of the other birders with scopes set up were bothering to look at it. I'm assuming they had already seen it and were focusing on other more exciting birds- such as the pair of screech owls that have been reported at the Dell recently. Here is where I first sighted him at the edge of the water. There was also a female cardinal there splashing around trying to cool off. He then flew up into the bushes on top of the wall behind the Dell, where I got a better picture. I was very pleased with the day! It's addicting tho...

BirdingGirl

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