Barred Owl!

Lots of activity at Nahanton Park after the Nor'easter! Sparrows -- Swamp --

White-crowned -- 

 Field --

and of course lots of White-throated Sparrows, which come in an amazing variety of looks --

Also the usual Song Sparrows and Juncos, as well as this beautiful Eastern Towhee --  

There were also lots of Kinglets, of both crowns, and of course House Finches --  

A surprise was the number of Purple Finches! At least six --

Sadly, Nahaton Park is regarded by some as a dumpsite. Both these shots were taken along Florrie's Path --

The high-point was this Barred Owl I found in a tall pine near the highest point of the path along the edge of the JCC property!

Fruits of the cold front

 The Brookline Bird Club walk on Saturday morning netted 42 species at Nahanton Park. Almost immediately we encountered the cryptic bird shown fuzzily at right. I think this is a juvenile male Purple Finch.

A nice surprise in the upper garden was a couple of Indigo Buntings,

and this yellow Palm Warbler, both firsts for me this fall at the park.

Florrie's walk gave up a male Belted Kingfisher, and the upper (Woodcock) meadow produced the bird of the day, Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 

Birding in the rain

A hardy group headed out in variable rain on a Newton Conservators/Friends of Nahanton Park bird walk this morning. Pretty good showing of both birds and birders! Florrie's Path had a nice mixed flock with Red-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and three warbler species including this Blackpoll Warbler.

We found six sparrow species, inclduding a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow in the upper garden and a Field Sparrow in the lower.