Sue Avery Walk

Blue Dasher, ID by H. Miller

Sue Avery, who was very active in our Newton Conservators group, blew into town this week from Long Island where she and her family moved 5 years ago. Luckily, our schedules worked out and we were able to tour Nahanton Park before she left.

It's always fun to walk with her because she has such a vast knowledge of the plant life, in addition to birds and insects. Like Haynes, she is fascinated by dragonflies and damsel flies. We're not sure which kind this is, but hopefully Haynes will give us an i.d.

I was so hoping we might hear the bobwhite that Haynes heard a few days ago, as we walked around the gardens, but sadly, we didn't. On Long Island, there are programs to reintroduce bobwhite and quail to certain wildlife areas. I wish we had something like that going on here. We saw our regulars: goldfinches, robins, song sparrows, mockingbirds, blue jays and cardinals.

Green Heron

When we cut through the woods to the soccer field, we hit a little hot spot and were most excited to see a few blue gray gnatcatchers, an oriole couple, a warbling vireo,some titmice and a glimpse of some kind of warbler that had black, white and bright yellow, but it was so brief that I wouldn't dare identify  it. Sue saw a large clump of feathers in a tree. It looked rather odd, but turned out to be a baby flicker.

The pond was disappointing - no herons and no sandpipers or ducks. The pickerel weed is in bloom, but Sue was distressed to see we have some lythrum starting to take in the pond which is highly invasive. If anyone wants to or dares to tromp through the mud in their waders and pull it up, it would be appreciated!! She said now is the time to catch it before the pond is overwhelmed.

We continued on by the river path and shortly before we turned off to head to the upper gardens, we were delighted to spot one of the green herons preening on a log.

All in all, it was a beautiful, sunny day and every time I visit Nahanton,  I am so grateful that we have this park. It's such a wonderful antidote to life's pressures and a great opportunity to enjoy nature with good friends.

Sue is an ecologically oriented landscape designer.

Check out Sue's website and blog.

Bobwhite?

On Friday morning, in the front of the upper garden, I heard "Bob White ... Bob White." Nothing more, and I didn't see the speaker. Mary Lou was not far away and didn't hear this .... Still, what else could it be. I spent some time there again this morning, with no luck.  Lots of hummingbirds, and the pond was active.

New odonts, both from the upper field:

Black-shouldered Spinyleg

Meadowhawk

Bird list:

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  3     river
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  3     pond
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)  5     pond
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)  5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  5 upper garden
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  3
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  3
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) (Colaptes auratus auratus/luteus)  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)  3
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  5
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  4
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  4
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)  6
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)  1 path betw pond and soccer field
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  45
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  10
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)  7
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  10
Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)  1     pond
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  2
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  5
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)  1     brief song
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  4
Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)  2     females. belly entirely yellow. Path betw pond and soccer field
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  2
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  10
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  10

Oh deer...

Doe

It was 63 degrees and overcast as I headed down Winchester Street to the Park. I hadn't gone far, when I saw a beautiful doe on someone's front lawn. I had to stop and take her picture. I've been seeing a lot of deer lately - maybe because the fawns are older now?

As I headed into the lower gardens I was greeted by several chickadees in an oak tree overhanging the path. I could hear some yellow warblers singing and I could hear a pee wee singing from way up in the woods behind the upper gardens! The gardens are in high gear and the flowers are beautiful. Huge, towering sunflowers and fragrant lilies, morning glories in blue and carmine, zinnias blasting bright pink, red and orange - a visual delight. There were robins and house wrens and a hummingbird buzzing around. The weeds made me think of the show "Oklahoma" because

Catbird with Dragonfly Treat

the weeds were definitely as high as an elephants eye! The catbird pictured at left was very excited to find a prize dragonfly to eat and had to pose and show it off. Goldfinches and a female common yellowthroat were very interested in the goodies in the garden closest to the path to the upper gardens.

The only time I see snakes is when they've been run over which is rather sad. There was a beautiful garter snake on the path, but it was flattened. The meadow is blooming and the purple liatris has now joined the white daisies, yellow St. Johns Wort, Queen Anne's lace and yellow coneflowers but there is far too much of the weedy artemesia. I miss the pink cosmos that was planted by the City after that awful snow dumping.

Queen Anne's Lace

House Wren Family

In the upper gardens were cardinals, song sparrows, an oriole and a wren
couple feeding their very noisy babies. They must be very close to leaving the nest box. The parents took turns finding bugs and feeding the hungry brood. Around the other side of the gardens, a blue-gray gnatcatcher was busy flitting here and there.

As I headed toward the path to go through the woods to the soccer field, a light rain started so I decided to head to the car instead and put my camera away. I was looking forward to checking out the herons that Hayne's has been seeing down by the river. The rain lasted longer than I thought, so I drove around to the other entrance hoping the rain would stop by

Sunflower

then. It didn't, but I found if I stayed under the trees, the rain was so light, I could stay dry. I didn't see any herons near the river, so I headed to the pond. Just I walked down the little path, the big blue heron must have been nearby and it flew off across the pond. They are amazingly large birds. And as I looked closer, I was pleased to see one of the green herons sitting on a log and unphased by my presence. And of course there was a sandpiper (spotted) mucking about in the mud!

Check out the website as some of the fall walks have been added and more to come!

Good fishing days

The three Green Herons were on the same three logs across from the dock this morning. Here are today's Dragonflies:

Male Blue Dasher

Female Blue Dragonlet?

Female Eastern Pondhawk

Besides the Dragonfly, I came across two birds stuck for various amounts of time in netting like this. At the least, I think the garden should ban netting across the tops of plots. 

There were also a lot of birds:

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  2     pond
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)  1
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  3     Lined up exactly as before, across the river
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  3
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)  1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)  4
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1     f
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  5
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) (Colaptes auratus auratus/luteus)  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)  3     some song
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  1
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)  1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  3
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  2
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  6
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  1
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  4     bridge
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  6
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  5
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  3
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)  8
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  45
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  12     mostly quiet
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)  2
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  10
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  4
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  10
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  8
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)  1     im M
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  2
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  3
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  10

Never a dull moment

A visit to Nahanton Park is never without its surprises. Today it was the three Green Herons lined up across the river from the boat launch (conspicuous but too far for a good picture); the Northern Water Snake at the picnic tables;

the deer thundering into the upper field, realizing this wasn't a good place to be either, and thundering off again, seen later quietly in the woods

The odont of the day was Common Whitetail, male

and female

Here's the bird list

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1     pond
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  4     one flyover early at lower garden; 3 lined up on far bank of the Charles at the boat launch.
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)  3
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1     f
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  6
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) (Colaptes auratus auratus/luteus)  2
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  1     back of upper garden
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  2     song; one at river, one in forest
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  2     song
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  4
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  1
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  5
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  8
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  4
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  4
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)  7     noisy
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1     Nature Center
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  40
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  12
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  1
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  5
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  10
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  15
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)  1     im m, path by soccer field
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  15
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  1     Nature Center

bunnies, birds, bugs, and pipes

Nice morning at Nahanton Park, with lots of breeding activity, as Suzette said. In addition to the birds and bunnies, I saw a couple of groundhogs run out of the lower garden, and identified four Dragonfly species in the upper ("Woodcock") field: Twelve-spotted Skimmer and the three flashy males shown below.

Slaty Skimmer

Widow Skimmer

Eastern Amberwing

Also, the Indian Pipe Monotropa uniflora is in full "bloom" in the forest (near the fork):

Here's the bird list:

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  2     pond
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1     pond
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  1
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  3
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) (Colaptes auratus auratus/luteus)  2
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)  3
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  2
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)  2     pr, in trees between pond and soccer field
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  3     silent
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  3
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  5
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  6
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  3
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)  8     Lots of song
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  30
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  12     silent
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)  1     upper field
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  2     im
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  10
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  1     upper field
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  15
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  4
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  1
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  4
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  5     all female type
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  8

Good to be back!

Cedar Waxwing

It's been far too long since I've been able to get to the park. It was so nice to go over this morning. It was a pleasant 66 degrees and overcast and thankfully, not very buggy.

I was immediately greeted by the bubbly song of a house wren which is always a nice way to start the morning. As I started down the path to the lower gardens, I heard very high pitched sounds and I started looking for cedar waxwings. And there they were - all around me! Even got to see one feeding it's

Waxwing baby being fed

baby! There were bunnies of all different sizes all over the place. I saw some disturbing looking fluttering coming from some netting and I went over to investigate. There was a young cardinal caught inside. I went to try and help her, but she finally figured out how to exit the way she most likely got in - through an opening in the bottom on the ground. Thank god she got out of there. She was very panicked.

There were robins, song sparrows, mourning doves and maybe one or two yellow warblers. What was noticeable was the lack of tree swallows and yellow warblers. Time is marching on....

Yellow Warbler

The upper gardens yielded some chickadees doing their aerial feeding gymnastics in the trees, more bunnies, cardinals, chickadees, goldfinches and a flicker. Caught a really quick  glimpse of a hummingbird, but couldn't even tell if it was a male or female. I'm just glad it was there. A catbird meowed from some shrubs at the back. The sumac is starting to bloom as well as lythrum, fleabane, St. Johns wort and coneflowers in the meadow. A beautiful color palette of white, yellow and purple.

Gloriosa Daisy

The gardens are looking quite successful with lots of ripening vegetables and the 6ft or more towering sunflowers are in bloom. They're always so spectacular! I headed down to the soccer field where I could hear the titmice calling from the woods. I was hoping for a heron or sandpiper in the pond, but just as I got there it started raining. I was worried about my camera, so I headed back and saw this gorgeous doe in the meadow!

Doe

It's just amazing what you can see when you least expect it. We are so lucky to have this park. I'm including a photo from a very brief visit yesterday, where I saw this butterfly that I don't think I've ever seen before. It's called a red spotted purple and it looked as if it had just emerged from its cocoon as it was on the gravel drying its wings in the sun.

Red Spotted Purple Butterfly

The firestation is fully ensconced but doesn't seem to be bothering anything. I hope they enjoy their beautiful surroundings! There will be some great fall bird walks that I'll be posting soon to the NahantonPark.org website, so please check it out soon....