Sightings
Bald Eagle Sightings Near the Lloyd Center
The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus lecocephalus), the largest bird of prey in Massachusetts, at one time suffered similar fates to many bird species, including targeted killing, habitat loss, and mortality due to DDT and other pesticide uses, which ultimately resulted in federal endangerment status effective in 1967. Protections efforts brought eagles back and off the Federal…
Read MoreRare Woodpecker Visits Lloyd Center Feeders
This past week, during a winter thus far without any apparent finch irruptions but the routine visitors coming and going, one extremely rare avian visitor stopped by for a bite. On Tuesday January 11, it was confirmed that a juvenile Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) had been feeding on our suet basket. Not to be mistaken…
Read MoreMigrant Birds Surround Us
by Jamie Bogart, Lloyd Center Research Associate On September 24, both a Red-breasted Nuthatch and Blue-headed Vireo visited our bird feeders at the Lloyd Center for the Environment. Compared to our familiar White-breasted Nuthatch, the red-breasted breeds further north and is less common, except during irruption years when high numbers head south due to food…
Read MoreThe Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa), and the Winter Wren (Troglodytes, troglodytes), at the Lloyd Center.
Winter is widely heralded as the best time to watch songbirds come and go from backyard birdfeeders, but less commonly as a time to observe obscure species out in the woods. An exception to this rule is during the Christmas Bird Count, when birders across the nation tally birds everywhere in all habitats to help…
Read MoreScreech-Owl sighting in Padanaram
Chelese Selter kindly submitted these photos of an Eastern Screech-Owl she spotted the other day while in Padanaram. The Eastern Screech-Owl is a short, stocky bird, with a large head and almost no neck. Its wings are rounded; its tail is short…
Read MoreLloyd Center for the Environment Feeder Visitor – Yellow-headed Blackbird!
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 Greetings birders! As of yesterday and still present today, was a female Yellow-headed Blackbird, which has meshed in with the rest of the blackbird mixed flock (redwings, BH cowbirds, grackles) at the ground under our bird feeders. A life bird for me, Sibley’s says it’s a rarity. So if not a…
Read MoreGreat Horned Owl Sighting
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) A month after his vintage Peregrine Falcon sighting, birder Gary Reardon returns with another great sighting of a seldom seen bird, this Great Horned Owl. Owls are raptors just like hawks, but through natural selection evolved as a bird group fully equipped to occupy a nocturnal niche on our landscape.…
Read MorePeregrine Falcon Sighting
Peregrine Falcon – Falco peregrinus On Wednesday February 17, birder Gary Reardon enjoyed a rare sighting, a Peregrine Falcon perched on a pole on Smith Neck Road in Dartmouth. Peregrines here along the coast are most often seen in fall and winter, after nesting is complete and both adults and juveniles have dispersed from nesting…
Read MoreLloyd Center Feeder Watch – Winter Rarities
Since late January when a blizzard covered the region in snow, storms have continued with no apparent end in sight. Much like waterfowl flock to unfrozen estuaries as the only reliable food source in winter when ice forms over waterways, songbirds flock to feeders for an easy meal when the snow gets deep. In addition…
Read MoreElusive “Brown Birds” in Winter
Beyond the backyard bird feeder in winter, there may lurk a species or two that is tough to find even against a backdrop of fresh snowfall in the woods of Southeast New England. Two such species have been spotted by Lloyd Center staff this past week on the nature preserve: the Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) and the Brown Creeper…
Read MoreSnowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca)
Owls are commonly heralded as mysterious creatures of the night that are rarely encountered, like our tiny screech owl which in all it’s simplicity has created quite a stir in these parts. Currently in the region is a bird that reminds us of how diverse the owl family is, and how conveniently situated southeastern New…
Read MoreDowny Woodpecker
The Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) is the smallest woodpecker in North American and is distributed across much of the continent, where the species adapts to a variety of habitats. The small size, white back, and stubby bill distinguish the species. The male Downy posses a red “occipital” patch on the nape. Here in the northeast,…
Read MoreIntroducing “KokoKehom”, the Lloyd Center’s Eastern Screech Owl
During March of this year, we received an unlikely visit from a wild Eastern Screech Owl (Otis asio) (see sightings listings) in what must have been Mother Nature’s way of saying, prepare yourselves for what’s to come. Sure enough, later that month, we received our very own Screech Owl which is no less wild, but…
Read MoreEastern Screech Owl sighting at the Lloyd Center
On March 22, 2013, an unlikely visitor was seen on the Lloyd Center property. An Eastern Screech Owl (Otus asio) which was likely displaced by a significant late season snowfall that blanketed the region the night before, was roosting in the warm sun behind the old “goat shed” at the woodland edge. The owl sat…
Read MoreFox Pups Sighting
In May of this year, Ric Rheaume sighted some fox pups and got some great photos. He saw them at dusk near Pettey Lane in Westport. In his email to us he stated “The Lloyd Center was a huge part of my youth and where much of my love of nature comes from.” Thanks! And…
Read MoreGray Seals
On March 28, SEANET volunteer Tom Grota was surveying Horseneck Beach, and came across this Gray Seal (Halichoerus gypus) pup up near the dune line. Gray seals are endemic to the North Atlantic, and are year-round residents in Buzzards Bay. Breeding populations occur in Chatham off Monomoy Island, and on Muskeget Island off Nantucket. Young…
Read MoreA Barn Swallow Nest on Our Front Porch
A Barn Swallow nest was built on a board on top of a post on the inside of our front porch. The favorite watch spot of the parent birds was the corner of the gutter just outside the edge of the porch. The gutter corner is where they spent much of their time keeping a…
Read MoreAmerican Mink (Neovison vison)
Mink are found throughout Massachusetts except for Nantucket and perhaps Martha’s Vineyard. They live in forested areas near a water source, burrowing in the banks of rivers, lakes, and streams. Minks have even been known to utilize old dens of other mammals, such as muskrats. The American Mink has a long, sleek body of about…
Read More