Kathie's Birds

Bog Bones 2010

Artsy Farsty Fridays

Song Sparrow at the Stirling Street Bog in Andover, MA

This little sparrow is singing about how much fun it can be to count birds. Why does it matter? Fly on over to Birding is Fun to find out why. That’s where I am posting today!

 Muskrat in bog 3-30-2011

While observing birds at the bog for the last two years I could not help but observe some of the creatures who inhabit the bog as well. The muskrats swimming in the evenings always brought joy to my heart.

Muskrat 3-30-2011

This almost looks like a beaver from behind but it is the same animal as the one above. In the top photo you can see the sideways flattened tail of a muskrat and the smaller, more triangular shaped head. However, there are beavers at the bog and I have seen their handiwork as well as heard the slap of their tails on the water.

 Chipmunk 3-30-2011

While I would see chipmunks on and off, I did not observe them there too often, especially from the guardrail side of the bog on Stirling Street. I am sure they are seen more often in Den Rock Park at the north end of the bog. As you can imagine, gray squirrels are observed here occasionally as well, but I don’t recall ever seeing a red squirrel at this location off Stirling Street which is where I always counted birds for my eBird Site Survey.

Painted Turtle 8-26-2011

Turtles and frogs are both seen at the bog. One evening I even saw a huge snapping turtle but I did not have my camera with me! However, I observed these Painted Turtles here on a regular basis.

White-tailed deer buck 8-26-2011

I was more than surprised to find a young White-tailed deer here at the bog last summer. This was a day before the hurricane around 8:30 AM. Even more surprising was the young fawn travelling with him. This is the only time I ever observed deer at the bog.

 White-tailed deer fawn 8-26-2011

 Dragonfly 7-5-2011

Of course there were dragonflies and butterflies and other insects to see.

 Domestic Cat 5-9-2012

But I was not happy to see domestic cats hunting in the bog and I saw them more than once. I think this is why I did not see very many sparrows along the edge of the bog where I stood to count birds.

 Muskrat disappearing down its hole 4-10-2012

Good-bye!

Stirling Bog after Hurricane Irene last year 8-28-2011

• Stirling Street Bog
• Stirling Street Bog Birds

Canada Geese 11-18-2010

1. Canada Goose…10-13-2010
2. Mallard…10-25-2010
3. Black Duck…11-18-2010
4. Wood Duck…4-5-2011
5. Green-winged Teal…11-12-2010
6. Hooded Merganser…3-18-2011
7. Double-crested Cormorant…8-26-2011
8. Great Blue Heron…4-17-2011
9. Great Egret…5-9-2012
10. Green Heron…5-9-2011
11. Black-crowned Night Heron…8-12-2011
12. Turkey Vulture…3-18-2011
13. Cooper’s Hawk…10-25-2010
14. Red-tailed Hawk…9-30-2010
15. Spotted Sandpiper…7-23-2011
16. Ring-billed Gull…1-16-2011
17. Herring Gull…1-14-2011
18. Mourning Dove…10-25-2011
19. Chimney Swift…5-9-2011
20. Ruby-throated Hummingbird…5-12-2011
21. Belted Kingfisher…8-24-2011
22. Red-bellied Woodpecker…9-30-2010
23. Downy woodpecker…9-30-2010
24. Hairy Woodpecker…12-13-2010
25. Northern Flicker…9-30-2010
26. American Kestrel…8-26-2011
27. Merlin…3-21-2011
28. Peregrine Falcon…8-24-2011
29. Olive-sided Flycatcher…8-18-2012*
30. Eastern Phoebe…4-5-2011
31. Great Crested Flycatcher…5-9-2012
32. Eastern Kingbird…5-3-2011
33. Blue Jay…9-30-2010
34. American Crow…9-30-2010
35. Fish Crow…3-20-2012
36. Northern Rough-winged Swallow…5-12-2011
37. Purple Martin…8-26-2011
38. Tree Swallow…4-5-2011
39. Barn Swallow…7-15-2011
40. Black-capped Chickadee…10-13-2010
41. Tufted Titmouse…10-13-2010
42. White-breasted Nuthatch…9-30-2010
43. House Wren…8-1-2012
44. Winter Wren…11-8-2011
45. Carolina Wren…10-13-2010
46. Golden-crowned Kinglet…11-10-2010
47. Ruby-crowned Kinglet…10-24-2011
48. Eastern Bluebird…9-30-2010
49. American Robin…10-13-2010
50. Gray Catbird…5-3-2011
51. Northern Mockingbird…11-12-2010
52. European Starling…1-1-2011
53. Cedar Waxwing…4-20-2011
54. Common Yellowthroat…6-24-2011
55. Palm Warbler…9-30-2010
56. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)…9-30-2010
57. American Tree Sparrow…12-22-2010
58. Chipping Sparrow…9-30-2010
59. Song Sparrow…10-25-2010
60. Swamp Sparrow…1-14-2011
61. Lincoln’s sparrow…9-30-2010
62. White-throated Sparrow…11-28-2010
63. Dark-eyed Junco…10-13-2010
64. Northern Cardinal…10-25-2010
65. Red-winged Blackbird…3-20-2011
66. Rusty Blackbird…10-11-2011
67. Common Grackle…11-2-2010
68. Brown-headed Cowbird…4-23-2011
69. Baltimore Oriole…5-3-2011
70. House Finch…6-24-2011
71. American Goldfinch…10-25-2010
72. House Sparrow…10-25-2010

*Last new species I counted at the bog.

My name is Kathie Brown and for two years I lived in Andover, MA and counted birds at the Stirling Street Bog adjacent to Den Rock Park. I submitted all my bird sightings to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology through eBird. These bird sightings were subsequently used by Susan Hegarty in compiling her book, The Birds of Den Rock Park.

Stirling Bog 10-13-2010

Song Sparrow October 2011

All year round one can see and hear Song Sparrows singing at the bog.

 American Crow October 2011

The Crow is another year-round species at the bog.

 Mallard May 2012

I have seen Mallards nesting here and many more duck species during migration.

January Birds

  January Blue Jay 2011

Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 2011

February Birds

 House sparrow

 Eastern Bluebird 2012

March

 Downy Woodpecker 2011

April Birds at the Bog

 Red-tailed hawks are regularly seen here

 Red-tailed Hawk being mobbed by crows April 2011

 Common Grackles return to the bog April 2011

 Belted Kingfisher April 2011

 Mourning Dove April 2012

Mourning doves are seen year-round at the bog.

 Eastern Phoebe April 2012

I know spring has returned when I hear and see the phoebes!

 April 2012 Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted)

 White-breasted Nuthatch April 2012

 Great Egret May 2012

This year was the first time I ever saw an egret at the bog. Last week I saw 2 more!

June Bog Birds

 Eastern Kingbird June 2011

I have seen Eastern Kingbirds here both summers. This spring during migration I also saw Great-crested Kingbirds but was unable to obtain pictures of them. I have not seen them during the summer.

 Northern Flicker near nest hole June 2011

August Birds

 American Kestrel August 2011

 Blackbirds flocking August 2011

October Migration at the Bog

 Yellow-rumped Warbler October 2011

Though I look and listen all spring and summer I only seem to see warblers here during migration and mostly in the fall. I have also see palm warblers here and I suspect there are others but I did not recognize them in their autumn plumage.

 Common Yellowthroat October 2012

 Yellow-rumped warbler on guard rail October 2011

 Swamp Sparrow October 2011

 Yellow-rumped Warbler on stump October 2011

November Birds

 Canada Goose November 2010

Geese are usually here spring through Autumn but they leave when the bog freezes up in winter. I have seen them nest here as well, but their nest are usually too far out for my camera.

 Northern Cardinal November 2010

November Sunset with Crows in Flight 2010

These are just a few of the bird species that can be seen year-round at the bog. The complete species list can be seen in the side-bar, but these are only the birds I have seen in the two years I lived nearby and counted birds at the bog. Hopefully many others will come enjoy the bog and its birds and continue to add to the list of species seen at the bog now that it is an eBird Hotspot! I just added a new species there tonight when I went to count birds and saw a pair of House Wrens climbing around on an old snag. They bring my total to 71 species of birds seen at the Stirling Street Bog! Check out eBird and see what can be seen for yourself! Then come back to read my next post:

• Stirling Street Bog Fauna
• Stirling Street Bog is an eBird Hotspot
• Den Rock Park