Sketch, letter and a photo of Egret, by Brian

Brian Joyce shares another one of his lovely sketches from Spring Pond.  This one is a view looking north, on the north side of upper Spring Pond.

Brian writes:  "As I was leaving the drawing location I saw something that attracted my photographic attention.  I had my small camera in hand. Then looked across the lake and saw what I thought was an Egret on a rock.  Zooming in to capture the shot the Egret took flight.  The zoom was extended and I was lucky to capture the rest of the pictures.  I think the Egret might have been pointing out a turtle perched on a rock." Brian Joyce

Link of an Important Regional Wildlife Corridor

Click map to view

      'Peabody Open Space Plan 2006':   area "may be considered as part of a larger wildlife corridor system, allowing pathways for animal migration.  As the observations of bird life in Peabody suggest, the large tract of public and private land in South Peabody serves as a route for over 144 species of migrating birds.... This area, along with open areas in the neighboring cities of Lynn and Salem, is a significant regional resource that supports a great variety of wildlife."

Copy:

     

When looking at an aerial map from above, Spring Pond Woods appears to be a link between areas on the coast and inland.  If these wooded areas were cut off, a big concern would be that 'Important Bird Areas' and sanctuaries near the coastline would become more isolated if the wildlife corridor link was broken?  Is there an expert looking at this more closely?  

Red-tailed Hawk

Yesterday morning about 8:20 am, a Red-tailed hawk was perched on the limb of a tree while black crows mobbed the large bird from above.  The hawk seemingly unaffected by the crows flying down on it, sat looking on its surroundings.

This is not the first sighting of a Red-tailed Hawk in the area, although probably the first we have captured by photograph.  For more information on Red-tails, check out The Breeding Atlas of Mass Audubon.  From observing the atlas, it seems a hawk of this kind in the area is undocumented.

Brookline Bird Club (silent alarm)

Spring Pond Woods is an important regional wildlife corridor, according to the City of Peabody Open Space Plan.  A great variety of birds are supported through this diverse forest environment surrounding Spring Pond, and infiltrated with many wetlands.  Several species nest, forage and or migrate through the area.  The following message is shared from a friend (of a friend)....

"K, this-from a friend (if you want to post this):

According to BirdLife International, more than twelve percent of the world's
bird species are threatened or endangered. Conservationists are trying
almost every avenue to call attention to the global decline in birds.
Birds need habitat in which to feed, rest, find shelter, mate and raise
young. I ask then, how can we be so short-sighted as to allow a well-known
bird habitat haven and migratory bird corridor be obliterated for big-box
retail stores. Camp Lion--save Spring Pond Woods.

(Please see The Brookline Bird Club for more info) 

http://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/"

Mass Audubon Bird Watch, July

It is unclear where these species listed by the Mass Audubon were sighted.  There are many gulls seen at Spring Pond.  Here is a report for a Glaucous Gull, roaming the Salem area.  There were no observations noted for South Peabody or Lynn near this area in the past month.  Perhaps because observers are not generally walking this site?

Link:  www.massaudubon.org/Birds_and_Birding/sightings.php?type=archive#eastern

Bird sightings

On Saturday, April 9, two Ospreys were seen flying in the distance.  One was perched on the cell tower, calling to the other.  Pardon, the beginning of this shaky video is not cut.  The sound of the call can be heard briefly in the beginning.   In the same area, a woodpecker, turkey vulture, blue jay and several other small birds were sighted.  Click on 'fullscreen', to view more closely.

Bald Eagle sightings, part iii

Near the end of last year, a few people have seen juvenile bald eagles in Spring Pond Woods.  Are Bald Eagles foraging here, among the other rare species we have been seeing?

Could nesting locations be getting warmer for these birds as they track the land?  From the Mass Audubon website, here is a list of unique birds seen in the community.

Bird Sightings from 'The Voice of Audubon' website.

Previous reports:  

http://www.springpondwoods.com/2011/01/bald-eagle-sightings-in-salem.html

http://www.springpondwoods.com/2010/11/bald-eagle-sightings.html

Bald Eagle sightings in Salem

On December 27, 2010, Mass Audubon bird sightings reported for Salem show a Bald Eagle.  The concern and mystery grows.  In November, two naturalists claimed to of seen a juvenile Bald Eagle in the area of Spring Pond Woods threatened by big-box stores.

To search the archives of the Mass Audubon, go to this link and scroll down to December 27- last paragraph, where this entry was found.   www.massaudubon.org/Birds_and_Birding/sightings.php?type=archive#eastern

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Thank you to a friend of a friend who shared this photo of a bird-of-prey, believed to be a Sharp-shinned Hawk*, listed as a Special Concern Species in the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program in Massachusetts.  This hawk was seen on a deck of the same home twice, which faces Spring Pond on the edge of the woods.  

Loon

Saturday, while walking the trail around Spring Pond, we heard the unique haunting call of a bird, echo over the water.  In the break of the icy water was, what we believe to be a Loon, an ancient small bird and Special Concern species listed on the Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program.  I am not an expert, but comparing the images and 'wail' sounds... this bird resembles a Common Loon in it's winter dressing.  We watched the bird float and dive for food for a while.

The old Ice House piers can be seen beyond the Loon, on the Peabody side.  Click to view...

Returning to the trail, we came across chickadees singing in the pines.  A man walked by and said there were 2 Great Horned Owls towards the Peabody side.  The seagulls found their way here too, and black crows were watching from the trees in a distance.

peace

Large nests

On a hazy day, in the distance by a wetland, a large bird flew down on a branch.  Day to day, birds of prey can be seen and heard.  There are many large nests to observe.  Which species use each nest, is yet to be determined.  In the least, could it be safe to say these large birds forage here?

Large bird rests on branch, in the distance.

Large nest at top of tall pine.

Large nest at top of tall coniferous tree.

Large nest (left side) on tall pine.


Older posts regarding large nests and large birds:
www.springpondwoods.com/2010/09/another-hawk-feather.html
www.springpondwoods.com/2010/11/large-bird-soars-sky.html
www.springpondwoods.com/2010/10/fall-images.html
www.springpondwoods.com/2010/09/another-feather-collection.html
www.springpondwoods.com/2010/09/hawk-siting-must-be-sign.html
www.springpondwoods.com/2010/07/hawks-nest-and-other-bird-sightings.html
www.springpondwoods.com/2010/08/lost-in-paradise-following-hawk-trails.html

peace

Large bird soars the sky

Thank you to Brian for keeping an eye on the sky to find a bald eagle, and sharing this recent photo of a large bird soaring high.

Click on photo to zoom in.  

If experts determine what type of species this is, comments will be posted here. 

peace on

Bald Eagle sightings

An important message by a conservationist:

         "There have likely been sightings of a young bald eagle here.  Three different people have reported the sightings last week in the area.  Currently, there are nesting locations along the Merrimac River and the population is increasing.  Therefore the Bald Eagles are going to need to travel further & further to forage.  Spring Pond Woods and Lynn Woods are perfect given the large water land tracts, large water bodies and large pines."

Please keep a lookout for the Bald Eagle!!!   Please report sightings to Natural Heritage, Mass Audubon and/or please contact  peace@springpondwoods.com, tel. 617.418.3009, to let us know.

p.s.  I have to admit, I've been a big dumby to not think of this sooner.  I am no expert on birds, while this has been mostly Leslie Courtemanche's expertise.  After researching through images of what a juvenile bald eagle looks like (example left), I now believe one came into my sight a month ago.  I remember its cute spiky hair and orangey beak.  The bird seemed rare and different from the other birds usually seen in Spring Pond.  Mersini, an European flora naturalist, has seen the same bird, and has been telling me of an adult bird with a white head, and a brown and white body, possibly living off the path.  The description of the adult bird, sounds like a bald eagle. Many have seen hawks and turkey vultures flying around the area as well.  There may be an increasing amount of bird sightings on the Lynn and Salem side to come, since acres of woods on the Peabody side have burnt.

Bald Eagles are an endangered listed species in Massachusetts.  They like to live near large bodies of water, on mature trees... mostly pine.  Spring Pond Woods is noted by the City of Peabody as being an important regional wildlife corridor in Lynn, Peabody and Salem.  Keeping the night sky dark, and the woods intact is highly important (not laughable).

Our search continues through these cold months.

peace on

Important Regional Wildlife Corridor

Another important reason to preserve the remaining wooded areas at Spring Pond Woods...

Peabody's Open Space Plan gives mention, that the wooded areas in South Peabody, connecting with Lynn and Salem, are a significant regional resource that supports a great variety of wildlife.   As noted here, we have been finding this to be true. 

Source: Peabody Open Space Plan 2006

another feather collection

Someone shared this collection of feathers they have picked up from the site over the past year.  A few of the names are being verified and will be posted at a later date.    Please feel free to comment here if there is a feather you might identify.  (Photos of feathers will be retaken and posted again.)  Click on each image to view and again to zoom in.

peace

Hawk siting... must be a 'sign'

This image of a hawk resting on a sign at the corner of Buchanan Circle and Western Ave, near the Lynn/ Salem line, was submitted today by someone driving by.  This must be a 'sign' of some sort where it landed.  Truly home prices will be reduced in this area, and where will the wildlife go?

Another hawk feather

This image of a hawk's feather escaped the journal last month

Hawk's feather found near clearing in Spring Pond Woods

Here is a previous collection of sitings in the area.  

Downy hawk feather

Downy hawk feather

  

Birds of prey soar the sky on a daily.

Unevaluated large nest found near downy feathers.

Hawk's nest in nearby woods

Downy hawk feather

Filoplume hawk feather?

Hawk's feather collected by resident.

Sound of hawk towards end of sound clip...

Lost in Paradise, following hawk trails

Today we were lost in old paradise.  We cut through the trails of Camp Lion to reach Salem's Public 4-acre parcel (where a new road and parking lot is proposed to assist Lowe's scheme.)

 - - - back to paradise.
We were lost in an amazing place.  On Camp Lion we found 4 little downy hawk feathers on the ground.  There is a nest near the fallen feathers, but we are unsure if this is a hawk's nest or if there is another one near by.  It is hard to tell.  This area is by the Pine Barrens.  These wooded areas offer ecological diversity at high altitudes with tall trees in dry pine barrens and wetlands near a great Mass Pond (Spring Pond).  Maybe this is why there are many sightings of birds of prey here?

Next, entering Salem's public parcel (part of the proposed development), we found more interesting geological formations.  Here we heard the sounds of an hawk, and tried to follow it.  The hawk is faintly sounding in the middle of the playback, but is heard clearly near the end.



More from our discoveries of today's walk, to be continued... There is much to share!

Broken-hearted: broken nestling

Remember this recycled, used asphalt, toxic dump?  uphill from a stream and Spring Pond.  It has been patted down now.  Is the owner aware what their developer has done?
Just look at this cheap poison...

Google earth has a recent image of the clearing. (click map below to view).  If the clearing from the photo looks big, imagine nearly half of the front property of Camp Lion being cleared and blasted.  How many trees and nature's gems will be lost?

It is wrong the local paper wrote with complete ignorance, that this green gem is just a vacant lot...

Taking a closer look at the clearing in the rear, walking through with Leslie and Brian, on the edge of the clearing we noticed cut downed trees. Underneath one dead tree, there area few different type of hawks' feathers, near what appears to be a large bird's nest.  There were two young nestling Red-tailed Hawk feathers near to what we believe was a large nest.   I'm no expert, but the little feathers seem like the young who had them- could not fly.  Is it wrong to question if there was a hawk's nest here?  I hope if their was wildlife, it escaped before the ax came in.

We keep finding hawk feathers on the trails here.

Could there possibly be other large nests, in the area planned for destruction?  We found a few smaller nests, but it is hard to see if there are any big ones high up above the dense forest.  I hope this raises concern to investigate the area.  

I hope the owners are aware what has been done here.  

tear down paradise to put up a parking lot?

"vacant land", huh?

Apologies, but yesterday's walk was heart breaking.

Screetch Owl?

I hear a few people are searching for a Screetch Owl here, that is heard on occasion.  I recently heard it once, if it sounds like this...


The sound is unique.  The owl repeated the pattern 3 times before it flew away.

Sound source: http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~tony/birds/sounds/screechowl1m.au