Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to go birding. It is the closest wildlife refuge and is readily accessible on Still River Depot Road. When I go there, I start out by slowly driving down Still River Depot Road to scan the fields bordering the road, looking for bluebirds, meadowlarks, bobolinks, Red-Winged Blackbirds, sparrows, and Red-tailed Hawks.
On a recent visit I heard a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak as soon as I parked my truck. While walking down the tank road I heard two Ovenbirds calling to each other and saw a couple of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers high in the treetops. There were a couple of mallards on the beaver pond, and several Canada Geese glided in while I was walking by. I took a left off the tank road onto the old Lancaster Turnpike. The turnpike is an elevated trail through a large swamp ending at the Nashua River. Along this trail it is common to see Kingfishers, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Tree Swallows, woodpeckers, herons, and various ducks. I have seen a Rusty Blackbird from this trail and on my recent visit had good looks at Swamp Sparrows foraging among the tussocks in the swamp. This sparrow has a rusty cap and very bold striping on the body, distinct from the plainer English House Sparrow most people are familiar with. I also heard the song of the Yellow Warbler and saw two of these bright-yellow warblers with a rusty streaked breast. In some pines I saw several Yellow-rumped Warblers. This common warbler is distinguished by its distinctive yellow rump, as its name implies.
I heard a Great Crested Flycatcher and stopped to look for it. I found it high in a tree calling to its mate. I have become familiar with its call because we usually have a pair around the farm in the summer.
Nearing the river, I heard Ovenbirds calling. This secretive little wood warbler inhabits the forest floor and is usually hard to see. I was determined to see the Ovenbird and spent about 20 minutes tracking it. After slowly moving toward the sound and stopping several times to scan the bushes and forest floor, I had almost given up, when I saw movement about 6 feet from me, just about at head height. It was the Ovenbird. I spent several minutes watching him singing his distinctive "teacher, teacher, teacher" call before I backed off, leaving him (or her) to his territory.
Taking the River Trail back, I heard some Common Yellowthroats and spent several minutes watching them flit amongst the bushes. There has been a lot of beaver activity along the river, and I did see two of them swimming close to the trail, disappearing under the water with the loud slap of their tail on the water. At one of the few meadow areas off this trail, I took a rest on the stone bench dedicated to Bob Reed. Bob was a neighbor of ours when we lived on Bolton Road. He was a great birder and environmental teacher. The Oxbow was a special place to Bob, and it is fitting that there is this memorial stone sitting at a spot he loved. I have seen bluebirds in this meadow but in the few minutes I spent remembering Bob and his contribution to this town I did not see any.
Walking back up the tank road I heard more Grosbeaks (but was never able to see one) as well as Ovenbirds calling deeper in the woods, and I saw more warblers.
At the parking lot there is a chalkboard where people list the wildlife they have seen. It is worth checking this out before you venture down the trails, as it will give you an idea of the birds and animals you may see.
Other good birding areas nearby, apart from the miles of conservation trails in town, are the Bolton Flats, Delaney Wildlife Management Area, and the sand pits in Lancaster (off Route 111).
Mount Auburn Cemetery is another popular place to bird, especially during spring migration. My wife, Pam, our friend Roseanne, and I took advantage of a Mass. Audubon bird walk to see the variety of birds that stop by this green oasis in the middle of Cambridge. Timing is crucial, as you do not want the trees fully leafed out, as this makes it more difficult to see the small warblers. Weather also plays a factor on whether the migrants hang around or continue on their journey north. Winds help the migrants in their long trips to their nesting grounds, and a northwest wind may keep them in the area until more favorable winds come.
We saw warblers—Nashville, Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian—and heard a Wilsons Warbler, although we were unable to find it. Baltimore Orioles were singing their melodious song, and while trying to get a look at one, we noticed a pair of Orchard Orioles. This bird is not as common as the Baltimore and we watched a pair of them for several minutes. This was a new bird for some of the people in our group.
Approaching an area that had been marked off with "do not cross" tape, we climbed a slight rise and had eye-level views of a Great Horned Owl nest with two fluffy chicks staring back at us. The cemetery is probably a very productive area for owl food—we saw dozens of chipmunks and squirrels running about. Our leader suspects rodents have increased in the cemetery because foxes and coyotes that used to roam there have apparently moved on.
Another area we recently visited is Heard Farm in Wayland. The Sudbury River and a section of Great Meadows National Wildlife Area bound this 85-acre conservation land on the south side. Although it is no longer a working farm, the town maintains several acres of mowed paths, hayfields, and woodland, including an orchard. The hayfields support many pairs of bobolinks, and we must have seen at least 12 during the two hours we spent exploring this wonderfully managed area.
After returning home, I was sitting on the terrace one afternoon and heard the call of a Common Yellowthroat in our swampy area and saw several Yellow-rumped Warblers in the large oak in the middle of our upper pasture. While watching these warblers, I noticed a smaller bird flitting around and, getting my binoculars on it, recognized it as a Northern Parula. The oak is one of the most important trees for warblers as they supply a bounty of caterpillars and other bugs.
I watched a pair of bluebirds make numerous trips to our feeder and back to the nest to feed their young. I also heard the song of a Yellow Warbler over by our vegetable garden, as well as the scolding of our resident House Wren. Sitting there watching and listening, I heard a call that sounded like what I suspected was a warbler, but I did not recognize the call. I am slowly learning the songs of the warblers, but this one was different from any I knew. Scanning the maple right above my head for several minutes and trying to pin down the location of the bird by its song, I eventually found it and discovered it was an American Redstart. This was the first time I had seen this bird on the farm. It is a medium-sized warbler, mainly black with bright orange patches on its wings and tail feathers.
This reinforced my hypothesis that one of the best areas to bird is right in your own backyard—there is no telling what might drop by.
David Durrant lives with his wife, Pamela, on East Bare Hill Road at Micheldever Farm, where they watch birds—their own peacocks, chickens, and wild birds.