For birders or those interested in learning more about birds, there are several groups in this area that sponsor walks and encourage new people. We like to take advantage of these walks, as invariably we will go to conservation land we have never visited. The leaders are excellent birders who typically recognize a call and then search for the sighting.
One active group is the Boxborough Birders (boxboroughbirders.org). We signed on for a walk they were leading on the Rock Meadow Pond conservation area in Ayer. We had driven past the trailhead on Groton-Harvard Road innumerable times, but had never taken the time to walk it. One added incentive was that recently a red-headed woodpecker had been seen there. Although we have seen these gorgeous birds in South Carolina, having one in this area is fairly unusual. Checking BirdsEye, an app that tracks bird sightings, we found that a red-headed woodpecker was listed with the date and location seen in the rare birds alert section.
So, early one frosty Saturday morning, five of us set out to see what we could find. It turns out this was one of the most productive areas we had been to locally; we saw 32 species in three hours. We did indeed see the woodpecker right where it had been reported. It appeared to be a juvenile, as it did not have the bright red head and white breast typical of adult birds. In fact, we spent a half-hour watching the juvenile red-headed woodpecker fly back and forth between the oaks in the nearby woods and the snags in the beaver pond. Sometimes we could spot an acorn in its bill, and we surmised it was caching the acorns in the snags. We also got good looks at a dozen rusty blackbirds resting on a snag in the sun. This was exciting, as rusty blackbirds have undergone one of the sharpest declines of any North American songbird. By some estimates this bird has had an 89% decline since the 1960s. At least 25 bluebirds were congregating on the snag to warm up in the early morning sun.
The authors’ 2-year-old grandson, George, is already a seasoned bird-watcher. (Photo by David Durrant)
Other surprises included a pair of beautiful eastern towhees, a common yellowthroat, a palm warbler, and a yellow-rumped warbler. Red-winged blackbirds and wood ducks were flying back and forth among cattails. We heard the distinctive call of the killdeer and then later found it gingerly making its way on a bed of water lilies. Finally, as we headed back to the trailhead, we were rewarded with one last treat: a tiny ruby-crowned kinglet foraging on a shrub right in front of us. Anyone with the eBird app can view the list of species we saw.
Many people have heard of a Cornell Lab of Ornithology study published in September that shows there has been a tremendous decline in songbirds since the 1970s, with an estimated 2.9 billion birds lost. For those interested, the full report can be viewed at www.birds.cornell.edu/home/bring-birds-back, but there are seven simple ways everyone can help:
Make windows safer, day and night.
Simple adjustments to your windows and lights can save birds’ lives. Add decals that alert birds to the presence of glass. Turn off unnecessary lights because they can disorient birds. Put all exterior lighting on motion detectors, especially those pointless (in David’s opinion) post lights, most of which seem to stay on all night.
Keep cats indoors.
Indoor cats live longer, healthier lives. Outdoor cats kill more birds than any other non-native threat. Cats may be excellent mousers, but they are also prolific bird killers.
Reduce lawn by planting native species.
The U.S. has an estimated 63 million acres of lawn. If even half of that were planted with native plantings, it would provide a huge area for supporting wildlife. We would be glad to suggest what native plantings thrive in this area and even show them to you here at the farm.
Avoid pesticides.
Look for organic food choices and cut out some of the 1 billion pounds of pesticides used in the U.S. each year. Spraying for mosquitos and ticks is not going to get rid of those insects. Rather, it will kill birds that depend on insects for food, and pollinators that we depend on to pollinate our food crops.
Drink coffee that’s good for birds.
Farm-grown coffee plantations are like our lawns—monocultures that add nothing to the natural food chain. Shade-grown coffees are delicious, economically beneficial to farmers, and help the more than 42 species of North American songbirds that migrate in winter to Central and South America find food and shelter in the diverse habitat.
Protect our planet from plastics.
Ninety-one percent of plastics are not recycled, and they take 400 years to degrade. Sea birds are especially vulnerable by ingesting or getting tangled in plastic waste in the oceans. Plastic bags and balloons may appear to be jellyfish when floating in the ocean and can plug the digestive system of birds that mistake them for food. Maybe Bromfield sports supporters could switch to blue flags or something other than balloons—a good senior project?
We have noticed that few people bother to bring reusable shopping bags when they shop; this is a very easy way to cut down on plastic trash.
Watch birds and
share what you see.
Bird-watchers are one of science’s most vital data sources on how the ecological world is faring. Cornell has several citizen science programs one can get involved in to further its scientific studies.
In the more than 50 years we have lived in Harvard, we have noticed a severe decline in the number and species of birds. We hope everyone can now be part of the solution to arresting these declines. It is our hope that when our grandson George, who is 2 years old and already recognizes cardinals, goldfinches, chickadees, and ruby-throated hummingbirds at our feeders, is our age, these birds (and others) will still be around.
David and Pamela Durrant live on East Bare Hill Road at Micheldever Farm, where they have observed and recorded over 80 species of birds on the farm and adjacent conservation lands.
