Birding along the rail trail

I took a friend out birding today along the rail trail and through the Nevins Sanctuary. Among the birds we saw today were 3 Green Herons, 9 Great Blue herons, 1 Red Tail Hawk and believe it or not 1 Immature Bald Eagle. Unfortunately I didn’t have a long enough lens to get the eagle, but two of the Green Herons were cooperative.
two-green-herons2

Birders:Joyce Godsey & Christine Lewis
Location: Nevins Bird Sanctuary
Observation date: 7/27/10
Nevins Bird Sanctuary, Methuen

Wood Duck 6
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 4
Great Blue Heron 2
Green Heron 3
Killdeer 2
Rock Pigeon 1
Mourning Dove 2
Chimney Swift 9
Downy Woodpecker 2
Eastern Phoebe 1
Eastern Kingbird 3
American Crow 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
Gray Catbird 1
European Starling 2
Cedar Waxwing 2
Yellow Warbler 2
Song Sparrow 2
Scarlet Tanager 1
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Common Grackle 2
American Goldfinch 1

Spicket River Rookery, Methuen (the rookery is along the rail trail just past the MSPCA)

Mallard 8
Great Blue Heron 9
Bald Eagle 1 imm
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 2

July 27th, 2010  in Uncategorized No Comments »

Before and after sneak peak


Methuen Oakland Ave Bridge


Newburyport overpass with Stairs.

July 21st, 2010  in Area Trails No Comments »

Before and after peek

RT 213 Underpass in Methuen

Underpass along Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

Walking the right of way

Monday I joined Conservation Officer Joe Giarrusso and MBTA’s representative Bob Lavita out on the Methuen rail road right of way.

Bob’s goal was to identify any encroachments that have occurred where fences or pavement or buildings have migrated into the right of way. The MBTA has to settle these little land problems before they can lease the property to the town of Methuen. There were very few almost all in the center of town, none will impeded the rail trail project, but it will be up to the MBTA to either reclaim the land or have the occupier enter into a lease agreement for those few feet. All the MRTA would get out of the process is a few feet here and there but none of it is a crisis of any sort.

Bob seems to be most upbeat about our lease potential and not worried about getting MBTA approval for such a thing as in his words ‘they are doing it ‘everywhere’. Indeed the MBTA is anxious to lease land that they are not actively using.

The best we can hope for is approval by September until then we just put our efforts into promoting the project and recruiting new members.

July 20th, 2010  in Uncategorized No Comments »

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail images


I took a turn on the Bruce Freeman trail the other day and came back with some images.

My images at Flickr

Bruce Freeman Rail Trail website

Phase 1 (6.8 miles in Lowell, Chelmsford, and Westford) is now open.

Next meeting 7/13 7PM

Tuesday June 13th, 7Pm
Nevins Memorial Library

Don’t forget !
bring a friend!

Methuen Rail Trail Alliance Cookout 7/17

Methuen Rail Trail Alliance Cookout
Saturday July 17th at 4PM
At Kelly Tondo’s house.
If you have planned on joining the MRTA now is the time!
Just send in an email that you will be coming
as well as bringing something yummy with your membership fee.
Take the opportunity to get brought up to speed on the project and meet the rest of the gang.

Remember
Next Meeting: 7:00pm July 13, 2010 @ the Nevins Library

trailclearing3
trailclearing

July 1st, 2010  in Uncategorized No Comments »

Before and After

Tim Vermette has been a busy boy lately.
give the man a used lawnmower and he gives us back a trail you can jog on with pride.

Before and after images of the rail bed on Railroad St.

June 10th, 2010  in Today on the Trail No Comments »

Rail Trail carved out of the weeds

Tim Vermette, the MRTA Project Director has been sneaking out with a lawn mower clearing more and more trail bed every time. This is some of the work Tim did today. The sad part is that the weeds grow back as fast as he can cut them. Once the tracks are removed and an actual hard pack trail is put down, it will be much easier to keep the sides groomed for running and cycling. Cheers to Tim for his awesomeness!

Sign of the times

we only have one…and a homemade one at that…but hopefully by advertising our meetings in more than newspapers, we can draw in the curious and the just plain interested. If people think National Grid is doing all this trail clearing for US, we may as well take advantage of it.



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