MethuenRailTrail » Methuen Wildlife

Watch for turtles

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:47:26 +0000

We have had some turtle sightings! they are crossing the trail and laying eggs.

Please don’t disturb them but take plenty of pictures!!

Otter, Otter

admin — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:11:46 +0000

Jeff Martineau grabbed some awesome pictures of an Otter living in the Spicket River along the the north section of the Rail Trail. Bring your binoculars and keep an eye out!

Easter morning in the Bird Sanctuary

admin — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 18:18:28 +0000

Download Podcast for the Bird Sanctuary: Nevins-Bird-Sanctuary-2012-04-08.mp3

Great Horned Owl nesting in Methuen GBH Rookery

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:54:54 +0000

When you get out on the rail trail this year keep an eye out for a Great Horned Owl. He has taken up residence in one of the Great Blue Heron Nests out in the Rookery on the Spicket River.

Specifically if you are standing on the trail looking west into the Spicket at all the Heron nests his is the furthest to the LEFT (south.)

Robbie Valcourt has taken a few shots of him in his nest and out of it. He may be hard to see in the deep nest but he will be the one with out the long neck!

So bring your binocs and your long lenses.

Directions:

View Great Blue Heron Rookery in a larger map

Troop 65035′s rail trail turtle project!

admin — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:53:44 +0000

Girl Scout Troop 65035 has some Blandings Turtle/Rail Trail art projects on display in the Children’s room of the Nevins Memorial Library! check it out if you can.

Wildlife Sanctuary Cleanup day

admin — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:38:59 +0000

Tim Galloway and I removed 700lbs of debris from the island in the wildlife sanctuary. No one lives there now, and there is still a few more loads out there to remove. But we made a grand effort and hopefully none of it will be visible any longer from the water or land.

The Great Blue Herons are back in town

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:25:28 +0000

As swallows return to San Juan Capistrano, Great Blue Herons return to Methuen to nest. Today out on the Spicket River, in view of the Methuen Rail Trail (just past the MSPCA,) four Heron’s have already taken their place on their respective nests. In a big display of ‘watch this space’ the rookery will eventually house 30 nest birds this summer with each pair hopefully producing one or two offspring.

Birding in the Sanctuary

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:54:47 +0000

Last month we had two ‘birders’ come down and spend some time in our Bird Sanctuary on the rail trail. This is what they found:

Birders: Paula McFarland & Sue McGrath
Location: Nevins Bird Sanctuary
Observation date: 5/23/10
Number of species: 32
Wood Duck 1
Mallard 3
Great Blue Heron 30 (approx 16 occupied nests!)
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Chimney Swift 10
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Eastern Phoebe 7
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 1
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 3
Tree Swallow 10
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
American Robin 5
Gray Catbird 8
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 7
Cedar Waxwing 10
Yellow Warbler 6
Common Yellowthroat 5
Scarlet Tanager 1
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 5
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Common Grackle 15
Baltimore Oriole 11
American Goldfinch 3
House Sparrow 15

A million blackbirds in Methuen

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:20:32 +0000

Mass Audubon: A Million Blackbirds? Birding Event in Methuen

Sun, Nov 01, 2009 5:00 am – 9:00 am

Location: Peat Meadow Methuen, MA
Instructors: Dave Larson – Joppa Flats Education Coordinator
Audience: Adult
Fee: Adults $23.00m/ $30.00nm

The fee for the program includes transportation,
legal access to the best viewing location (which is on private property),
bird identification and interpretation, and a guided visit to other, nearby locations.

Join us to view one of the most overwhelming avian spectacles in Essex County. In the fall as many as a million blackbirds (largely common grackles and red-winged blackbirds, but with numbers of rusty blackbirds) roost overnight in the marsh called Peat Meadows in Methuen. In fact, this area has been designated as a Massachusetts Important Bird Area because of this roost. While the birds trickle in during the evening, they all erupt out of the marsh in a very short time in the morning. This spectacle is what we are seeking. You will be astonished by the sheer numbers of birds – it might even wake you up! After the departure of the birds, we will take a break for breakfast (not included in fee) and then seek other birds in the immediate area.

Instructions and Directions:
Meet at the commuter parking lot at Exit 47 (Pelham St.) off I-93 in Methuen.
Bring binoculars and your sense of humor.

Peat Meadow is owned in part by the city of Methuen. (the RED PIN)

Registration is required.
Register by mail: program registration form. (PDF 66K)
Register by phone: with a credit card by calling 978-462-9998.
For your own security, DO NOT send credit card information via email.

For more information, contact:

Dave Larson
Joppa Flats
P.O. Box 1558
1 Plum Island Turnpike
Newburyport, MA 01950
joppaflats@massaudubon.org

Today on the Trail – Ghost Plant

admin — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:16:30 +0000

These are popping up underneath trees near wet spongy areas.

Ghost Plant or Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora)

From wikipedia: “Unlike most plants, it is white and does not contain chlorophyll. Instead of generating energy from sunlight, it is parasitic, more specifically a myco-heterotroph. Its hosts are certain fungi that are mycorrhizal with trees, meaning it ultimately gets its energy from photosynthetic trees. Since it is not dependent on sunlight to grow, it can grow in very dark environments as in the understory of dense forest. The complex relationship that allows this plant to grow also makes propagation difficult.”