MethuenRailTrail » Methuen Wildlife

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

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

Baby herons are out

admin — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:19:48 +0000

I was out walking the Methuen Rail Trail with some folks from the Eagle Tribune online and we discovered that the Baby Herons have popped up all over the place.

This area is a few hundred feet north from the MSPCA road, just to the east of Route 93. All the heron nests perched in trees, vaguely resembles pterodactyl nests, and the baby herons are sticking their heads up.

so, what did YOU do today?

admin — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:45:17 +0000

red tail 72
Originally uploaded by jgodsey.

I helped rescue this Red-Tail Hawk who was sitting in a drainage ditch. The wildlife rescue vet who came out to collect him says he will probably be okay. She will let me know tomorrow.

and THAT was the highlight of my day.

what we saw on the trail today

admin — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:47:39 +0000

a Milk Snake stopped by to say hello.

and we found about 3 -4 wood chuck dens. We must have made too much noise for anyone to stick around.

Today on the Trail

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:02:07 +0000

Early in the day is probably the best time to catch a glimpse of ‘Bob the Builder’- Beavers are quite common on the Spicket River, but any time of bright day is a good time find raptors, like this red-tailed hawk. There were also many pairs of nesting ducks, geese, blackbirds, cardinals etc . . .