Two of these beautiful male indigo buntings greeted the Fair Weather Birders this morning at the Medfield Charles River State Reservation in a field overlooking the River.

A female scarlet tanager carried a fat caterpillar to her nest, Eastern kingbirds called, a belted kingfisher flew off with a fish, and a muskrat gathered a mouthful of juicy plants.

Fair Weather birders saw a total of 34 species on this first full day of summer.

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Last Sunday was Broadmoor’s 41st annual Birds and Breakfast.  Birding walks from 7 – 10 am were followed by a pancake breakfast in the pavilion featuring maple syrup from our trees tapped by the Natick Community Organic Farm.

Over 41 years 130 species of birds have been seen.  This year, we added a new one – Little Blue Heron.

Other highlights were Scarlet Tanagers, Blue-winged Warblers, and Wood Ducks.  There were 41 species seen between 7 am and noon.

Join us next year on the first Sunday of May for this celebration of returning spring migrants.

Broadmoor teams will be birding in Mass Audubon’s annual fundraiser,  from 6 pm Friday, May 11 to 6 pm Saturday, May 12.  Join us at Broadmoor at 6 pm Friday or support all the teams with a donation.  Details at  Broadmoor Birdathon.

Pileated Woodpeckers are just one of the more than 180 species we hope to see this weekend.

Tree swallows have returned and are checking out nestboxes.  During cold weather they will fly farther looking for flying insect food.

Eastern phoebe, another insect eater, is also back.  Look for tail-wagging while birds are perched.

One of the first flowers of spring is the tiny red beaked hazelnut on the tip of slender branches.  The drooping catkins are the male plant parts containing pollen.  Look for hazelnut bushes in the forest on trail edges.  Bushes are about three feet high.

Willows and red maples are blooming too.

Happy First Day of Spring!  There is still snow cover at the sanctuary and more on the way.

This hungry American robin has been feasting on fermenting crabapples hanging onto a tree in the parking lot.  There are few food options when grasses and seeds are covered with snow so fruits that remain from last Fall help keep the birds alive.

Flocks of up to three dozen cedar waxwings have been enjoying crabapples as well.

Come and enjoy the fresh snow and look for wood ducks, hooded mergansers and others just waiting for warmer weather.  Snowshoes, yaktraks or nordic skis may be a good idea.  Call Broadmoor in advance for conditions.

Sunday afternoon, March 25,  Broadmoor’s endowed Jean and Henry Stone Memorial lecture will be held at The Center for the Arts in Natick from 4 – 6 pm.  There are still spaces for this free performance by the Stand Up Economist.  Check out the link below for details.

Stone Lecture poster 2018

Branching Out suggests a visit to nearby Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary in Hopkinton http://www.massaudubon.org/waseeka where photographer Cheryl Rose captured these photos today.

Coyote walking across the pond

Paw prints show where the river otter pushed off; then slid on its belly across the pond.

You will be surprised at what you discover on a winter walk at Broadmoor.

Black-capped chickadee is our Massachusetts state bird.  Look closely at the subtle colors under this tiny bird’s wings.

Large frozen tracks the size of your hand are wild turkey.  On early mornings you may be greeted by flock in the field in front of the nature center.

Downy woodpeckers look similar to hairy woodpeckers, but notice the short black spots on the white outer tail feathers.  There are no bars on the hairy’s outer tail feathers.  Look at the length of the bill in comparison with the width of the head.  It is much smaller.  In hairy woodpeckers, the bill length is close to the same size as the head width.  This bird is braced with its stiff tail feathers against the tree trunk.  Red on the back of the head shows it is a male.

Red-bellied woodpeckers are active and visit feeders.

This morning at 11:28 am marked the beginning of winter.  Days are getting longer and nights shorter, but temperatures should be colder for the next three months.

Greetings from your friends and neighbors at Broadmoor!  A feast of seasonal images is our offering to entice you here for a visit.

Fisher tracks on the main bridge show the large claws on this weasel family member.  It likes to hunt red squirrels and other small mammals.

White-breasted nuthatches climb head first down trees.  Look at the close-up of its claw to see how they do this.

Cedar waxwings are feasting on the last of the winterberry holly berries.

So far this year birds have found berries, seeds and even insects in abundance.  This American robin is thankful for the native American holly berries (Ilex verticillata) brightening the edges of wetlands.

The elegant cedar waxwing is enjoying, and eventually spreading the rosehip berries of the non-native and invasive multiflora rose.

The mallard wishes you a Happy Day of Giving Thanks!

And I thank photographer Stewart Ting Chong for use of his lovely photos.