Sunday, June 25

 

Yellow-crowned night heron

There have been a series of articles in the New York Times about Americans “de-churching”, disengaging from church.  If they are, they are missing out on an important opportunity for community.  Some say they commune with nature instead.  If that is the case, our Sunday morning social birding is the ideal for both.  Our leader, Ken Blackshaw even calls it “bird church.”  However, next Sunday I’ll head back to Mass at Sconset Chapel, which I love.

This week I saw two  Yellow-crowned night herons with “bird church"  at the  fresh pond at UMass Field Station.  The black-crowned night herons are regulars, but the yellow-crowned is rare enough to show up in the Boston Sunday Globe bird sightings.  In the afternoon, I  tramped around Squam Farm and Squam Swamp.

Blue-eyed grass , dewberry and ox-eyed daisies lined the Squam Swamp path.   Red-eyed vireos, common yellowthroats and towhees were my choir.  A flicker and a brown thrasher were treats at Squam Farm, as was a swatch of  swamp azalea, rhododendron viscosa . The grasses and grapes and daisies stretched over the former sheep farm. 

Swamp Azalea,  Rhododendron viscosa

Ox-eyed daisies

Arrowood Viburnum

Planes approaching every 3-5 minutes on Sunday afternoon makes it hard to bird by ear!

It is the start of arrowwood viburnum time, and the Polpis road is lit up with their blooms.  The multi flora roses are faded and the viburnum moves  the summer forward.