Birds

August In past years one could often see and hear the common nighthawk as it circled in the glow of streetlights, picking off moths and other insects attracted by the

March The American Woodcock is most noticeable during its remarkable mating display, beginning in March as snow clears from overgrown fields. Check the meadows in Nahanton Park. At dusk, the

December The White-winged Crossbill is an occasional winter visitor to the Newton area. It uses its crossed mandibles to pry open cones of spruce and hemlock, extracting seeds with its

November Late fall is the best time to see this lively little freshwater duck. Along with other waterfowl, it migrates south through our region in November. It is most often

September The Cedar Waxwing is a year-round bird in Massachusetts, often seen in September feeding on fruit left hanging on bare trees. It travels in flocks, moving from tree to

June A Green Heron is a slender, long-legged bird found standing upright at the water’s edge in ponds in the Newton Cemetery or at Dolan Pond. It may be partly

These svelte and lovely, quiet birds can be seen during most of the year in Newton. During the winter they associate in loose flocks and dine on ripe fruits, including

Pete Gilmore It’s the time of year to get your bird feeders active again. The birds are coming under survival pressure as food gets harder to find. It helps to

The 107th annual Christmas Bird Count sponsored by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology was held on December 17th. The Christmas Bird Count is a long-standing

The 2005 Christmas Bird Count in Newton was held on December 18th. Ten determined birders were out from 4:00 AM to 6:30AM looking for owls, and spotted seven Eastern Screech

It was a poignant moment for me—to hold the remnant of such a majestic creature in my own hand! It was larger than expected, big as a crow, and its

Cold Spring Park is a large wooded area west of Newton Center and south of Beacon Street. It is a successful, multi-use park, with tennis courts, basketball, soccer and baseball

Conservation News It has recently come to our attention that there have been a highly unusual number of Phoenicopteris ruber (Greater Flamingo) sighted within the confines of Newton, particularly in