Mount Auburn Cemetery was looking exquisite today. A blush of autumn colour complimented a
slight chill in the early morning air. It could have been perfect were it not
for the grass-cutting and hedge-shredding that seemed to go on all day. I guess
it is necessary to keep the cemetery from getting overgrown, but in
surroundings that would otherwise have been so tranquil and calm, it seemed
like a terrible intrusion. After reminding myself that I was in fact the
intruder, I set off along the ridge that starts to the left of the gate.
I was hoping to find “birds of
passage”, flying south seeking “warmer climes” and coincidentally found the
first Blackpoll Warbler by Wordsworth’s tomb. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drilled into a
juicy trunk and an American Robin sat
for an autumnally themed picture.
A stand of Rhododendron bushes on a
slope by Auburn Lake held Common Yellowthroat and White-throated Sparrows. A Great Blue Heron had caught a frog and
was trying to swallow it. The frog was still kicking. I took one picture and
moved on, a little squeamish.
The Northern Cardinals looked a little tatty today so the less seen of
them amongst the leaves, the better.
A Yew bush and taller adjacent tree
provided some exciting warbler watching and I spent half an hour with Betsy
Neagles (1787 – 1871), trying to get a fix on the south-bound plumage. I had
come without a field guide. Someone please tell me why I would do that in fall
warbler season?
Actually, these ones were easy enough
with Black and White Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Green Warbler and Blackpoll Warbler. I should have
thought to bring a guide though, in case of anything a bit more tricky.
I had seen the Red-tailed Hawks a number of times today, but suspect that it was
the same juvenile bird each time. It allowed me a close look as it landed on a
horizontal branch before flying across to the gravestone of Walter Scott Fitz
and alighting there.
Rain had been threatening all morning
and eventually the clouds could hold it no longer and let it all out in a rush.
The shower was heavy, but short-lived, but by this time I had made the decision to head home. A small
flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets
with a couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets
and a Red-eyed Vireo stopped me for
a short damp moment on the way out.
Birds seen; 33
Wild Turkey 1, Great Blue Heron 5,
Red-tailed Hawk 2, Herring Gull 4, Mourning Dove 1, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1,
Downy Woodpecker 6, Northern Flicker 5, Red-eyed Vireo 4, Blue Jay 20,
Black-caped Chickadee 10, Tufted Titmouse 3, Red-breasted Nuthatch 2, White-breasted
Nuthatch 6, Brown Creeper 1, Carolina Wren 1, Golden-crowned Kinglet 15,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2, Hermit Thrush 1, American Robin 120, Grey Catbird 1,
European Starling 40, Black and White Warbler 5, Common Yellowthroat 3,
Blackpoll Warbler 8, Yellow-rumped Warbler 8, Black-throated Green Warbler 2,
Song Sparrow 2, Swamp Sparrow 2, White-throated Sparrow 8, Northern Cardinal 8,
Common Grackle 30, Brown-headed Cowbird 20
Harvard Square Station is on the Red Line
of the subway, heading out of Boston towards Alewife. Bus nos. 71 and 73 leave
from the station and take less than 10 minutes to reach the cemetery. There is
a stop close to the cemetery gates and between them there should be a bus twice
every 15 minutes.
For previous posts from Mount Auburn, see the
links below;
Visit the dedicated USA and Canada page for more
posts from Boston including; Back Bay Fens, Pleasure Beach and Whale watchingfrom the New England Aquarium.
