Did you know that white ash, a bird‐friendly tree, has diamond patterns in its bark? Or, that 100‐200 organisms live inside leaves? More than 20 birders showed up Sunday morning for the Brookline Bird Club’s Tree Identiication walk led by Harvard University botanist Walter Kittredge, and learned this much and more. Toting binoculars and carrying a list of trees found in Belmont‐Watertown’s Beaver Brook Reservation, participants studied compound and simple, opposite and alternate leaves, bark textures, tree structures and soil preferences of specific trees.
Walter described and passed around leaves from various species of oaks and maples, cherry, beech, birch and ash trees, so we could note differences and similarities among leaf shapes and content. Non‐native species such as glossy buckthorn, porcelain berry and oriental bittersweet unfortunately thrive at Beaver Brook, and we identified many examples of these highly invasive vines ‐ “the worst!” Throughout the walk, we considered reasons why certain trees support birds and wildlife better than others: in short, it’s about the insects and other creatures that live on the leaves and bark of some (native) trees and not others, so a chewed‐up, hole‐ridden leaf is generally a great sign of a bird‐friendly tree! Frequent references were made to Doug Tallamy’s Book, Bringing Nature Home, which makes the case for planting native oaks, birches, maples and other native trees that support birds in many ways. At the end of walk, we arrived at and studied a young, impressive swamp white oak while watching a dozen American Robins, 2 Blackpoll Warblers, a Pine Warbler and a Red‐eyed Vireo consuming bittersweet berries and insects lurking beneath their dense foliage. Birders were not disappointed: we saw some late fall warblers and learned how and why they stopped at Beaver Brook to refuel on their ways elsewhere.
Note: the Brookline Bird Club is planning future conservation‐minded walks. Please check our website and massbird for announcements: https://brooklinebirdclub.org/
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Upcoming Field Trips
The Quiet Beauty of Birding at Winthrop Beach
Winthrop - DCR Winthrop Beach Reservation - Sturgis St 59 Winthrop Shore Drive, Winthrop, MA, United StatesJoin DCR park staff for a leisurely walk across sandy stretches and areas of loose rocks at this Massachusetts State Reservation, a well-known hot spot for birdwatching. We'll be on the lookout for shorebirds, waterbirds, and gulls. Binoculars are recommended. Suitable for adults and children ages 8 and up (with an accompanying adult). Sponsored by [...]
Fruitlands Museum, Harvard
Harvard - Fruitlands Museum 102 Prospect Hill Rd., Harvard, MA, United StatesAll the nesting birds will still be around, with good views of young out of the nest being fed by parents: Veery, Indigo Bunting, Catbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Tree Swallow, Bobolink, Wood Thrush, Baltimore Oriole, and Warblers. Expect to walk about 2 miles on trails through meadow and woods with some steep sections. Heavy rain cancels [...]
Birch Hill WMA
Royalston - Birch Hill WMA Royalston, MA, United StatesIncludes three to five miles of walking relatively flat terrain. Might include some bushwacking. Driving on hard packed dirt roads. Co-sponsored with the Athol Bird & Nature Club.
Southwick WMA
Southwick WMA - Suffield WMA entrance Point Grove Road, Suffield, CT, United StatesWe will hike the fields focusing on grassland breeders, particularly Eastern Meadowlark and Grasshopper Sparrow.
Millennium Park
Boston - Millennium Park Canoe Launch 300 Gardner Street, Boston, MA, United StatesJoin the Brookline Bird Club in collaboration with Boston Nature Center to look for birds in a unique urban habitat that often draws numerous uncommon and rare birds.Target birds include bobolinks, egrets, flycatchers, grosbeaks, herons, owls, rails, ravens, sandpipers, swallows & swifts, vultures, warblers, and woodpeckers. Birders of all levels will enjoy this trip. The [...]