Walking the Great Ditch

 

Cutler Park, Needham/Dedham

The temperature was in the low 20s, a good opportunity to walk the Ditch in Cutler Park, normally too tick-infested and marshy to pass through easily, though even today there were challenges. 

The Great Ditch (labeled "Charles River") via Google Maps

The Great or Long Ditch is a 17th century shortcut/drainage solution. It is normally a good place in January to encounter hooded and common mergansers.

The Great Ditch

Not today. No ducks. Indeed, no eagles, ravens, or otters, either. Just an unseen beaver slapping the water to make sure I knew I wasn't alone. This would be a day for smaller encounters.

Black-capped chickadee

I walked back along the train tracks, flushing sparrows along the trail. Song, white-throated, and even an over-wintering swamp sparrow. But, I suddenly thought, no American tree sparrows. This used to be a given along this stretch this time of year. Where did they go? 

American tree sparrows

Almost back to my car, I heard a familiar piccolo. "There you are," I said out loud. There was a flock of five birds foraging on the ground as if nothing were wrong. In fact, there is. According to an article in the new issue of Living Bird, American tree sparrows are in significant decline. We are losing our normal birds.

My Wild Adventure

 

White-Tailed Deer, Charles River, Needham

Inspired by Noah Strycker's Birding Without Borders, I decided to be a little more adventurous this morning. Instead of my normal patch, I would visit a newly acquired but not fully public (gasp!) property just upstream of the Charles River Peninsula. 

Common Crow

Approaching the river, I heard crow commotion and some raptorish sounds. A large black bird flew up to a nearby tree. A raven? No, a crow sentinel.

Bald Eagle

I saw an enormous bird with a white tail and head over the water, soaring and then swooping down to the ice. By the time I got to a clearing it was gone. Second bald eagle in two days.  Maybe the third time I'll get a decent photo...

River Otter

I waited for a while. No luck. As I turned to leave--more crow commotion. This time it was "Caw, Caw!" "Kraaah!" I looked up to see a common raven harassed by a flock of crows. I was pondering the wildness of encountering an eagle and raven moments apart, I heard a "pop." I looked out and saw one, and then two otter heads poking up through the ice. 

I watched for a while as the one on the right finished its fish, leaning its elbows on the ice shelf. These otters have been spotted here before, so it wasn't a complete surprise. Nevertheless, along with the bobcat that has been detected in this area, a good sign of rewilding happening in my town. 

Charles River Peninsula. Winter encounters.

 

Charles River Peninsula, Needham, MA

Inspired by Priyanka Kumar's Conversations with Birds, I headed out shortly after dawn to my regular patch, ready for deeper encounters with the winter regulars, secretly hoping that the merlin reported the previous day was still hanging around. (It wasn't). 

Beaver Lodge, Charles River Peninsula

Light snow covered the ground but it wasn't too cold. Chickadees were singing, six bluebirds flew overhead, the resident pileated woodpecker was chuckling across the river, hooded mergansers glided and dived. It was exactly what I expected and needed. 

Many pages in Conversations with Birds are devoted to Kumar's multiple, and ultimately successful, attempts to encounter bald eagles. As I was watching a group of Canada geese float down the river, a huge dark bird with a white head suddenly flew up and over them, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Bald eagle

You'll have to take my word for it. While I've seen eagles in Needham before, this was the first I've encountered at the Charles River Peninsula.