Oak Knoll

MITS comes to Oak Knoll

The past two weeks have been busy ones here at Oak Knoll and Attleboro Springs.  The trail network at Attleboro Springs is officially well underway and we can't wait to invite everyone to experience the new accessible trail with overlooks at Brothers Pond and an active vernal pool.

Nearby Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary (www.massaudubon.org/stonybrook) joined us for two weeks to work with 25 teachers from across Massachusetts who were participating in MITS (Museum Institute for Teaching Science, www.mits.org).  The teachers worked independently and in small groups to learn more about inquiry-based, hands on science education.  We created giant maps in our parking lot and  explored the uses of widely available mapping software as well as investigating two local vernal pools. 

Here are a few photos from the two week program:

 

House Sparrow in Decline!

Ok, while this might strike most of you as a good thing - I have just returned from a ten day trip to London, where a walk through St. James Park (one of my new favorite places) and Green Park revealed some unexpected ecological management.

A friend and I were walking the park, enjoying an unexpectedly sunny afternoon and we came upon a grassy area that had been roped off by park managers. Of course, the environmental educator in me had to stop to read the small laminated sign at the edge to find out more.  The area (and several others like it in City parks) are being managed to encourage the return of the English Sparrow, a bird that once populated London and the UK by enormous flocks.  In the 1970's the sparrow population began to decline, possibly due to decrease in food source, nest sites, and an increase in predation by magpies and squirrels.  These social birds, (that we commonly find in our bluebird boxes, home improvement stores, and fast food parking lots) are colonial nesters - and it is not uncommon for people to put up "sparrow flats" to provide additional nesting sites for these birds in decline.

Just after finishing the 24 hour Bird A Thon event  (where even the U.S. pest, the House Sparrow counts toward team totals), it was an interesting shift in perspective to see first hand the difference an ocean can make in conservation perspective and species appreciation. 

For more information about the English Sparrow, check out: http://www.britishbirdlovers.co.uk/articles/the-decline-of-the-house-sparrow.html

Bird a Thon - Friday night...

Our team met up with some Stony Brook birders tonight and here are our results:

Canada goose

Wood duck

American black duck

Mallard

Wild turkey

Great blue heron

Spotted sandpiper

American woodcock

Mourning dove

Northern flicker

Warbling vireo

Red-eyed vireo

American crow

Tree swallow

Barn swallow

Black capped chickadee

Carolina wren

Eastern bluebird

Veery

Wood thrush

American robin

Gray catbird

Yellow warbler

Yellow-rumped warbler

Pine warbler

Ovenbird

Common yellowthroat

Eastern towhee

Chipping sparrow

Song sparrow

Northern cardinal

Indigo bunting

Bobolink

Red-winged blackbird

Common grackle

Brown-headed cowbird

Baltimore oriole

American goldfinch

House sparrow

Now off to bed so we can start before sunrise!  Check in tomorrow night for a final tally!

Early Morning Birds and 24 Hours of Birding.

In an effort to kick off a great Bird a Thon event, we have been holding a series of birding programs for our Bird a Thon (BAT) team mates and the community.  Yesterday, just after sunrise, we went out with former State Ecologist, Jack Lash, to see what species we could find at Oak Knoll on a sunny spring morning. 

In the hour and a half we were out there, we saw or heard:

Wood thrush

Red winged blackbird

Baltimore oriole

Veery

Ovenbird

Scarlet tanager pair

Rose breasted grosbeak

Tree swallow

Barn swallow

Wood duck

Canada goose

Mallard

Northern waterthrush

Grackle

Downy woodpecker

Northern cardinal

Catbird

Black throated blue warbler

Warbling vireo

Blue gray gnatcatcher

Red eyed vireo

White breasted nuthatch

Common yellowthroat

Chimney swift

Blue jay

Hoping we'll find all of these again tonight as we start our 24 hour Bird a Thon count!  You can follow our Bird a Thon progress on our facebook page, or our blog, or at our friendly FirstGiving website at: www.firstgiving.com/tarahenrichon

And we'd love to have you join us on an upcoming Early Morning Birds!  Call the Sanctuary for details!

Frog Chorus - Singing in the Rain!

It is officially spring!  The calendar says it.  My peas and broccoli were planted over a sunny weekend.  And best of all, the frogs are calling and the spring symphony has begun!

The students from Southeastern Regional were out last Thursday with their teacher, and we were able to record wood frogs and spring peepers.  As soon as we walked out to Attleboro Springs at La Salette you couldn't miss the sound!  And upon arriving at a nearby vernal pool, you couldn't help but see dozens of wood frogs in the water, calling, laying eggs, moving through the cool water in the pool.

Wood frogs are considered an obligate vernal pool species.  Most spend their adult lives in the upland around their natal pool - returning to it to breed in early spring.  They are small frogs with dark eye masks, and can be brown, tan, to almost rust or orange colored.  See if you can spot the wood frog among the leaf litter in the photo below.

Attleboro Springs at La Salette, the history

The weather forecast this weekend is for sunny and seasonably warm temperatures.  With such good driving and hiking conditions predicted, we hope you'll join us at the Welcome Center at La Salette (947 Park Street, Attleboro) for the fascinating story of Attleboro Springs. 

Mass Audubon's own historian, naturalist and super-sleuth, John Galluzzo will be joined by local historian and long time Attleboro resident Larry St. Pierre as they discuss the cultural and natural history of Attleboro Springs.  This 117 acre property owned by La Salette Shrine, was permanently protected as a result of a creative joint partnership between the City of Attleboro, Attleboro Land Trust, National Shrine of our Lady of La Salette, and Mass Audubon.  

The program begins at 2pm on Sunday, January 24 at La Salette's Welcome Center.  Program is FREE to the public and is the first in Oak Knoll's six-part natural history lecture series.  Refreshments will be provided. 

This program is supported in part by a grant from the local cultural councils of Attleboro, North Attleboro, Norton, Rehoboth and Taunton, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

 

We hope to see you there!

 

 

Open House and Jan Brett series kickoff

I am sitting at my desk, completely distracted by the activity of the downy woodpeckers, juncos, red bellied woodpeckers, mourning doves, nuthatches, chickadees and robins in the sugar maple right outside my window.  If you haven't yet cleaned and filled your bird feeders, now is a great time to do so. 

As we watch the snow and flurry of bird activity, we are getting ready for a busy Saturday.  Tomorrow begins our celebration of popular children's author Jan Brett.  We will be reading The Mitten, making a craft, and exploring the trails for the creatures we meet in the story.  Program begins at 10:00am and is geared for children 3-8 years old.

In the afternoon, join us for our Winter open house.  From 12-3pm, drop in to learn about our upcoming programs, talk with instructors, snack on cookies and cocoa by the fire, and more.  Stories and activities for children will be ongoing throughout the day and staff led snowshoe walks are scheduled.  This is a free, drop in event. 

We hope you'll stop by to learn more about all the wonderful programs Oak Knoll has to offer.

Mass Audubon's Oak Knoll adds 5.5 acres

As 2009 draws to a close, Mass Audubon's land protection team has been hard at work protecting undeveloped land across Massachusetts. At Oak Knoll, we are pleased to announce that on December 24, we added more than five acres to our wildlife sanctuary.

 

This wooded property, roughly half oak upland and half shrub and red maple swamp, abuts the Lake Talaquega property Mass Audubon purchased in 2003 with the support of generous contributions from the community.  This new 5.5 acre parcel contains portions of two vernal pools and has been designated as Priority Habitat of Rare Species and Estimated Habitat of Rare Wetlands Wildlife by the Natural Heritage Program.  The property is adjacent to the trail that circles Lake Talaquega, providing valuable buffer. 

The property was purchased from local developer Shawn Jorde, with funds supplied by donors to Mass Audubon's land protection program and by the McCane-Chin Fund for Land Protection.

 

The acquisition of this land brings the total property protected at Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary to more than 47 acres of woodland, meadow, and wetland habitat -  just minutes from downtown Attleboro.

 

 
 
 

Holiday Happenings...

Today was Oak Knoll's final preschool class for 2009.  Kathi Gariepy and her preschool class had a great time (and I did too) decorating gingerbread houses and reading some stories about winter.  And after this weekend's generous snowfall we really feel like winter has arrived.

I came in to Oak Knoll on Monday prepared to shovel the walk and check out the trails after the snow.  What a delight to see signs that the trails had already been in use by snowshoers, cross country skiers and more than a few squirrels and deer!  Oak Knoll is a busy place after a snow!  For anyone looking for a few snowy winter activities beyond traditional snowmen (or at my house, snow dinosaurs), and fort building, please check out Mass Audubon's "Ready, Set, Go Outside..." pages at:   http://www.massaudubon.org/go/activities.php?id=5  The team that puts this portion of Mass Audubon's website together does a fantastic job of finding fun, seasonally-themed activities for families and children.  I have it bookmarked for those days when I need something fresh to occupy a very busy 7 and 3 year old at home.

And speaking of home, my past few months as Sanctuary Director at Oak Knoll have been truly wonderful.  A sincere thank you to the staff and volunteers, our Sanctuary Committee, and friends who all have such great enthusiasm and energy for the Sanctuary.  We hope that you'll join us for some of the new programs we are offering this winter and spring.  Though we're finishing up 2009, we can't wait to dive into the new year with programs for all ages!  Look for our adult lecture series, continuing preschool programs, new programs for families and children -- and of course, we can't wait to get started on Bird A Thon 2010! (more info on that to come in January)

Mary, Kathi, Michelle and I wish all of our volunteers, members, and friends a very merry holiday season and a wonderful new year.  Please stop in if you're in the area.  We'd love to talk with you about upcoming events, our latest bird sighting (watching the juncos out my window right now...), or your ideas for a successful program here at Oak Knoll.  Happy Holidays and see you in 2010!

- Tara

Clean Up Success!

Despite the forecast, and the storm coming up the coast on Friday into Saturday, our group of intrepid volunteers braved the rain to clean up two locations at Attleboro Springs.  We started adjacent to the future parking area, with volunteers from Mass Audubon, Attleboro's Conservation Commission, the Attleboro Land Trust, and the Oak Knoll community filling the concrete pad site with scrap metal, trash, tires, and more.  Then, not to be deterred by a little light rain (ok, it was pouring) we moved on to the wetland adjacent to the main parking area and removed even more.  In all, we had more than 20 volunteers for some or all of the day.  La Salette kindly donated the large carafe for coffee to keep us fueled and energized, and volunteers made snacks to keep everyone - even our youngest helper of not yet two, enthusiastic and motivated.

Stay tuned for our group photo and details on the next clean up day - and my sincerest thanks to all who participated in this fun (though soggy) event!  I've promised better weather for next time :-)