Burrage Pond Wildlife Management Area

 

Black and White Warbler

   Tuesday Laurie and I went to Burrage Pond WMA in Hanson, MA. This is the only place in Massachusetts that I know of that Sandhill Cranes nest. It is the reason that we went though we did not see or hear any. The WMA is huge with many different habitats. There are woods, streams fields, a large lake, dead trees, unused cranberry bogs, and canals.  The place is huge. Because of all of the habitat there is a large variety of wildlife.

  Wildlife Management Areas are different than say state parks. They are created for all outdoor recreation including hunting and trapping. They also are not usually well signed and trails are not marked. It can be easy to get lost if you just wander without paying attention in an area of this size. I had been to Burrage a few times and although I could still get lost, I know enough of the area that I can get back to the car after a couple of hours exploring.

Northern Water Snake

   The weather Tuesday was beautiful. I was hoping to see Sandhill Cranes but also migrating warblers and snakes. There are four official parking areas along with many road pull offs around the property. He went to the main parking area on Hawk's Ave. From there it is an easy ten minute walk to the impoundment where I hoped to see cranes.

   
   Though I did not see the Sandhills, we did see Ring Necked Ducks, Green Winged Teal, and the common stuff like Great Blue Herons, Osprey, and Mallards. We walked all along the the water for nearly a mile looking at all of the turtles. I was hoping to see a Spotted in the mix of the hundred Painted Turtles but it was not to be. 

  We took a path that lead into the woods. We came across a small flock of warblers that put on a show for us. We had Black and White, Yellow, and Palm Warbler along with a few Blue Gray Gnatcatchers. We watched them for a few minutes.

  Next up the path Laurie found a Garter Snake which I caught and held. Only a few feet away we found another Garter. I couldn't attempt to catch it though. Some equestrians were coming right up the path and we had to move away for the horses. We turned around from this spot and worked our way back to the car about two miles away. 

Tree Swallow

Back along the impoundment we came across a Northern Water Snake sunning itself. It was the first of the year for me and was thrilled to see it. That was the last exciting thing we saw on the trail and we headed back to Norton.

   It was still early and I did not want to sit in the house on a beautiful day at 3 pm, so we went to the Great Woods Conservation Area in Norton. We had a rough time following the trails based on the map at the parking lot but it was nice out and I didn't mind. Laurie on the other hand was panicking that we might get lost. We found a pair of Red Breasted Nuthatches which is a very good bird to find in this part of the state. It is a very tough bird for me to get in Rhode Island and I don't know if I've ever seen one this close to where I live. 

Red Breasted Nuthatch

   All in all...a fine day

  A few more photos below

Red Winged Blackbird

Eastern Kingbird