Birds and Butterflies in Leicester

Five participants from the Forbush Bird Club and the Massachusetts Butterfly Club walked a section of the roadside of Route 56 North overlooking the edges of the fields on the back side of the Worcester Airport. It was cloudy and the temperature was in the mid 60's until late morning when sunny skies appeared and the temperature rose to 80 degrees. We also drove over to Mulberry Street where we checked the edges of the field and walked the wooded path to the Quaker Cemetery.  

Among the 20 species of butterflies observed, highlights were:   Spicebush Swallowtail, Great Spangled Fritillary, Silver-Bordered Fritillary, Monarch, Appalachian Brown, Mulberry Wing Skipper, and Delaware Skipper.

Many thanks to Scott MacAllister for keeping the list of birds seen and heard.

26 species were recorded:

Mourning Dove – 4
Chimney Swift – 2
Green Heron – 1
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Unidentified raptor – 1
Downy Woodpecker – 1
Hairy Woodpecker – 1
Northern Flicker – 1
American Kestrel – 1
Eastern Wood Pewee – 1
Eastern Kingbird - 1
Red-eyed Vireo – 1
Blue Jay – 2
Crow species – 1
Tree Swallow – 4
Barn Swallow – 10
European Starling – 1
Gray Catbird – 3
American Robin – 4
American Goldfinch - 3
Savannah Sparrow – 1
Song Sparrow – 4
Bobolink – 8
Red-winged Blackbird – 2
Common Yellowthroat – 2
Indigo Bunting – 1

(Report submitted by Dolores Price)