Winter Farm Fields, Wildlife Sanctuary

Wilkins Farm, Groton, MA

     Late last fall, a large flock of house finches roosting in a local cornfield caught my attention. I followed them into the field.

Along with the finches, soon other flocks of birds appeared. They fed on unplowed cornstalks, dried meadow plants, berries, and insects, and took shelter in the brush along a little stream that cuts through the farm.

Cedar waxwings picked over the crabapples and chokeberries. Often fermented this time of year, the fruit can have the effect of intoxicating birds and other animals, and cedar waxwings have a grand reputation for enjoying this. 

Bluebirds gathered in the trees, enjoying a variety of berries left to be picked over, and pulling worms from the fields, not yet frozen.

Insects sheltered in the corn husks. 

In an adjacent field various types of squash were left behind from the autumn harvest, full of tasty seeds.

     Periodic visits in December and January led me to discover that white-throated sparrows, song sparrows, cardinals, and blue jays were steady regulars, and could often be found in a mix with house finches, American goldfinches, and dark-eyed juncos.

Crows travelled in large groups, moving from trees to field and back again. Robins, red-winged blackbirds, starlings, and a lone raven made fleeting appearances, and from time to time a nuthatch would appear, exploring tree cavities.  Small groups of black-capped chickadees and tufted titmice stopped by to forage, but seemed to prefer the wooded edges of the fields.

     A kind birdwatcher who had discovered this field as a birding treasure pointed out a tree sparrow, a colorful sparrow that breeds in northern Canada and Alaska and migrates south for the winter.

White-throated sparrows were quite vocal and their distinctive whistle, “Oh sweet Canada, Canada,” rung out as a descant to the harsher cries of crows and jays, and woodpeckers jackhammering in the trees. 

A red-bellied woodpecker frequented several large shagbark hickory trees along a dirt road that passes through the center of the fields, along with a number of downies. Pileated woodpeckers could be heard in the large white pines and oak trees that skirted the fields, and occasionally visited the beautiful shagbarks, too.

While woodpeckers enjoyed foraging for insects in the shagbarks, they were well-appreciated as a resting spot by many of the birds passing through, and offered great perches for hawks. 

    A juvenile cooper’s hawk and a red-tailed hawk regularly stopped by to eye the smaller birds and squirrels, each seeming to keep to their own territory. One frosty morning in January I found a pellet under the tree where the cooper’s hawk liked to perch. At first I assumed it was an owl pellet, but when I opened it up it lacked the typical bones one would find and I surmised it was a hawk pellet, as hawks are able to digest the bones of their prey.

On another occasion I found four crows pursuing the cooper’s hawk, who must have done something to offend. The hawk landed in a tree right above my head, perhaps thinking the crows would find me too intimidating to follow it there. At least one of the crows was undaunted, however, and off they went.

Most mornings deer could be seen along the forested edges of the fields, and their tracks throughout the entire area indicated that this was a favorite spot for foraging. 

Fox and coyote tracks, along with those of smaller animals like raccoons, rabbits, squirrels and mice were also spotted.

Nearing spring, coyotes could be heard in the adjacent woods, and I occasionally caught glimpses of them if I arrived early enough.

Squirrels could almost always be seen scurrying up and down the trees, or popping in and out of small holes in the bark.

Once a frozen ear of corn fell out of a tree as I walked past, and I can only imagine that a squirrel hauled it up there in a mighty attempt to squander its feast. On another occasion, an ear of corn had been pulled up into a shrub. Although a squirrel likely placed it there, the birds seemed to enjoy taking turns at it.

With the Nashua River flowing just beyond the field, Bald Eagle flybys were not uncommon, and occasionally one could be found perched at the far end nearest to the river.

     Throughout the winter, remnants of the farming season were left scattered in the fields – harvesting buckets, ploughing equipment, and a bright red tractor that, much like the male cardinal, brightened the wintry landscape.

What may have looked like dry, dormant fields, to an outsider, were far from lifeless. Counting over 30 species of birds, 8 mammals (some identified by tracks), and a variety of insects that took shelter in the corn husks, the fields offered welcome food and sanctuary to wildlife big and small.