Author: Mona Cavallero (Page 1 of 17)

Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve Bird Walk Trip Report – 5/7/2026

May 8, 2026 /
Two HAS members joined me to tour the Granby Land Trust’s Dismal Brook Wildlife Preserve.  The day began rather chilly for this time of year (46 F), with blustery northwest winds, yet mercifully was mostly sunny.  While many birds were identified by ear, we enjoyed excellent views of two red-shouldered hawks, scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, veery, black-throated blue warbler, American redstart and yellow warbler, among others, as well as an entertaining “moonwalk” on the ground by an ovenbird.  The list totaled 44 species, including 12 warblers, and can be viewed on eBird  at https://ebird.org/checklist/S334304313.
John Weeks
North Granby

Auer Farm Bird Walk Trip Report – 5/6/2026

May 7, 2026 /
Six birders enjoyed what turned out to be a fairly nice morning despite the threat of rain. Migrants were few and mostly the early varieties you might expect. Our list includes only birds that were seen by a least one member. There were a few species that Merlin heard, including Parula warbler and gnatcatcher, which i didn’t count.
The highlight of the day was good looks at a pair of orchard orioles  appropriately hanging out below the new orchard. Other good looks were of RB Grosbeak, Baltimore Oriole and Cedae Waxwing.
Thanks to everyone for coming out today. Hope you enjoyed it.
Jack Halibozek

Lower Greenwoods, Barkhamsted Bird Walk Trip Report – 5/5/2026

May 6, 2026 /
Compiled by Cathy Delasco
Ten of us met up for the walk.  We saw around 30 species and heard another 6 or 7 and confirmed them with Merlin.  Here they are in the order we saw them:
1. Mourning Dove
2.  Yellow-throated vireo
3.  Swallow sp.
4.  Turkey vulture
5.  Yellow-bellied sapsucker
6.  Chestnut-sided warbler (all over the place)
7.  Baltimore Oriole
8.  American Redstart
9.  Blue-winged Warbler
10. Great Blue Heron (flyover)
11. Black-capped Chickadee
12. Northern House Wren
13. Gray catbird
14. Eastern Towhee
15. Northern Yellow Warbler
16. Common merganser
17. Fish Crow
18. Raven
19. Broad-winged hawks (overhead, three)
20. Red-bellied woodpecker
21. Black and white warbler
22. Rose-breasted grosbeak
23. Red-winged blackbird
24. Yellow-rumped warbler
25. Blue-gray gnatcatcher (only seen my two people)
26. American Goldfinch
27. Blue Jay
28. Common yellowthroat
29. Northern Cardinal
30. Tufted titmouse (only seen by two people but heard everywhere)
31.  American robin (same as above)
Heard but not seen:
Northern Parula
Warbling vireo
Black-throated green warbler
Song sparrow
Chipping sparrow
American crow

Trip report – Lewis Farm – 4/29/26

April 30, 2026 /

Trip Report compiled by Abby Wolcott:

A dozen birders gathered at the top of Hill Street poised to explore the HAS Lewis Farm.  Abby led them down the hill to the sounds of silence.  Fortunately, that changed as bird calls filled the air.
We took the time to discuss the Merlin app and Doug Beach’s email about best practices.  Red-bellied woodpeckers called from across the preserve throughout the morning, and the ever-vocal tufted titmice seemed to be everywhere, calling out.  We heard pine warblers from the canopy but they did not reveal themselves.  The group paused after the Billy Goat Gruff Bridge to bask in the morning  sunshine.  We were rewarded by a pair of yellow warblers which were kind enough to light on several low branches in the sun allowing us to “oooh and ahhh”at their splendor.  Eagle -eyed Joan spotted a dark silhouette in the brambles and identified the bird as a rusty blackbird.  He proved to be a “lifer” for a few birders and he stayed posted on his branch for quite a spell.
 The vernal pool area was calling our name so we continued on.  We admired the understory and all the beautiful hues of green prompting a debate whether the color was spring green or leaf green or Granny Smith apple green.  Regardless, the woods were a vision.  We circled back again taunted by the pine warblers but they refused to be seen.  We heard a wood thrush and a white breasted nuthatch and started our way back.  We detoured around the pine tree loop and admired trillium on either side of the path.
As we climbed the Hillary Step, human banter took over for the birds.
One wonderful by-product of birding is meeting so many lovely people and getting acquainted as we wrestle with our binoculars.  All these folks are drawn to birds and this group in particular had it all: patience, kindness, knowledge and humor.  I missed both the birds and the birders as I headed home.
Species List:
Red-tailed hawk
Red-bellied woodpecker
Blue jay
Black-capped chickadee
Tufted titmouse
White-breasted nuthatch
Gray catbird
Wood thrush
American goldfinch
Song sparrow
Red-winged blackbird
Rusty blackbird
Northern yellow warbler
Northern cardinal

Roaring Brook Nature Center: Trip Report – April 26, 2026

April 26, 2026 /
The forecast for clearing skies did not materialize, and the morning
of April 26th dawned gray, dreary and drizzly.
Nevertheless, at 7 am, 14 hardy birders met in the Roaring Brook Nature Center
to see what the spring migration had to offer.
Sadly, it was not much as the cool, damp conditions were not favorable to
birdsong, and a week-long period of winds from the north had not spurred
small songbirds to move against the wind.The few birds around the Nature Center building were keeping
low in the brush, not wishing to expose themselves to the
less than ideal weather conditions, and by the time
we reached the fields, our list was but half of what had

been seen on a bird walk the previous day.
Other than a few breeding-plumaged goldfinches
chasing each other around, and a couple of bright crimson
male cardinals, there was not much movement.
A vocal gray catbird was our first real migrant, but
things did not improve much as we were unable to find the
bluebird pair seen the previous day.
Leaving the fields and entering the woods,
we finally began to hear and even see a few birds as a
singing blue-headed vireo and a group of brightly-plumaged
male yellow-rumped warblers were found high in the trees.
As we approached the pond, the sky finally began to
brighten just a tiny bit, and we were able to add belted kingfisher,
brown creeper and blue-gray gnatcatcher to our list.
Our nicest observation, and a nice way to end our walk, was a very
obliging male yellow-bellied sapsucker, who posed for photos while
he drummed away at close range on a dead standing tree.
A meager 28 species was seen/heard during the trip, far below what
would be expected on this date.A trip list follows.

Jay Kaplan, Trip Leader
Trip Birds
1. Mourning Dove
2. Red-shouldered Hawk
3. Red-tailed Hawk
4. Belted Kingfisher
5. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
6. Red-bellied Woodpecker
7. Downy Woodpecker
8. Northern Flicker
9. Eastern Phoebe
10. Blue-headed Vireo
11. Blue Jay
12. American Crow
13. Black-capped Chickadee
​14. Tufted Titmouse
15. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
16. White-breasted Nuthatch
17. Brown Creeper
18. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
19. Northern House Wren
20. Carolina Wren
21. Gray Catbird
22. American Robin
23. American Goldfinch
24. White-throated Sparrow
25. Song Sparrow
26. Louisiana Waterthrush
27. Yellow-rumped Warbler
28. Northern Cardinal

Greenstone Hollow Trip Report – April 11, 2026

April 12, 2026 /

This windy, cool April Saturday morning 18 folks got together to tour around the Greenstone Hollow property owned by Hartford Audubon and see or hear 24 species of birds.   We spent about 1-½ hours walking to the paths which parallel Ridge Blvd on the north and south sides.  During that part of the walk we also saw and talked about the new project at Greenstone.  This project, lead by Vicky Margiott, involves planting 35-40 native species of trees and shrubs in part of an area on the property that is currently just mowed lawn.  After that first half of the walk, about half of us continued into the north part of the property where we continued to see new birds for another 1-½ hours.

Highlights:
First half of walk –
– 3 male and 1 female Wood Ducks which were seen by a few of the early arrivals before they got to nervous with the crowd and took off.  A pair of Mallards, however did hang around for us to get a better look.
– Lots of male and female Red-winged Blackbirds
– Eastern Bluebird pair seen from Cathy’s bench in a tree in the south beaver pond.
– Yellow-rumped Warbler seen in the same tree.
Second half of walk –
– 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets who were busy feeding very close to us in Kinglet Woods for really good looks.
– 3 Palm Warblers in bright spring plumage. Once again, quite close and lots of great looks!  A couple of pictures below.
– A nice group of Black-capped Chickadees feeding in the cedar trees
– 3 White-throated sparrows feeding on the ground.
Here’s the entire bird list of the 24 species seen.
4 Wood Duck
2 Mallards
3 Turkey Vulture
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Northern Flicker
1 Eastern Phoebe
6 Blue Jay
2 American Crow
7 Black-capped Chickadee
3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
2 Carolina Wren
2 Eastern Bluebird
1 American Robin
4 American Goldfinch
1 Chipping Sparrow
2 White-throated Sparrow
1 Song Sparrow
4 Swamp Sparrow
30 Red-winged Blackbird
1 Brown-headed Cowbird
3 Palm Warbler
1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
2 Northern Cardinal
Chris  Fisher, Trip Leader

Trip Report – Silver Sands Bird Walk

April 2, 2026 /
On Sunday, March 29th twelve birders joined Ernie and me on a beautiful morning bird walk.
We slowly walked about three miles enjoying the birds and the fresh ocean air.
We missed many of the common local birds but the miss that surprised me the most was the Clapper rail. Every year we see them or at least hear them. Maybe the hard winter is to blame.
Some of the spots that we normally enjoy and find birds were blocked by phragmites.
The most celebrated birds were a pair of Oyster catchers that were feeding by the shore next to the boardwalk.   The group also enjoyed the call of the Brant’s.
We totaled 39 species, but we always wish for more.
Thank you.
Maggie Peretto
Manchester, CT

Summary of Big January, 2026

February 24, 2026 /

Summary of Big January, 2026

From Sarah Faulkner

Our tenth annual Hartford County Big January of Birding challenge was a success once again, but birding this year was particularly difficult due to extremely cold weather, frozen ponds/lakes/streams, and snow! This yearly quest to see the most wild bird species in January in Hartford County brought lots of joy to those who were able to participate. A number of folks wrote to say that they enjoyed searching but just could not make the minimum number for a certificate. A few commented on the challenges of keeping on gloves, suffering the wind, and difficulties walking… yup, a nasty January! It should be noted that finding even 50 species in Hartford County in January is no easy feat, especially this year. Those able to see many species had to work hard for them! But in the end, it’s not the final number that matters, but the fun we had in the hunt.

Our 2025 winners are listed below.  HAS awards certificates in these categories: Youth (ages 4-10): 25 species; Teen (ages 11-17): 35 species; Weekend Warrior Adults (ages 18+ whose day jobs ironically interfere with birding): 50 species, and Adult (ages 18+ who can get outdoors during the week): 60 species. All winners will receive a certificate from HAS at the May Annual Meeting or mailed afterward if you cannot attend to receive it in person. The adult with the most species will be celebrated at the HAS Annual meeting in May, along with the birder who found the most notable bird – our coveted “Golden Grebe” award.  Special congratulations go to Jacob Gransinger, age 16, with an impressive count of 67 in the Teen category, and to Connor Hogan for winning the adult category with 102 species. The Golden Grebe award winner will be kept secret until May!

Adults Categories

Sandra Alyssa

Logan Barnes

Laura and Bob Bengtson

Christine Chinni

Sarah Faulkner

Barry Fasciano

Jeff Fengler

David Funke

Jack Halibozek

Joan Heffernan

Thomas Heffernan

Bruce Ho

Connor Hogan

Dennis Johnston

Jay Kaplan

William Kelly

David Lawton

Lisa Lukawicz

Barry Marsh

Jamie Meyers

Annette Pasek

Maryann Passalacqua

Maggie Peretto

Gillian Smits

Audrey Staropoli

Brian Toal

Sandra Van Vooren

Shori Velles

John Weeks

Alison Wilcox

Chris Wilcox

Blair Wlochowski

Joseph Wojtanowski

Sara Zagorski

 

Teen Category (ages 11-17)

Jacob Gransinger, age 16, 67 species (wow!)

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