Author: Mona Cavallero (Page 5 of 16)

Leaders:  Joan Lupacchino & Rich Nieman

Friday, September 20, 2024 9:00am to 2:00pm

1 Cooper’s

3 Broad-winged

1 Red-tailed

1 American Kestrel

Saturday, September 21, 2024 9:00am to 2:00pm

2 Osprey

1 Bald Eagle

8 Broad-winged

2 Red-tailed

1 American Kestrel

Sunday, September 22, 2024 9:00am to 2:00pm

1 Bald Eagle

1 Northern Harrier

2 Sharp-shinned

Unfortunately, this year’s hawk watch was disappointing.  We have never had such low numbers. Cloudy skies and unfavorable wind direction (predominately from the northeast) each day contributed to such low numbers. We feel that the broad-winged hawks migrated west of our location.  Other hawk watch sites throughout New England also had low numbers this year.

Bird Walk Trip Report at Hilltop Farm   9/4/24

Written and submitted by Trip Leader Joan Heffernan

Cliff Notes: 

Setting: Hilltop Farm, Sunny 55°-65°

Main Characters: 7 Birders (a few from NYC!) & 23 Bird Species (56 individuals)

Plot: A small group of birders are led through the woods, fields and by a beaver pond to enjoy the crisp morning, the beauty of Hilltop Farm and see as many birds as possible on this cool September day.

Conflict: “What was that?” The trip leader seeks the help of her colleagues to “Name That Bird!”

Theme: You don’t have to be an expert birder to conduct a bird walk for the Hartford Audubon Society. You just need to have a love of nature, respect for others’ expertise, and be excited to escort birders through the land you love to create a fun birding excursion for all participants.

The Full Story:

I vacillated this summer when asked if I would lead a walk at Hilltop again this year. I considered responding “no” after the brutally hot and buggy trip last year but then I came to my senses and responded “yes”. I spend so much time on this property and wanted to share what makes it so meaningful to me. I landscape the property’s plentiful gardens and also maintain a plot at the community garden, so a lot of my time is spent looking DOWN. I was ready to spend the morning looking OUT and UP to sight birds.

After taking attendance, sharing some tidbits about the historic property, and pleading my case for everyone’s collective input so we could get a respectable number of bird species recorded today, we headed down the hill.  My hiking and birding colleague, Abby, agreed to record our findings using the eBird app. That allowed me to focus on looking, pointing out where we usually see birds and providing commentary on the property. Besides, I needed both hands to juggle bug spray, binoculars and my camera- ready to be freed from its harness on my chest should a photo opportunity present. I had had a great photo shoot with some Green Herons on 8/25 and was hoping we’d spot them today when we got to the beaver pond. I also find my camera is a handy tool for identification if I’m unsure of what I’ve seen in the field.

We began by visiting the community garden where many birds like to hang out at harvest time.  The American Goldfinches were busy at work eating the sunflower seeds and the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were sighted near some canna lilies.

We were in awe of the beauty of the goldenrod which is one of the best plants for our native bees and is the top-ranked genus in terms of hosting caterpillars that feed our breeding and migrating birds (Nature’s Best Hope A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in your Yard by Douglas Tallamy.) When we entered the woodland path, it was rather quiet, so we hastily made our way to the beaver pond. The Green Herons were there along with a male Wood Duck. As we headed back to the trail, some Common Yellowthroats caught our attention.

We walked a trail parallel to the Connecticut River and then headed to the boardwalk. Hartford Audubon Society grant money allowed us to buy and plant native species for the wetlands along the eastern side of the path approaching the boardwalk. The Joe Pye Weed was a standout. The mounted binoculars on the boardwalk were installed for viewing the American Bald Eagle nest. For many years, they’ve nested here, but not anymore. We occasionally see some flying, but their nest has been unused for two seasons.

As we climbed the gentle hill, I reminded the birders that in the spring they are likely to see Bobolinks and Eastern Meadowlarks here. On this day, Eastern Bluebirds and Eastern Phoebes led us towards the historical white barn. We finished our walk by visiting the hummingbird garden, the butterfly garden (in the base of an old silo), and the pollinator and bird garden near an old corn crib. I cautioned the birders never to park under the mulberry tree (AKA the bird cafeteria) during the month of July unless they are partial to having a red car.

Collectively we were able to see a fair number of birds. Hopefully we convinced our one new birder that birders are a friendly and helpful bunch, and she will join a birding group again.

eBird Checklist below:

We had an amazing turnout and beautiful weather for yesterday’s walk.  Twenty people (including Jim and myself) showed up and we spent nearly 3 hours wandering about 1.6 miles over flat, mostly open grassland and low shrubs.  The map of where we walked is shown below.

On Saturday, June 1st thirteen bird watchers gathered at Station 43 in South Windsor for a three-hour walk featuring wetland bird species. The weather turned out to be picture-perfect with clear skies, sun and very light winds. The mosquitos along Newberry Road were also sympathetic to the cause allowing most people a pain-free visit.

After a brief greeting and introduction, the group headed off slowly down Newberry Road, birding and botanizing along the way. Slow, and very quiet would be the best way to describe how this bird walk began. But the activity soon picked up with the sights and sounds of multiple Yellow Warblers. Joining the Yellows was a vocal tree-top Magnolia Warbler as well as an American Redstart. Seven Cedar Waxwings perched high in a dead tree garnered birder’s attention as did the activity of nesting Gray Catbirds.

The search for wetland bird species began with our arrival to the Station 43 Sanctuary itself. Here we spotted Green Herons, Swamp Sparrows, a pair of Belted Kingfishers and a number of Wood Duck. Marsh Wrens were heard singing in the distant reeds. The ubiquitous Red-winged Blackbird was seen throughout, with a striking all-black body and orange-red and yellow shoulder patch.

The most surprising sighting of the day was that of a fly-over Great Egret!

Our search for the elusive Least Bittern took a surprisingly long time, but patience and perseverance finally had its reward with sightings of two birds chasing each other over the marsh. Kudos to the group for keeping a positive attitude during the bittern vigil!

After the exciting Least Bittern sighting, birdwatchers collectively decided to head over to nearby Vibert Road for some additional birding. Here we added Orchard Oriole, Wild Turkey and Killdeer. A brief walk into the woodlands along the Connecticut River produced Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, Wood Thrush and Hairy Woodpecker. Heard calling across the river were Great Crested Flycatcher and Pileated Woodpecker.

We ended our trip at the Vibert Road boat launch. From the river bank, birders enjoyed close up comparisons of both Bank and Northern Rough-winged Swallows. A pair of Common Merganser startled us as they floundered away from the shore, and then floated gently downriver. The late addition of Bald Eagle and Osprey was the finishing touch to a glorious day of birding.

Our trip tallied a total of 61 bird species.

Respectively submitted,

Paul Cianfaglione, trip leader