Silver Sands Trip Report
Five people joined me at Silver Sands this morning.
Pleasant weather and 35 species of birds made it a very Pleasant walk.
We were surprised with a couple of Monk parakeets at the start of the walk.
Everyone enjoyed watching and listening the Clapper rail in the marsh and very close to the boardwalk.
Thank you to the participants.
Good birding and enjoy spring.
Maggie Peretto. Manchester, CT
2/26/2022 Birding with Your Phone Workshop – Report
Ever go birding and see someone bent over their phone, doing something about birds but you can’t tell what it is? You’re not alone – many birders are using many apps to improve our skills and log our observations. This was the impetus for creating our Birding With Your Phone workshop, presented in February for our third year in a row, and the second time to be held virtually over Zoom.
Ken Elkins of Audubon Connecticut once again expertly led our attendees through a variety of apps designed for smart phones. He showed screenshots and provided navigating advice for a number of apps including the Audubon Field Guide, Merlin, iNaturalist, BirdNet, and the Warbler Guide, among others. He ended the program by giving tips about using eBird. Shown below is a link to a you tube recording of the session.
If you could share any feedback from the evaluations you sent after the workshop, that would be appreciated. All in all, it was another helpful, informative workshop – thank you, Ken!
Sarah Faulkner
2021 HARTFORD CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT SUMMARY
(The 2021 Hartford Christmas Bird Count is dedicated to the memory of long time Area Captain and former HAS President, Gil Kleiner. Gil, we missed you covering Windsor on this year’s Count!)
Last year’s Hartford Christmas Bird Count featured a foot of snow on the ground. This year, there was none! What’s more, warm temperatures throughout the fall kept even small ponds open. So, on a day without snow and ice, and temperature reaching well into the thirties, why were there so many complaints throughout the State about how few birds were seen on the first weekend of the Christmas Count season? Let us consider some plausible explanations. First, the lack of freezing temperatures may have kept waterfowl, raptors and other birds from moving southward out of northern New England. Would these same conditions, however, allow some species to linger in our area rather than move to warmer climes for winter? Second, the mild, open conditions also allowed birds to find food over a wide area and kept them from clustering in sheltered areas near restricted food supplies. Third, a big issue on Count Day was a cold 10-15 mph northwest wind that made it feel much colder than it actually was. When birding, wind is not your friend, as many birds remain hidden away. Wind gusts atop the Hartford Landfill probably exceeded 20 mph on Count Day!
So, was the Count a bust? Hardly! In spite of the fact there were 85 field observers, 27 fewer than participated in 2020, and we covered almost 75 fewer party miles than two years ago (2019), overall numbers were not terrible. Our 87 species was three below our ten year average of 90.1 species. If only we could have found the three Count Period species (birds seen three days prior to or three days following the Count, but not on Count Day), we would have hit 90! Alas, the Cackling Goose at Wethersfield’s Mill Woods Park, American Coots in South Windsor and at Batterson Pond, and the American Pipits in the Rocky Hill Meadows could not be located on Count Day. We did, however, total 45,870 individual birds on the Count, over 14,000 more than in 2020. Of course, two species, Canada Goose and American Crow, made up more than half the total. In fact, Canada Goose reached a ten year high count, perhaps not surprising without snow covering the fields, lawns and golf courses.
Other ten year high counts were reached by Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle (tie), Common Raven, Gray Catbird, Eurasian Starling, Vesper Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Red-winged Blackbird. Eagles and ravens have been increasing in our area, while several others no doubt benefited from the mild conditions of late fall. Highlights for the Count included four Pink-footed Geese in South Windsor. This marks the first time this species has been included in our Count Circle. Other rarities included a Pied-billed Grebe and a Northern Shrike, also seen in South Windsor. The grebe last appeared on our Count in 2012, while this marks the fourth time in the past ten years that a single shrike has made the Count, the last in 2018. A female Greater Scaup in Hartford’s “sewage lagoon” pond near Riverside Park marked this species’ second appearance since 2012, while the American Wigeons in East Hartford marked this handsome duck’s first appearance since 2016. Other birds of note included an Iceland Gull in Wethersfield (more on gulls, later), single Snow and White-fronted Geese from the Rocky Hill Meadows, a pair of Northern Pintails, an American Kestrel and a Marsh Wren in Glastonbury, and single Hermit Thrushes in Glastonbury and Hartford. Finally, there is no doubt that the Glastonbury Meadows is the place to be if you are a sparrow. The Meadows produced 10 sparrow species including fox sparrow seen for the first time since 2017, a record high five Vesper Sparrow, and a Lincoln’s Sparrow for the second time in three years! An eleventh species, Field Sparrow, was nearby in Glastonbury. In addition, of 149 American Tree Sparrows seen on the Count, 128 came from the meadows, although this number is far below record years when the farm fields were left unplowed. The Meadows also produced the Count’s only White-crowned and Swamp Sparrows, and also, the only Rusty Blackbirds and one of Glastonbury’s two Ruby-Crowned Kinglets.
There were several significant misses in 2021. Following last winter’s irruption of Red-breasted Nuthatch, this species went undetected for the second time in three years. Barred Owl and Merlin were both missed for the first time since 2000. In the case of the owl, wind did not make early morning owling easy. In fact, only a single Great Horned Owl was tallied. The Merlin miss was surprising as this species seemed to be relatively common earlier in the fall. The big shocker, however, was the absence of Great Black-backed Gull, which has been declining since the closure of the land fills about ten years ago. The last time this gull failed to appear on our Count was in 1963, 58 years ago! Only Ring-billed Gulls with their penchant for sitting on parking lots, seem to be holding steady with the highest total since 2016. A number of songbirds came in at ten year lows, and one must wonder how great a role the wind played when it came to Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Mockingbird, Cedar Waxwing (only a single bird reported from Glastonbury), and Northern Cardinal. Hopefully, this is a one year blip, and does not continue into the future? Finally, as anticipated, not a single winter finch was recorded on our Count this year. It will be interesting to learn how other Connecticut Counts fared when it came to siskins, redpolls, etc.
I would like to thank the area captains, without whose participation this Count would not be successful. Thank you, also, to all those field observers, owlers, and feeder watchers for giving up some time during the Holiday Season to go out and tally birds. The Christmas Bird Count, begun in 1900, is the longest running of all “citizen-science” field studies. Over time, the Count offers valuable information about trends in bird populations during the early winter. I hope to hear from you all again next year (and on the Summer Bird Count, the second weekend in June). Happy New Year!
Jay Kaplan, Compiler
Hartford Christmas Bird Count
Lewis farm Sanctuary 10/19/21 – Written by Trip Leader Abby Wolcott
Quick facts: 53 degrees and sunny
4 people on the trip
10 species of birds seen or heard
Length of trip: 2 miles, 2 plus hours
An intimate group of birders gathered at the trail head on this crisp October morning. As we headed off, a flock of geese provided some overhead entertainment as they demonstrated their telltale chevron flight pattern above us. We had our binoculars at the ready as the conversation unfolded regarding what we had been seeing in our travels and some of the local trips that were especially memorable.
After crossing the brook we started to hear more birds and scanned the treetops for activity. We ambled along and saw a flock of yellow rumped warblers and made note that our snow bird, the dark eyed junco was back. We were happy to see him and reminded ourselves to keep our shovels and ski parkas at the ready in the next few weeks.
We watched a red bellied woodpecker as he worked on a dead limb. He was cooperative enough to do this as the sun shone on his back revealing what a beautiful bird he is. This viewing prompted a discussion on the changes of birds seen here in New England over the past few decades. It was encouraging to note the increase in many species in these parts.
Jays and crows provided some background noise as we looped around the trail. We stopped to listen to two pileated woodpeckers calling out but it was too much to ask of them to reveal themselves on this fine morning. We told ourselves we would meet the king of woodpeckers on another day and our quest continued.
On our return route we spied a bird of mystery in the tree tops and he remains thus. He darted about and did not cooperate for the camera or binoculars but provided a source of speculation for some birders who had been around the block.
Heading around the white pine grove we day dreamed about owls. They were not to be seen today but we stopped to see chickadees flitting and were reminded of E.B. White’s accurate observation that chickadees “demonstrate the power of positive thinking.” That they did, but we really didn’t need much help as we were immersed in the beauty of nature and making connections with new friends who share a love of birds.
2021 HAS Big Sit Field Trip Report – October 10, 2021
Six members and friends of the Hartford Audubon Society met on the Society’s Platform at Station 43, South Windsor before dawn on Sunday, October 10, 2021 to participate in the annual “Big Sit.” Conceived and administered by the New Haven Bird Club, the objective of the Big Sit is to count as many bird species as possible from the confines of a 17’ diameter circle on a day during the second weekend in October. Our HAS Big Sit was initiated over 20 years ago by former HAS President, Betty Kleiner. This year’s “Sit” would be an abbreviated version as much of our group had work and other responsibilities later that day. Dawn at Station 43, however, is nothing short of exhilarating, as the early morning hours usually provide the greatest excitement. There is no place I’d rather be!
As per usual, our day began with a few snippets of song here and there, as sparrows, wrens and other birds began to stir. Unfortunately, there were no owls to be hard this morning. The wood ducks soon began to make their presence known. The Connecticut River Valley is a prime migration corridor for these beautiful ducks, and we can usually count hundreds of silhouettes moving across our view as dawn approaches. Smaller, and utilizing a different flight pattern than the occasional mallards and black ducks, the “woodies” are too numerous to even count and they did not disappoint! The weather forecast this day was not ideal. It was warm, humid, and the sky was overcast. With no wind, it had not been a good night for songbird migration. An exception was a substantial movement of red-winged blackbirds. When watching blackbird flocks, one must be vigilant for the odd species or two mixing in. Vigilance, however, was unnecessary for the single rusty blackbird that dropped into the brush directly in front of us, then flew into a tree adjacent to the platform and chortled, providing everyone with a nice view.
The other species that was moving in big numbers on this day was Canada Geese. Sharp-eyed Annette Pasek noted a single snow goose in one of the skeins of Canadas as they headed southward. It was to be the only non-Canada goose out of the thousands that moved past us that morning. By 9 AM, it was determined that we would end our abbreviated Big Sit. Two of us had to go to work, and another had already left for Maine. Late highlights included two juvenile northern harriers and a calling pileated woodpecker. It should be noted that the rain that was supposed to arrive by mid-morning never materialized. The forecast was, however, enough to deter any other birders from making the trip into the marsh that day.
Jay Kaplan
Big Sit Birds
Trip Report for Greenstone Hollow Walk, Oct 9, 2021
Leaders – Diane & Chris Fisher
Participants – 18 ( including leaders)
Weather – Overcast, upper 50’s to low 60’s
Length of Trip/Terrain – Approximately 8am – 11am – about 1.9 miles total. Terrain was mostly flat mowed paths, easy walking – some wet areas. At about 9:45 we returned to the starting point after birding the trails immediately adjacent to Ridge Blvd on both sides. At that point some people had to leave. 9 of us continued on to the back of the property.
Highlights of Birds Seen – We saw 21 species of birds which was reported on e-bird. We started with several large flocks of birds flying around. These included Red-winged Blackbirds, Starlings and Cedar Waxwings. We had good looks at the Northern Flicker in the scope and the White-throated Sparrows had returned en masse! Merle Yoder, a photographer and member, stayed afterwards on his own and also photographed Common Yellowthroat and Ruby-crowned Kinglet. They were not included in the “official” list since they weren’t seen during the trip.
Here is the bird list as recorded by Larry Lunden:
Canada Goose 20
Great Blue Heron 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 13
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 2
European Starling 60
Gray Catbird 3
Northern Mockingbird 1
American Robin 6
Cedar Waxwing 45
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 5
White-throated Sparrow 25
Song Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 3
Red-winged Blackbird 90
Yellow-rumped Warbler 7
Northern Cardinal 2
Merle Yoder shared some of his photos taken on this trip below.
Trip report submitted by Trip Leader Joan Heffernan below
September 8, 2021 Time: 8:30-11:30 2 hours
Fourteen participants met at Hilltop Farm in Suffield, CT at 8:30 AM. This late summer, partly sunny day began at 67 degrees and soon rose to a sunny 77 degrees. The original plan had to be adapted a bit because of heavy summer storm damage. The farm property has sustained significant tree loss in recent weeks. Our beloved oak which proudly stood by the white barn for over 200 years was our most significant loss. Although our leader is a novice birder, she is an active volunteer at the farm and very familiar with the property and pointed out where species can be found at different times of the year. Today we identified 23 species. We began our walk near the entrance marquee. From there we walked south and then east on a gravely road on town owned property. We passed haying fields that are home to Red-winged Blackbirds and Bob-o-Links although not present today. Near the base of the hill we hooked a left onto a narrow path that led us to a boardwalk. On the right side of the path, in a wetland area, we saw newly planted native species (nestled in with beautiful goldenrod) purchased with HAS grants from 2020 & 2021 which were well watered this year! We stopped to observe the resident eagle’s nest, either through our binoculars or binoculars mounted here for patron viewing. All was quiet today but a fledging left in early July. Birders were encouraged to come back and visit in December and beyond when the eagles are actively rehabbing their dwelling. Our walk continued from the boardwalk back onto the gravely road past a tobacco barn and we then headed north, parallel to the CT River. We next followed a wooded trail where we witnessed the storm destruction from this summer. We did manage to circumvent downed trees and were able to view the inland pond home to Wood Ducks and Great Blue Herons. The GBH did a flyover, the ducks were hiding! After looping around and exiting the woods, we head west up the hill with meadows on our left and wetlands on the right where the Red-headed Woodpeckers lived in fall 2019 and spring 2020. We crossed back south through the farmer’s field to bypass some yellow jackets buzzing near one of the fallen trees. We had fashioned “steps” over the trees but took the alternate route to avoid the bees. We stopped at the Community Garden where many Hummingbirds, Goldfinches and a female Red-winged Blackbird were actively eating among the rainbow of blooming flowers. Common Nighthawks were seen here on 8/24-a lifer for the leader! Continuing up the hill, we then visited the Corn Crib area which is being nurtured to create an area where less active individuals can sit and enjoy birds, bees and butterflies in the Butterfly & Pollinator Gardens where HAS grant money was also used to purchase plants. I forgot to mention and point out the Phoebe nests under the corn crib. (seven )
We also viewed a Hummingbird Garden on the side of former manure shed and another raised bed (Pollinator Garden) on the base of what used to be a silo. I wish that the Creamery being built was open (stay tuned) to end our trek with a cold gelato treat but perhaps on your next visit! Birders that stayed until the end were invited into the cathedral barn, which is also under renovation at this Non Profit Organization which is on the National Register of Historic Places since 2005. You can learn more about this property here: https://www.hilltopfarmsuffield.org/
Birds Sighted: Black-capped Chickadee, European Starlings, Northern Flicker, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, American Crow, Song Sparrow, Gray Catbird, Hummingbirds, Chimney Swift, Carolina Wren, American Goldfinch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Wood Peewee, Warbling Vireo, Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Phoebe, Red-winged Blackbird, American Robin, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Northern Mockingbird. We even saw a bat!
Fisher Meadows Avon, CT
May 22nd 2021
Brian Toal – trip leader
15 birders joined us for our annual walk around Fisher Meadows recreation area in Avon. We had mostly resident species singing behind thick foliage, so it was a good lesson in learning the common bird songs. A highlight was 7 Blackpoll warblers that those with good ears were able to hear. Resident species found included: blue winged warbler, Warbling vireo, American redstart, Great crested flycatcher , Willow flycatcher and Yellow warbler. A Bald eagle gave us some excitement as it flew down the Farmington river. Near the end of the walk, we heard a Cuckoo that seemed to be a yellow billed. Some of the group stayed behind to try to get a better look at the cuckoo. The brown thrasher and orchard oriole that have been found in past years were not located . 46 species were seen or heard overall.
The day was clear and sunny. Six of us gathered for the Greenstone trip, including a couple from Puerto Rico who wanted to see what their birds are doing during the summer.
The day was especially good for warblers. We had six species. Common Yellowthroats were abundant with 12 of them scattered over the preserve. Yellow and Blue-winged Warblers were well represented with five each. Also Black-and-white, and American Redstarts (called Candelita in Spanish), were seen. The highlight was a Canada Warbler, Which was a new species for the preserve.
In various places we found nine Wood Thrush singing. We got good looks at a Rose-breasted Grosbeak in a tree. We did get a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. We finally found just one American Robin. I don’t know where the others were.
We had a total of 24 species, including 6 warblers.
Larry Lunden
Species:
Mallard 3, Mourning Dove 2, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker 3, Downy Woodpecker 1, Blue Jay 3, Black-capped Chickadee 3, Tufted Titmouse 4, Tree Swallow 2, Gray Catbird 1, Wood Thrush 9, American Robin 1, White-throated Sparrow 6, Song Sparrow 2, Red-winged Blackbird 6, Common Grackle 1, Blue-winged Warbler 5, Black-and-white Warbler 1, Common Yellowthroat 12, American Redstart 3, Yellow Warbler 5, Canada Warbler 1, Northern Cardinal 6, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3
Lewis Farm Sanctuary Trip Report – May 5, 2021
Trip report submitted by trip leader Abby Wolcott
On a damp spring morning, 13 local birders met at Lewis Farm to explore the trails and look for birds. Bluebirds greeted us in the parking area and off we went down the hill with binoculars in hand looking for warblers and other birds. We meandered around a small pond nestled in the verdant woods before heading to a pine grove where we were dwarfed by the towering evergreens. We turned down the volume as we scanned the understory. The group continued on admiring the wildflowers near the path including Jack in the Pulpits, Trillium and Dutchman’s Breeches. Along the way we were accompanied by white breasted nuthatches and white throated sparrows with their striking white cravats. A rose breasted grosbeak serenaded us to encourage the group to move deeper into the sanctuary. We craned our necks to look at the treetops and were rewarded with cedar waxwings and yellow- rumped warblers, and black and white warblers scrambling up and down the tree trunk. Those in our group with an ear for bird songs identified a Northern Parula warbler and a Pine warbler.
We lingered by the rushing brook watching two great blue herons fly over in their prehistoric fashion. Our next stop was a pair of vernal pools and the oven bird called as we put one foot in front of the other. He finally showed himself by flitting to a lower branch briefly before taking cover deeper in the woods. Always a treat, we heard the pileated woodpeckers conversing and one rose up from the lowest branch of a tree to thrill us with his undulating flight as he headed off.
We finished our walk trudging up the hill as catbirds serenaded us with their repertoire and the group shared what birds they have been seeing locally. Our fellowship in the woods this morning proved that some unsettled New England weather could not damped the spirits of local birders and their ever present quest.
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