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:
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