Quarry Park/Connecticut River Floodplain Trip Report – Apr 30, 2022 Submitted by Larry Lunden

Quarry Park and Connecticut River Floodplain – Trip Report, Apr 30, 2022

Submitted by Larry Lunden

A sunny but windy day greeted us as we started out the walk.  Two of us turned out to see what was in the park.  Three if you also count Merlin.

The upper level of the quarry had the usual birds. We saw a white spot in a tree on the crest of the hill.  Looking closer it was a hawk, and flying we saw the tail of a Sharp Shinned Hawk.   Some White-throated Sparrows were still around.  On the lower level one House Wren was singing, but did not come out in view.  Merlin added a Blue Headed Vireo and a Rose Breasted Grosbeak but we did not see them.  Overhead we saw a Great Blue Heron.  No warblers were found.

We followed the quarry with a trip through the meadows.  In a large puddle in a field we saw a group of 14 small birds feeding in the mud.  We puzzled over them with no luck.  Merlin directed us to American Pipit, which we could confirm by sight.  In another puddle we found three Least Sandpipers, giving us two special birds of the day.  To top it off we saw an American Kestrel sitting on its nesting box, and then it flew off.

Overall we had 32 species, but no warblers.

Larry Lunden

Species at Quarry Park:

Mourning Dove  7,  Great Blue Heron  1,  Sharp-shinned Hawk  1,  Red-bellied Woodpecker  7,  Downy Woodpecker  3,  Eastern Phoebe  3,  Blue-headed Vireo  1,  Blue Jay  8,  American Crow  1,  Black-capped Chickadee  2,  Tufted Titmouse  3,  House Wren  1,  European Starling  1,  American Robin  17,  House Sparrow  1,  Chipping Sparrow  1,  White-throated Sparrow  4,  Red-winged Blackbird  6,  Brown-headed Cowbird  2,  Northern Cardinal  9,  Rose-breasted Grosbeak  1

Species in Rocky Hill Meadows

Mallard  11,  Mourning Dove  1,  Killdeer  5,  Least Sandpiper  3,  Great Blue Heron  2,  Turkey Vulture  2,  Red-bellied Woodpecker  5,  American Kestrel  1,  Blue Jay  1,  American Crow  1,  Tree Swallow  8,  Barn Swallow  1,  European Starling  5,  American Robin  4,  American Pipit  14,  American Goldfinch  9,  Savannah Sparrow  1,  Song Sparrow  5,  Red-winged Blackbird  4,  Northern Cardinal  3

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