Quarry Park and Connecticut River Floodplain

A partly cloudy and warm day greeted us as we started out the walk. There had been a heat wave the previous three days, and the leaves were coming out. Eight of us turned out to see what was in the park.

The upper level had a few birds new for the year, Baltimore Oriole, and Grey Catbird. We heard a Hairy Woodpecker, an unusual one for this trip. The upper part of the quarry had a wind blowing, so birds were few and far between.

On the lower levels we found several singing Wood Thrush. We had a Red-shouldered Hawk fly over, a new species for this trip. We had a Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing in the woodlands.

We also found several warblers, Black and White, American Redstart, Black throated Blue, and Pine. We found an Ovenbird skulking under a log, a new species for this trip. We had a Northern Parula that was identified by photo. We also found two Brown-headed Cowbirds chasing a female. The quarry part of the trip netted 37 species.

The meadows were flooded over from the recent rain, so we took the second part of the trip on the Wood Parcel on Middletown Ave. In the Wood parcel we had a Green Heron fly over. We had two warblers, Black-throated Green and Yellow, both singing. We had a Baltimore Oriole stripping nesting material off some small plants. A good sign of a nest to come. And we heard a Warbling Vireo in the trees.

The Wood parcel part of the trip netted 23 species. Overall we had 46 species, including 8 warblers. The results were shared with the CT Bird Atlas project as nesting activity was found.

Respectfully submitted,
Larry Lunden