Blog & Trip Reports
Greenstone Hollow Trip Report – Saturday, October 12, 2019
On Saturday, Oct 12, we had a beautiful morning for our Fall walk at Greenstone Hollow, the HAS nature preserve in East Granby. Seventeen hardy souls showed up by 8 am. and we both looked for birds and toured the sanctuary. We spent some time near the North and South Beaver Ponds before heading back…
Full DetailsGlastonbury Meadows Trip Report – October 5, 2019
On Saturday, Oct. 5, the HAS field trip to Glastonbury Meadows began with thoughts of a banner day, often the case in early October after the passage of a cold front. The sky was pure blue and temps started in the 30s, with some patches of frost showing. Sure enough, soon after our 12-person group…
Full DetailsLewis Farm Preserve repair work done – Thanks to Bob Winter
The HAS Lewis Farm Preserve was hit by a microburst on July 6th that took down the tops of a number of large trees, blocked the entrance to the preserve, and dropped some large limbs on many of the trails. A very special thank-you goes out to our property steward, Bob Winter, for his extraordinary…
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A tribute to Stephanie Lovell – Longtime Member of HAS
This June, Hartford Audubon lost a longtime beloved member, Stephanie Lovell. She was a member of HAS since 1995, President of the Society 2003-2005, Member of the Year in 2007, and led 54 trips for HAS. She is remembered for being ardent in her birding and brooking no foolishness when on the prowl. She generously…
Full DetailsHartford Summer Bird Count Summary – June 8-9, 2019
The 2018 Summer Bird Count (SBC) was held June 8th and 9th, 2019 and featured delightful weather on both days of the weekend. Observers totaled 38, two less than the previous year. Party hours also decreased slightly to 127.5 from last year’s 135, and several key areas were lightly covered during the weekend. The Summer…
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Annual picnic at Northwest Park on June 11th, 2019 – a fun time for all!
What a terrific annual picnic at Northwest Park on June 11th! First a group of members went birdwatching and saw a number of species, then we had a delicious pot-luck supper, then held a short business meeting. It was energizing hearing about recent bird trips and sightings, listening to the stewardship reports for our preserves,…
Full DetailsGreenstone Hollow Nature Preserve – Trails Day/Bird Walk – June 1, 2019
HAS’s Trails Day birdwalk at the Greenstone Hollow Nature Preserve, led by Larry Lunden and Sarah Faulkner, was attended by 12 people on the gorgeous morning of Saturday, June 1st. Highlights included hearing a blue-winged warbler, watching lots of red-winged blackbirds over the marshes, and being serenaded by many catbirds. Huge thanks to Chris Fisher…
Full DetailsGreenstone Hollow Nature Preserve Trip Report -May 25, 2019
The day was clear and sunny. The previous night was rainy, so we had some mud to walk through. The leaves were out, so we practiced birding by ear. Six of us gathered for the Greenstone trip. The roadside started us off with a variety of birds. A Great Blue Heron flew over. We heard…
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Hartford Audubon Annual Banquet – May 14, 2019
Dear members of Hartford Audubon, It was my pleasure to serve as your president for the past two years. I have gotten to know many of you and hope to stay in close contact. Thank you for your kind words and compliments. You have been very supportive. The banquet tonight was a success with…
Full DetailsTanager Hill May 4 – Trip report
On May 8th, twenty-one intrepid birders ascended the wilds of Tanager Hill and the Owen-Mortimer Trail in Simsbury. Luckily, a changing weather pattern yielded a reasonably good day of birding in an otherwise frustrating season. In all, thirteen warblers species were either seen or heard, including Black-throated Blue, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Louisiana Waterthrush, and our target, the sometimes elusive Hooded Warbler.…
Full DetailsEast Rock Park Bird Trip – May 11, 2019
Saturday May 11 was my annual trip to East Rock Park Hamden/New Haven. Our group assembled among many other birders which helped since there were so many migrants we did not want to miss anything. Also we were helped by the beautiful viewing conditions after so many days of wet or overcast days. The prime…
Full DetailsHartman Preserve Bird Trip – 5/11/19
A sunny cool morning warmed up a bit as nine HAS members roamed these beautiful woods and power line. We started with an open sighting of a Black-throated Blue Warbler after Redstarts and Ovenbirds at the cars. In all we identified 51 species plus a possible Orchard Oriole. The highlight, most likely,-close looks at a…
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