Bird Finder for June 30: Chestnut-Sided Warbler
Chestnut-sided warbler: The male chestnut-sided warbler is one of Connecticut’s most colorful warblers, found in older fields that are going through successional changes.
Welcome to Bird Finder, our guide to interesting birds you might be able to find now in Connecticut!
Some of the best birders in the state generously share their expertise here. Patrick Comins, Milan Bull, and Andy Griswold from our own staff. Corrie Folsom-O’Keefe and Genevieve Nuttall from Audubon Connecticut. Greg Hanisek, Stefan Martin, Helena Ives, Chris Wood, Nick Bonomo – a great roster of contributors. Our hope is that Bird Finder will inspire you to go out and find the birds they write about!
Little Blue Heron
June 16, 2016 – This species is strictly an inhabitant of coastal saltmarshes. It occasionally appears inland later in summer when the odd young bird is prone to wander.
Bird Finder for June 13: Gray Catbird
Gray Catbird. This handsome gray bird can be distinguished by its bold personality and characteristic call, reminiscent of a cat’s meow.
Are Sandhill Cranes Nesting in Connecticut?
August 2, 2016. Are Sandhill Cranes nesting in northwestern Connecticut? If they are, it would be the first documented nesting for the species in the state.
Scarlet Tanager
July 7, 2016 – This beautifully-plumed bird is common enough in Connecticut that it’s hard not to find one if you’re looking in the right habitat, says this week’s author, Andy Rzeznikiewicz, our sanctuary manager in Pomfret.
Fox Sparrow
March 16, 2017. Fox Sparrows have been reported under snowy feeders in Glastonbury, Ellington, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Bethel, and Harwinton. In other words, pretty much everywhere.
Fire Throat: Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler: At our Birdcraft Sanctuary we had seven individual Blackburnian Warblers in one day recently! Andy Griswold, director of our EcoTravel program, writes about the species.
Evening Grosbeak: Bird Finder for October 28, 2016
Evening Grosbeak: Several were heard flying over Sherwood Island State Park in Westport and in the town of Canton recently, so it’s worth keeping an eye on your feeders.
Hooded Warbler: Bird Finder for May 12
Hooded Warbler. A very striking bird with a bright yellow face and underparts, black hood and bib, and a greenish back.
Bird Finder for May 4: Wood Duck
The male Wood Duck is one of Connecticut’s most colorful puddle ducks.
Bird Finder for April 28: Brown Thrasher
The cinnamon-colored Brown Thrasher may more often be heard than seen as it spends much of its time hidden in its preferred shrub habitat.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
April 14, 2016 – You can improve the odds of seeing a Ruby-throated Hummingbird in your backyard by protecting and restoring their habitat. Plant native hummingbird flowers, flowering shrubs, and trees. Then when you put up your hummingbird feeder your chances of seeing these flying jewels are greatly increased.
Bird Finder for April 13: Bonaparte’s Gull
Bonaparte’s Gull: Spring seems to be the best season when the small, graceful Bonaparte’s Gull frequents our shoreline, flocking sometimes in the hundreds.
Palm Warbler
Palm Warbler. If you wait until May to look for spring warblers in Connecticut, you might miss seeing this gem.
Bird Finder for March 29: California Gull
California Gull. This bird has been seen in Madison and West Haven recently – the first state record for it.
Bird Finder for March 21: Mew Gull
Mew Gull: The smallest of the “white-headed” gulls in North America, the Mew Gull has been seen at Hammonasset.
American Woodcock
Bird of the Day, March 24, 2020 — A harbinger of spring, American Woodcocks arrived early in Connecticut this year – in February rather than in March.
Common Loon
Common Loon: Common Loons may be the symbol of wild, northern lakes but in March these large diving birds are relatively easy to find in Connecticut’s coastal waters and larger freshwater lakes and rivers. It is the largest loon you are likely to see in Connecticut.
Bird Finder for March 3: Green-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
As the calendar turns to March we will notice a drastic increase in the number and diversity of migrant dabbling ducks in our wetlands, including this tiny species.
Bird Finder for February 23: Monk Parakeet
When we first heard earlier this year that Bald Eagles seemed to be trying to nest near the West River in New Haven, the initial report was that they had commandeered a Monk Parakeet nest. Which prompted the question among many: Parakeets? In Connecticut?
