July 18, 2019 Revised from the original September 16, 2014, post. Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri by Andy Griswold, EcoTravel Director Where to find it: The Coastal Center at Milford Point has produced five Western Sandpipers this week (the week of July 15, 2019). Numerous in its range, Western Sandpiper is considered a vagrant in Connecticut, […]
Bird Finder Articles
Western Sandpiper 2019
Thursday, July 18th, 2019Black Skimmer
Friday, July 12th, 2019July 12, 2019 – Black Skimmers are uncommon enough to be worth looking for, but you have to pick the right spot at the right time.
Ovenbird
Friday, June 28th, 2019June 28, 2019 Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla by Chris Wood Walking along my regular birding/hiking route at Whittemore Sanctuary in Woodbury in late spring, two ubiquitous birds demand my attention: Red-eyed Vireo and Ovenbird. Red-eyed Vireos may be the most common woodland songbird in the Northeast, but looking over my eBird data for Whittemore (a 680 […]
June Birds
Thursday, June 13th, 2019June 13, 2019 – Connecticut is filled with birds this month, many of them raising families (or being raised), many resting and feeding. Here’s a list of eight chosen at random from among our summer Bird Finder entries over the past five years.
Cuckoos
Friday, June 7th, 2019June 7, 2019 – On a recent bird walk I was leading, my group stumbled upon our first cuckoo of the season in a less-traveled portion of Goodwin State Forest, near one of the park’s three wetlands. Though we never got to lay eyes on the conspicuous Yellow-billed Cuckoo that we heard, its distinctive, guttural-sounding call was enough to confirm the ID and welcome them back to our forest.
The Wood Warblers
Friday, April 26th, 2019April 26, 2019 – The next few weeks will be warbler weeks in Connecticut. True, vireos and thrushes and sandpipers and lots of others birds will be arriving too, but it seems almost beyond debate that warbler migration excites the spring birder more than those others.
April Birds
Friday, April 19th, 2019April 19, 2019 – There are so many birds to find in April, we thought we’d post a quick compilation of a handful to be alert for over the next few days.
Cranes and Waterfowl
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019April 4, 2019 – Connecticut Audubon EcoTravel sent a group to the prairie to find these birds last week. The birding and the landscape were awesome.
Blue-winged Teal
Wednesday, March 13th, 2019March 13, 2019 – A male Blue-winged Teal is truly unmistakable. Its dark blue-gray face and black bill stand in strong contrast with the large white crescent that extends vertically between the bird’s bill and eye. That huge white slash on the front if its otherwise dark face can be seen from a great distance.
Wintering Golden Eagles in Connecticut
Wednesday, February 20th, 2019February 20, 2019 – Recently I’ve spent a few hours scanning ridge lines, farm lands, and waterways between Salisbury and Kent for Golden Eagles. I had my first bird on Thursday, February 14, in Kent, some 10 miles as the crow flies north of where Stefan Martin had two Goldens a couple days before (at Deer Pond Farm, in Sherman).
Connecticut Birds in the Tropics
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2019January 24, 2019
Leaving for a few weeks in warmer climes? You can still enjoy Connecticut’s birds. Look for Northern Waterthrush among mangroves and Western Sandpiper exploring the salt flats on Tortola, for example, and foraging flocks of Ovenbird, Blue-winged Warbler, and American Redstart in moist tropical forest along the Reef Bay Trail on St. John.
Mew Gull
Wednesday, January 16th, 2019January 16, 2019
Where and When To Find It: Cove Island Park, Stamford. Right now. There’s no guarantee we’ll see another. Alternatively, plan on a very long plane ride.
American Tree Sparrow
Thursday, January 10th, 2019January 10, 2019 – They prefer areas that are open and have low vegetation, like field and marshes, but also take advantage of backyard bird feeders. American Tree Sparrows have been frequenting the open grassy fields of the Connecticut Audubon’s Bafflin Sanctuary in Pomfret and of Goodwin State Forest.
Greater White-fronted Goose
Saturday, December 8th, 2018December 8, 2018 Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons by Nick Bonomo Don’t drive by that corn field full of Canada Geese without looking for this needle in a haystack! What it looks like: The size and shape of your standard goose, perhaps a bit smaller than the average Canada Goose. Adults are rather obvious. The […]
Peregrine Falcon
Thursday, December 6th, 2018December 6, 2018 – Look for a darkly-colored raptor zipping through the air or perched high on a ledge. They have a grayish-blue back and black barring on the white underside. Their eyes are pronounced, outlined by a bright yellow ring, and the highly curved bill helps them tear at their food.
King Eider
Tuesday, November 20th, 2018November 20, 2018 – All birders, and now some non-birders after the arrival of the escaped Mandarin Duck in New York City, know that there are some seriously amazing plumages among duck species, among them the King Eider. One was found in near-shore waters of Long Island Sound off Waterford just a few days ago.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Wednesday, November 14th, 2018November 15, 2018 – By now, most of us have noticed a particular trend this season with the arrivals of certain ‘irruptive’ winter species highlighted in the 2018-2019 Winter Finch Forecast.
Wood Duck
Wednesday, November 7th, 2018November 8, 2018 – Once the temperatures begin to drop, the fall migration is just about over, and the bird diversity in woods drops significantly, there’s nothing quite like catching a glimpse of a beautifully marked Wood Duck passively floating on an otherwise vacant pond.
Common Raven
Wednesday, October 31st, 2018October 31, 2018 – If you’d like to see a Common Raven in Connecticut this All Hallows’ Eve, hills with cliff faces are a good place to look. East Rock and West Rock in New Haven and Hubbard Park in Meriden have resident pairs.
Evening Grosbeak
Wednesday, October 24th, 2018October 24, 2018 – The iconic “winter finch.” Nobody cares how much sunflower seed a flock can decimate, as long as they do it at your feeder.
