March 24, 2021 — Breeding season is starting so look for American Black Duck mainly in freshwater wetlands such as shallow ponds, marshes, and beaver ponds. Some nesting occurs in saltwater marshes as well.
Blog – 2018
Daily Bird: Spring waterfowl — American Black Duck
Wednesday, March 24th, 2021Daily Bird: Spring waterfowl — Ring-necked Duck
Monday, March 22nd, 2021March 22, 2021 — Ring-necked Ducks appear on Connecticut’s shallow freshwater lakes as soon as the ice disappears in late winter and early spring. As with many waterfowl, if you pick the right spot and don’t try to get too close, they can be fairly easy to observe with binoculars or a scope. Also like most waterfowl, they are strikingly beautiful.
Daily Bird: Bonaparte’s Gull
Friday, March 19th, 2021March 19, 2021 — They are most likely to be seen during spring migration through Long Island Sound, which peaks from now to early-April, when with some luck the larger flocks may be found. When in flight, these flocks stay very tightly together and can be quite acrobatic as they weave back and forth through the air. Look for them feeding on barnacle larvae on the water’s surface. This annual phenomenon known as a plankton “bloom” occurs in March and April, coinciding with the Bonaparte’s Gull migration.
Daily Bird: Black-headed Gull
Wednesday, March 17th, 2021March 17, 2021 — A great find at any time of the year, but more likely in the late winter and early spring, this small, hooded gull is normally found associating with large flocks of Bonaparte’s Gulls but often consorts with larger gull species such as Laughing and Ring-billed Gulls.
Connecticut Audubon’s Hartford Advocacy List for 2021
Tuesday, March 16th, 2021March 16, 2021 — Helping to change laws, in Hartford and Washington, by speaking out and writing is an incredibly effective way of protecting the environment. Connecticut Audubon Public Policy/Advocacy Committee has chosen a handful of important bills in Hartford to speak out on in 2021. Here’s a list, with links to our written testimony.
Banded oystercatcher returns to Milford Point
Tuesday, March 16th, 2021In the Sanctuaries …
March 16, 2021 — The focus of attention at the Milford Point Coastal Center last week was the yellow leg-wear of a visitor to the outer sandbar. The visitor? An American Oystercatcher, banded with a yellow leg identification tag.
Scott Weidensaul lecture in partnership with Ridgefield Library and Ridgefield Garden Club, March 23
Friday, March 12th, 2021March 12, 2021 – Join us on Zoom at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23, for a special presentation by author Scott Weidensaul, author of numerous books, including Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds, which was nominated for a Pultizer Prize.
Daily Bird: American Woodcock
Wednesday, March 10th, 2021March 10, 2021 — A harbinger of spring, American Woodcocks arrived in Connecticut in February again this year rather than in March. Their flight displays and calls are an amazing spectacle that should be witnessed by all who appreciate nature and yearn for spring to start.
Daily Bird: Wilson’s Snipe
Tuesday, March 9th, 2021March 9, 2021 — Wilson’s Snipe are starting to show up in Connecticut. These game birds are cryptically and physically similar to American Woodcock but they are readily distinguishable by a head-striping pattern opposite that of Woodcock: longitudinal rather than latitudinal.
International Women’s Day 2021: Our Founder, Written by Our Board Chair
Monday, March 8th, 2021March 8, 2021 — In honor of International Women’s Day, we went into the archives for this beautiful short biography of our founder, Mabel Osgood Wright, written by our Board Chair, Kathleen Van Der Aue.
Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds: #BirdNamesforBirds
Monday, March 8th, 2021March 8, 2021 — Is it acceptable to honor a person who believed of Black men that “his intellect … is greatly inferior to that of the Caucasian, and that he is, therefore, as far as our experience goes, incapable of self-government”? What if that same person also owned slaves? Meet the Rev. John Bachman of South Carolina. It’s a controversial issue and we’ll tackle it during the next Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds.
Despite the pandemic, 200-plus volunteers documented a thriving Osprey population in 2020
Monday, March 8th, 2021March 8, 2021 — More than 200 volunteers overcame arduous circumstances caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to document 510 active Osprey nests in 2020, the most since Connecticut Audubon’s Osprey Nation project began in 2014.
Daily Bird: Winter Wren
Thursday, March 4th, 2021March 4, 2021 — Winter Wrens can be found throughout the state at this time of year although they are usually hard to find because of their secretive habits. The best place to look is in thick brush near streams.
Daily Bird: American Tree Sparrow
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021March 3, 2021 — To those unfamiliar with birds, American Tree Sparrow would likely blend in with the background or be glossed over as just another sparrow. But to a birder’s eye, this species perfectly masters a balance between drab coloring and striking streaks of rufus, especially in an already bland winter backdrop.
An easy way to keep up with what’s happening In the Sanctuaries
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021In the Sanctuaries … March 2, 2021 — Connecticut Audubon’s sanctuaries are amazing places. Amazing for the diversity of birds, the occasional moose, the minks and fishers, the bobcats, the scores of other animals. But they’re also amazing for the people of Connecticut. You can snowshoe. You can look for breeding birds. You can track […]
A New Home for Milford Point’s Ospreys, Thanks to the Teamwork of Volunteers and the Generosity of Donors
Monday, March 1st, 2021In the Sanctuaries
March 1, 2021 — Move-in day is not for another month but the Milford Point Ospreys’ new home is ready for their arrival. Thanks to a team of volunteers, and an enormously generous outpouring of donations from Connecticut Audubon supporters, a new Osprey nest platform went up in the marsh at the Milford Point Coastal Center on Wednesday, February 24, replacing the one lost in a winter storm.
Daily Birds: Blackbirds
Wednesday, February 24th, 2021February 24, 2021 — Among the first noticeable signs of spring in February is the progression of blackbird flocks, often large or even huge. They will consist of a mix of Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds. Any of the three can be the primary species in a given flock, although flocks dominated by cowbirds tend not to have a lot of grackles.
This weekend: Mountainfilm! 11 great films for a great price
Wednesday, February 24th, 2021February 24, 2021 — Mountainfilm on Tour is this weekend — February 26 til noon on Monday, March 1. MountainFilm brings a selection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and incredibly inspiring documentary films curated from the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, Colorado. Enjoy these 11 phenomenal short films from the comfort of your home!
Daily Bird: Red-shouldered Hawk
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2021February 23, 2021 — Red-shouldered Hawks can be found in every month, but they can be especially conspicuous starting around this time of year, when mated pairs and rival males engage in raucous nuptial and territorial vocalizations. They get very noisy again when the young leave the nest, but some calling can be heard anytime.
Action Alert: Speak out in favor of strengthening the Migratory Bird Protection Act
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2021February 23, 2021 — You have a chance today to help make sure the Migratory Bird Treaty Act continues to be an effective way to protect birds. Please help by sending comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Tell them that you support strengthening the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
