February 18, 2021 — Common Loons may be the symbol of wild, northern lakes but in winter and spring 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.
Blog – 2018
Daily Bird: Common Loon
Thursday, February 18th, 2021Daily Bird: Red Crossbill
Wednesday, February 17th, 2021February 17, 2021 — Birders are getting good views and good photos of a small flock of Red Crossbills at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, in pines to the right of the Meigs Point pavilion. We posted this Daily Bird just a few months ago, in November (it was originally written several years ago), but Hammo has been such a reliable location lately for these rarities that it’s worth posting again (with new photos by Patrick Comins).
Watch Mariamar Gutierrez in a 6-minute preview of her “Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds” presentation coming up on Thursday
Monday, February 15th, 2021February 15, 20210 — In a preview of her Thursday Zoom presentation, Mariamar Gutierrez talks about stopover ecology and “full-service hotels” for migratory birds.
Next on Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds, a fascinating look at what songbirds go through during migration
Thursday, February 11th, 2021February 11, 2021 — Mariamar Gutierrez Ramirez talks about her research into New England songbird migration in the next “Young, Gifted, and Wild About Birds,” on Thursday, February 18.
Daily Bird: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Wednesday, February 10th, 2021February 10, 2021 — Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers can be found throughout the state in winter. They’re a little larger and stockier than Downy Woodpeckers, black and white, with adult males sporting a bright red crown and throat. Adult females lack the red throat. They have a prominent white stripe on their wings.
The Osprey nest and Osprey Cam at Milford Point were destroyed in the recent storm. Please contribute to so they can be replaced!
Tuesday, February 9th, 2021February 9, 2021 — Everything needs to be replaced — quickly — and you can help. Please make a donation to help provide a nesting place for Milford Point’s Ospreys.
A discussion of Audubon’s “Birds of America” this evening with Patrick Comins and Nelson North
Tuesday, February 9th, 2021February 9, 2021 — The present meets the past at 6 this evening as Connecticut Audubon Executive Director Patrick Comins joins former Executive Director Nelson North for an online conversation about John James Audubon’s art, conservation, and the naturalists who have shaped current day conservation.
In the Sanctuaries: Winter is here, and it’s great
Monday, February 8th, 2021February 8, 2020 — Pack your snowshoes, pull on your hiking boots, grab your poles. Winter is a great time to visit Connecticut Audubon’s sanctuaries. You will see something amazing, guaranteed.
Coastal Center 25th Anniversary Photo Contest
Tuesday, February 16th, 2021Through a camera lens, Milford Point is a captivating location to all who enjoy photographing nature at its best. Magnificent migrating birds over Long Island Sound. Spectacular sunsets over the tidal marsh. Glistening sea grass by the boardwalk Close-ups of marine life in a tide pool. To showcase and share treasured images of this special […]
Daily Bird: Rough-legged Hawk
Monday, February 8th, 2021February 8, 2010 — When Rough-legged Hawks leave their tundra breeding grounds, they look for areas with the most abundant food source. In Connecticut this mean marshes and open fields. In recent days, Rough-winged Hawk has been seen in Tolland, Madison and Mansfield, with other scattered sightings reported over the last month.
The pelican rescued in Connecticut is rehabbing in Florida
Friday, February 5th, 2021February 5, 2021 — The injured Brown Pelican rescued last week from the Connecticut River has made it safely to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Florida, where it is being treated for pneumonia and a touch of frostbite but is otherwise doing well.
Keeping bears away from your bird feeder
Friday, March 26th, 2021March 26, 2021 — It was cold enough through the winter for bears in Connecticut to lie low. But with warmer weather, they’ll revive. And they’ll be hungry, which can be a problem for people who love to feed birds in their yard.
“Robby. Is that you?”
Thursday, February 4th, 2021February 4, 2021 — Charles Lautier, a resident of Stratford who has been a Connecticut Audubon member for several years, sent us this anecdote about a neighborhood American Robin. Food connects us to other humans; in Charles’s yard, one of the simplest foods — peanut butter — helped create a surprising and charming human-avian connection.
Daily Bird: Northern Shrike
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021February 3, 2021 — This is the rare passerine, or songbird, that actually preys on rodents and other birds. It and its close relative the Loggerhead Shrike are the only two in North America to do that.
Early birds get the mate
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2021February 2, 2020 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North Atlantic-Appalachian region celebrated Groundhog Day by interviewing Connecticut Audubon Executive Director Patrick Comins about actual signs that spring is on its way. Their blog post, published this morning, is here. We thank them for permission to use it on Natural Selections. Enjoy, puns and all!
Superb Owl is On! Join us via Zoom on Super Bowl Sunday
Monday, February 1st, 2021February 1, 2021 — Our popular Super Bowl Sunday Live Owl event with Horizon Wings is here, virtually! Join Mary-Beth Kaeser of Horizon Wings as she introduces you to several local owl species.
Daily Bird: Northern Harrier
Monday, February 1st, 2021February 1, 2020 — The Northern Harrier is a hawk of grasslands and open country. At this time of year it can be found at dozens of locations along the coast, and in open grasslands inland as well.
Update from the Pelican Clinic: Eating a Mess of Minnows
Saturday, January 30th, 2021January 30, 2021 — Good pelican news for a Saturday morning. We’ve posted a terrific short video of the rescued Brown Pelican eating vigorously.
For 2021, 10 Things You Can Do to Help Birds
Friday, January 29th, 2021January 29, 2021 – Since 1970, bird populations in North America have dropped by 29 percent; there are now approximately 2.9 billion fewer birds in North America than there were 50 years ago. Ignoring the problem won’t solve it. Feeling guilty about it won’t solve it. You can help Connecticut’s birds, and when you do, […]
Update from the Pelican Clinic: Major Improvement from Yesterday
Thursday, January 28th, 2021January 28, 2021 — The Brown Pelican that was rescued in dire condition from the icy Connecticut River in Essex yesterday is doing surprisingly well today and seems as if it will survive. Christine Cummings, co-founder A Place Called Hope, the raptor rehabilitation center in Killingworth that has been treating the bird since yesterday afternoon, […]
