June 8, 2020 — A Western Sandpiper has been feeding and resting on the mudflats at the Milford Point Coastal Center in recent days. Western Sandpiper is considered a vagrant in Connecticut, with about half a dozen sightings each year.
Blog – 2018
Daily Bird: Western Sandpiper
Monday, June 8th, 2020The Monday Bird Report
Monday, June 8th, 2020June 8, 2020 — Photographers, June is a crucial time of year for nesting birds. Getting too close to a nest or to just-hatched chicks puts vulnerable birds at greater risk.
Diary of a Teenage Birder from New Canaan, circa 1910. Part 5.
Saturday, June 6th, 2020June 5, 2020 — “I unfolded my chair, seated myself and commenced to peruse Sabbath Reading, which I had brought along for the purpose. Hardly had I started to read when a Flicker flew over my head and alighted on a dead tree nearby.”
Daily Bird: Clapper Rail
Friday, June 5th, 2020June 5, 2020 — Despite its large size, Clapper Rail is not an easy bird to locate. These marsh birds are known for their elusive nature and are more often heard than seen. The grasses that make up salt marshes hide them well and provide crucial habitat for feeding and nesting.
We at the Connecticut Audubon Society add our voices to the rising calls for change in our country.
Friday, June 5th, 2020June 5, 2020 — We at the Connecticut Audubon Society add our voices to the rising calls for change in our country. Nature knows no racial boundaries. It is our vision that everyone in our diverse population appreciate the value of the natural world and have access to it. Any possibility that the birding community could feel isolated from racism was shattered last week when Christian Cooper, a birder who happened to be black, was subjected to overt racism while searching for a Mourning Warbler in Central Park.
I Spy: Coastal Connecticut
Monday, June 8th, 2020June 8– Welcome to Mystery Monday! Let’s play a game of I Spy: Coastal Connecticut! Every Monday we will post part of a picture of an organism found along the coast of Connecticut. Make your best guess–you can post your answer on The Coastal Center’s Facebook page: click here or on The Connecticut Audubon Society Facebook page: click here. […]
Andy & Sandy Visit the “Osprey Garden” in Old Saybrook
Thursday, June 4th, 2020June 4, 2020 — EcoTravel Director Andy Griswold and volunteer Sandy Sanstrom regularly visit what Andy likes to call the Osprey Garden to check on the eggs (which will be hatching momentarily) and clear away debris. Watch this video for a great perspective on how your support is making a difference for Ospreys.
“Farming” a Rich Source of Food for Migrating Birds
Thursday, June 4th, 2020June 4, 2020 — Where do your donations go? Some go right into the ground. Your support is being invested in new places to keep migrating birds well-supplied with high-energy seeds to fuel them on their long flights.
Daily Bird: Purple Martin
Thursday, June 4th, 2020June 4, 2020 — After a tentative start this season, nesting activity in the Purple Martin gourds at the Coastal Center in Milford is underway.
Frank Mantlik, who leads the team of volunteers that monitors the colony, reported on May 26, that out of the total 71 gourds at the colony, 20 have nests.
Daily Bird: Black Skimmer
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020June 3, 2020 — Black Skimmers are amazing-looking birds that seem to quickly unzip the surface of the water as they feed. They are uncommon enough to be worth watching for. You have to pick the right spot. In Connecticut that’s often the Milford Point Coastal Center or Sandy Point in West Haven.
Connecticut Audubon’s Dr. Science: Using Binoculars for Birding (video: 4 minutes)
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020June 2, 2020 — Ever wonder how you could use your binoculars to get an “eagle-eye” view of some of your favorite birds?
Monday Bird Report
Monday, June 1st, 2020June 1, 2020 — By June, birds are on their breeding grounds, eggs are in the nest — some have hatched — and sumer is icumen in/Lhude sing cuccu, if you’re lucky enough to have a cuckoo nearby.
The Answer for the June 1 Mystery is……
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020If you guessed jingle shells, mermaid’s toenails, Neptune’s toenails, toenail shells, gold shells or saddle oysters, you are correct!! Jingle shells are shiny mollusks that got their name because they produce a bell-like sound when several shells are shaken together. The shells are thin and often translucent, they will grow following […]
Daily Bird: Scarlet Tanager
Monday, June 1st, 2020June 1, 2020 — A competitor of Baltimore Orioles for the title of most noticeable songbird in Connecticut, Scarlet Tanagers are a fairly common forest nesting bird in Connecticut. Most of the larger and many of the smaller forested areas of the state will have nesting pairs.
Daily Bird: Piping Plover
Friday, May 29th, 2020May 29, 2020 — Piping Plovers live out in the open but can be hard to find. They attract a lot of attention but can be found only on certain beaches. They nest from Greenwich to Stonington but are rare enough — only 57 pairs in Connecticut last year — to warrant listing as a federal and state-threatened species.
2020 Birdathon Photo Contest Winners
Monday, June 1st, 2020June 1, 2020 — We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2020 Birdathon Photo contest. Birders from across the state submitted approximately 100 photos, all taken in Connecticut from May 22 to 24. They included geese, ducks, herons, hawks, owls, warblers — even a box turtle. The winners were chosen by Julian Hough, an experienced bird photographer and graphic designer.
Daily Bird: Brown Thrasher
Thursday, June 18th, 2020June 18, 2020 — 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. A little bigger than a robin, the Brown Thrasher is on the list of Connecticut’s “Birds of Special Concern,” mainly because of loss of the messy shrubby areas it favors.
Daily Bird: Little Blue Heron
Thursday, May 28th, 2020May 28, 2020 — The first Little Blue Herons arrive in April and stay into October, sometimes later. It is strictly an inhabitant of coastal salt marshes. It nests on Duck Island in Westbrook and Charles Island in Milford.
An Up-Close View of Sunbathing Snakes With Connecticut Audubon’s Dr. Science (video: 3 minutes)
Thursday, May 28th, 2020May 28, 2020 — Why do northern water snakes leave ponds on warm spring days (and ignore social distancing rules)?
Daily Bird: Sanderling
Wednesday, May 27th, 2020May 27, 2020 — One of our most ubiquitous shorebirds is the Sanderling. Only the Ruddy Turnstone and the Whimbrel may have a wider distribution.
