Blog – 2018

Four of Connecticut Audubon’s most energetic birders have thrown down a challenge. They’re banding together for a Migration Magic “Big Day” on Monday, May 13. Their goal is to see at least 150 species in 16 consecutive hours of birding. Their challenge is for you and all of us to support them by making a per-bird pledge! 

May 8, 2024—You’re likely to find Worm-eating Warblers in numerous locations during May migration, making it a good species to add to your Migration Magic Birdathon checklist. Connecticut Audubon staffers Deb Eccleston and Stefan Martin saw them at our Birdcraft Sanctuary in Fairfield for several days in a row this month. Seven were reported from Nehantic State Forest in Lyme just yesterday and two days ago a birder reported 13 at West Rock Ridge State Park in New Haven.

May 6, 2024—Three of Connecticut Audubon’s centers are participating in Migration Magic in a new way. They’re competing against each other in the Birdathon to see how many species they can find on their sanctuaries during May. It’s the Center at Pomfret vs. the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center vs. the Coastal Center at Milford Point.

May 6, 2024 — The next three nights look like they will be big bird migration nights, so please turn out your lights to help prevent those birds from crashing into windows.

A newsletter for Migration Magic Birdathon participants & donors. Notes today on Birdathon FOMO, the big week ahead, and Monday’s eBird webinar.

A newsletter for Migration Magic Birdathon participants & donors. Notes today on an upcoming eBird tutorial, early results, and bird walks

May 1, 2024 — A stately figure found in wetlands, lakes, and marshes, the Great Egret is a prominent sight during spring migration and through the breeding season. In winter, these birds journey as far south as the southern tip of Central America.

April 26, 2024—The first big wave of spring bird migration is upon us. Forecasts show that 249,000 birds are expected to be passing over Connecticut tonight, and 453,000 tomorrow night. Please make sure you turn out your lights tonight and tomorrow night to help prevent birds from getting killed.

April 17, 2024—If you wait until May to look for the delightful Palm Warbler in Connecticut, you might miss your chance. This early migrant is on the move now.

April 15, 2024—Northern Flickers aren’t your typical woodpeckers. These handsome birds are just as likely to be hopping on your lawn, searching for ants and grubs, as they are hammering a tree. Their flashy white rump and bright yellow wing feathers make them easy to spot in flight. This is the time of year when Northern Flickers are perhaps most noticeable, because of their loud call.

April 8, 2024—The reports of Northern Gannets flying over Long Island Sound last week were enough to make a desk-bound birder envious. Frank Mantlik, a member of the regional board of Connecticut Audubon’s Milford Point Coastal Center, and Stefan Martin, conservation manager, were among the many birders who knew enough to look for them from the state’s beaches following the mid-week storm. Here’s a report.

March 26, 2024—Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo a year ago and died in February, had been poisoned with four different rodenticides. The news underscores the critical importance in Connecticut of passing a new state law to strictly regulate the kind of rat poisons that contributed to Flaco’s death—second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides.