We bid a sad farewell recently to one of the best-known members of our education team – Phantom, a Peregrine Falcon who has been with us since 1991 and who died on Saturday, January 17, just short of his 24th birthday. Phantom was a familiar presence at school programs and Connecticut Audubon Society presentations, perching […]
Blog – Connecticut Audubon Society
Farewell, Phantom: 1991-2015
Monday, February 2nd, 2015Our Statement in Support of Robert Klee as Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Friday, January 30th, 2015January 30, 2015 – We were in Hartford yesterday to testify before the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee in support of Governor Malloy’s nomination of Commissioner Robert Klee to a full four-year term as head of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The committee is chaired by Representative Claire Janowski and Senator Robert Duff. Here’s […]
Common Redpoll
Thursday, January 29th, 2015January 29, 2015 – Common Redpolls are “irruptive” winter visitors to Connecticut. That is, they occur only in winters during which their food supply to the north is depleted. This species breeds in the Arctic tundra and northern boreal forests. Redpolls are absent from Connecticut during most winters, but over the past few weeks they have appeared in small numbers throughout the state.
Going to Our Center at Pomfret? Bring Snowshoes
Wednesday, January 28th, 2015Sarah Heminway, director of our Center at Pomfret in the snowed-in northeast corner of the state, reported this morning: “30+ inches before drifting winds. Our secondary roads are best suited for cross country skiers, and our trails are open to the intrepid with snowshoes. The bird feeding station at the Center says it all!”
Nick Bonomo Joins Our ‘Bird Finder’ Team
Tuesday, January 27th, 2015This week we’re introducing the second new contributor to our weekly Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder, Nick Bonomo. As Nick likes to say, he “has been birding Connecticut since his early teens and has not stopped since.” He leads tours for our EcoTravel program and has been a regular part of the top-notch birding team […]
159 Years Ago on This Day: The Birth of Our Founder, Mabel Osgood Wright!
Monday, January 26th, 2015Happy birthday to our founder, Mabel Osgood Wright! She was a true conservation pioneer, not only among women but all people! Wright founded the Audubon Society of Connecticut in 1898 and 16 years later, in 1914, she created Birdcraft Sanctuary, the first private bird sanctuary in the country. It is now a National Historic Landmark. […]
Sandhill Crane: Bird Finder for January 21
Wednesday, January 21st, 2015Sandhill Crane
Grus canadensis
Several times a year, Sandhill Cranes are observed in Connecticut, often while they are flying past. This week one has been feeding in a cornfield in Stonington.
Two Kinglets: Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder for January 15, 2015
Wednesday, January 14th, 2015Kinglets
What they look (and sound) like: Small and spritely – that sums North America’s two kinglets, the Golden-crowned Kinglet and the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. They’re similar in size and overall greenish color, but significant differences make them easy to tell apart with a good look – or listen.
Starting with Greg Hanisek, Our New ‘Bird Finder’ Authors
Wednesday, January 14th, 2015We are thrilled to announce that four new authors are joining our roster for our weekly Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder this year: Greg Hanisek, Nick Bonomo, Kathy Van Der Aue and Michael Aurelia.
From Dragon Doodle to Panorama: How a Trumbull Student Painted the Coastal Center’s New Mural
Friday, January 9th, 2015January 9, 2015 – Laura Bollert had never even seen the Milford Point Coastal Center before her first day as a volunteer camp counselor in 2012. She was a rising high school senior, and it seemed a good way to earn community service credits for graduation. As that first day ended, other counselors were saying […]
Merlin: Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder for January 8, 2015
Thursday, January 8th, 2015Merlin
Falco columbarius
What it looks like: The Merlin is a small falcon about the same size as the American Kestrel, except a bit stockier. Merlins have pointed wings, a medium-length tail, and a streaked dark appearance. The males are slaty-gray to dark gray; the females and immature birds are browner in appearance. Their moustache is not very prominent, unlike in Peregrine Falcons.
Red-throated Loon: Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder for December 24
Wednesday, December 24th, 2014Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellata
‘Tis the season for loons in Connecticut and the Red-throated, the smallest of its family, is a favorite. Common Loon, as its name indicates, is quite common, unlike the rare Pacific Loon, which makes few appearances, maybe one or two a year.
Statement by Alexander R. Brash, president of Connecticut Audubon Society, on the killing of a Bald Eagle in Rocky Hill
Friday, December 19th, 2014“The Connecticut Audubon Society and its thousands of members are outraged at this heinous crime. Bald Eagles are attempting to make a comeback in our state and we can’t afford to lose even one of this beautiful species. Almost 150 Bald Eagles spend the winter here and three dozen or so nest and raise their […]
Reward Offered for Information About the Killing of a Bald Eagle in Rocky Hill
Friday, December 19th, 2014The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued this news release today about the killing of a Bald Eagle: $5,000 Reward for Information on Bald Eagle Shot in Rocky Hill The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Environmental Conservation Police and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are asking the public for information […]
Snow Goose: Bird Finder for December 19
Friday, December 19th, 2014Snow Goose
Chen caerulescens
What it looks like: Snow Geese are medium-sized, stout, short-necked geese, smaller than the common and familiar Canada Goose (almost a foot smaller). Most Snow Geese are almost all white with black wingtips, most easily seen in flight. However, there are some individuals that have darker plumage on their bodies, which are referred to as dark morph Snow Geese or sometimes colloquially called Blue Geese. These birds are all still in the species of Snow Goose, but like many animal species, there are different variants that have the same genetic makeup (think humans with varying hair color). Adult Snow Geese, regardless of their plumage color, all have pink bills and legs and their head plumage is all white.
Osprey Nation Program Gets a Boost in Old Lyme
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014A deteriorating Osprey nest platform near Great Island in the lower Connecticut River River estuary has been replaced, thanks to the efforts of three local middle and high school students. On Sunday, November 23, Sam Griswold, a junior at Valley Regional High School, and Sarah Evarts and Kededria Lewis, eighth-graders at Haddam-Killingworth Middle School, helped […]
More Snowy Owls in Connecticut
Thursday, December 11th, 2014A number of birders saw Hammonassett Beach State Park’s first Snowy Owl of the season yesterday, and Bill Canosa of Branford got this terrific shot. We haven’t had reports since Sunday of the Snowy that had been seen at our Milford Point Coastal Center, but one was reported yesterday at Greenwich Point Park. The Connecticut […]
Snowy Owl at Milford Point: Connecticut Audubon Bird Finder for December 8
Monday, December 8th, 2014Snowy Owl
Nyctea scandiaca
One of the season’s first Snowy Owls was observed resting on the sandbar at the Milford Point Coastal Center on Sunday, December 7. Last year, as you remember, there was an amazing influx of Snowies, tied no doubt to a crash in the population of lemmings in the Arctic. Big irruptions very seldom last for more than one year but because the lemming population will probably re-build itself slowly, we still may see more Snowy Owls this year than usual (or maybe not).
Lark Sparrow: Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder for November 25
Tuesday, November 25th, 2014Lark Sparrow, a bird of the farms and plains further west, has been seen twice in Connecticut recently.
No Snowy Owls in Connecticut Yet But They’re Moving South
Monday, November 17th, 2014The winter of 2013-2014 was totally awesome (that was the official designation) for viewing Snowy Owls in Connecticut and scores of other places across the United States. More Snowy Owls flew south from the Arctic than anyone could remember having happened before, and some were being seen in Connecticut as late as April Is it […]
