December 16, 2024 — Inkberry is one of my garden staples. Its glossy evergreen foliage and upright, vase-shaped form is welcome in many locations, from the foundation beds to a mixed shrub border, and areas where a bit of screening is needed. I love it in combination with other evergreens such as mountain laurel, rhododendron, and spruce or fir, where the subtle differences in the green hues of their foliage is featured delightfully.
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December 10, 2024—The 2024 Connecticut State of the Birds report warns that some of the state’s most common beloved bird species, including the state bird, the American Robin, are facing a growing threat from pesticides that are widely-used on lawns, golf courses, and farms. Here is a compilation of important links, as well as a video of our December 6 Zoom presentation about the report.
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December 6, 2024—A new Connecticut State of the Birds report, released today by the Connecticut Audubon Society, warns that some of Connecticut’s most beloved bird species, including the state bird, the American Robin, are facing a growing threat from a widely used pesticide.
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Red bearberry is an unusual evergreen ground cover that solves many garden problems with beauty and flair—if it’s in the right location. Arctostaphylos uva-ursi is named for its gustatory appeal to bears, but other wildlife, including birds, also eat its red fruit in fall and winter. (Don’t worry about attracting bears with this plant, unless they are already regular visitors.) Other common names include kinnikinick, bear’s grape, hog craneberry, and sandberry.
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November 18, 2024—Ospreys in Connecticut flourished in 2024. The successful nesting season shows that the local revival of these previously imperiled hawks continues, although with concerns about a more difficult season to the south.
Read more...October 28, 2024—At Connecticut Audubon’s 2024 Annual Meeting, held at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center in Old Lyme on Saturday, October 26, members elected a new Board member and four members of the Board’s Executive Committee, including a new Vice Chair.
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October 27, 2024—The Connecticut Audubon Society recognized the long and effective work of Board member Christina Clayton by presenting her with the 2024 Dave Engelman Volunteer Benchmark Award, at the organization’s annual meeting on Saturday, October 26, at the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center in Old Lyme.
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October 22, 2024—eBird announced changes this morning to the names and taxonomy of scores of bird species, including half a dozen that are familiar locally. Bye bye, House Wren. Hello, Northern House Wren. (House Wren photo by Richard Stone)
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October 22, 2024—Hornbeam, also known as musclewood, ironwood, and blue beech, is a graceful, slow-growing tree with multiseason interest and suitability for almost any garden. This adaptable small tree is native across a large swath of Canada, the Eastern United States, and as far south as Central America. Its westward reach in the U.S. is to just west of the Mississippi River.
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October 16, 2024—The weather pattern that has brought cool, clear, breezy days and nights to Connecticut is also bringing birds—an estimated 3.8 million between now and Saturday morning..
That’s great news for the birding community. It also means the birds that migrate at night—the vast majority of fall migrants—are at risk of being attracted by lights and crashing into buildings and other structures. (Photo of female Blackpoll Warbler)
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October 12, 2024—The bird migration predictions for the next three nights are an interesting mix: high, medium, low and none. But the bottom line is simple: 1.4 million birds will be migrating across Connecticut. Our advice is to keep it simple. Turn your lights out each night, from at least 11 p.m to 6 a.m. (Yellow-rumped Warbler photo by Gilles Carter.)
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October 11, 2024—Good news to report from the Milford Point Coastal Center: For the second year in a row baby Piping Plovers were abundant, a testament to the support of Connecticut Audubon members and the diligence of the coastal rangers who watch over the nests.
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October 10, 2024—Tonight is shaping up to be the busiest songbird migration night of the fall. That means it’s a good night to make sure your outdoor lights are out. It might also mean that plenty of sparrows and warblers, as well as some interesting shorebirds, will be around on Friday morning as well.
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October 4, 2024—One of the first big bird migration nights of the fall is coming. The Colorado State University Aeroeco lab predicts that 1.1 million birds will be flying over Connecticut on Saturday night, October 5. Turning out your outside lights at night is a small but effective action you can take to help protect birds. It’s worth doing every night but it’s especially important on nights of high migration.
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October 3, 2024—If black bears seem unusually hungry this time of year, it’s because they are. Blame hyperphagia.
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September 26, 2024—Sunflowers are among the most valuable native plants for habitat-oriented gardening. This genus, Helianthus, part of the Asteracea family, originated in North and South America. Between 50 and 70 species sunflower are native to North America.
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November 18, 2024—Ospreys in Connecticut flourished in 2024. The successful nesting season shows that the local revival of these previously imperiled hawks continues, although with concerns about a more difficult season to the south.
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September 9, 2024—There are a thousand interesting things to see on the eastern end of Long Island Sound, but it’s difficult to experience them unless you happen to own a boat. Or unless you make a date to head out with our EcoTravel team. They’re leading an afternoon cruise on Sunday, October 13.
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September 9, 2024—Songbirds are migrating south through Connecticut, so now is a good time for a reminder to turn out your lights at night. That simple action can help save birds from crashing into houses and dying.
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August 20, 2024—Alisha Milardo, director of Connecticut Audubon’s Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center in Old Lyme, appeared on Fox61 TV to talk about disappearing monarch butterflies and about Connecticut Audubon’s work to reduce pesticides.
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August 19, 2024—Whose garden can’t use a little zip by this time of the summer? These large shrubs are valuable additions to the native plant garden because they support so much wildlife. But their flowers and fruit are showy as well and, given the right locations, elderberries can add welcome interest to the mid-summer garden.
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July 22, 2024 — During these steamy summer days hummingbirds are especially hopeful for the nourishing nectar in flowers that are suitable for them. The Monarda genus, in the mint family, contains many such flowering perennials, all of which attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, hummingbird moths and other moths, and several specialized bees.
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July 18, 2024 — It’s starting to look like another outstanding season for the Piping Plovers that nest at Connecticut Audubon’s Milford Point Coastal Center. Thirteen pairs of Piping Plovers hatched babies at Milford Point, and 24 have fledged so far. A big part of the credit goes to the two coastal rangers, Matt Joyce and Johann Heupel.
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July 16, 2024 — Birds need cool water on hot days as much as you do. Do them a favor by giving them some in your backyard. Here’s why it’s important. and some Connecticut Audubon tips.
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July 11, 2024 — Purple Martins are thriving this summer at 5 Connecticut Audubon locations — approximately 140 pairs are raising as many as 500 hatchlings. Most of the young birds are still in their nests, so it’s too soon to declare the season a total success. But as of now, it looks like these large swallows are continuing to make a comeback several years after their removal from the state’s threatened species list.
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July 8, 2024 — It was a disappointing year for new conservation laws in the state. Connecticut Audubon members spoke out in big numbers in favor of a bill to strictly limit the use of pesticides, neonicotinoids in particular; and a bill to regulate rodenticides that can end up killing birds of prey.
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July 2, 2024—To keep the Piping Plovers and the nesting American Oystercatchers safe during Fourth of July, we will lock the Coastal Center gates at 10 a.m. today (Tuesday, July 2), and reopen them at sunrise on Friday, July 5. The Fourth of July draws far too many people than is safe for the Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers that nest on the beach and sandspit.
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June 24, 2024—Sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) is a lovely addition to the garden, with its two-to-three-inch, fragrant, white blooms occurring in May and June, followed by red seeds that many birds eat.
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June 24, 2024—There were so many great photos submitted for the Migration Magic 2024 Birdathon Photo Contest that we decided to post at least one photo from every photographer. You can view the contest winners and honorable mentions on the Photo Contest page. Enjoy! And thank you to all the photographers!
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Almost 60 Connecticut birders submitted 170 noteworthy entries in the 2024 Migration Magic Birdathon Photo Contest. Outstanding among them are the two winning photos: a Baltimore Oriole confronting a Blue Jay, taken by Jason Scavotto, and, in the Young Birder category, a Yellow-crowned Night Heron, by Steven Jacqmin.
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June 10, 2024—With almost 900 people participating and contributing $31,691 toward bird conservation in Connecticut, Migration Magic 2024 was a rousing success. Sixty Birdathon participants saw 239 species over the course of the month. During the Big Day alone, four Connecticut Audubon staffers saw 159 species. This year’s grand prize winner is 13-year-old Pavana Attonito of Darien.
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May 24, 2024—The Canada Warbler, with its distinctive black necklace, is a sought-after bird for many birders. Listen for a clear “chip” note followed by an explosive series of short notes often ending in a three-note phrase—a key identifier when searching for this species.
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May 23, 2024—There’s plenty of good birding left in Connecticut during spring migration, and of course the Migration Magic Birdathon runs through May 31. If you’re planning to look for birds at the Milford Point Coastal Center over Memorial Day weekend, please time your visit to avoid the sandbar at high tide.
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May 21, 2024— What better way to celebrate this floriferous time of year than to plant the fascinating, bird-friendly Eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)? You can join the welcome party that columbine throws for the beloved ruby-throated hummingbirds: just as the tiny migrants return from their winter sojourn in Central America, columbine unfurls its brilliant red and yellow tubular petals full of sweet nectar.
Read more...May 21, 2024—Connecticut is on High Alert again for the next two nights as an estimated 700,000 birds will be migrating through the state tonight and tomorrow night. A High Alert notice from the Colorado State University Aeroeco Lab means it’s a good idea to turn out your exterior lights at night. Birds migrate at night and they are often killed or injured when they crash into buildings after being drawn by outdoor lights.
Read more...May 17, 2024 — Sixteen days of the month-long Migration Magic Birdathon have gone by. Numbers have started to add up and we’re happy to post the leaders, below.
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May 13, 2024 — The first bird of the Migration Magic Big Day was Eastern Whip-poor-will, which the Connecticut Audubon team heard calling at 4:12 a.m.in Meshomasic State Forest, just east of the Connecticut River. It was not a random observation. Whip-poor-wills have become scarce enough in Connecticut that hearing one requires some planning.
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May 13, 2024—Two of the busiest nights of spring bird migration are upon us, so please make a point of turning out your exterior lights tonight and tomorrow — Monday, May 13, and Tuesday, May 14. Radar predictions from the Colorado State University AeroEco Lab show that about half a million migrating birds will be flying over and into the state each night.
Read more...An occasional newsletter for Migration Magic Birdathon Participants and Donors. Notes today on Mondya’s Big Day, Birdathon totals so far, and birds no one has reported yet
Read more...You’re Invited to an Exhibition and Sale of Fine Art Photography: The Beauty of Birds Featuring the photographs of Robyn Charmel Join us for a celebration of avian beauty as we showcase the work of Robyn Charmel, a passionate wildlife photographer based in Connecticut. With over a decade of dedication to her craft, Robyn has […]
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A newsletter for Migration Magic Birdathon participants & donors. Notes today on Birdathon FOMO, the big week ahead, and Monday’s eBird webinar.
Read more...A newsletter for Migration Magic Birdathon participants & donors. Notes today on an upcoming eBird tutorial, early results, and bird walks
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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.
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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.
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April 26, 2024—Billions of birds die each year from collisions with buildings. In a country where 30% of the bird population has been lost in recent decades, it’s a serious problem. Migrating birds – confused by city lights at night – are especially vulnerable. But there are a few simple and effective things you can do to help.
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April 20, 2024—The Pine Warbler is a harbinger of spring. In some years, many arrive during the last few days of March, and by mid April they are singing and establishing breeding territories.
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April 19, 2024—Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina) isn’t actually a fern, but a low shrub in the Myricacea family with somewhat fern-like, aromatic foliage. It is native from Quebec south to Georgia and west to Ontario and Minnesota. This under-appreciated shrub, which grows two to four feet high and four to eight feet wide, has many appealing features including its value to wildlife.
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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.
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April 17, 2024—With spring migration peaking soon, efforts to reduce the number of birds that die when they crash into windows and buildings are at the forefront. Connecticut Audubon and its members are part of the solution. This week we collaborated with the Lights Out Coalition of Connecticut to propose simple changes to the state’s outdoor lighting regulations. Those changes are designed to help birds make it safely into and through the state, without crashing into buildings.
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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.
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April 12, 2024—Connecticut Audubon invites you to Migration Magic, a month-long celebration of the beauty and importance of birds as they arrive back in Connecticut. Share the joy of birds and raise funds for the ongoing work of bird conservation in Connecticut!
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April 10, 2024—At only 14 inches long, the Green-winged Teal is the smallest North American duck. It might also be the most beautiful (the competition for that honor is tough).
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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.
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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.
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March 20, 2024—The tiny, lemon-yellow flowers of spicebush (Lindera benzoin) brighten the landscape just when we need them the most—when wintry weather lingers, and the warmth of spring seems a distant memory from last year.
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Have you found an abandoned bird? Birds and other wildlife that seem to be abandoned or orphaned at this time of year often are not actually abandoned orphaned. The Connecticut DEEP has advice about what to do if you find a bird that you think is abandoned.
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Connecticut Audubon Board member George Amato was birding at the Milford Point Coastal Center on Wednesday afternoon, March 13, witnessed this, and let Stefan Martin, our conservation manager know. Stefan quickly pressed record on the Osprey Cam — here it is: 2 minutes of an immature Bald Eagle, in beautiful close-up.
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Join the Connecticut Audubon Society and other organizations for a free special event featuring author, birder, and naturalist Christian Cooper. This engaging conversation, moderated by Connecticut Audubon Board member Robert Lamothe, will feature Christian Cooper discussing his lifelong passion for birding, the beauty of the natural world, and the experiences chronicled in his new memoir, Better Living Through Birding—Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World.
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Join Heather Wolf as she talks about her latest book Find More Birds: 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are. Heather will share tips on bird-finding close to home and beyond, as well as ways to witness more of the fascinating bird behaviors and drama we all want to see! Thursday, March 28, 2024, 7-8 p.m. via Zoom.
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Friday, March 8, 2024 — Connecticut Audubon Executive Director Joyce Leiz is testifying in Hartford today on a proposal to regulate a dangerous class of pesticides called neonicotinoids.
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March 1, 2024 — The 2023 season was a good one for Connecticut’s most vulnerable beach-nesting birds, American Oystercatchers and Least Terns. Or it least it looked to be so at the start. Coastal rangers were diligent in their patrols, and a streak of good luck kept coastal storms away. Yet one persistent problem counter-acted the success. Throughout the season human visitors and their pets intruded on the roped-off beach areas where these species nest.
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Follow these three basic rules no matter which owl — Barred, Snowy, Northern Saw-whet, etc. (borrowed from Project SNOWStorm)
Keep your distance
Respect private property
Don’t feed an owl, ever.
February 22, 2024 — Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) is a rare but regular visitor to Connecticut in winter. Over the last month or so, birders have been observing one at Crosby Pond in Orange and 9th District Road in Somers.
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February 20, 2024 — The risks that pesticides and rodenticides pose to birds, pollinators and people will be the topic of a program at the New Milford Public Library on Tuesday, February 27, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Joyce Leiz, executive director of the Connecticut Audubon Society, will be among the program’s speakers.
Read more...February 16, 2024 — A simple pleasure in winter is to take note of unusual bark on trees and shrubs. Many examples exist; bark might be peeling, flaking, or striped, and red, green, white, or a beautiful smooth gray, etc. Sweet birch (Betula lenta), also known as black and cherry birch, exhibits shiny, black bark in its youth, with horizontal lines called lenticels. As the tree ages the bark will develop scaly plates. The bark and twigs emit an aroma of wintergreen when scratched.
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Movement. Color, drama and song — see it all at your backyard bird feeder! Choosing the right seeds and feeder location (and providing water) will make viewing winter birds much easier. Here’s your guide!
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The Connecticut Coalition for Pesticide Reform is organizing a conference for advocates, residents, and government officials interested in reducing the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the state.
Date and time: March 11, 2024. Noon to 5 p.m.
Place: McCook Auditorium
Trinity College, Hartford
The 2024 session at the Capitol in Hartford is an important opportunity for Connecticut Audubon members and supporters to get involved by being part of a team of conservation advocates. The session starts Wednesday, February 7.
Between now and the end of the session in May, we’re hoping to work with you to contact your elected representatives and others on behalf of Connecticut’s birds and other wildlife. The issues that we think are most important, and where together you and we can have the most impact, are: pesticides, rodenticides, light pollution, and climate.
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Connecticut Audubon summer camps are an excellent balance of fun and discovery. Your kids will explore and thrive in the natural environment. They’ll have up-close encounters with animals, and learn conservation skills to care for local natural resources at home, school, and Connecticut Audubon’s centers and sanctuaries.
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January 21, 2024—Every few years the world of winter birding in southern New England is electrified by the arrival of Snowy Owls from the Arctic. These amazing birds have been studied extensively in recent years by the team of scientists at Project SNOWstorm, including Rebecca McCabe. Join us for her program, via Zoom, on Thursday, January 25, 7-8 p.m. The cost is $9 for Connecticut Audubon members or $12 for non-members.
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January 20, 2024 — When the Pilgrims arrived in what is now called Massachusetts, they encountered pyramidal evergreen trees with spiny leaves and red berries that reminded them of a tree back home called English holly (Ilex aquifolium), a symbol of Christmas for centuries in England and Europe. Thus the American holly (Ilex opaca), also known as white holly for the color of its wood, was immediately bestowed with similar reverence and symbolism, which it still retains.
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January 13, 2024 — We are happy to announce that the Connecticut Audubon Society Board of Directors has selected Joyce Leiz to lead the organization as executive director. Joyce has served as interim executive director since June 2023 and has become known throughout the state from her participation in programs, meetings, webinars, and other Connecticut Audubon activities.
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January 13, 2024 — Young, Gifted & Wild About Birds 2024 starts Thursday at 7 p.m. with a Zoom presentation by Viveca Morris and Meredith Barges about how to make buildings safer for birds. We’ve titled their presentation, “The Glass Wall: Making Connecticut’s Buildings Safer for Birds.” If you’re interested in birds and conservation, you won’t want to miss it.
Read more...The Board and staff of Connecticut Audubon were saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Robert B. Braun of Fairfield on December 26, at age 95. Bob served as member and president of Connecticut Audubon’s Board of Directors in the 1970s and 1980s. A skilled birder and naturalist from boyhood on, he was […]
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December 18, 2023—If you celebrate Christmas, you know the balsam fir (Abies balsamaea) as an iconic symbol of the season. Its symmetrically conical shape and dark-green needles make it a popular Christmas tree, and it is also used extensively for wreaths. Balsam fir bark and needles contain terpenes that lend its foliage a delightful fragrance. But in addition to its beauty, balsam fir has much to offer ecologically. Woodland mammals rely on it for food and shelter, and it offers many benefits to birds. And, as you will see below, it has several interesting characteristics and uses.
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December 7, 2023—The 2023 Connecticut State of the Birds report, released today, looks at five key areas of conservation concern from previous reports—examples of how new knowledge, new realities, increased human effort, and better technologies are either resulting in changes or resulting in the awareness of the need for improvemen
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November 27, 2023—During this gray, dark time of year, the flame-colored leaves we’ve enjoyed so much in the last month or so turn brown and drop onto the cold ground. But an often overlooked shrub lets us know that there is yet life and spirit in the landscape—if we would just take the time to notice.
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November 20, 2023—Ospreys are thriving in Connecticut, and interest in these beautiful, fish-eating raptors is thriving as well. This was the 10th year of Connecticut Audubon’s Osprey Nation monitoring program. The volunteer Osprey nest stewards found and mapped 688 active nests. By the end of the season, 881 baby Ospreys had fledged — the most ever recorded by the project.
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November 14, 2023—By any account, it was a good day of mid-October birding at the Coastal Center for Chris Unsworth: 50 species and almost 600 individual birds. But it was one bird that he didn’t see—or rather, didn’t see alive—that made the day special.
Read more...November 1, 2023 — Please join us on Saturday, November 4, for the Connecticut Audubon Society’s annual meeting. It’s a special event this year to mark our 125th anniversary. The meeting will be held at the Fairfield Museum and History Center, in the heart of the neighborhood where Connecticut Audubon was founded and the first meetings were held.
Read more...October 23, 2023—Blueberries are bird-friendly native plants with autumn flair. Their delicious summer fruit is packed with vitamins and antioxidants; all sorts of health benefits are attributed to them. Their subtle spring flowers, small white and pink bells, are lovely to look at and entice pollinators. But blueberries become showstoppers in fall, with foliage that turns brilliant red, orange, and purple. In winter their beautifully textured bark ensures the blueberry’s status as a garden plant with four-season interest.
Read more...October 5, 2023—United Illuminating is proposing to rebuild transmission lines along the 25 miles of the Metro North Railroad corridor between Fairfield and West Haven. Transmission lines pose a hazard to birds of all kinds. Between 8 and 57 million birds are killed by transmission lines in the U.S. each year.
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September 30, 2023 — An estimated 930,000 birds will be migrating over and through Connecticut tonight, 1.1 million tomorrow night, and and 570,000 Monday night. That means we’re in for three pretty good days of birding. But it also means that a lot of birds are at risk of crashing into things. Please help protect migrating birds by turning your lights out each of the next three nights.
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September 28, 2023 — Two Homegrown Habitat readers who live on opposite sides of the Connecticir River—Old Lyme and Old Saybrook—wrote this week seeking practical advice on what and where to plant. We thought you might find Sarah Middeleer’s advice to be useful.
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September 27, 2023 — Tonight is a “medium” alert night for bird migration. But “medium” is not nothing; 424,000 birds will be passing over and through Connecticut, as this map produced by Colorado State University’s Aeroeco lab shows. So it’s a good night to help protect those migrating birds by turning out exterior lights
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August 25, 2023 — For the fourth time in six years, a Roseate Spoonbill is visiting Connecticut.
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Asters and goldenrods: These two standouts of the late-summer and autumn landscape give new meaning to the oft-repeated garden design phrase “four-season interest,” but from the point of view of our treasured pollinators and songbirds.
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August 28, 2023 — The Roseate Spoonbill that arrived at Connecticut Audubon’s Milford Point Coastal Center on Thursday, August 24, has not caused quite the elation among birders as the spoonbill that spent three weeks in the area in 2018. Still, this year’s visitor is not without its fans. About 30 people climbed the Coastal Center’s observation tower late in the afternoon on Sunday, August 27, to see it in the Charles Wheeler Salt Marsh.
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August 21, 2023 — The dynamic duo of yellow goldenrods and purple asters is one of the glories of the late-summer landscape. These members of the aster family often grow near one another, for good reason – bees, who benefit greatly from both genera, are attracted to the combination of purple and gold. Robin Wall Kimmerer, botanist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass, says of goldenrod and asters, “Their striking contrast when they grow together makes them the most attractive target in the whole meadow, a beacon for bees. Growing together, both receive more pollinator visits than if they were growing alone.”
Read more...August 10, 2023 — It has been a good summer for bird conservation, and that has caught the attention of editors and reporters throughout Connecticut.
Read more...August 2, 2023 — Responding to a question about what to plant on a specific property, Homegrown Habitat author Sarah Middeleer instead responded with advice that almost any homeowner can use.
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July 31, 2023 — One of the great things about the bird world is that you just never know. You never know, for example, when a species that hasn’t nested in the state in 20 or 30 years will suddenly settle down and raise a family on your sanctuary, which is what a pair of Northern Bobwhite did this year at Connecticut Audubon’s Bafflin Preserve in Pomfret.
Read more...Late summer and early fall are great times to go birding at the Milford Point Coastal Center. But because Milford Point is first and foremost a nature preserve, we ask that you enjoy the birds without disturbing them, especially on the sand spit.
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July 24, 2023 — This looks like a record year for Piping Plovers at Milford Point. Sixteen pairs of this federally-threatened species nested along the sandbar in 2023. As of today, 25 young birds have fledged and six others are preparing to.
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July 17, 2023 — Young Purple Martins make a squawking noise that sounds like what the movies imagine a pterodactyl might sound like — harsh, insistent, un-birdlike — only not as loud That’s how some of the nestlings at the Milford Point Coastal Center were expressing themselves the other morning during the center’s annual Purple Martin banding session.
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July 17, 2023 — In July and August the native meadow flowers start to shine. A standout is blazing star (Liatris spicata), also known as gayfeather due to its feathery flower heads. Its showy purple flowers appear on stalks two to four feet, but occasionally to six-feet high, blooming progressively from the top down.
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