June 11, 2020 — The Connecticut Audubon Society, which in February called for a ban on horseshoe crab fishing in Connecticut, recently joined the new nationwide Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition. Here’s the group’s inaugural news release including remarks from Connecticut Audubon Executive Director Patrick Comins.
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June 10, 2020 — Now is the perfect time to hear the beautiful, flute-like call of the Wood Thrush throughout – as its name would indicate – the woods of rural Connecticut. Listen in the early morning and evening along quiet roads or paths.
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June 9, 2020 — Is the strikingly-plumaged Indigo Bunting up to the popularity challenge posed by the brilliant orange of the Baltimore Oriole or the brilliance of the Scarlet Tanager, both long-time favorites? You can find them throughout the state, along the edges of fields, power line rights-of-way, early successional habitats, and weedy fields.
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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.
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June 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.
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June 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.”
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June 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.
Read more...June 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.
Read more...June 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. […]
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June 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.
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June 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.
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June 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.
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June 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.
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June 2, 2020 — Ever wonder how you could use your binoculars to get an “eagle-eye” view of some of your favorite birds?
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June 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.
Read more...If 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 […]
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June 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.
Read more...May 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.
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June 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.
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June 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.
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May 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.
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May 28, 2020 — Why do northern water snakes leave ponds on warm spring days (and ignore social distancing rules)?
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May 27, 2020 — One of our most ubiquitous shorebirds is the Sanderling. Only the Ruddy Turnstone and the Whimbrel may have a wider distribution.
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May 26, 2020 — With its orange-flame plumage and loud, operatic song, the Baltimore Oriole attracts attention like almost no other songbird in Connecticut and is often a trophy-bird at backyard bird feeders.
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May 26, 2020 — What “parachutes” into your backyard, eventually becoming a great source of nectar for bees, providing seeds for birds and having delicious leaves for salads?
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May 26, 2020 — Piping Plover eggs are starting to hatch on Connecticut’s beaches — there are already three hatchlings from the 10 nests at the Milford Point Coastal Center, for example. And the two American Oystercatcher nests there already have one chick each.
Read more...June 1– 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. Can you guess the creature in this picture? Make your best guess–you can post your answer on The Coastal Center’s Facebook page: click here or […]
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May 28, 2020 — The 2020 Migration Madness Birdathon was designed for everyone, and thanks to the dozens of people who participated and made pledges it was a terrific success! By the end of the three-day event, 67 birders submitted checklists with a total of 199 species, a tick behind last year’s total of 207.
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May 30, 2020 — “A couple favorite moments were hearing a loud bird singing by a river on Saturday morning, then looking up and seeing a Baltimore Oriole. Then on Sunday, having my first sighting of a pair of Barn Swallows, two beautiful blue gems stopping briefly on the riverbank.”
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May 22, 2020 — Treat yourself to a special encounter with one or more raptors on a bird handler’s glove. You’ll learn about their natural history and discover the unique physical attributes of these magnificent birds. We’ll discuss different raptor species and their amazing behavioral and predatory adaptations, as well as their conservation status and critical role in our environment.
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May 21, 2020 — Prothonotary Warblers are relatively rare in Connecticut but one or two visit almost every year in May.
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March 12, 2020 — Our sanctuaries and trails will remain open, and we encourage you to visit for a hike. Outdoor programs will be held as scheduled. Indoor programs are cancelled or postponed. The buildings at all our centers will be closed to the public.
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May 20, 2020 — This species has made a good showing in Connecticut. One of the most strikingly colored of our wood-warblers, the Blackburnian’s flaming orange throat was responsible for its colloquial name of “Fire Throat.” But who was it named after? Keep reading to find out.
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May 19, 2020 — Blue-winged Warblers arrive in Connecticut in May and quickly establish breeding territories that last through July. They are perhaps most visible during summer, when males are territorial and females can be seen tending to young.
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May 19, 2020 — Why does Connecticut Audubon’s Dr. Science exclaim “WOW!” over her discovery in the Larsen Sanctuary? Find out by becoming a science detective and join her for an intriguing investigation of owl pellets.
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May 18, 2020 — Spring is by far the best season for finding wood warblers in Connecticut, including Canada Warblers — eBird shows dozens if not scores of sightings within the last two weeks.
Read more...May 25, 2020 – Welcome to Mystery Monday! Let’s play a game of I Spy: Coastal Connecticut!
Read more...If you guessed Mussel , You are Correct!!! Did you know? The mussel’s external shell is composed of two hinged halves or “valves”. The valves are joined together on the outside by a ligament, and are closed when necessary by strong internal muscles (anterior and posterior adductor muscles) Mussels […]
Read more...May 18– 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. […]
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May 18, 2020 — The Monday Bird Report is Birdathon-centric this week. Connecticut Audubon’s third annual Migration Madness Birdathon is coming up this weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 22-24. The weather forecast is looking OK, and 51 people have already signed up to participate.
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May 17, 2020 — “Seating myself on a pile of beanpoles I waited for the author of the note to appear. Soon who should pop up but a newly arrived White-throat, as handsome and jaunty as ever. He was silent, save for the note which had attracted me, but I trust to hear his merry whistling before many days.”
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May 15, 2020 — During migration Worm-eating Warblers may be seen at any of the typical warbler stopovers, such as Connecticut Audubon’s Birdcraft Sanctuary in Fairfield and East Rock Park in New Haven.
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May 14, 2020 — If you come across a vernal pool in springtime, what rare event might you experience if your timing (and luck) are just right?
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May 14, 2020 — In May we birders celebrate the return of the warblers, “the butterflies of the bird world.” Connecticut is in the nesting range of the rare and beautiful Cerulean Warbler.
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May 14, 2020 — Uncountable numbers of tiny, winged perpetual-motion machines — cerulean, yellow, chestnut, golden, orange, black, blue, green — are arriving in Connecticut’s treetops these days. Warbler migration is upon us, bringing pleasure and stiff necks to eager birders.
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May 14, 2020 — Wandering through the Croft Preserve in Goshen earlier this month, longtime Connecticut Audubon member Jim Dugan came upon an unusual find — two or three West Virginia white butterflies, feeding in a patch of spring-beauty wildflowers.
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May 13, 2020 — The discovery of a Townsend’s Warbler in Hartford last month — a record first for Connecticut — got birders thinking about which new species might show up next. Because it’s migration time, thoughts turn to Swainson’s Warbler. Note that the violet color that indicates a sighting is absent from Connecticut on […]
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May 13, 2020 — Salamanders quietly live most of their lives out of sight and beyond our perception, yet they play outsized roles in many Connecticut ecosystems. Conservation biologist Jim Arrigoni explains in his Eco-hour Chat, Thursday, May 14.
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May 12, 2020 — Usually first noticed by a ringing “weeta, weeta, weeteeo” song, a Hooded Warbler sighting highlights almost any bird walk in the Connecticut woods.
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May 12, 2020 — On a spring morning in New Canaan, meadowlarks are singing and flickers “salute each passerby” as a 15-year-old boy walks to the Tallmadge Hill station to take the train to high school in Stamford. It’s 1910 and Harold Jones is making notes in his diary.
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May 12, 2020 — Did you know that one of the best places to view a thriving ecosystem is under a rotting log? Connecticut Audubon’s Dr. Science takes us into the woods and shows us how to carefully reveal and explore this fascinating micro habitat.
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May 12, 2020 — Almost 90 of you sent in your first-of-year sightings from 80 places in Connecticut (plus Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont). Follow the arrival of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds on this map.
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May 12, 2020 — Join teacher-naturalist Morgan Allen as she shows you how to plan out your design using the shape of your rock, how to layer up paint on your rock, and more.
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May 11, 2020 — Chestnut-sided Warblers are migrating through and can be found in numerous habitats. They nest in old field and scrubby habitat throughout Connecticut, a declining habitat type as forests mature and fields get developed and converted to lawns.
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May 11, 2020 — You may have noticed that the rest of the world is catching on to what you’ve known for a while: birding is hot. It seems the antidote to the stress of dealing with the pandemic is birdwatching.
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May 11, 2020 — Join Joe Attwater as he reviews Connecticut’s owls and what makes these birds so amazing. Tuesday, May 12, 7 p.m.
Read more...If you guessed Mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, Atlantic killifish, mummies, gudgeons, or mud minnows… you are correct! Did you know? You will find these fish in brackish and coastal waters including estuaries and salt marshes This species is hardy and has the ability to tolerate highly variable salinity, temperature fluctuations from 43 to 95 °F, low oxygen levels, and heavily polluted ecosystems. As a result, the mummichog […]
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May 8, 2020 — This handsome gray bird can be distinguished by its bold personality and characteristic call, reminiscent of a cat’s meow. They are more often heard than seen, spending much of the day hidden away in thick shrubs and trees. Although they tend to be secretive, they are very energetic and boisterous birds.
Read more...May 8, 2020 — Is there a more beautiful sound in nature than the trill of an American toad? You can hear it at the start of this terrific video that our Deer Pond Farm staff recorded this week. And stick around for Jim Arrigoni’s terrific description of the aquatic invertebrates he found.
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May 7, 2020 — Time to upgrade those binoculars? Need a spotting scope? Need a gift? The birds are here, with more on their way. No time like the present! Call at 860-767-0660 to discuss or to place an order.
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May 7, 2020 — This is a handsome and distinctive species. The males lack the bright orange flash of the more common and widespread Baltimore Oriole but sport a bright chestnut and black plumage unique among North American birds. The greenish-yellow hues of the female also stand out, and the first-summer males are readily identified by the their black bib. Compared to the Baltimore, it’s a more slender and spritely bird.
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May 7, 2020 — If you’re patient and observant, what long-legged bird might you catch a glimpse of near the shore or wetlands? Join Connecticut Audubon’s Dr. Science on this nature walk and see if you can spot the camouflaged Great Blue Heron.
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May 9, 2020 — In early spring 1910, 15-year-old Harold Jones, who lived on the Waveny Estate in New Canaan, was busy keeping his daily bird list and identifying wildflowers. Here’s the second entry from his nature diary.
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May 6, 2020 — “I have some notebooks of bird observations from 1910. Would you be interested in them as a guide to habits today, considering the changes in climate? They were made by my father, now deceased. The written observations were in New Canaan, CT in 1909 and 1910.”
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May 6, 2020 — Careful observers can still see and hear this bright relative of our blackbirds in open, grassy habitats, sometimes perched on fences and bushes in a few Connecticut locations. It is a birder’s treasure wherever it is found.
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May 5, 2020 — The Rose-breasted Grosbeak, returns from the Caribbean to Connecticut during spring migration. And you may not have to work very hard to find it.
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May 5, 2020 — NBC CT meteorologist Kaitlyn McGrath Facetimed Executive Director Patrick Comins last week to talk about migration, about visiting Connecticut Audubon’s sanctuaries, and about threats to Connecticut’s birds.
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May 5, 2020 — Learn how to track your favorite animals across your backyard. This week RTPEC teacher-naturalist Morgan Allen will teach you how to identify the tracks of local animals as well as how to make your own animal track stamp.
Read more...Tuesday, May 12, 7 p.m. One of our most unique and mysterious family of birds, owls are most active when the rest of us are settling down for the night. In this webinar, teacher-naturalist Joe Attwater will go over what makes these birds so amazing, and which ones call CT home. Joe will discuss: What […]
Read more...May 11– Welcome to Mystery Monday! Let’s play a game of I Spy: Coastal Connecticu1 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. […]
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May 4, 2020 — Yellow-crowned Night Herons are birds of marshes and wet meadows but are not widely distributed across the state. Our Milford Point Coastal Center is by far the most reliable location in the state.
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May 4, 2020 — It was not only a beautiful weekend, it was a busy one for birds and birders. Here are a few highlights.
Read more...If you guessed Hermit Crab you are correct! Did you know: Most species have long, spirally curved abdomens, which are soft, unlike the hard, calcified abdomens seen in related crustaceans. Most frequently, hermit crabs use the shells of sea snails The tip of the hermit crab’s abdomen is adapted to clasp strongly onto the columella of the […]
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May 1, 2020 — Eastern Whip-poor-wills typically arrive in their breeding grounds in late April-early May, timed with the appearance of the insects that make up their diet.
Read more...May 4– 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. […]
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May 1, 2020 — If there’s one group of birds that captivates birders and non-birders alike, it’s the raptors. Join us for a special webinar, 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 5.
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April 27, 2020 — For your reading pleasure, Connecticut Audubon staff talks about their favorite books on nature and the environment, new and old, including a several by local authors and classics by Rachel Carson, John McPhee, David Quammen, and Michael Pollan.
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April 30, 2020 — The long-popular reference to a “miniature Mockingbird” holds up pretty well. Shape and tone are reminiscent of the big mimid, although the gnatcatcher lacks the white wing markings. But keep miniature in mind. This is a small, slender bird in the warbler size category.
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April 29, 2020 — Semipalmated Plovers are starting to appear on Connecticut beaches during spring migration. Named for their semi-webbed toes, which allow them to walk on different substrates, Semipalmated Plovers can be found foraging for insects and other invertebrates on mudflats and beaches while they migrate to their nesting territory on Arctic beaches.
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April 28, 2020 — Urban development generally pushes species out of the habitat that was replaced by buildings. There are some species like the Peregrine Falcon, however, that can adapt. Peregrine Falcons nest on and dive from tall ledges. The abundance of ledges in urban areas gives them a greater selection of nesting locations.
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April 28, 2020 — What lives in salt water and shares traits with a bicycle, a door and cooking a big pot of spaghetti? Watch Dr. Science reveal the cool features of a familiar filter feeder in the Long Island Sound ecosystem.
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April 28, 2020 — Andy Griswold gives a rundown of the best binoculars and scopes from Vortex and Swarovski. Learn about what you should consider when making a purchase.
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April 28, 2020 — If you participated in the Earth Day Backyard Bioblitz, you know how much fun it was. Well over 200 people from all over Connecticut submitted 2,619 observations of 654 species. The most common: garlic mustard, an invasive plant.
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April 21, 2020 — Only one birder was on record as ever having seen 400 species in Connecticut. Frank Mantlik’s Connecticut life list sat at 399, and he was about to become number 2.
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April 30, 2020 – Reading can spark and cultivate a life-long connection with the natural world. Educators from Connecticut Audubon share some of their favorite books for families with young readers … or readers of any age who are young in spirit.
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April 27, 2020 — The beautiful little American Redstart will be migrating into Connecticut any day now. Adult male American Redstarts are mostly black with bright orange patches on the sides, wings, and tail. Females have gray head and underparts, with olive back and wings and dark-gray tail.
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April 27, 2020 — Join Connecticut Audubon Society’s Executive Director Patrick Comins as he takes you through Connecticut’s shorebirds by season.
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April 27, 2020 — Join Connecticut Audubon Society’s Senior Director of Science and Conservation Miley Bull for a look at a familiar shoreline bird: the Osprey!
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April 24, 2020 — The Belted Kingfisher is one of the few bird species where the female is more colorful than the male. Its presence is often known by the distinctive rattle call it makes while flying.
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April 23, 2020 — These warblers are active, vociferous birds, habitual tail-waggers easily told from our array of other warbler species. Telling them apart is another matter.
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April 23, 2020 — The Connecticut Audubon Society’s sanctuaries remain open to the public. We encourage you to visit our preserves while also observing the latest CDC recommendations regarding social distancing.
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April 23, 2020 — Why do snails “walk” so slooowly? During this seaside adventure, Connecticut Audubon’s Dr. Science explains this and more fun facts, including the important job mud snails do at the beach and what their tongue has in common with a conveyor belt.
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April 22, 2020 — The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker found in Connecticut. Crow-sized, it is an inhabitant of the mixed deciduous and coniferous forests of North America. The birds especially like forests where large old trees can be found.
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April 22, 2020 — For the final installment on the Trail to Earth Day we’re going back to 1817, thanks to This
Day in Connecticut History and to John Folsom, who represents Pomfret on Connecticut Audubon’s Board of Directors.
April 22, 2020 — It’s Earth Day. Dr. Science shows how to take part in the fun.
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April 21, 2020 — Speak up. Speak out. Work in concert with others and with conservation organizations like Connecticut Audubon that can amplify your voice.
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April 21, 2020 — EcoTravel’s Andy Griswold was in Hartford to see the Townsend’s Warbler and came back with this great video, including an interview with Paul Desjardins, who first found the bird on Friday.
Read more...April 20, 2020 — There’s an easy way to get involved and to do some good locally and immediately: volunteer.
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April 20, 2020 — For that portion of the Connecticut birding world that chases after rarities, word of a Townsend’s Warbler in Hartford was a great substitute for caffeine on Friday morning. It arrived with a jolt.
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April 20, 2020 — Before you head outside for the Bioblitz on Wednesday, April 22, take a look at what Cathy Hagadorn, director of Deer Pond Farm in Sherman, has to say.
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