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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April 20, 2020 — EcoTravel Director Andy Griswold is on the scene to talk about Ospreys.
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April 16, 2020 — Is Dr. Science taking a nap on the beach? Or practicing yoga? You’ll be amazed when you get up-close and find out. She’ll show you that there’s more going on at the seashore than you ever thought possible!
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April 18, 2020 — Whether in the grocery store or your own kitchen, every time you make a decision about food, you can have an affect on the food system.
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April 17, 2020 — Birds need water and a place to take cover. Those are two easy things you can help them with in your yard.
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April 17, 2020 — Glossy Ibis have returned to Connecticut from their wintering grounds and big flocks have been seen feeding together. Here’s what you need to know about this eye-catching species.
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April 16, 2020 — Green-winged Teal is the smallest North American duck with a length of only 14 inches. The striking males pack a lot of color and pattern into a small package. They’ve been seen recently at Milford Point.
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April 16, 2020 — Increasing evidence shows the excessive use of artificial light at night is harming wildlife at an alarming rate. What’s at stake? Not much. Only the survival of animals critical to their ecosystems, and pollinators that are vital to producing the food we eat, so ultimately human health as well.
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April 15, 2020 — Anyone with a bird feeder already knows this diminutive woodpecker. At about six inches in length, this black and white clinging bird has a coast to coast distribution and is the smallest of our woodpecker family. It is here in Connecticut year round and does not migrate.
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April 15, 2020 — The bottom line for birds is habitat. They need suitable places to nest, spend the winter, and rest and feed during migration.
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April 14 — The amazing Dr. Science talks about plants that drink salt water (not surprisingly those plants are at the beach).
Read more...April 20– 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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April 14, 2020 — Black Ducks are a large-bodied dabbling duck about the size of a mallard. They have a yellowish bill with a gray head and dark body.
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April 14, 2020 —Transportation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas pollution, and cars are major contributors. Vehicle emissions are a big part of this, but a car’s ecological impact goes beyond this single aspect.
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April 13, 2020 — If you apply pesticides to your property to kill insects, you’re killing the food that Connecticut’s birds rely on.
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April 13, 2020 — Of all the warblers that breed in Connecticut, the first to return in spring is the Pine Warbler, arriving in mid- to late March. This year, many have moved into the state during the last few days.
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April 11, 2020 — Paula, a retired science teacher who lives in Woodstock Valley, leads Connecticut Audubon’s Citizen Science Wildlife and Tracking Program. Since 2003, she’s trained 147 volunteers who have logged 9,216 hours in the field. About a dozen volunteers have stuck with it for a decade or more.
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April 11, 2020 — Dr. Science is at the Coastal Center at Milford Point to reveal nature’s formula for an amazing ecosystem called an estuary.
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April 10, 2020 — Cathy Hagadorn and Deirdra Wallin explain explain EBird, Motus, and other ways of keeping track of the birds, insects, mammals, and more in our area.
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April 10, 2020 — The Daily Bird and the Trail to Earth Day are taking the weekend off. The Daily Bird write-ups have turned out to be the most popular feature on our website over the last two weeks. Now is a good time to thank the Connecticut bird experts who wrote those for us.
Read more...The Trail to Earth Day, a series of simple tips to help the environment (with music at the end), will run through the 50th Earth Day, April 22. We’d be happy to send you one a day via text. Sign up here. April 9, 2020 — This series is based on suggestions that we solicited […]
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April 9, 2020 — Great Egrets have arrived along the shore of Long Island Sound. Look for this large, long-legged wader foraging in wetlands, lakes, and marshes.
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April 8, 2020 — Up to a billion (with a “b”) birds a year are killed when they crash into windows. It’s a problem where individual action can make a difference.
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April 8, 2020 — This time of the year Wood Ducks are found in good nesting habitat. That includes almost all freshwater bodies and wetlands with nearby large trees and adequate cover.
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April 13, 2020 — Welcome to Mystery Monday! Let’s play a game of I Spy: Coastal Connecticut!
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April 7, 2020 — There’s one situation where you definitely don’t want to worry about water use these days: washing your hands. Lather up and rinse well! But there are plenty of other ways to save water.
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April 7, 2020 — In late winter and early spring, look for Cedar Waxwings feasting on the blue berries of the Eastern Red Cedar.
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April 6, 2020 — Today’s Daily Bird consists of one great photo. Our friend Tomas Koeck took it in Fairfield, and we thank him for the chance to publish it here.
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April 6, 2020 — Build a birdhouse (or buy one) and put it up.
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April 5, 2020 — The noisiest places in the natural world right now, at least in Connecticut, might be vernal pools. Conservation biologist Jim Arrigoni explains what’s going on, in this video.
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April 5, 2020 — Don’t let the cat out of the house. Outdoor cats kill an estimated 1.3 – 4 billion birds in North America every year (they also kill 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually).
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April 4, 2020 — We all have different tolerance levels for clutter, but no one can deny the good feeling of clearing out those unused items taking up space. Rather than making their ultimate destination a landfill or incinerator, consider the alternatives.
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April 3, 2020 — Of all the waterfowl found in North America, perhaps none are more deserving of the title King than the dramatic Canvasback.
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April 3, 2020 — With small changes to consume less power, we can be more energy efficient, environmentally friendly and save money.
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April 2, 2020 — This is the time of year to put your Eastern Bluebird box up (and if you don’t get bluebirds, maybe you’ll get Tree Swallows). Deirdra Wallin and Stefan Martin were back in the field again at Deer Pond Farm recently to talk about it.
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April 2, 2020 — The sixth season of the Osprey Nation citizen science project saw increases in the total number of Osprey nests in Connecticut.
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April 2, 2020 — The Red-breasted Merganser’s distinguishing characteristics are a long neck, a scarlet bill, and a double crest at the back of the heads of both males and females.
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April 2, 2020 — Landscape for birds. Lots of us can make the property we live on far more sustainable, in lots of ways. Reduce the size of your lawn. Let the clover take over.
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April 1, 2020 — Some people associate spring migration with songbirds such as warblers or other delightfully petite and colorful passerines but there’s another bird that comes to my mind – the Northern Gannet.
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April 1, 2020 — Idea number 1: Go for a walk. Governors and health officials are telling us to stay home but they’re also saying it’s fine to go for a safe walk. In fact, they say it might be essential.
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March 31, 2020 — The 50th Earth Day is April 22. How are you celebrating or marking the occasion? We have ideas, almost two dozen of them, and we’ll share them, one per day, over the next three weeks.
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March 31, 2020 — If you wait until May to look for spring warblers in Connecticut, you might miss seeing this gem.
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March 30, 2020 — Winter Wrens can be found throughout the state at this time of year although they are usually hard to find because of their secretive habits. The best place to look is in thick brush near streams.
Read more...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. We’re quoting at length from Project SNOWStorm. Keep your distance: “This is the first and most important rule. Just because the owl may tolerate a […]
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