American Oystercatcher
Haematopus palliatus
What it looks like: American Oystercatchers are large shorebirds with a long, narrow, orange bill which beautifully contrasts against their black head, brown back and tail and bright white underparts. You can see their white wing patches when they are in flight.
April 30, 2015 – Swainson’s Warbler, one of those “little brown jobs,” has been seen in the states around Connecticut but never here. As with the Prothonotary Warbler that has been visiting our Larsen Sanctuary in Fairfield, there is the possibility of an overshoot when birds move back to their breeding grounds, which reach as far north as Virginia.
Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus
Ruffed Grouse are chicken like, medium-sized game birds of mixed coniferous and deciduous forests. Although their numbers in Connecticut are greatly diminished, listen this month for the distinctive and unmistakable drumming sound the males make to attract a mate and ward off rivals.
March 10, 2015 In 2014 Connecticut Audubon Society launched Osprey Nation[i], a statewide program aimed to monitor and help enhance the osprey population in the state. In a two pronged approach, the Connecticut Audubon Society has sought to support and facilitate scientific research on the ospreys, particularly the large colony at the mouth […]
April 2, 2015 – Gulls are far less likely to spark a birder’s excitement than the ever-popular warblers or raptors, but Bonaparte’s Gulls are very different than their familiar beach-loafing, French fry-loving relatives. Bonaparte’s Gulls are small, spunky, sharply-plumaged gulls that may remind you more of terns than the typical “seagulls” you’re used to seeing.
Pine Warbler
Setophaga pinus
Of all the warblers that breed in Connecticut, the first to return in spring is the Pine Warbler, arriving just about now, in mid- to late March.
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligula
Connecticut birders have been flocking to Captain’s Cove in Bridgeport to see a rare Tufted Duck, a species not recorded in Connecticut for approximately 15 years.
American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
American 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. When in flight they appear to be black in color, which helps distinguish them when mixed with Mallards.
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritus
Horned Grebes are small, diving waterbirds that are currently presenting their black and white plumage in the cold, winter waters along Long Island Sound.
Thick-billed Murre
Uria lonvia
On a trip he led to Montauk this month, Andy Griswold, director of our EcoTravel program, found two Thick-billed Murres in waters less than 16 miles from Connecticut; and Frank Gallo, associate director of our Milford Point Coastal Center, saw one briefly at Hammonasset Beach State Park.
