Downy Woodpecker
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.
Wood Thrush
It’s not too late in the season to hear the beautiful, flute-like call of the Wood Thrush throughout – as its name would indicate – the woods of rural Connecticut.
July 9, 2015 – Buff-breasted Sandpiper has occurred annually at Hammonasset Beach State Park and at our Milford Point Coastal Center, where one or two are reported each year.
Black Skimmer
The sandbars at our Coastal Center at Milford Point in summer are probably the most reliable place in the state to see Black Skimmers, especially in June and in late August and early September.
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
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.
June 10, 2015 – Ibises are a group of nearly 30 species of distinctive wading birds that occur worldwide. Here in Connecticut we commonly see one species of ibis, the Glossy Ibis, which occurs locally along the coast during the summer season.
Eastern Meadowlark
One of our most threatened species, the Eastern Meadowlark has slowly disappeared in Connecticut along with the large and rambling agricultural meadows that once dominated our landscape.
Orchard Oriole
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.
Cerulean Warbler
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 and May is the best time to see it as it often stays high in the canopy, difficult to see once the trees leaf out.
Prothonotary Warblers are relatively rare in Connecticut but there have been at least two this spring: one at our Larsen Sanctuary, in Fairfield, in late April, and another today (Monday) in Cheshire.
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.
