ANHINGA in Hamden, CT


Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) 11 June 2011, Hamden, CT

I was happily woken up by a phone call from Roy Harvey this morning, which I figured was regarding a good bird. He was calling to report that Flo McBride and others had found a male ANHINGA at Lake Whitney in Hamden, CT.










threatening an approaching DCCO









The bird appeared a bit worn, and certainly not in high breeding colors. Subadult or basic-plumaged male? Research needed on my part, and comments welcome.

Previously accepted records from CT are from September 1987 (Mantlik), September 1996 (Burke et al), August 1999 (Wood), and September 2006 (Bielfelt et al). All four accepted records are sight records of birds in flight. There have been several other reports of fly-bys that were not accepted by the ARCC because the committee felt that DCCO could not fully be ruled out. This is a more difficult ID than one would think, particularly when a lone DCCO is seen soaring high overhead with tail spread...a behavior common for Anhingas also performed by DCCO. Anhinga had not been photographically documented in CT until now.

Thanks again Flo!

- Nick

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