Shorebirder

Well, there's no denying that relative to other years in memory, 2020 was mostly a bag of shit. But there is hope for a much better 2021, despite what is guaranteed to be a rough start. The vaccine rollout signifies what is very likely the beginning of the end of this pandemic. Also, here in the U.S. we will be welcoming a President that will almost certainly make our country and our world better off in many ways. So let's drink to that tonight! On the local bird front, I have ended the year with a goose search, one more northwest finch tour, and a couple CBCs (one more to go). As I have been focusing some on my state Self-Found list, the "rare goose" section shows a pretty massive gap. I have yet to find my own Barnacle, Pink-footed, or Ross's in Connecticut. My own town of Wallingford was formerly a bit of a mecca for rare geese, but that all changed about the time I moved here some 11 years ago. My theory is that it has something to do with the declining role o...

When seen in Connecticut, Mew Gulls are pretty much always seen in the company of Ring-billed Gulls. So I was not expecting to find one at a tiny beach near the mouth of the Thames River where a whopping six Herring Gulls were resting. And yet that's exactly what flew in soon after I hopped out of the car for a quick scan of the river. Coming right at me, I picked up on a medium-sized gull and stayed on it until it banked slightly, revealing an upperwing that was very low-contrast for a Ring-billed and a starkly black-and-white tail. Hmmmm. The bird landed in the water not far from the beach and had an obviously tiny, round head with an even tinier bill. It was a slam-dunk Mew Gull of the European subspecies canus . No trouble determining the subspecies of this one! I had been keen on finding a first cycle Mew Gull locally, as all prior records were of adults or nearly so. So I was pumped about this one. Luckily it stuck around long enough for me to grab the camera and get some sho...

Cold fronts in November are no joke. When I stepped out of the car this morning at Lighthouse Point in New Haven, with the temperature near freezing and the wind howling at 15mph, my enthusiasm was punched square in the mouth.  "$%&# it's cold" is a thing I said a few times this morning. Once the shock had worn off, I angled the car perpendicular to the wind and parked myself in its lee. Forgetting my wind pants at home did not help matters, but there was nothing to do about it now. November cold fronts usually mean a viz-mig watch along the coast. Today I chose Lighthouse Point for its ability to deliver a combination of finches, swallows, and raptors. And because I would be able to keep my car right next to me for periodic warm-ups. As expected, birds were moving. Below average temps and a harsh northwest wind tend to do that. The volume of finches was actually somewhat low compared to the numbers that had been pouring through on less windy days. Still, AMERICAN GOL...

I had a stretch of free time last week and aimed to spend one entire day at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, CT. This is arguably the best all-around birding location in the state. After several days of "blocking weather" (= weather not conducive to migration), back-to-back cold fronts were forecast to pass through the region on Oct 1st and 2nd. Sandwiched between the two fronts were very light north winds (essentially calm at the surface) and cloudy skies on the night of the 1st into the 2nd. Friday the 2nd seemed as good a day as any to try this: migration conditions seemed halfway decent, and a cloudy, cool, dreary day would keep this popular park mostly free of visitors. I arrived at 5:10am for some predawn owling, railing, and NFC (Nocturnal Flight Call) listening. Upon opening the car door, I was greeted by the sounds of passerines calling overhead. The good migration conditions, low ceiling, and lack of wind helped create an ideal scenario for hearing nocturnal...

This past weekend I spent both mornings monitoring Morning Flight at the north tip of Willard's Island inside Hammonasset Beach State Park. On the heels of a strong cold front, birds would be moving. The flights were reasonably productive relative to other regional Morning Flight locations, so I have hope that this site will prove to be a reliable location to observe this phenomenon to some degree when the weather is right. Time will tell. Saturday (9/19) was the better day. From 630-930am, 420 individual warblers flew out the north tip of Willard's (2.33 birds/minute). Twelve species of warbler flew out, the best being one CONNECTICUT WARBLER. Northern Parula was the most common warbler. Forty-six Flickers were on the move too.  It was a slow but steady movement throughout the entire time period. Nearly all birds seen were solely in flight, as I positioned myself too far from the trees/shrubs to see birds there. Identifications were made from a combination of field views and ...

Bluff Point State Park in Groton, CT is well-established as one of the best places in the region to observe "Morning Flight" of passerines during autumn migration. Discovered years ago by Dave Provencher, Dave and other eastern CT birders monitor the site each year and log thousands of songbirds as they funnel out the northwest corner of the park after each cold front. During the first few hours of daylight, these birds  "reorient" into the wind after their night's migration, moving back into preferred habitat after being pushed offshore by northwest winds overnight. I usually visit Bluff only once or twice per season because it is a bit of a haul for me at just over an hour's drive. I have half-heartedly been trying to find a closer Morning Flight spot over the last several years without much consistent success. I've dabbled with a handful of spots along the coast between New Haven and Madison. A couple have been total duds, and a couple others have bee...

In recent years, thanks to good old fashioned field work, Tim Spahr of Massachusetts has developed a knack for finding Connecticut Warblers in southern New England during autumn migration. He is kind enough to share his secrets with us here. Thank you, Tim! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright Tim Spahr Finding Connecticut Warblers in Fall Migration by Tim Spahr Connecticut Warblers are sought-after species due their shy and retiring nature, elusiveness, and overall rarity. Northeastern United States birders are fortunate to get a shot at these birds during the fall migration period, as they often stop in our area to refuel ahead of their long, overwater flight to South America. The sheer difficulty of locating one of these gems in migration can also make finding one a satisfying conclusion to any fall birding outing. Copyright Tim Spahr General information: Connecticut Warblers breed from Western Quebec westward across the b...

Advanced travel planning in 2020 has been a bit of a lost cause for obvious reasons, so I have been eager to pounce on whatever reasonably safe opportunities have presented themselves for getting the %&$# out of Connecticut. This past weekend's hot, humid and dry weather inspired a long weekend on Cape Cod with friends. Shorebird migration should be in full swing, and seabird activity had been picking up at Race Point...hopes were high for a birdy weekend, and that's exactly what we got! Dave Provencher and I departed CT very early on Friday  (7/24) morning as we drove to Chatham with kayaks mounted on the car. We would attempt to kayak out to the South Beach/Monomoy complex in search of shorebirds and terns. We knew that this would pose a challenge, as the landscape out here has changed drastically since South Beach breached during a storm in 2013, making the waters extremely difficult to navigate. We paddled out of Morris Island on the low tide and were met with large ex...