Shorebirder

Monday, October 29, 2012 My Sandy birding began early on this day, when Jake Musser and I met Glenn Williams around 7:30am at Avery Point in Groton, CT. At this time, winds were 25-30mph out of the NNE with gusts only slightly higher. Hurricane Sandy, boasting maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, was well south of Rhode Island at the time. The day started rather uneventfully, with local birds kicking around in the form of a few scoters, Forster's Terns, Bonaparte's Gulls, and many Laughing Gulls. Other than LAGU numbers being higher than usual for the date, there were no signs of storm-blown birds early. As the day wore on, the winds increased, particularly after noon as Sandy moved north and then began her bend northwestward. That day, each National Hurricane Center advisory showed Sandy only intensifying as she approached. First 75 mph, then 85 mph, finally peaking at 90 mph - a strong Category 1 storm. As her winds picked up, her central pressure dropped to levels even mor...

Well, folks. A mere fourteen months after Irene and here we are again. Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Hybrid Storm/Perfect Storm SANDY is currently forecast to track off the southeastern US coast as a low-end Cat 1 Hurricane, then bend back to the NW and W directly into the coast somewhere between Maryland and Long Island as she loses tropical characteristics. More specifically, New Jersey is the currently predicted landfall location, and forecasters seem very confident in this right now (premature or not?). This is subject to change as we are still 48 hours from landfall, but the models have been in very good agreement today, so that's what I'm going with. eBird has posted a nice summary that applies to the entire region, much of which overlaps with what you'll read here. Below is a summary of what to expect in the southern New England region, with a particular focus on Connecticut, which has NO open ocean thanks to being blocked by Long Island and various other islands of...

An immature Brown Pelican (well, at least one) continues to be seen up and down the Connecticut coast. It has recently settled into New Haven harbor and been seen by many birders. I happened across the bird on the 25th while I was birding East Shore Park for lingering passerines. It's amazing to think that we're still seeing the effects of Hurricane Irene, but a few pelicans arrived with the storm and at least this one has persisted in Long Island Sound. Below are a few series of dives as it was actively feeding in the rip. Brown Pelican in New Haven Harbor on Oct 25, 2011. Here gliding above the horizon with the West Haven VA Hospital in the background. - NB

I must admit, I thought I was pretty much done with the Irene updates. But her effects continue to be felt in CT and surroundings. This evening brought a great combo of birds from Milford Pt, located at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Gull-billed Tern, Brown Pelican, American Avocet, and the continuing Black-necked Stilt were all enjoyed by many birders, I'm told. Of special note, a Magnificent Frigatebird was reported this afternoon from the Connecticut River in Hanover, New Hampshire. If that bird follows the river southward, that would of course bring it through the state of Connecticut. Fingers crossed! Otherwise, the past couple days have been highlighted by a couple moribund White-tailed Tropicbirds from the interior northeast and several Brown Pelicans kicking around the southern New England and Long Island coasts. Terns continue to linger, notably Royal, Sandwich, and Gull-billed. Perhaps increased birder coverage this weekend will yield even more storm-related rar...

Here's a collection of a few random images from the peri-Irene period in Connecticut. Sorry, no particularly exciting or mega rare species included here. I kept my brand new camera setup safe and dry during the storm itself. Not all birds here are necessarily storm-related. Pre-Irene: adult Pectoral Sandpiper Forster's Terns Laughing Gulls juv Stilt Sandpiper juv Black Skimmer adult Little Blue Heron adult (left) and juv (right) Red Knots with two Sanderlings between juv Black Tern During: plastic bag keeping the dash mostly dry... watching from the car with Julian Hough and Post: Royal Tern (banded) record shot of Black-necked Stilt Black Tern - NB