Shorebirder

If you live in the northeastern US and were considering birding this weekend, go ahead and get out there. We've had two recent bouts of strong SW winds around here (good for western vagrants), and we're now finally going to get some good migration weather which should concentrate birds along the coast (particularly at our east-west coastline here in Connecticut). There may be a few rarities mixed in there. Besides, it's going to be beautiful outside...clear and cool with light winds. I'll be working, but hopefully somebody finds something good enough to make me jealous that I can't be out there. - NB

Not bad at all. - Nick

Today I took a solo hike up Bear Mountain, a 6.7-mile loop from the Undermountain Trail at Route 41 in Salisbury, CT. Bear Mountain is CT's tallest peak at 2,316 feet. Interestingly, CT's highest elevation point (2,380 ft) is on a mountain whose peak actually lies in Massachusetts (Mount Frissel). The hike up was not very birdy, as expected. The woods in October can be very quiet, and today's high winds did not help things. Highlights included a single Common Raven and two Hermit Thrushes. View from the summit of Bear Mountain, just before a brief downpour began. Two Black Vultures were soaring over downtown Salisbury on my way home. - NB

A week and a half ago I spent a fun 48 hours in Cape May, a visit that was long overdue. I had some time off from work that coincided with a couple days of NW winds. I did a fine job of missing two nice rarities...I arrived about 2 hours after a Swainson's Hawk was seen at the hawkwatch on the 4th, and while I was on the dike for the morning flight on the 5th an apparent Gray Kingbird flew past the hawkwatch. 0 for 2! Overall it was a good time though, with many quality birds to be seen. And the morning flight, while not outstanding by Cape May standards, was still fun (and incredibly humbling) to observe. The clear highlight of my visit came while walking the 3rd field at Higbee Beach mid-morning on the 6th. I heard a rustle in the 3-ft tall ragweed to my left. Got a quick flash in the shadows of a walking brown-backed bird with paler markings. Hmm...that description in a tall weedy field in New Jersey in October...Yellow Rail?? Nope. While I stood perfectly still a stupidly tame ...

Oct 7 - juvenile Red-necked Grebe in Norwalk Harbor, Norwalk, CT Oct 8 - juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull at Sandy Point in West Haven, CT - NB

Just back from a last-minute birding trip to CA. In the near future I'll have a trip report for that, plus three book reviews I'm working on: "Multimedia Identification Guide to North Atlantic Seabirds: Storm-petrels & Bulwer's Petrel," "The Birds of New Jersey," and "Antarctic Wildlife: A Visitor's Guide." So stay tuned for those. In the meantime I have an article on Hurricane Irene to co-author with Scott Kruitbosch for the October issue of COA 's "The Connecticut Warbler," a very busy stretch at work, and some personal stuff to tend to...so don't expect much here for at least another week or so. - NB

To anyone who has wanted to bird (or just see!) Alaska but hasn't gotten around to it yet, I will be co-leading a tour next June with John Puschock for Connecticut Audubon Society. It promises to be a stellar tour, including a St. Paul extension! Click to enlarge each page of the brochure below to view the details. - Nick