Shorebirder

Hey, Stefan Martin just had a really nice few days of birding. On the 19th he and Danny Williams found a ROSS'S GOOSE at Seaside Park in Bridgeport. On the 21st he found a CALIFORNIA GULL at Hammonasset Beach SP in Madison. I saw both of these birds this afternoon...one somewhat expectedly, the other not. The Ross's Goose continues at Seaside Park, today on the triangular field at the far west end before it flew across the harbor to Black Rock. Ross's Goose This evening I stumbled across the California Gull, but not anywhere near Hammonasset. I relocated the bird at the West Haven boat ramp, a good 20 miles straight-line to the west from where it was last seen the evening before. Photos confirm this to be the same individual. first cycle California Gull  - NB

Here are some photos of the state's first CALIFORNIA GULL found by Stefan Martin at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, the current gull hotspot of Connecticut! Huuuge thanks to Stefan for what was simply an awesome find.  - NB

The annual spring plankton bloom (apparently mostly barnacle larvae) began here in Connecticut a couple weeks ago. This event, which takes place during March through mid-April with varying degrees of intensity, is a magnet for gulls and sometimes waterfowl. Along the rocky central and western CT coast of Long Island Sound the birds sit on the water’s surface and actively pick at the abundant larvae that surround them. I have yet to observe the larvae from a boat, but I have heard from others that the bloom can be impressively thick at times. Sometimes the birds are concentrated in tight flocks, while other times they are rather spread out. These flocks are very mobile and can move west-east or onshore-offshore in the blink of an eye. It is a very hit or miss type of birding. And if you do find the flocks, they may be too far offshore to study closely. But when you do “hit,” the gull show can be spectacular. With the recent closure of the last bulk-waste landfill in Connecticut, thi...

I had only a bit of time for birding on my last two days in Florida but was able to get out and see some worthwhile stuff. On the afternoon of the 3rd Dori and I returned to the Zemel Road Landfill area for another shot at the two wintering SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHERS. They were right where we found them on the previous afternoon. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher The next morning I made a point of running over to Cape Coral to check on some of their BURROWING OWLS before my flight home. Dori and I had something like 8 or so owls in one neighborhood. Burrowing Owls And that was it! A quick 5-day jaunt to the Fort Myers area. Some quality birding, a bit of relaxation, and plenty of sun. Looking forward to exploring this area a bit more during a future visit.  - Nick

The Hermit Warbler that was originally found in Barkhamsted by Dave Rosgen on January 31st was relocated yesterday, February 7th. A search party of seven of us headed up this morning to spread out and scour the area of Dave's original one-off sighting, and [somewhat surprisingly] it did not take us more than an hour to relocate the bird! Fran Zygmont first spotted it just before 9am, and the warbler was observed pretty much constantly until Greg Hanisek and I left at 10:45am. In the morning the bird seemed to prefer the riverbanks from the Route 318 bridge and immediately southward to the post office. Both west and east banks were used (mostly the sunlit west side), often foraging quite low...even on the ground at times. Later in the morning, as temps warmed up, it went a bit higher, and for several minutes it was seen foraging in the evergreens at the NW corner of the 4-way intersection that is immediately on the west side of the bridge (318 x 181/West River Rd). As Dave menti...