Relapse

Before heading to Europe I realized that I have been slacking on keeping my CT year list up to date!  In case you forgot (or dont read my blog all the time), I'm challenging my friend Heather in Oregon to a birding challenge.  Who will get the most species in there respective state for the year. 

My list, over there on the right had been hanging out at 60 species even though I have been out, I swear!  Well, before I get carried away with all the European birds I'm about to see and hopefully blog about, I wanted to update my CT bird list!!!  yup I'm up to about 160 species.  That's probably about 100 species under what's been seen in the state so far.  I'll have to start chasing harder when I get back to CT. 

France 2012 Prep



Chartes Cathedral- wiki photo



In a few days I will be setting foot in France for the first time in my life.  A small group of friends and myself have decided to go see the Olympics in London this year and a stop in France at a friends family house will take up the first week of our trip.  After a quick stop in Chartres to see the Tour de France, we will head further west out to Brittany.  The exact town we are staying in is still beyond my knowledge but the general area will be near Quimper. 

We have no set plans for our time in Bretagne (Brittany) and I plan on doing some birding!  and maybe some blogging.  This is my first time going to Europe with a pair of binoculars and the time set aside to do some birding.  My Christmas present this year was a copy of the Birds of Europe and after a few months of lazy studying I put the book down.  Now with days to go I am kicking myself for not putting in more effort but here illustrates my true nature of being a bird watcher/ observer as opposed to a true tick-er. 

To maximize my study time ( I still have packing to do of course), I have turned to eBird for some help.  The birding observations in this area of France are very limited, from what I can poke through it looks like there are maybe 5 checklists in total for the 50 mile radius of Quimper.  At least one of those is an older checklist from 1980 and the others seem to be quick lists.  Still it's enough to use the "Explore Data" feature and churn out the following bar chart for the months of July and August. 

My plan is to use this condensed list of 135 species to cram in the next few days and on the 6-hour flight.  With any luck, I will come home with LOTS of pictures, a few interesting stories, and some more data to feed into eBird.  More data will not only give some more info as to what is actually in the area but may be a baseline for future species expansions and declines.  At the very least it will give someone else making a trip to the area a better idea of what birds they may encounter on their trip.  Wish me luck!

Scouting Trip

Almost two weeks ago on a beautiful Friday I headed up to the Northwest part of the state to do a little scouting for a bird field trip I'm helping lead next month for the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collection 2012 meeting.  I met CAS conservation biologist Twan Leenders at Mohawk Mountain State Forest, our first potential stop.  There is a small Black Spruce Bog located in the forest with a small boardwalk.  When I got out of the car the first thing I noticed was a chorus of Chestnut-sided Warblers up and down the forest road. 

This area has a great variety of plants, it's a mix of upland forest, some cleared early successional habitat, and the spruce bog.  There were many High Bush Blueberry plants and lots of them in flower.  One Ruby-throated Hummingbird was enjoying their inflorescence.  This female hummingbird was taking a rest before flying to another flower and inserting her bill into the flowers to drink some nectar.  As we walked along there was a good variety of birds, many of which will stay around and nest.  Some birds seen or heard, Black-and-White Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Canada Warbler (a lifer for me), Blackburnian Warbler, Veery, Ovenbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Common Raven, Red-shouldered Hawk, Rufous-sided Towhee, and Red-eyed Vireo.

This Rufous-sided Towhee was hanging out in the edge habitat of a cleared area.  Vegetation in was all low and shrubby, perfect for these sparrow relatives.  I love their 'tow-hee' song and there was more than one.  This male sat out on the edge of a branch to show off for a few minutes. 

Not an extraordinary bird but still one of my favorites!  The ever adorable Black-capped Chickadee made an appearance in the spruce bog.  There were two birds moving around in the underbrush both seeming to be as curious of me as I was of them.  While watching the two, one began loudly begging to the other although to my amature eyes, they both seemed adults.  Possibly courting behavior?

Our last stop was not really a part of our scouting... it was really to try for another life bird!  And I was successful!  Thanks to Twan's knowledge of the area and great ears, we were able to chase down this Cerulean Warbler on River Road.  Cornell's allaboutbirds website says this of the Cerulean Warbler "Cerulean Warbler is one of the species of highest concern in the eastern United States because of a small total population size and significant declines throughout its range. Under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Listed on the Audubon Watchlist".   

This spot produced many good birds and was teeming with life in general.  American Redstart, Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Veery, Blackburnian Warbler, Warbling Vireo, and Indigo Bunting, among others.  A fantastic day in the field, with a great companion, and many birds to add to my year list for my competition.  I need to get outside more often!

3 More for the List

Scaup in New Haven Harbor

Spring crawls closer every day but the temperatures this past Sunday seemed the same as a month ago.  Probably because they were.  I took a few hours mid-day to try to add a couple of species to my year list.  My totals are crawling slowly and steadily upward.  My first stop was at East Shore park in New Haven, rumors of warblers and swallows enticed me.  Maybe it was a little too cool or late for much activity but I didn't get any of my target species.  I did manage to find a cute little Golden-crowned Kinglet, my first of the year.

Greater White-fronted Goose

I was about to head home but feeling the pull of the chase I headed up to Wallingford, in search of the Greater White-fronted Goose that has been seen the past few weeks.  I went to North Farms Reservoir and glanced over the geese scattered around the pond with no success.  After enjoying nice views of the American Coot and the companionship of a nice couple out birding, a gaggle of around 200 Canada Geese flew in.  Searching through the pack, I finally spotted the Greater White-fronted Goose on the far side of the water.  Not a great picture but enough to ID the species.  Looking back through emails later, I found that the bird was located earlier in the day in another pond in Wallingford. 

Sanderling and Dunlin

Headaing back to Stratford I stopped at Long Beach to see if I could pick up Common Goldeneye, one of the winter ducks that I haven't been able to find.  Once again the species evaded me but I did manage to find my first Dunlin of the season.  These shorebirds were mingling with Sanderling as they very frequently do.  A nice three species added for the day.  With any luck, I'll be able to pick a couple more up this weekend. 

End of the Road

After a meeting in downtown New Haven, I headed back to the Peabody Museum to have yet another meeting.  I pulled into the parking lot next to the Peabody at the end of Humphrey and came to the stop sign in the parking lot.  Looking up on the small grassy patch across the way, I suddenly yelled.  "Oh My God!  It's a Peregrine Falcon eating a Pigeon."

Peregrine Falcon- feather from prey

Sure enough an adult Peregrine Falcon was sitting on top of it's prey pulling off little bits and pieces.  We quietly (we were in a hybrid) pulled up next to the bird and pulled out our cell phones.  Pictures aren't 'the best' but the view certainly was. 

Someone is coming...

I sent the picture over to Steve Broker who has been studying some of the local Peregrine Falcons and found out that a pair has nested on both East Rock and West Rock.  He has also noticed some activity associated with the Klein Biology Tower (KBT) in the science hill area of Yale's campus.  This shot was almost at the foot of that building and very likely might be a pair of birds scoping out the tower for a nesting spot. 

Peregrine Falcon taking a bite.

It's amazing what a few trees in a parking lot can produce.  I've seen Common Grackles nesting in the parking lot, Chipping Sparrows throughout the summer, warbler species use them as a stop during migration, there's been Red-tailed Hawks mating in the branches, Common Ravens visit the museum, and now a Peregrine Falcon stopping for a bite to eat. 

Common Raven (image taken on Yale West Campus)

Slow Going

Hairy Woodpecker- male

It's not that I hate the cold...  I just don't like it.  Instead of hitting all those great little spots that I see posted about or finding some of the rarities, like the Harris's Sparrow that have been seen in Connecticut, I've been hiding out inside in the warm.  I haven't even been taking the normal quick walks around work, instead I've been hiding in the gym working out. 

Hairy Woodpecker- showing off

With the snow yesterday, I headed out this morning to clean off the sidewalks.  After a few eerily quiet minutes a Hairy Woodpecker called and called and called.... finally after about 15 minutes it worked it's way over to the suet to feed for a few minutes.  A neighbor suddenly came outside spooking the Hairy back up into the tree.  Where it called, and called, and called some more.  Then, it flew off making a noise I had never heard before.



Then, I heard a a Hairy Woodpecker call in the same tree the other one had flown out out of.  Sure enough another woodpecker was up in the tree.  It was a male and the other one had been a female.  Pretty exciting that in my practically urban neighborhood is a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers.  Anyway, it was a first of the year for me.  My CT total is only up to about 55 species.  I guess I need to get outside next weekend!

Showing off his red.

A CT Big Year

Ring-billed Gull- Birdseye Boat Ramp, Stratford

For a little extra birding motivation, I challenged a friend to see who could get the most species of bird in a year of birding in the state.  My state, Connecticut and her state...  Oregon!  Looking over the last three years of eBird records, Oregon has consistently had about 50 more species recorded than Connecticut.  So, She has the advantage.  I'm not too worried though because within a couple of hours I can chase down almost any bird in my state.  (If I actually do it).  Making it across Oregon to chase a bird takes a little more effort and planning.

Canada Goose- Wooster Park, Stratford (partially leucistic)

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- Brewster Pond, Stratford

So, after a week of only incidental birding, I got out this weekend and found some birds!  Saturday I spent a few hours hitting up some town spots.  Today I went out and chased some rarities. The first bird I targeted was the Yellow-throated Warbler seen in Madison, CT that has been visiting a feeder since October.  The bird was there when I got out of the car and I got my bins on it.  About 30 minutes later it came back grabbed some  suet and headed off again.

Canvasback- Frash Pond, Stratford (verification picture)

Sanderling- Long Beach, Stratford

I also made the haul up to the Enfield/ Somers area to chase the Pink-footed Goose.  This species usually spends its' winters in northern Europe.  Apparently, at least one goose got turned around and headed here instead.  I finally saw it after spending 2 hours driving around 3 towns.  Thanks to yet another very nice birder, I looked through his scope and saw a very distant view.  I'd like to thank the Canada Goose for moving out of the way right before the Pink-footed Goose wandered behind the reeds.  No photo but maybe here's a link to someone elses blog who saw it earlier in the week.  Yay Life Bird!!!

Yellow-throated Warbler- Madison

OOOOhhhh yeah, In case you were wondering...  I'm up to about 53 species.