Penfield Reef- Fairfield, CT

-Yesterday (2/22) in the late morning, Charlie Barnard and I took a walk out onto Penfield Reef in Fairfield in hopes of some shorebirds, ducks, and seals. All were present in OK numbers except the former. Only a few Sanderlings.

-The water level was higher than normal, and the whole reef didn't become exposed, so we scoped from the 'half-way point'. I suspect that it was this mess of winter weather moving from the west that altered the tides. What was interesting, the west side of the reef was much choppier than the east.... and it was getting windier by the minute. We both had a feeling there were more shorebirds further out, but scopes only go so far!

-Another interesting aspect was the Horned Grebes. We counted (probably tentative) 42 Horned Grebes to the west of the reef. Zero on the east. And a grand total of zero Common and zero RT Loons. A fellow birder from Stratford, Frank Mantlik counted 20+ during his scouting of the Stratford shores. Good day for the Horned Grebes!! Thanks to my more experienced birder buddy, Charlie, I just learned that in February the Horned Grebes grow in numbers and stage here in L.I.S. before moving along to continue their legacy and create new generations of this really neat bird.

Below is our tally for the hour or so we spent out there:

(15) Brant (I expected to see more)

(350) Greater Scaup... very well could have been Lesser mixed in, but conditions and distance made it hard to ID

(36) Long-tailed Duck

(400) Goldeneye (a huge flock came up and there were at least 200 in just that one)

(6) Red-breasted Mergansers

(42) Horned Grebes (again... ALL west of the reef)

(3) Great Cormorants

(4) Sanderling

-We also saw about 6 Harbor seals looking quite content and lazy off the reef. A few were just floating on the water. One of which was clearly an adult bull Harbor. Another male, floating on the water, was laying on his side with a fin in the air... reminded me of Humpback Whale behavior. Perhaps courting??

-After Penfield Reef we scanned a few other local Spots like St. Mary's by the Sea and Captains Cove. Other than 2 Ring-necked Ducks at Captains Cove, and a single Great Cormorant near St.Mary's (out on the lighthouse/rock island thingy), there was nothing of note out of the norm.

Below are a few of the few photos I shot while on the reef.

(Sanderling pair)

(Common Goldeneye flock in flight)

(Sanderlings)

(Two Harbor seals being lazy out past the gull flock. Both are Harbor seals, you can see the one big'un on the right and another on the left)

-Brian-

Prairie Hawk ID and a Little of Leg #1

I am going stir crazy!!!!! I can not wait to ramble on..............

So far, planned stops on my first leg will be Bald Eagle State Park and spots along the Delaware Water Gap in PA, Indiana Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore in Indiana, Wrigley Field in Chicago (only drove past it last time... even that was a mistake... Chicago highways are TOUGH to know where the hell you are, or going), Buffalo Gap Nat'l Grassland in North Dakota (on SD/ND border), Black Hills Nat'l Forest, Wind Cave Nat'l Park, Deadwood (town of, in SD), Mt. Rushmore, and a day or two in Rapid City, SD.

This first leg will be quicker than the others, mostly because I want to get to SoCal and AZ while the bird migration is still moving. And secondly because my drive to Alaska had the SAME route until I reach the Dakotas. I will certainly stop at the places I know of from last time on that leg (there was an awesome little inland wetlands spot at the Wisconsin Welcome Center on I-90), but I am a rambler and I love driving past something and thinking...

"Man that looks like a neat spot to hike"..... or 'Wow. I just saw a Swainson's Hawk!! Gotta stop here!"

I found a few cool spots like that. One of which led me to a hawk that I have still yet to have 100% confirmation of whether it is a juvenile Krider's Red-tail, light-morph Ferrigenous, or something else.

See for yourself, and you decide.... the white on the head leads me to think a young Krider's. Which is prairie subspecies of the Red-tailed Hawk. The bird was seen just south of Des Lacs NWR in (pretty far up) NW North Dakota.

I'd love to hear some thoughts on the raptor from some of my fellow birders.... as I still call it a 'possible Krider's'.

-Brian-

Truckin'

I am a huge Grateful Dead fan. Well, just a rather sizable deadhead in general. I firmly believe I was born in the incorrect decade for my views, likes and dislikes. I would MUCH rather jam out to some Dead or throw on some old Peter Tosh (who, in my opinion... has just as good, if not a better voice than his ex-band mate, Bob Marley) than listen to about 99% of EVERYTHING released since maybe, 1998.... well, that is pushing it. Maybe '93.


Regardless, one thing I plan to do on this road-trip, which will involve only one detour, is visit all locations mentioned in the song, 'Truckin' by the Grateful Dead. Those locations, in order as they come up in the song, are:

Chicago, New York, Detroit (it's all the same)... Dallas, Houston (too close to New Orleans), New York... up to Buffalo... and finally, Bourbon Street. Very much hopefully, sans getting busted on said street.

There are an incredible number of aspects that I hope to enjoy on this trip.... not just birds. Not just nature in general. I plan to star gaze in the darkest spots of Arizona (man one of those 'star-gazing city' houses would be amazing... they COME WITH observatories), view some of our nation's historical locales such as The Alamo, Deadwood, South Dakota, Washington D.C., etc....

I am a giant fan of history, especially my personal history and American. Even more specifically, Native American history.... and art... and folklore.... and life.


Often times when I am hiking, regardless of the location, I sit on a rock or stump, off trail, and just look. I take a mental photograph of my immediate surroundings.... then I close my eyes. In one of my favorite local spots, Roosevelt Forest in Stratford, CT, I imagine the road I drove in on is gone. The mile or so of neighborhoods that shattered the once continuous mixed deciduous forest have disappeared. The several mile long powerline cut no longer divides woods from scrub. The only thing that breaks up these woods are the waterways.

I picture how far south these woods stretch until they approach, then battle the winds of Long Island Sound, become sparse, and open up into an unmeasurable shore habitat. Barrier beaches and brackish marshes for as far as the eye can see.... not as far as to the start of the next neighborhood, or new development.

I imagine these things, and it makes me think of when the TRUE Americans were thriving. When Stratford, CT encompassed all of Shelton, Monroe, Trumbull, and half of Bridgeport. When they saw the first 'bird' that can 'fly over the waves' coming over the horizon.

I have no problems understanding why some tribes became aggressive... well, intolerant is a better word. It was theirs to begin with. Crazy thoughts by some see a world-wide nuclear holocaust, with only the jungle tribes surviving. With no 'civilization'..... in the naive sense of the word, these secluded tribes will take over, bringing us back 2000+ years when tribes battled. Not for oil. Not for resources. And certainly not because a Presidnet son wanted revenge for his father's miscues. It will be battles based on territory and survival. Tribes that those of the day called, 'Barbarians'. They already knwo how to live off the land and how to weather to weather of such dramtica places at the monsoons of the Amazon, or frigin temps at Tierra del Fuego.


I HIGHLY suggest reading, 'The Voyage of the Beagle: Charles Darwin'. It is his personal joural of his time spent of HMS The Beagle... several years before The Origin of Species.


I think of these things, and any other thing that flows into my head, and they have soundtracks. Music fills my life and I would deflate without it. I think of these things I mentioned I can only hear one band.... The Grateful Dead. Maybe The Doors for more of the Indian aspect.... =) Thinking of the crazy-theories (which, to me, aren't that far fetched.... unless the earth's atmosphere becomes cloudy and creates another Ice Age. My soundtrack to that would be be Beethoven's 5th Symphony, and 'The End' by The Doors.


Coming up next will be my plans for Leg 1 of my trip: Stratford, CT to Rapid City, South Dakota. Including my planned route, which will be mostly a straight through.... other than hitting up Chicago (got in the wrong lane 2 years ago and took the CHI loop route.... nice views. I got to see Wrigley Field) and Indiana Dunes Nat'l Lakeshore (would be nice to see some Piping Plovers out of CT). On my trip to AK, I barely did anything in South Dakota, and spent a lot of time in North Dakota. So I am only giving me 2-3 days for that leg.... if only to get to Utah, Vegas and deserts, Sand Diego and LA, and Arizona faster.

But, my last road-trip was set up the same way... chug through until I reach a planned refuge/IBA.... and time was an issue. At least I have a minimum of 40 days out. I'm hoping to stretch my budget to 60 days by doing as much camping as possible.

However, I'd be willing to lose a week to stop at some of the MLB's ballparks.... San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Arizona D'Backs, FL Marlins, etc.... the new Yankee Stadium is WAAAY to expensive. I have a Yankee logo tattooed on my leg, and I still refuse to become a stupid consumer and pay a minimum of like $80 for nose-bleeds. Thank goodness for bleacher seats!!


I can already tell.... I will never want to come home until I a done birding Cape May. Then once I get home, I'll dream (night or day) about my next trip!! That is what happened after my my '08 drive to AK.


-MoJo-

(AKA Brian)

Welcoming spring with a Haiku

A male Goldfinch sings.

The snow melts, but will return.

Spring is almost here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stepped outside this morning to see a small group of Waxwings going to town on some berries, and I got that feeling... the feeling of Spring trying to battle Winter. I heard my first Goldfinch sing this morning. So far, I've heard Cardinals, Juncos, White-throated/Song/Am. Tree sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Screech Owl, Titmice, Chickadees, Woodpeckers drumming.... now the Goldfinch.

Other than the fall, this is my favorite time of the year.... as Spring slowly creeps up from the earth and gracefully falls from the sky.

-Brian-

The Snow Birds... After Watching the Feeders.

(-My route to the passerine flock in Roosevelt Forest in Stratford, about 2-300 yards off a blazed trail-)

I used my truck as a 'pseudo-blind' to get close(er) to my feeders and wood edges to get some snowy bird photos, specifically of the Towhees and maybe a Field sparrow that comes by on and off. I also went to a local town owned forest called Roosevelt Forest for quick hike and look for more conifer based species such as Red-breasted Nuthatch, Kinglets, Creepers to a certain extent, etc...

(-LEFT: White throated sparrow; RIGHT- male Eastern Towhee in some thickets-)

Instead of going over the whole day, which was quick, I'll just post a bunch of photos I took today during a pretty good snow storm. I stayed close to home, because they are forecasting a ton of snow. (though like always, many different numbers on many different stations) By the time I got home it was picking up and there was maybe 5" on the ground already..... dead-on with the 12" and 24". Right now I still only have about 5.5" in my Stratford yard. We'll see. I hear (again... hearing every possible scenario) e are in for more tonight, with possible bursts of 1-3" an hour. The kind of snow I go outside and take a night-hike in!!

Hope you enjoy the 'Freezing February Photos'!

(-This male Red-bellied Woodpecker took about two weeks to figure out how to get onto it well to get to the delicious seed mix inside. This individual, I've named Rusty, has been coming to my yard for over a year with it's mate, Ruby. I don't know if the male is the same one, but the female is because she has a distinct shaped and sized tuft of red feathers just above the eyes... a bit different looking than most female RBWPs.-)

(Disclaimer... all were taken at my house except the photo of the Golden-crowned Kinglet which was at Roosevelt. And that photo is very poor.) One of my favorites shows underneath the fanned out tail of a White-breasted Nuthatch showing the classic chestnut blotches on the undertail coverts. Red-breasted Nuthatches have a uniform light red/rusty-ish color underneath (perhaps... Red-breasted has something to do with that??)

(Golden-Crowned Kinglet in Roosevelt Forest, Stratford. Seen in a large flock of passerines moving through a tall pine grove. The first RCKI I've seen in a few months. -)

(-White-breasted Nuthatch showing the chestnut/brown blotchy vent/belly/undertail coverts, and the white outer tail feathers of the underside of the fanned tail.-)

(-White-breasted Nuthatch waiting his turn (Titmice trump many at the tree feeder!)-)

(-Gorgeous Song Sparrow hanging out in a thistle row on the edge of the woods behind my house. This row is a spot where several birds hide from predators and wind, and to roost.-)

-Brian-

Watch the feeders tomorrow (today!)!!!!!!

With this nice snow storm moving on in tonight (now), it should bring good numbers of birds to feeders. Especially just after dawn, when the snow hasn't really piled up yet... that's when the sparrows dig out their little patches. Then the woodpeckers come... then the juncos... then everyone else.

(-Male Northern Cardinal braving a pretty rough snow storm in my yard on 12/19/2008-)

(-A Dark-eyed Junco debating whether or not to enjoy some snow storm enhanced New Year's Eve suet, 12/31/2009-)

Good feeder days can often bring in a less common visitor, though not unheard of. Flickers seems to show up more often on these days, and the chances of finding an American Tree or Fox sparrow scratching through the grass seems to increase. And though this year has been very poor for winter finches, ya always gotta keep your fingers crossed for a Siskin in with the Goldfinch.... or dare I say a Redpoll!!???!

(-Wouldn't this be nice again?!?! Photo taken 03/01/2009-)

(-An American Tree Sparrow in my yard during a storm on (kinda weird) New Year's Eve, 12/31/08-)

All these birds on a snowy day can assist in calling the attention of Cooper's and Sharp-shinned hawks. And sometimes, well the one time I was lucky, maybe a falcon (or how about a Goshawk!!!) may stop by to see if anything is worth the effort.

Which is what happened to me last winter when I found a Merlin perched in a dead tree that on the edge of a chunk of woods behind my house. I have been told it is somewhat uncommon to see them inland during the winter, and this photo was taken on 01/02/2009. At that time last year, there was a consistent minimum of 25 finches (Goldies and Siskins) at the feeders, usually near 50, topping out close to 120. I thought maybe it somehow got the word on the buffet and came to get a seat.

I love watching the different raptors swooping and diving around and then perch and watch....

....then on the flip side, it amazes me that over often over 100 birds of 10+ different species can somehow communicate to one another than danger is in the area. Or maybe one species picks up the threat first, gives a 'we got a problem' call, and then everyone else just (meaning all the other species at/near the feeders) takes advantage of one's good detection skills. Or maybe they all have good detection skills and it is just the first bird to spy the threat gets the word out. I do not know, but I'm sure someone does.

(-Merlin perched on the edge of the woods behind my house, 01/02/2009-)

Other birds in CT that have shown up at or near my feeders, and will show up elsewhere are Eastern Towhees and Gray Catbirds. This winter I have had up to 3 Towhees at or near my feeders... for a couple months now. Another visitor I really enjoy are Field Sparrows. They seem to come alone, but for several day stretches... then nothing. Another is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. These species are pretty much at the most northern climes of their winter ranges here in southern Connecticut. Last year I made friends with an RC Kinglet who came to my feeders about bi-weekly in December (present every time it snowed!), and then sporadically after that into very early February.

(-Ruby-crowned Kinglet eating suet in the same 12/312008 New Year's Eve snow storm as the Tree sparrow from above.-)

(-Male Eastern Towhee in a bush next to my dining room window. Photo taken through the window about 18' from my face!-)

This individual Towhee (above photo) actually took bites of snow, about 7-8, while perched in the bush. Earlier in the winter I watched a Goldfinch do the same thing in the same bush. My bird bath is frozen, and I can't seem to keep up wit the hot water to keep it open, so I was thinking maybe they were 'drinking'. Has anyone seen/heard/know of this behavior in passerines (or other birds for that matter)??? It was very interesting to watch.

Enjoy the snow everyone!! Even if you hate it, you have to admit.... it is a pretty amazing part of nature.

-Brian-

Finally!!!!

I finally purchased an item which is almost a must on my upcoming trip, not to mention birding down by the shore.


I finally purchased a scope. I don't have the cash to pay for those Swarovski or Leica or Nikon, so Jim Zipp helped me out in choosing a scope in my price range, that would be a quality one. (Jim owns the Fat Robin Wild Bird and Nature Shop in Hamden, CT).


The one I got, which, in my opinion, is the coolest thing ever, is the Vortex Skyline 80mm. It's zoom range is 20-60x.

I bought it yesterday (Sunday), and tried it out on a flicker.... amazing. Then once the night divided the day, I aimed it at the universe. The Orion Nebula's (M42) gorgeous blue emission nebula clouds stood out so well. I then moved up to M45, the Pleiades Cluster, and was able to make out well over 20 stars!! The naked eye shows about 7-8.


Quick little info.... the Pleiades Cluster is the logo for Subaru Auto.




So my gear so far is as follows:

-Vortex Skyline 80mm, 20-60x zoom (mounted on Celestron tripod)
-Celestron 20x80 Skymaster binoculars (why I got the tripod!)
-my trusty Bushnell 8x42s (I think thats the magn.)
-Canon Digi Rebel xS w/ a Canon EFS 18-55mm lens w/Image Stabilizer, and a Canon Ultrasonic EF 70-300mm zoom lens w/Image Stabilizer



I should have started the blog later.... I get myself all excited.... then I look at the calender =(

At least we are actually getting a snow storm mid-week.... now I can use my scope down at Stratford Point!!! (And stop borrowing Twans!)


-Brian-

a Freezing Day Outdoors...

Ya gotta love 'em. My absolute favorite time of the day is when the dark skies of the east begin to give way to the sun and start to show the palette of colors that is a sunrise.


This past Friday, February 5th, I woke up well before the alarm (even though I had the day off, I always want to be awake by 6:00am) and decided to go out for some early owling and to bring in the sun.

I was able to call in the Eastern Screech Owl that frequents the habitats near my house, immediately making me wonder why he wasn't around a week ago to give me 104 for BG! Next stop was to go say 'hey' to a resident Barred Owl at Roosevelt Forest in Stratford. He was calling as I walked in (the gate was locked, so I jumped it wand trooped it), so I didn't want to disturb him any further. And for those who know this owl... is he the fattest Barred ever, or what??



By the time I reached my truck it was still at least and hour before sunrise, so I headed for the shore... specifically to see if I can watch for some Boat-tailed Grackles leaving their roost at the Sikorsky Airport. I saw 3 in 'their' tree, but that was it.



As the sun began to rise, and as I began to see my surroundings, the trip became a small photo documentation of a winter marsh.

















(ABOVE-> Black ducks in one of several chanels that keep some water open; BOTTOM-> dawn at the start of the 'Railroad Trail')


My morning began at the beginning of what is as 'The Rail Road Trail' at The Great Meadow Marsh unit of the Stewart B McKinney Rufuge in Stratford. Right away it was obvious there were a lot of sparrows about, because a Tree sparrow landed on the back of my pick-up and they were all over the paths. I 'pished' out a very nice looking Fox sparrow about 10 yards into the trail, and found many Swamp sparrows along the first stretch of the trail. In total, 6 sparrow species were present... Song, Swamp, Fox, American Tree, White-throat, and Savannah. (Technically 7 if you wanna count the House sparrows).


Nothing crazy there, though an adult light-morphed Rough-legged hawk was very nice to see. It was in a spot that last year, for me, was where I usually found them... in the vicinity of a small pool on Access Rd. in Stratford, then across the adjacent intersection and near that pool also. There are some deciduous trees (birches?) in a row facing almost due south, and this is where Friday's bird was.

Other birds were two adult Red-tailed hawks and a few Boat-tailed grackles in the reeds of the pond at Great Meadows.



(Photos: TOP-> Song Sparrow in the frozen marsh; MIDDLE-> adult Red-tailed hawk; BOTTOM-> adult Red-tailed hawk across the marsh)




























After Great Meadows I did a quick peek at Johnson's Creek on the Bridgeport/Stratford line for the 'western' Willet that was present recently which was not that day. Though a sleeping Black-crowned Night-heron, and a very active female Belted Kingfisher (below).




Afterwards I swung by Frash Pond and then Birdseye Boat ramp in Stratford. Frash Pond held the usual Hooded mergansers, Bufflehead, Black ducks and Canvasback. The water source for this pond either enters or exits in a way that, when freezing/frozen, on small area of open water remains open near a good viewing point on Access Rd. I was able to get a few photos of the Canvasbacks.

The resident American Coot continued at the boat ramp, as did the Wilson's Snipe that has been hanging around (as one did last winter). The Coot are always a cool bird to watch with their 'non-duck-like' behavior. Especially when they walk up on the ground. The usual group of 8 was there this day, and for once, they were all within the range of a single photo. Unfortunately, the snipe was further down the the river on the mudflats, out of reach of my lens. (Standing on the fishing platform, looking at the river, the snipe was on the Stratford side down towards Stratford Marina).

When I was pulling out, a Peregrine falcon zoomed over the parking lot and headed over the beach towards Stratford Point.



(group of Canvasback)


(female Canvasback


(American Coot)


(the whole clan of Coots at the boat ramp)

After Birdseye, I headed home and stopped very quickly at Peck's Mill Pond which is just down the road from my house. It was about 90% frozen, with only a small brook keeping some cold muddy areas open. In this area in the back were 4 mallards and 6 Wood ducks. This pond (usually...!!!) is a great spot for Wood ducks. I had the pleasure of watching 5 ducklings grow up this summer.


It was a very cold day, and not overly birdy either. Though it was just one of those days when it feels great to be outside.



-Brian-