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Birding with Your Phone Workshop – 2-29-2020 updated with link

March 2, 2020 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

This workshop was an experiment as a new type of opportunity for our members, and the turnout and response was very positive.

Held at the West Hartford Public Library on a cold Saturday morning, Ken Elkins of Audubon Connecticut led our group of over 40 participants through a variety of phone apps to help our birding.

He started with bird guide apps from Audubon and Sibley’s, showing some of their features and differences in photos/drawings and sound. He progressed to apps that help you identify birds when you don’t know what they are, such as Merlin and Birdseye, and expanded with ones that focus on the songs of the birds with Song Sleuth and Bird Genie.

He also showed the Warbler Guide app which is specifically oriented toward warblers and allows for 3-D rotation of photographs (wow – how many times are you looking at a warbler from underneath and can’t ID it? This helps!). He included iNaturalist to show how you can identify more than birds when walking outdoors, and it was noted that this is a terrific app for children if you’re leading a walk with families or taking out your children or grandchildren.

And, of course, he led the group through the use of the eBird app, encouraging its use both in the field and online from home computers to aid in data collection through citizen science. eBird can be used internationally and is a terrific source of information for conservation efforts worldwide.

Ken brought along some mounted birds as well as some plush Audubon singing birds for folks to practice with.

https://youtu.be/xRmd0Gp6VCY

All in all, it was a helpful, informative workshop – we’ll offer it again! – Sarah Faulkner

2019 HARTFORD CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT SUMMARY

December 29, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

2019 HARTFORD CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT SUMMARY

If nothing else, the Christmas Bird Count never fails to offer surprises with respect to bird

species found and others missed. This year’s Count was true to form as we noted

Brant and Brown Thrasher for the first time since 2012, and Northern Pintail and Rough- legged Hawk

last seen in 2014. Alas, we missed Red-breasted Nuthatch for the first time in more than a decade.

Snow Goose and Fox Sparrow were missed for the second consecutive year, with both absent for only the third time in ten years.

Eighty-seven field observers totaled three more than in 2018, while party hours and party miles were

similar to last year’s effort. Weather was quite pleasant and mild with temperatures

reaching fifty degrees, although it was a bit on the breezy side.

The mild weather preceding Count Day melted much of the ice that had accumulated in a

colder than normal first half of December. There was no ice on rivers, and in most

locations, previously frozen still water was again partially open. Concerns that the

severe cold early in the month would eliminate most lingerers proved not to be the case

as Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Gray Catbird, Eastern Towhee and

Chipping Sparrow were all reported within our Count circle.

It is always interesting to note high and low counts for various species. A ten-year high

count was noted for Black Vulture, as the Manchester roost continues to flourish. It was

also a good year for woodpeckers with Hairy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker

reaching ten year highs. Other species reaching ten year high counts included

Bald Eagle, Common Raven, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Yellow-rumped

Warbler although the wren jumped from just one to two. Are the increased numbers

reflective of a better than average food supply for the kinglets and warblers this year?

On the other side of the coin, numerous species were reported in ten-year low numbers.

These included Mute Swan , with but a single individual found in Newington;

Wild Turkey , with but nine birds reported from Farmington as opposed to more than ninety the

previous year; Mourning Dove, Horned Lark, Brown Creeper, American Robin,

White-throated Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco.

It should be noted that the low of twenty Horned Larks was likely at least partially attributable to our inability to access the Hartford landfill this year.

There were a number of nice surprises this year. The Brant in West Hartford was the

most unusual goose reported, while a lone Greater White-fronted Goose was with

Canada Geese on the flooded playing fields of Hartford’s Riverside Park. This was the

seventh report over the past ten years for this once rare species. Other waterfowl of note

included Gadwall, Northern Pintail and Ring-necked Duck. The Gadwall was from

East Hartford and the Pintail was found in Glastonbury, while Ring-necked Duck came

from across the River in Wethersfield. An American Coot was a bonus in Glastonbury

as was a Wilson’s Snipe in South Windsor. The brown thrasher in Glastonbury was a

great pick-up as was the rough-legged hawk, seen soaring over Hartford’s Cedar Hill

Cemetery The “roughleg,”, observed initially against dark clouds was almost written

off as one of the Red-tailed Hawks that are commonly seen there. A single rusty

blackbird in South Windsor prevented us from missing this declining species for a second

consecutive year.

Count Week includes three days prior and three days following Count Day. Birds seen on

these days, but not on Count Day, itself, are designated as Count Week or Count Period

birds. No Count Week birds were reported this year, nor was a single winter finch found

on our Count. It will be interesting to see if other Connecticut Counts report winter

finches.

As has become the custom for this summary, let’s end with Crows. This year, what I

assume to be the state’s largest crow roost has moved yet again. The birds are roosting in

trees surrounded by a residential area off Talcott Street in West Hartford and not far from

the commercial area that includes Home Depot and other big box stores. It was very

difficult to count the crows flying toward the roost as they first descended into a linear

park along Trout Brook to the west of the roost. Many did not fly in until after dark. The

crows were spread out over a large area and there may have been other “sub-roosts” that

we did not locate. As such, we have decreased the crow count for this year, but it is quite

possible we are off in our estimation. Fear not, there are still a lot of crows in this roost!

Total species for the Count stands at 89, five more than last year, and close to the ten-year

average of 90.5 species.

I would like to thank all the captains, field observers and feeder watchers for your efforts this year. This was the 120th edition of the Christmas Bird Count, the longest running of all citizen science-based research projects, and we could not do it without a lot of help from our members and friends!

We hope to see many of you next year or perhaps on the Summer Bird Count scheduled the second weekend in June.

A ten-year spreadsheet for Hartford Christmas Bird Count results will be available at

upcoming monthly meetings of the Hartford Audubon Society.

It is also available by sending an email request to jaybrd49@aol.com

Best wishes for the Holiday Season and the New Year!

Jay Kaplan, Compiler

Hartford Christmas Bird Count

Hammonasset Beach State Park Trip Report – 12/8/2019

December 9, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

Submitted by trip leader, Ernie Harris

7:55 AM – 10:40 AM

Protocol: Traveling

2.5 mile(s)

Checklist Comments: 18 degrees under mostly sunny skies to start with Hartford Audubon Trip led by Ernie Harris ,and three other HAS members

36 species

Canada Goose 55

Mallard 9

American Black Duck 6

Common Eider 14

Bufflehead 2 In Swan pond

Red-breasted Merganser 2 From Cedar Is.

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 9

Ruddy Turnstone 1 On jetty

Dunlin 58

Ring-billed Gull 6

Herring Gull 44

Common Loon 1

Great Blue Heron 7

Northern Harrier 2 In field behind Nature center

Cooper’s Hawk 2

Belted Kingfisher 1 Heard calling while behind Swan pond

Red-bellied Woodpecker 1

Hairy Woodpecker 1

Northern Flicker 2

Merlin 2 Seen as we were walking back from Willard’s, in field

Blue Jay 2

American Crow 2

Black-capped Chickadee 2

Horned Lark 62

Carolina Wren 5

European Starling 300 Mostly in trees between Willard’s and Cedar Is

Northern Mockingbird 3

American Robin 5 Behind Swan pond

House Finch 4

Chipping Sparrow 1 Behind Swan pond with juniors near and under tables.

Fox Sparrow 3 Along bushes between Cedar Is and Willard’s

Dark-eyed Junco 4

White-throated Sparrow 3

Song Sparrow 6

Yellow-rumped Warbler 5

Northern Cardinal 2

Station 43 Sanctuary Report – December 2019

December 3, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

I only took over stewardship of the sanctuary in September. It was a very pleasant fall. Jay Kaplan and a few others participated in the Big Sit in October from the platform. I mowed the path into the platform a few times before the hard frost and cut back the brush along the path and around the platform.

I am thinking of having a work party day after the floods in the spring. Some of the members and have asked about the wet areas along the path to the platform and if we could build something over them. I am willing to hear any suggestions, but I think with the nature of the flooding, it will be hard to do anything permanent.

We still have a fair number of visitors to the sanctuary and the birding has been good this fall. I am hoping the birding continues to be productive through the winter and we have a good showing for the Christmas Count.

Blair Wlochowski, 12-3-19

Greenstone Hollow – 2019 Annual Report

December 3, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

Greenstone Hollow Nature Preserve continues to be a place of activity for our members. This year we held three bird walks with a total attendance of 23. We added a walk for National Trails Day, sponsored by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.

No new species were sighted this year, so the count remains at 118 species at the preserve. Sandi Jones is making regular visits to the preserve and posting her observations on eBird. I appreciate birders who enter their sightings on eBird, and encourage others to visit the preserve and record their checklists.

We held six work days, with an attendance of 24. Our main focus this year has been on maintaining the trails. Larry Lunden, Andrew Smith, Cathy Delasco, Doug Beach and Chris Fisher spread 20 cubic yards of mulch, donated by the town of East Granby, on the Kinglet Woods Trail to even out the rooty ground. Roberta Gowing agreed to work on the butterfly garden, and with the help of Paul and Vicki Margiott cleaned out all the invading plants. Two of the officers from the East Granby Land Trust, Cathy Delasco and Michelle Clifford, joined the crew. Many thanks to our continuing crew, including Stan McMillen and Karen Walsh..

Chris made two major improvements to the preserve. He installed a new set of trail and overlook name signs to replace the older ones that had deteriorated, as well as a pair of all new map signs to make it easier to navigate the preserve. This was funded by a generous donation from Susan and Sammy Samuel, who live in the neighborhood, as well as funds approved by the directors of HAS. He also put a new deck on the bridge at Bluebird Hollow to improve footing.

Our two benches have deteriorated due to weather and are no longer useable.

Chris and Doug continue to keep the trails mowed and open for visitors.

Our goals in the coming year are to continue holding bird walks and work days. We will continue our habitat improvements in the shrub swamp and wet meadow.

Larry Lunden & Chris Fisher

Greenstone Hollow Work Party Report – 10/28/2019

October 30, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

Report contributed by Christopher Fisher

We had a great work party Monday at Greenstone Hollow. We arrived to the two truckloads of mulch which the town of East Granby kindly delivered to the entrance.

Four of us showed up to work. It was a great day.

Cathy Lescoe, the president of the East Granby Land Trust kindly came to help. She was our #1 shoveler and kept filling the wheel-barrows and cart as Drew Smith and I pushed them back and forth along the trail to where……

….Larry Lunden was spreading the mulch over the trail. The purpose of all this was to smooth out a section of trail through the woods that had lots and lots of roots – making the walking hard and making it almost impossible to bring a wheel-barrow through that section.

Diane (my wife) kindly brought some cider and cheese to give us a bit more energy.

We were making good progress, and at 11:30 – after 2-½ hours of hard steady work, I suggested we call it quits. Drew and Cathy both said they thought we should keep going, so we did – until 12:15.

Here’s how far we got along the path.

The woods were beautiful and there were lots of birds around.

By the time we stopped we were about ⅔ of the way through the pile! We picked up an eggplant grinder at Drew’s suggestion and came back to our house for lunch. Hopefully one more session will let us finish this part of the path.

Greenstone Hollow Trip Report – Saturday, October 12, 2019

October 15, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

On Saturday, Oct 12, we had a beautiful morning for our Fall walk at Greenstone Hollow, the HAS nature preserve in East Granby.

Seventeen hardy souls showed up by 8 am. and we both looked for birds and toured the sanctuary. We spent some time near the North and South Beaver Ponds before heading back to the Willow Wander at the back of the property. At Paradise Meadow Overlook we had pretty good looks at both a Swamp Sparrow and a pair of Palm Warblers. It’s hard with 17 people for everyone to see everything, but between all of us, we saw 30 bird species, some with very good looks and others more fleeting.

There are still lots of birds around, so please treat yourself to a walk at Greenstone one of these days.

Chris Fisher

Here is the list as compiled by Annette Pasek and Larry Lunden.
Canada Goose 9
duck sp. 1
Mourning Dove 1
Great Blue Heron 1
Green Heron 1 Audio
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 9
American Crow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Carolina Wren 2
European Starling 10
Northern Mockingbird 1
American Robin 15
Cedar Waxwing 60
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 4
Dark-eyed Junco 2
White-throated Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 2
Eastern Towhee 1
Common Grackle 1
Palm Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 18
Northern Cardinal 2

Glastonbury Meadows Trip Report – October 5, 2019

October 7, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

On Saturday, Oct. 5, the HAS field trip to Glastonbury Meadows began with thoughts of a banner day, often the case in early October after the passage of a cold front. The sky was pure blue and temps started in the 30s, with some patches of frost showing. Sure enough, soon after our 12-person group left the parking lot, we encountered an active sparrow flock, including our first-of-fall White-throated Sparrow and a Field Sparrow.

We headed out to the Meadows through the woods along the river, where not a lot was going on, and continued down the edge of the fields, encountering a smattering of Yellow-rumps, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and a close fly-by of an adult Bald Eagle. A Red-tailed Hawk flew over carrying its breakfast to a nearby perch, and consumed it unfazed by us, finishing its meal with a swallow of the legs and feet of the small rodent. One of the leaders made a promise at the start of the walk (backed by a full money-back guarantee) of Lincoln’s Sparrow, a lifer for some. However, our vast sparrow field – acres of weed-choked rows of tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables – was abnormally quiet, producing only numerous Savannahs and Songs, a handful of Swamps, plus a couple of White-crowned. A dark blob in a tree on the horizon, probably a half-mile away, was only identifiable as a Pileated Woodpecker because one of us happened to see it land. A fine looking Merlin flew over, and one solitary Tree Swallow was spotted, the only one for the day.

A bit later on, we saw a Peregrine over the tree line. We continued to the wetlands on the west edge of the meadows. Our first stop, near the site of last year’s Big Sit, finally produced a couple of promised Lincoln’s Sparrows! Good looks by all, a lifer for a couple (and reputation intact). We reached the large marsh, and one lucky person picked out a Sora, hidden by cattails and only visible from just the right angle. With a little patience, everyone got to see it (or part of it). A few Marsh Wrens chattered, and Wood Ducks and Green-winged Teal were found. On the way back, we flushed two more Soras from an isolated field, and picked up a single Blackpoll at our last stop.

We ended with 63 species.

Respectfully submitted, Andrew Dasinger and Bill Asteriades

Lewis Farm Preserve repair work done – Thanks to Bob Winter

July 22, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

The HAS Lewis Farm Preserve was hit by a microburst on July 6th that took down the tops of a number of large trees, blocked the entrance to the preserve, and dropped some large limbs on many of the trails. A very special thank-you goes out to our property steward, Bob Winter, for his extraordinary work clearing up the mess. Bob spent 8 straight days of work with a heavy-duty chainsaw and bucket loader to clear up the entrance and trails. We are so lucky to have Bob, and other volunteers like him, who step up and do substantial work to keep our preserves open for us to enjoy.

Please drop Bob a note to thank him (robert.winter@cox.net), and do go visit the preserve soon!

Hot and a little buggy in summer, but great birding!

A tribute to Stephanie Lovell – Longtime Member of HAS

July 1, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

This June, Hartford Audubon lost a longtime beloved member, Stephanie Lovell. She was a member of HAS since 1995, President of the Society 2003-2005, Member of the Year in 2007, and led 54 trips for HAS. She is remembered for being ardent in her birding and brooking no foolishness when on the prowl. She generously shared her favorite birding haunts, participated on the HAS Facebook page, and continued to lead trips to Delmarva even after moving to Maryland to be closer to her daughter. She also was excellent at Trivial Pursuit and was a scotch connoisseur. She is missed but, as one member expressed it, probably still birding!

Hartford Audubon President,
Sarah Faulkner

Hartford Summer Bird Count Summary – June 8-9, 2019

June 24, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

The 2018 Summer Bird Count (SBC) was held June 8^th and 9^th, 2019 and featured delightful weather on both days of the weekend. Observers totaled 38, two less than the previous year. Party hours also decreased slightly to 127.5 from last year’s 135, and several key areas were lightly covered during the weekend. The Summer Bird Count, unlike mid-December’s Christmas Bird Count, competes with graduations, vacations and numerous outdoor activities, thus it is not surprising that it is difficult to generate a larger pool of participants. Participation, however, is always rewarding and one never knows what surprises await such as the sight of a Virginia Rail cavorting under a sprinkler on a golf course green at Hartford’s Goodwin Park!

Total species at 112, an increase by two over 2018, and included were a couple species new to our Count. A Tri-colored Heron at Station 43 in South Windsor and a pair of Sand hill Cranes in a Glastonbury farm field were great finds. Other birds of note included a Great Egret and some migrant Least Sandpipers in Glastonbury, a pair of Sharp-shinned hawks and a Brown Thrasher in East Hartford, and a Blue-headed Vireo in Bloomfield. Glastonbury’s marshes also produced Least Bittern and Virginia Rail, while the marshes of Station 43 produced both Virginia Rail and Sora.

In addition to the previously mentioned Sharp-shinned hawks, American Kestrels were found in two areas as were Peregrine Falcons, giving hope that these listed species continue to increase as breeding birds in the Hartford area. The kestrels are utilizing nesting boxes in South Windsor and Glastonbury (thank you Art Gingert and Tom Sayers!). There is no question that both Ospreys and Bald Eagles are doing well with several nests for both species reported along the Connecticut River. Thirteen Ospreys was a record high count, besting last year by one.

Regarding swallows, the small Purple Martin colony in Glastonbury has not grown since it was first discovered in 2015, hanging on with but four birds. Cliff Swallows in Bloomfield and West Hartford, on the other hand, totaled a record 55 birds between these two sites. Although 112 species may seem like a relatively lofty number, consider that ten species were represented by a single individual. These included Mute Swan, Ring-necked Pheasant (likely a stocked bird from the South Windsor meadows), Great Egret, Tri-colored Heron, Sora , Great Horned and Barred Owl, Blue-headed Vireo, Brown Thrasher, and Chestnut-sided Warbler. Four species found in 2018 do not appear on this year’s Count. These include Common Raven, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Grasshopper Sparrow. The latter, diligently searched for at the Hartford Landfill, could not be found this year. Other grassland birds were present including a healthy 8 Eastern Meadowlarks, one of two locations in which this declining grassland bird was located. Bobolinks were found in five areas this year for a total of 59 bird. Sadly, Rentschler Field, once the premier site for grassland birds, is now apparently being actively managed to prevent birds and birders from using the area. This in spite of the fact that plans for large scale development are now on hold. Truly a shame.

The Hartford SBC, has now completed its twenty-ninth year, providing information on the status of breeding bird populations in the Hartford area. In the second season of a three year state-wide atlas project, the Summer Bird Count will again add valuable data to this worthy effort. As compiler, I thank the area captains and the 38 participants who donated their time to participate in the Count this year. Results of ours and the other Connecticut SBCs will be published in an upcoming edition of The Connecticut Warbler, quarterly journal of the Connecticut Ornithological Association. A full accounting of those species found on the Hartford Count is available by e-mailing me at jaybrd49@aol.com

Jay Kaplan, Compiler, Hartford Summer Bird Count

Annual picnic at Northwest Park on June 11th, 2019 – a fun time for all!

June 12, 2019 / Webmaster / 0 Comments

What a terrific annual picnic at Northwest Park on June 11th! First a group of members went birdwatching and saw a number of species, then we had a delicious pot-luck supper, then held a short business meeting. It was energizing hearing about recent bird trips and sightings, listening to the stewardship reports for our preserves, and learning about the progress so far in the summer bird count. We were saddened to learn of the passing of Stephanie Lovell and heard fond remembrances of her by several members.

HAS wishes everyone a wonderful, bird-filled summer which will fly by before we know it!

Sarah Faulkner

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