Category: Field Trips (Page 2 of 10)

September 16, 2023

Seven birders gathered for this hawk watch at Booth Hill in West Hartland, CT.  Weather was cloudy, however we recorded 1 Osprey, 4 Bald Eagles, 4 Sharpshins, 2 Cooper’s; 100 Broad Winged and 2 Red Tail.  Considering the weather, it was a good day for hawk watching.

September 17, 2023

A nice, sunny day with mild winds, perfect for viewing hawk migration. Six members gathered for this hawk watch. We were delighted to have our new president attend his first hawk watch event and witness his first Broad Winged kettle.  We recorded 1 Osprey, 1 Bald Eagle, 1 Cooper’s, 1 Red Shoulder, 1 American Kestrel, 187 Broad Winged.

Thanks to all who participated and look forward to even more members joining us next September.

Submitted by Joan Lupacchino & Richard Nieman.

The morning started out with overcast skies and a smaller group than usual. Walk start time 8:08 a.m.

There were seven attendees in total counting the trip leader, myself.

We walked a clockwise route starting at the golf course parking lot moving west to south to east through a wooded trail and then north past the cricket fields to make a full circle back to our cars. This standard takes approximately 2.5 hours and our walk did go on for a typical 2 hours and 37 minutes. We had 46 species substantially less than last year’s 66 on Mother’s day.

The bird that caused the group the most difficulty to find, yet the most reward was a fun sighting of a single Scarlet Tanager. High up in a canopy it took some as long as ten minutes to locate the male tanager.

There were ten warbler species in all, including Blackburnian and Cape May. Seeing 2 Swainson’s thrushes in the pathway were a delight as well.

The most unexpected bird was a Grasshopper sparrow across from the parking lot when we first started out. It was under some shrubs and next to the adjacent golf course hole, and it flew up to a nearby branch during our approach.

Trip Leader, Annette Pasek

Elizabeth Park Trails Day Birdwalk
On Saturday, June 3rd HAS sponsored a beginner’s birdwalk in Elizabeth Park, West Hartford as part of CT Trails Day.

Leader Sarah Faulkner was joined by 22 beginning birders of all ages.  While it was a quiet morning, cloudy, damp and cool, the group did see or hear 24 species including a green heron, flicker, red-bellied woodpecker, wild turkey, Carolina wren, a pair of red-tailed hawks, and a Blackpoll warbler.

Sarah taught everyone how to use binoculars and the Merlin app.

Station 43 Wetland Birds, South Windsor

On Saturday May ^27th, three birders gathered at Station 43 for a walk focused primarily on wetland nesting birds. Our small group size and enthusiasm allowed us to successfully bird the entrance road to the marsh by discovering hard-to-spot species such as Canada Warbler, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Warbling Vireo. A beautifully teed up male Orchard Oriole on a dead tree branch allowed the trip leader to place the bird in the scope for all to enjoy. A Great Crested Flycatcher and a myriad of singing Yellow Warblers accompanied us the remainder of trail until we finally reached the marsh. Once there, the sounds of Swamp Sparrows, Marsh Wrens and Red-winged Blackbirds let us know that we were in the right place! As we scanned the wetlands, a female Wood Duck was anticipatedly logged on our trip list. Moments later, the first of two Virginia Rail sightings surprised us all as it darted quickly across the pathway. Our only encounter with a Least Bittern was a good one as it flew directly in front of us before dropping into dense vegetation. A visit to the Hartford Audubon Observation Platform turned into an unexpected wet adventure thanks to a busy beaver and his impressive handiwork. From the elevated platform, birders were able to observe Eastern Kingbirds and Willow Flycatchers as well as a Green and Great Blue Herons. An Osprey was also spotted circling over the Station 43 preserve. As we splashed our way back along the road, a Virginia Rail was discovered cleaning and preening itself right out in the open! What a nice way to conclude a wetland bird walk!  We ended our day with 42 bird species.

Respectively submitted,
Paul Cianflaglione
Trip Leader

Machimoodus State Park Birding Trip

Submitted by:  Rob Mirer,  Field trip leader

Ten birders met at Machimoodus State Park in East Haddam on the mostly sunny morning of May 13.

In 4 hours of birding, we accumulated a list of 53 species. Some of the highlights were 2 Hummers, 3 Bald Eagles, Brown Thrasher, lots of Orchard Orioles, Prairie Warblers and a Wilson’ Warbler.

If you want to do a deeper dive, our list can be found in Ebird (go to hot spots, zoom in on CT, find Machimoodus in East Haddam, and open Steven Saunders checklist dated May 13.

We concluded our Fisher Meadows walk just before the rain started, but not before getting swarmed by mosquitoes. It felt like a relatively quiet morning (with a general dearth of warblers) but we manage to see Magnolia and Blackpoll Warblers and log 53 species, including a half dozen Orchard Orioles. Cedar Waxwings have finally returned in decent numbers, and we enjoyed seeing a mother Wood Duck with 12 newly hatched ducklings in tow in the Farmington River.

Penwood State Park, Bloomfield – 5/13/2023

 On Saturday May 13^th, five birders gathered at Penwood State Park in Bloomfield on what proved to be a very birdy morning walk. The newly paved parking lot area offered gatherers the opportunity to study the sounds of Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Pine Warblers. Baltimore Orioles, American Redstarts and Warbling Vireos found the tall deciduous trees along the entrance road pond inviting for both gorging on insects and potential nest sites.

As our group got farther down the path, the songs of Ovenbirds, Red-eyed Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees and Black-throated Green Warblers rang unbroken. With our sights set far into the treetops, I found it good time to remind birders the benefits of keeping a close eye on the road itself since many of our brown-backed thrushes find fallen caterpillars that way.

At least six Swainson’s Thrush, five Wood Thrush and a few Veery didn’t disappoint. As our focus reverted back to the canopy, three Broad-winged Hawks were observed heading north. Of the seventeen species of wood warblers that we discovered, sightings of a male Blackpoll Warbler, a male Black-throated Blue and hard-fought looks at a stunning Canada Warbler were truly satisfying.

Before reaching the picnic area, a pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoo flew across the road before disappearing into dense foliage. The picnic grounds offered us some thicket-loving species including Indigo Bunting, Common Yellowthroat and Gray Catbird.

Our slow-paced walk back to our cars allowed us the chance to see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Great Crested Flycatchers, and beautiful Rose-breasted Grosbeaks!

We ended our bird walk with 66 species.

 Respectively submitted,

Paul Cianflaglione, Trip Leader

Greenstone Hollow Nature Preserve

Trip Report, May 13, 2023

The day was clear and sunny.  Four of us gathered for the Greenstone trip.  The leaves were out, so most of the ID was by ear and Merlin.  Still the numbers were few.

In the pond south of the road we had a Common Yellowthroat and a Yellow Warbler both of which sang.  We heard a faint Wood Thrush in the distance.

In the shrubs we had a Blue-winged Warbler which was good as they require shrublands for nesting.  Only one Tree Swallow was seen, which was unusually few.

Over the marsh was a Baltimore Oriole which we heard and saw.

We had a total of 22 species, including 3 warblers.

Larry Lunden

Species:

Mourning Dove  1, Turkey Vulture  2, Red-bellied Woodpecker  1, Eastern Phoebe  1, Tufted Titmouse  4, Tree Swallow  1, House Wren  2, Carolina Wren  2, European Starling  11, Gray Catbird  1, Wood Thrush  1, American Robin  5, American Goldfinch  1, Song Sparrow  3, Baltimore Oriole  1, Red-winged Blackbird  5, Brown-headed Cowbird  2, Common Grackle  3, Blue-winged Warbler  1, Common Yellowthroat  2, Yellow Warbler  6, Northern Cardinal  4

By Trip Leader Larry Lunden

A sunny day greeted us as we started out the walk.  Three of us turned out to see what was in the park.  Four if you also count Merlin.

The upper level of the quarry had the usual birds. Merlin heard an Ovenbird, and we heard it off in the distance.  A Rose breasted Grosbeak was calling from a tree and we got a rear end look at it.  Another tree held a Baltimore Oriole, and we got a good look at it.  We had a flyover of a Fish Crow which we identified by call.

At the lower level we had Yellow Warblers calling near the tracks.  Also a faint Wood Thrush in the distance.

The meadows were flooded due to the recent rains, so we omitted the caravan trip.  We also studied the plants along the way.  Many were blossoming with sweet aroma.

Overall we had 21 species, and two warblers.

Larry Lunden

Species at Quarry Park:

Canada Goose  8,  Mourning Dove  7,  Red-tailed Hawk  1,  Red-bellied Woodpecker  4,  Northern Flicker  2,  Blue Jay  5,  Fish Crow  1,  Black-capped Chickadee  1,  Tufted Titmouse  2,  White-breasted Nuthatch  2,  Carolina Wren  1,  Gray Catbird  1,  Wood Thrush  1,  American Robin  14,  American Goldfinch  1,  Baltimore Oriole  1,  Red-winged Blackbird  6,  Ovenbird  1,  Yellow Warbler  2,  Northern Cardinal  3,  Rose-breasted Grosbeak  1,  Cardinal  3

By Abby Wolcott

After several days of rain, the skies were clear and a handful of birders arrived at the trail head.  We headed down into the sanctuary.  We noted the lush greenery and before long a wood thrush beckoned us with his mournful, flute-like song.  We homed in on his call and he was cooperative enough to appear with his fetching spotted pot belly.  An assortment of the usual residents made themselves known including cardinals, red bellied woodpeckers, blue jays, chickadees, and tufted titmice.  Our route took us over the Billy Goat Gruff Bridge, and we scanned the trees for warblers and a yellow warbler posted up on a branch in the sunlight making the past days of deluge seems like a distant memory.  Further on, yellow-rumped warblers flitted in the treetops and a pair of phoebes kept ahead of us on the trail with their usual tail wagging and stellar posture.

We looped around admiring the wildflowers and gazed into the vernal pools which were quiet now that the peepers and wood frogs have found their mates.  By the pools, the elusive oven bird called and called and we craned our necks to see this jaunty fellow.  He had the last laugh by staying hidden, but we vowed to return again and seek him out.

Back over the bridge, we took a side trail to the south where trillium gave us quite a show with several color varieties. We admired the wildflowers and listened for spring migrants.  As so often is the case, when we were scanning the treetops, stories were revealed about birding throughout New England and beyond and my own list of places to bird grew with each story.

We trekked up through the pine trees where, appropriately enough, a pine warbler serenaded us. We knew we couldn’t stay out all day so we headed back around the small pond at the beginning of the trail and headed up the hill. With each step we were reminded of how fortunate we were to spend a morning in this preserve of over 80 acres which has been set aside by forward thinking people and cared for by the HAS.