Caspian Tern

by Frank Gallo, Connecticut Audubon Society’s associate director of the Coastal Center at Milford Point.
Where to find it: Although uncommon, Caspian Terns may be found in Connecticut from mid-April to early November. Two were seen at the Milford Point Coastal Center on Wednesday, September 9. Although they did not linger, there’s always the chance that they will be seen again there or other nearby coastal areas.

If you’re seeing a large, red-billed tern that flies like a gull and has a hoarse voice, you’re probably looking at a Caspian Tern.

Caspian Terns are found on every continent except Antarctica. In North America, they are rather localized breeders on both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico, and along the Great Lakes, and scattered locations along rivers and lakes throughout the interior United States and the prairie provinces of central Canada.

They winter along the southern portion of both coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, and on down through Mexico to northern South America.

In fall, adult Caspian Terns often travel with the young-of-the-year. While they often travel overland to reach Connecticut, they are most often encountered along the coast at places such as the Coastal Center at Milford Point, Sandy Point in West Haven, and Hammonasset Beach State Park and nearby sites in Madison.

How to find it: To view the sandbars at Milford Point, come at or near high tide and walk to the observation platform overlooking Long Island Sound. Walking west from the platform for 50 yards to the bend gives a lower but closer look at the bars and the mouth of the river.

At Sandy Point, walk out to either the inner or outer bar and scan the rocks, jetty, and sandbars.

At Hammonasset, park at the Meig’s Point parking lot and either scan Long Island Sound from the overlook, or walk out the moraine trail to scan the rocks and jetty off the end. Also check the coast off the west-end pavilion.

What it looks like: Caspian Terns are our largest terns, and are similar in size to Ring-billed Gulls or Royal Terns, but bulkier. Their wide wings, and slow steady wingbeats, make them appear rather gull-like in flight. They are rather blocky-headed, and have a large black-tipped red bill, a pale gray mantle, black-tipped wings, a white shallowly forked tail, and are white below, with long black legs.

Unlike the similar, more slender, Royal Tern, which shows a white forehead, except briefly during the breeding season, and has just a black trailing edge to the under-wingtip, Caspian Terns retain a black cap in all seasons (although the forehead looks speckled in winter), and show obvious broad black under-wingtips in flight.

What if the bird isn’t there? Check the sandbars, jetties, beaches, and rock outcrops at different tides. Changing tides cause the birds to move from place to place. Caspian Terns are uncommon, so finding one may require multiple visits to appropriate habitat combined with a little bit of luck.

Photos by Dick Daniels, Carolinabirds.org.

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Olive-sided Flycatcher

by Nick Bonomo
While most birders spend their August mornings along the coast searching for shorebirds and terns, those who spend these days in and around the woods might be pleasantly surprised by this early boreal migrant.

What it looks like: The Olive-sided Flycatcher is a mid-sized flycatcher that might best be described as “sturdy.” Its broad shoulders give this bird a strong and confident look as it overlooks open areas from its lofty perch. It is plain dark olive above, sometimes showing white patches at the sides of its rump when these feathers are fluffed out. Its high-contrast underside is white with dark olive breast sides, forming a “vest.” It has a short, dark tail and dark cheeks that contrast with its white throat.

Where to find it: Olive-sided Flycatchers often choose the tallest perch in the area, usually the very top of a dead snag, from which they hunt flying insects. It favors semi-forested areas, or clearings in the forests themselves. In Connecticut, they are often seen during migration near inland swamps, which best match the boggy boreal habitat in which they breed to our north.

Confusion species: The common and closely-related Eastern Wood-Pewee also has a habit of flycatching from the tops of snags, and their color pattern is vaguely similar to that of the Olive-sided Flycatcher. However, the pewee is a low-contrast blend of grays, browns, and whites, and they nearly always show distinct wingbars and have longer tails.

Another bird that can temporarily play tricks is a juvenile Cedar Waxwing due to its dark breast sides and habit of flycatching over open areas. A second look at the waxwing, however, will reveal a crest, black mask, brown back and yellow-tipped tail.

When to look: This species’ southbound migration is very early relative to other boreal breeders. Most have already passed through the region before the calendar turns to September. In spring, they are actually quite late, with their passage peaking during the last week of May and first week of June.

Conservation status: This species, like many boreal forest breeders, is in decline due to habitat loss on both its breeding and wintering grounds. It is classified by the IUCN as “Near Threatened.” Its population should be monitored for further decline, and causes of this decline must be further studied.

Photo by Dominic Sherony, Carolinabirds.org.

The post Olive-sided Flycatcher: Bird Finder for August 20 appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

Michelle Eckman, foreground, takes a selife with 3 of 20 Common Ground High School students who marched in the People’s Climate March on September 21, 2014.

We are proud and gratified that Michelle Eckman, our director of education, will be among 200 educators at the White House this week participating in a Back-to-School Climate Education summit organized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The White House press release explains:

“The event supports the Climate Education and Literacy Initiative, launched in December 2014 to connect students and citizens with the best-available, science-based information about climate change. For this event, OSTP will welcome a diverse group of approximately 200 participants – including exceptional high school students, educators, and key leaders in the education community from government, academia, philanthropies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Presentations will demonstrate new and innovative ways to increase climate-learning opportunities for students and to equip educators with science-based information and resources. The program will consist of an interactive climate “assembly,” fireside chats with senior officials, demonstrations of new free online educational resources, and a panel featuring outstanding student leaders.”

Michelle was chosen because she was one of 26 recipients of a prestigious international fellowship to develop a climate change curriculum for high school freshmen in New Haven, with a goal of expanding the curriculum to high schools throughout the state. We expect her to be reporting back from the White House later this week. Here’s what she told us:

“I am one of 26 fellows in North America who are a part of the EPA-funded program, EECapacity’s Community Climate Change Fellowship. For the past year, I have been working with my fellowship partner, Common Ground High School, in New Haven; an incredible and unique public school that focuses on environmental science and enmeshes their urban farm and neighboring state park into their curriculum.

“Our project provides pathways for students to explore multiple facets of climate change, including the science, economic impact, and inequality of social impacts on communities. This is being accomplished via project-based lesson plans in their Environmental Justice, Algebra, and Environmental Science courses; Chemistry, Global History, and others will soon follow. Ultimately, our goal is to share these lesson plans and approaches via professional development workshops, professional learning communities, conferences, etc., with other high schools in our state in hopes that educators and students grow to become climate literate citizens moved to take action.”

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Roseate Tern

by Milan Bull

An endangered species nationwide and in Connecticut, Roseate Terns can now be found with other terns as they begin to stage along our coast through August and September — and then be off, leaving the roosting sandbars suddenly empty.

What It Looks Like: This most graceful of terns is nearly white with a long, pure white, deeply forked tail projecting well beyond the wing tips when the bird is sitting (photo left). Except for more or less red at the base, its bill is black (noticeable in the photo below, in which a Roseate, left, is chasing a Common Tern). The pale rosy breast, for which the bird is named, is seldom visible. The young birds and non-breeding adults that we see now have a pale forehead. The bill is thinner than the more abundant Common Terns. Juveniles have a dark head, and scaly pattern across the back.

Photographed on Petit Manan Island

Arthur Cleveland Bent, writing in 1921 in his Life Histories of North American Gulls and Terns, describes his first encounter with a freshly killed specimen: “The softest colors of the summer sky were projected on its back and pointed wings, while its breast glowed with the faint blush of some rare seashell.”

Where To Find It: Roseates will often be found mixed in the large groups of migrating terns that are now frequenting our coastline. Sandy Point, West Haven, the sand bars at the Milford Point Coastal Center, and anywhere groups of terns are resting along the shoreline is a good location to scan for these birds.

How To Find It: While carefully looking through resting flocks of Common Terns, look for a tern with a more rounded head, thinner black bill and a tail that projects well beyond its wings. In flight, the Roseate call is a distinctive, two-note “chee-wik,” much different from the Common Tern’s descending “kee-urrr” with which it often associates.

Conservation Status: Federally and State Endangered. Roseate Terns are impacted by human recreation and disturbance in coastal breeding areas that are also being lost to gull colonies. Climate change may also prove to be an important factor, as these birds prefer to feed on shoals of sand lance (Ammodytes), which seem to be shifting north in the Atlantic.

Interesting Note: John James Audubon (1840) writing about the eggs of the Roseate Tern notes that, “Like those of the common tern and other species, they are delicious eating.”

Milan Bull is senior director of science and conservation for the Connecticut Audubon Society.

Photo by Hilary Chambers and Kirk Rogers, Carolinabirds.org 

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Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher

by Greg Hanisek
What It Looks Like: The long-popular reference to a “miniature Mockingbird” holds up pretty well. Shape and tone are reminiscent of the big mimid, although the gnatcatcher lacks the white wing markings. But keep miniature in mind. This is a small, slender bird in the warbler size category. 

Its thin bill and long tail give it a characteristic shape that makes it identifiable even when silhouetted high in a tree. In good light the blue part of blue-gray is evident on the male, as are the white outer tail feathers on the otherwise black (and very mobile) tail. Also note the thin white eye ring.

Where To Find It: Gnatcatchers are birds of lowland deciduous woods, often found in riparian habitats. They’re widespread breeders in Connecticut but least common in upland woodlands. They’re common north through Massachusetts, following the coast and valleys into the three northern New England states but disappearing in northern Maine. They have been undergoing a northward range extension.

How To Find It: Gnatcatchers often announce their presence by their distinctive and persistent call notes, usually rendered as a thin, querulous “spee” or “spee-spee-spee.” They’re very active, so a call note should lead quickly to a quickly moving bird. 

Migrants return to Connecticut in mid-April from wintering grounds in the southern U.S., Mexico and Central America. In passage they’re usually found in the same habitats they’ll occupy in the breeding season. In fall they’re on the move in August and early September, a time when many passerines quietly slip through places that are full of birdsong in May.

A day in the field during fall migration may produce a few gnatcatchers, but there’s one spot in Connecticut that consistently concentrates their movements – Lighthouse Point in New Haven. After a cold front in mid-August or early September, gnatcatchers can be found there in numbers, flitting through the trees but also in surprisingly strong overhead flight. There’s something amusingly incongruous about three or four tiny, madly flapping birds heading toward New Haven Harbor at a height of 100 feet or more. With their long tails and oval bodies, gnatctachers have been dubbed by some of the Lighthouse hawk-watchers as “flying spoons.” 

Movements are also detectable at other fall passage concentration points such as Bluff Point in Groton and Greenwich Point. The highest count for Connecticut in eBird is 50 on August 23, 2011, at Bluff Point (Glenn Williams).

Noteworthy: Arthur Cleveland Bent, in his Life Histories of North American Thrushes, Kinglets and Their Allies, writes: “Dr. Herbert Friedmann (1929) recorded the gnatcatcher as ‘a not uncommon victim of the cowbird and in some places a fairly common one.’ It must indeed be the smallest North American species thus victimized.”

Conservation Status: Least Concern  

Greg Hanisek is a retired journalist who still writes a weekly nature column for the Republican-American newspaper in Waterbury. He is editor of the Connecticut Warbler, the quarterly journal of the Connecticut Ornithological Association.

Photo by Dick Daniels, Carolinabirds.org 

The post Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher: Bird Finder for August 7 appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

Downy Woodpecker

by Kathy Van Der Aue
Anyone with a bird feeder already knows this diminutive woodpecker. At about six inches in length, this black and white clinging bird has a coast to coast distribution and is the smallest of our woodpecker family. It is here in Connecticut year round and does not migrate. 

Distinguishing it from its larger cousin, the Hairy Woodpecker is perhaps a beginning birder’s earliest identification challenge. If you see them together, the size difference is obvious, but when you glimpse one at a distance, it can be confusing. 

Bill size is the easiest field mark differentiator. The Hairy’s bill is much longer, as wide as its head, whereas the Downy has a little bill, only half the width of its head. Males have a red spot on the back of the head, females do not.

Interesting facts: Downy Woodpeckers each have a distinguishing neck nape pattern, almost like a fingerprint. I once wondered how many Downies I had visiting my feeders and photographed their nape patterns over a two week period. After carefully analyzing my photos I discovered 15 different individuals, far more than the one or two visible at any one time.

They also form long-term pair bonds, as we Connecticut Audubon Society bird banders discovered to our delight one cold fall morning. We caught a pair of Downies that already had bands, a male and a female together in our net, only a few feet apart. When we processed them we found that they had old bands with consecutive band numbers. A search of our old records disclosed that we had banded them together there at Birdcraft, five years earlier.

Conservation status: These birds are common, IUCN status of “least concern.” Don’t let the fact that these birds are easy to see spoil the delight of getting to know them better.

Kathy Van Der Aue is a member of the Fairfield Board of Governors for The Connecticut Audubon Society, and a member of the bird-banding team at Birdcraft Sanctuary.

Photo by Alan D. Wilson, Carolinabirds.org.

The post Downy Woodpecker: Bird Finder for July 31 appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

WOOD THRUSH 406

Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina

by Andy Rzeznikiewicz
It’s not too late in the season to hear the beautiful, flute-like call of the Wood Thrush throughout – as its name would indicate – the woods of rural Connecticut. Listen in the early morning and evening along quiet roads or paths.

The Wood Thrush has a reddish-brown head, back, wings, and tail, and a white breast and undersides with large dark spots on the breast and sides. It has a thicker bill than other thrush species.

Where to find it: Wood Thrushes prefer deciduous forests with a shrub understory and a lot of leaf litter to hunt insects in. They are most easily found from early May through the first week of August when they are still singing.  After that, they are very secretive and not easily observed through the end of September.

How to find it: Listen for their flute-like call in the early mornings and early evenings to better zero in on their location. Quiet wooded roads, particularly dirt roads, are good spots to observe them feeding in the roadway. Veerys also behave this way, but they lack the prominent spots on the breast and aren’t as reddish-brown in color.

The dirt roads through Natchaug State Forest in Eastford and Needle’s Eye Road in Pomfret are  good locations. Hiking trails such as the Connecticut DEEP’s Airline Trail through most of its length is another great location to spot one out in the open on the pathway. Similar types of locations throughout the state should produce observations.What if there are no Wood Thrushes? If you happen to miss out on the Wood Thrush, Ovenbirds, Veerys, Black-and-white Warblers and American Redstarts are a few of the many forest birds that can be found in similar habitat. Also check the treetops for Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Red-eyed Vireos.

Conservation status: The Wood Thrush is still a widespread and relatively common bird, but has shown a steady decline in population since the 1960s. Cowbird predation is one of the main reasons for their decline. A study in the Midwest found that in fragmented habitat most nests contained at least one cowbird egg. Fortunately wood thrushes will often have two broods per season.

At the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Bafflin Sanctuary in Pomfret, we have had a 14-year bird-banding study during nesting season and have actually observed a large increase in the numbers of Wood Thrushes. It is one of the most commonly caught birds in our study area with great numbers of young birds banded in July! 

Andy Rzeznikiewicz is sanctuary manager of The Connecticut Audubon Society’s Northeast sanctuaries.

Photo by Charlie Westerinen, Carolinabirds.org.

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Bravo to all.

Alexander R. Brash
President

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“There is a bird nest in a honeysuckle shrub on a trellis in our yard.  We have watched both a robin and male and female cardinal feeding the chicks in the nest. Is this common? We did not see the eggs prior to hatching so do not know yet what kind of chicks they are.  However, the beaks seem to be short and stubby like a cardinal, not long and thin like a robin.  We will keep looking at them to i.d. as they grow feathers.”

We forwarded the email to Milan Bull, our senior director of science and conservation, and asked him what he thought. Here’s what he said:

“It may be the case where the robin lost her young and responds to the cardinal chick’s cries for food. I’ve seen this a few times in the past. A mother can’t resist responding to the ‘feed me!’ cries of other babies.”

Photos by Dick Daniels, Carolinabirds.org.

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by Frank Gallo
Black Skimmers are one of three species of skimmers found world-wide. The others are the Indian Skimmer and the African Skimmer, both of which look very similar to our Black Skimmer. Black Skimmers have a rather floppy flight style, but feed by skimming gracefully over the water, beak submerged, to snatch up fish. They are often active at dusk and dawn and will feed into the night. Their call is a rather dog-like bark.

What it looks like: Black Skimmers are a large modified tern, nearly as long as a Royal Tern, black above, white below, with a large head, white forehead, and very long wings (44 inches). Their black-tipped red-based bill is unique among Connecticut’s birds, in having the lower mandible longer than the upper. Their pinkish-red legs are short, giving them a rather squat appearance as they stand on the beach.

Where to find it: The sandbars at our Coastal Center at Milford Point in summer are probably the most reliable place in the state to see Black Skimmers, especially in June and in late August and early September. They once bred at Sandy Point in West Haven but are now seen there only occasionally. There are occasional sightings by kayakers at the mouth of the Branford River between West Haven and Branford.

When to look: Black Skimmers are generally seen in Connecticut from May to early November.
 
Conservation status: Although Black Skimmers are relatively uncommon and occur very locally in Connecticut, they are considered a species of least concern throughout their range, which extends from New England to South America.

This week’s Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder was written by Frank Gallo, associate director of The Connecticut Audubon Society’s Milford Point Coastal Center, and edited by Communications Director Tom Andersen.

Photos courtesy of Henwell Chou (top, at the Milford Point Coastal Center), and Dick Daniels, Carolinabirds.org.

The post Black Skimmer: Bird Finder for July 2 appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

Pile

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker found in Connecticut. Crow-sized, it is an inhabitant of the mixed deciduous and coniferous forests of North America. The birds especially like forests where large old trees can be found. In Connecticut, the Pileated Woodpecker can be tracked down in almost all large forested areas year-round, if one is patient. The birds don’t seem to migrate if there is enough food to be found in their local territory. As forests returned to Connecticut in the late 1800’s and suburban development expanded beyond the city limits, this woodpecker started to be observed in backyards if large, old trees were nearby.
 
What it looks like: The Pileated Woodpecker is 16- to 19 1/2-inches long and, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is “largely a black bird with a white line from the bill through the cheek and down the neck and with a very distinctive red crest.”  As a child I thought of it as my “Woody Woodpecker” bird.

Where and How to Find It: This woodpecker is common throughout the state, though it sometimes can be difficult to find. Quite often you will hear its loud, irregular call of: Kik-kik -kikkik – kik-kik which sounds a little like a Northern Flicker but louder. Its drumming is also distinctive and can be heard from great distances. The drumming starts like a slow drumroll, loud and resonant, and speeds up toward the end.

If you are searching to see or hear a Pileated this month, try eBird. Click Explore Data and then Species Maps; insert “pileated woodpecker” for species, and chose “year round past 10 years” for date and “CT” for location.

Other interesting facts: The Pileated Woodpecker largely eats carpenter ants and wood-boring grubs as well as wild fruit and nuts. Its large chisel-like bill is responsible for making large piles of chips at the base of dead trees and large rectangular holes in the tree trunks. You will often see the pile of chips or holes before you notice the bird. This woodpecker is seen as often near or on the ground exploring downed trees as it is high up on a tree trunk.

Conservation Status: Although the pileated woodpecker was once thought to be extirpated from Connecticut, it has slowly increased in numbers as the forest habitat returned. As long as the forest habitat with large trees and snags is maintained around the state, this large woodpecker should be able to maintain its current population numbers.

This week’s Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder was written by Michael Aurelia, a member of our organization’s Board of Directors, and edited by Communications Director Tom Andersen.

 Photo by Dick Daniels, Carolinabirds.org.

The post Pileated Woodpecker: Bird Finder for June 26 appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

Miley Bull, our senior director of science and conservation, said the pinkness of the eye marks it as a true albino. Sibleyguides.com says this:

“A full or true albino (see illustration at the top of this page) is a very specific mutation with a well known genetic cause similar across all vertebrates. These birds are unable to produce melanin at all because of the absence of the required enzyme tyrosinase. All of the plumage is white and the skin is unpigmented. Even the eye is unpigmented, and appears pink or red as we see the blood vessels in the retina. Melanin serves some critical functions in vision and in protecting the eye from UV radiation, so full albino birds can’t see well and for that and other reasons don’t survive long in the wild. Adult full albino birds are essentially never seen in the wild. Note that the inability to produce melanin does not affect the red carotenoid pigments, so the red color appears more or less as usual on this bird’s feathers and bill. An albino bird is not necessarily all white!”

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Eastern Meadowlark

One of our most threatened species, the Eastern Meadowlark has slowly disappeared in Connecticut along with the large and rambling agricultural meadows that once dominated our landscape. 

To many an old farmer, the sweet and clear Tee-you, Tee-yair! sounded like “Spring is here!” Careful observers can still see and hear this bright relative of our blackbirds in open, grassy habitats, sometimes perched on fences and bushes in a few Connecticut locations, especially where hay is harvested later in the season, giving the birds ample time to nest in the grasses. It is a birder’s treasure wherever it is found.

Where to find it: The most reliable meadowlark locations during the nesting season are large grassy meadows usually larger than 20 acres in size. Here are two reliable locations: Connecticut Audubon Society’s Bafflin Sanctuary in Pomfret (ask Land Manager Andy Rzneznikiewicz for exact locations) or Rentschler Field in East Hartford (sometimes visible from Cabela’s parking area). The big meadows of the Thompson Dam in Thompson is another reliable location.

How to find it: The clear, distinctive whistled notes of the Meadowlark are really the best clue to its proximity. Scan the meadow for possible perches, such as shrubs or posts that the bird is likely singing from. It is a hard bird to miss if you are in the right location and within hearing range in the springtime.

What it looks like: Meadowlarks are about the size of a Robin with an unmistakable bright yellow breast and a dark chevron on its chest. Its back is cleverly mottled with tan and brown stripes, blending in with the grasses and effectively hiding the bird from avian predators. Also distinctive is the flight pattern of the Meadowlark — a series of stiff wing beats followed by a glide. In flight, Meadowlarks display conspicuous white outer tail feathers.

What if the bird isn’t there? Despair not! These large grasslands are home to many unique and fascinating species! Don’t overlook such surprises as Bobolinks, American Kestrels, Savannah Sparrows, Eastern Bluebirds, even the rare Grasshopper Sparrow. A trip to the grasslands in the spring is always a great adventure.

This week’s Bird Finder was written by Milan Bull, Connecticut Audubon Society’s senior director of science and conservation. As always, it was edited by Tom Andersen.

Photos by Richard Crook, top, and Mathew Paulson, Carolinabirds.org. 

The post Eastern Meadowlark — A Sweet Singer: Bird Finder for June 5. appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

Bird number 191: Upland Sandpiper. Photo by Pesayo/Carolinabirds.org

by Frank Gallo
Associate Director
Milford Point Coastal Center

It started as it always does, with the five of us standing together at midnight, in a marsh in Hartford County, with high hopes.

Our team — the Connecticut Audubon Society’s Raven Lunatics (Nick Bonomo, Patrick Dugan, Dave Tripp, Fran Zygmont and me) — was beginning its annual Big Day, a 24-hour birding competition and fundraiser for the Coastal Center at Milford Point. We hoped to raise $7,500 in pledges to support the center’s educational and conservation initiatives. It would also be a chance to best our Big Day record of 192 species and to finally reach our goal of finding 200 species in a 24-hour period in Connecticut, which no team in New England has accomplished.

Read the whole story here…

The post Big Day 2015: Chasing the State Record in Support of the Coastal Center appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

Miley, Connecticut Audubon Society’s senior director of science and conservation, will lead the group through the sanctuary’s three parcels: the 24-acre Christmas Tree farm, the 14-acre field habitat, and the 36-acre evergreen plantation.

The preserve is on Sasco Creek Road, Westport. The walk starts at 6:30 and is free. Meet at the entrance.

The post June 6 Birdwalk at H. Smith Richardson Preserve in Westport appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

Orchard Oriole

What It Looks Like: This is a handsome and distinctive species. The males lack the bright orange flash of the more common and widespread Baltimore Oriole but sport a bright chestnut and black plumage unique among North American birds. The greenish-yellow hues of the female also stand out, and the first-summer males (birds hatched during the previous June or thereabouts) are readily identified by the their black bib. Compared to the Baltimore, it’s a more slender and spritely bird.

Where To Find It: In a continental context, Orchard Orioles are primarily birds of the Midwest and the South. Not surprisingly then, Connecticut is a stronghold for them in New England. Historically, Massachusetts and Rhode Island were near their northern limits, but with northward range expansion they’re now established in coastal New Hampshire and southeastern Maine. 

As breeders they avoid large tracts of forest, preferring open areas with deciduous trees in groves, fence rows or in scattered array. 

There are strong populations in Fairfield County and up the Connecticut River Valley, but they’re scattered throughout the state in good habitat. A classic location is Northwest Park in Windsor, where the species’ propensity for nesting in  proximity or loose colonies is readily apparent. 

Other consistent spots include Connecticut Audubon Society’s Milford Point Coastal Center; Barn Island Wildlife Management Area in Stonington and Housatonic Wildlife Management Area in Kent. They’re especially easy to observe at the Connecticut Trust property across from Eli Whitney Museum in Hamden.

How To Find It: Because they nest in trees in open country, Orchard Orioles can be conspicuous flying across open areas in search of the insect prey they prefer. However, they’re most often detected by listening for the males’ (both adult and first-year) spirited, rapid burst of whistled notes. A friend once called the Baltimore Oriole “the bird with the operatic throat.” Orchard Orioles sound more like Top 40. And don’t hesitate in looking for them. They’re among the first songbirds to leave Connecticut for southern breeding areas. This is starkly illustrated by looking at eBird maps. A check for their presence in July finds them in all the expected places, but in September the maps show them virtually gone from New England. July is a good time to look, because family groups sometimes form loose flocks as they stage for departure.

Noteworthy: The Orchard Oriole’s specific scientific name – spurius, which means false – is an unfortunate artifact of early ornithological uncertainty about which age/sex forms to attribute to Orchard vs. Baltimore. As a result, a former name for our clearly legitimate Bird Finder subject was “Bastard Baltimore Oriole.”

Conservation Status: Least Concern

This week’s Bird Finder was written by Greg Hanisek. As always, it was edited by Tom Andersen.

We also featured Orchard Oriole last year, written by Andy Rzeznikiewicz. Read what he had to say.

The post Orchard Oriole — A Song Like the Top 40: Bird Finder for May 28 appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

This Important Bird Area is a great place to see warblers and other spring migrants. Free but you have to be a member of Connecticut Audubon Society. Join here.

RSVP to Allison Bryant, Membership, at abryant@ctaudubon.org or (203) 259 0416 x106.

The post Members Only! East Rock Park Bird Walk with Miley Bull appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

Cerulean Warbler

New Hope for this Connecticut Nester

In May we birders celebrate the return of the warblers, “the butterflies of the bird world.” Connecticut is in the nesting range of the rare and beautiful Cerulean Warbler and May is the best time to see it as it often stays high in the canopy, difficult to see once the trees leaf out.

A good place to see this bird in Connecticut is to take a walk on the River Road in Kent where they nest along the Housatonic River. This most pleasant stretch of the Appalachian Trail is flat and filled with many species of warblers, starting the first week in May.

To get there, take Route 7 north to Kent where you will come to the junction of Route 7 and Route 341. Take Route 341 west, cross the Housatonic River and take your first right onto Skiff Mountain Road. River Road will be about a mile down on your right at the sign for the Appalachian Trail. You can drive in to the AT parking lot and hike from there for a very birdy mile to the end, or hike the whole way (about 5 miles). If you plan to hike the whole way, it’s nice to have a car at either end. Prepare yourself ahead of time by familiarizing yourself with the bird’s buzzy song (but don’t play it in the field as this is very disruptive for the birds).

The Cerulean Warbler has suffered the worst decline of all the warblers, down 70 percent since 1966. Much of the problem stems from deforestation in its South American winter habitat but recent conservation efforts give us hope that we may continue to see this lovely little bird for years to come. Three conservation groups, led by the American Bird Conservancy, worked 10 years to secure and reforest 3,000 acres with native plants in order to connect two isolated patches of existing habitat. Private landowners joined in, planting native shade trees on land previously cleared for ranching and agriculture, especially on coffee plantations.

One way we can help is to buy shade grown coffee, especially that which has achieved “Bird Friendly” certification by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

This week’s Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder was written by Kathy Van Der Aue and edited by Tom Andersen.
Photo by Chris Livingston, Carolinabirds.org.

The post Bird Finder for May 21: Cerulean Warbler appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.

Prothonotary Warblers are relatively rare in Connecticut but there have been at least two this spring: one at our Larsen Sanctuary, in Fairfield, in late April, and another today (Monday) in Cheshire. 

What it looks like: Prothonotary Warbler is beautiful, with an incredibly bright, mustard-yellow head, throat and belly, slate-blue wings and rump, and an olive-green back. They are a relatively large warbler at 5.5 inches, with a fairly long black bill.

Where to find it: Normally Prothonotary Warblers spend their lives in swampy habitat (wetlands dominated by woody plants) from Virginia south to Florida. They nest in tree cavities, which is highly unusual for warblers – most weave nests on tree limbs or on the ground. Like other warblers, though, they forage for invertebrates.

Its former name was Golden Swamp Warbler, which may have been easier to understand than its present name. It was changed by the American Ornithological Union, which named the species for Roman Catholic priests who wore bright yellow robes in a bygone era.

How to find it: If it is around, it should be easy. Prothonotaries are not a particularly shy bird, and the intense yellow of the head makes it conspicuous. The male that was at our Larsen Sanctuary did not seem to mind the dozens of birders and photographers that came to observe him — nor did he seem to mind some trail construction that took place in his favorite foraging spots.

What if it isn’t there: You’re unlikely to be disappointed, as there are many other warblers that like similar habitats, including Ovenbird and Louisiana Waterthrush. Also be sure to take a moment to enjoy the chorus spring peepers, green frogs, tree frogs, and American toads) that will likely be vocalizing.

Conservation status: The IUCN lists Prothonotary Warblers as being of least concern, though wetland habitat is threatened by development and pollution throughout their range.

This week’s Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder was written by Michelle Eckman, director of education, and edited by Tom Andersen.

Photo by Curtzsi, Carolinabirds.org 

The post Prothonotary Warbler in Cheshire: Bird Finder for May 18 appeared first on Connecticut Audubon Society.