January Great Egret
This is your typical January Great Egret (Ardea alba) in New England…right…wait, what? As we plan and prepare for the fifth season of the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, part of our year-round effort is NOT finding these long-legged waders during the avian wintering season in Connecticut. I photographed this bird yesterday, and today the temperature climbed to 60 with severe thunderstorms in the area. Thanks again, El Niño, and you as well, climate change. We will have a chilly week in the Northeast, and the Lake Erie snow machine will turn on dumping inches or maybe...
Read MoreWintering American Oystercatchers
The American Oystercatcher is not a species you expect to find in New England in December! These two birds were photographed on Monday, December 21, as they fed on the shores of Stratford Point near low tide. I was surprised to see them, but it was not astonishing given our continuing extreme warmth. They were flagged in my eBird report, and they will be flagged if they are re-spotted on the Stratford-Milford Christmas Bird Count this upcoming Sunday, December 27. This focal species of our efforts in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds is usually a late February or more often early...
Read MoreDecember Great Egrets
Last night I inquired about seeing long-legged waders further north than usual, and here are some! I photographed these Great Egrets, part of a group of three to sometimes six individuals, this past weekend during some surveys in Connecticut. The Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds is a year-round effort, but usually we only expect to see a handful of species at this point of the bird wintering season such as the Dunlin, Sanderling, Black-bellied Plover and Great Blue Heron. There are still Snowy Egrets hanging out in the heat, too…strange sights for a season when there is usually...
Read MoreWhite Ibis
The White Ibis has a spectacularly appealing appearance from head to toe, this one seen foraging on a beach in Florida. This is a bird of the deep south, though rarely one confused individual can wander further north. I always think of the species around this time of year after seeing a juvenile in my hometown in Connecticut in December years ago! Do you have more long-legged waders than usual in your area as we enter the holiday season? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreBlack-bellied Plover
Though this Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) is not quite living up to its name during the non-breeding season it still has a surprisingly appealing look. The plumage may initially seem dull but when it takes flight it flashes some of that namesake color with its black axillars and an always white rump and tail. The species can be found hanging out on the Atlantic Coast in many locations during the late autumn and winter. It is a bird we record nearly year-round for our work in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds.
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