Snowy Egret in November
I photographed this Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) earlier this week in Stratford, Connecticut, while it preened around some American Coot, Mallard, American Black Duck and Gadwall. This is not a Thanksgiving bird to expect in New England. I had no idea that Connecticut had relocated to the Gulf Coast! Thank you, climate change. Who needs to travel thousands of miles when you can park yourself in this northern tropical paradise? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreHeadless duck
A great variety of ducks have been pouring through Connecticut in the last month. Visiting any open coastal location inevitably leads to some excellent sightings of a bunch of species. The Housatonic River has some terrific spots to find birds like this “headless” individual. I feel like not seeing the head of this bird still makes for an easy identification…but that may because I know what it is. Huh? It can be disconcerting to try to identify a species when you cannot even see any part of the neck or head. There is something in our minds that turns it into a confusing...
Read MoreAmerican Coots coming to Chautauqua
In the last couple of weeks I have seen thousands of American Coot (Fulica americana) across Chautauqua County. They have started to pour into our region during this migratory period along with other types of waterfowl. These unique birds are quite different than the average duck, grebe or goose, though. The photo below shows several of them hanging out at a boat ramp at Dunkirk Harbor. This Lake Erie location held approximately 303 of the species when I visited on November 11. As you can see they are definitely not ducks and actually belong to the Rallidae family. They visit our lakes to...
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