Moon Flight
There will be plenty of birds in the air tonight flying south on those north winds. Will this migration bring you your first Fox Sparrow or American Tree Sparrow of the fall tomorrow? Perhaps there will be some Snow Geese flying through the darkness to a field near you. Birds like the American Woodcock are still wrapping up their migration, and some will linger through early snowfalls. There are still dozens of species moving through the night, and good birding to you on a chilly but sunny and sensational weekend.
Read MoreRadar Migration Overnight April 3, 2015
Here’s a radar grab from the overnight period of April 2 into April 3, 2015. As you can see precipitation is moving across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic with heavier waves to the west and lighter showers to the east. Midwestern areas had strong and severe thunderstorms while the Atlantic Coast especially had moderate avian migration occurring – see the diffuse and circular areas of blue centered around radar stations contrasting with the green rain. Birds avoiding this wet weather included a lot of sparrows like the White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow and Swamp...
Read MoreSpring Migration Time!
Spring is finally here and new birds are arriving each day. One species that has already returned from their wintering grounds is the Osprey. They rejoin us each March after a very long journey as their winter quarters can be as far away as southern sections of South America. Audubon volunteers from the Menunkatuck Audubon Society have been hard at work for many years to ensure that their homes are sound and waiting for them when they arrive. The return of the Osprey highlights one of the great conservation success stories of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In the 1940’s there...
Read MoreAmerican Woodcock in March Snow
I was delighted to find this American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) feeding in the exposed leaf litter and mud thanks to the warm, flowing spring and expansive wetlands in my yard today after about six more inches of snow fell yesterday and early this morning. Note the muddy end of this shorebird’s bill showing it had been busy foraging throughout the day in this video… …and the photos below: This well-known spring species dances on the ground while foraging and in the sky while courting every March, though this year the displays may be a little later than usual. The sun is so...
Read MoreChange in Seasons Brings Plenty of Birds
Winter Bird Forecast #7 is brought to you by Audubon Connecticut in partnership with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. It is hard to believe that for some birds spring is already here. Waterfowl and diving birds like loons and grebes are already heading north and we are starting to get some northbound migrant shorebirds, including a Black-bellied Plover seen in Stratford last week. Brant geese are piling into Long Island Sound with rapidly increasing numbers. Within a few short weeks some of our nesting shorebirds, such as Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher, will be...
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