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Posts Tagged "December"

American Tree Sparrow

Posted on Dec 29, 2015

American Tree Sparrow

Hello, winter! This little blast of frozen precipitation and cold is not going to last for long, but it is a big reminder of what season we are actually in. I thought this American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea) looked like a classic winter photo, with low light and a chilly feeling on appropriately bare branches for a wintering species. Do you have any in your yard or at your bird feeders? We are nearly to the New Year when those birding lists will be starting over once again… Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator

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White-throated Sparrow

Posted on Dec 28, 2015

White-throated Sparrow

Here’s a White-throated Sparrow enjoying the low winter sun on a sunny day, one of 72 species seen during my annual hometown Christmas Bird Count yesterday – in our section alone! I’ll show you more of the unexpected, intriguing or beautiful birds we found all week. We did successfully spot the two American Oystercatcher I recently posted about, though in the thick morning fog there were not too many good photos to be had of them or some of the early sightings. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator

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Garlic Mustard

Posted on Dec 28, 2015

Garlic Mustard

You can usually spot invasive plants in the spring by seeing what is greening up and flowering first, especially in warmer than usual seasons. The continuing high temperatures have a lot of non-native and/or invasive plant life springing up despite the fact it is winter, and Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) has been one that I noticed plenty of right now. It has been downright creepy to see so much green all over the ground, from the grass to species like this one conquering the leaf litter that has yet to decay. In certain locations in Connecticut, where there has not been a hard freeze...

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Christmas Dandelion

Posted on Dec 26, 2015

Christmas Dandelion

I photographed this lovely little dandelion blooming yesterday…yes, this is a Christmas dandelion. It was in Connecticut, the state that is a part of New England, on December 25. These temperatures may be enjoyable for some of us, but such a shift is not helping our plant or animal life. They need a prolonged, uninterrupted dormant period, and starting to “go” now only to be put back in more eventual cold and snow for a couple months may harm them later. We are likely to stay above-average for temperatures, but it will nevertheless cool off to something more seasonable. The...

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Wintering American Oystercatchers

Posted on Dec 23, 2015

Wintering 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...

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