Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)
One of the more rare visitors to winter feeding stations, the Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) may turn up in your yard if you have a sizable and active bird community and put some seed on the ground. They will seek you out in a hurry if they are nearby and snow suddenly covers their fields and grasslands. Their bold white eye ring and such clean brown colors are very attractive.
Read MoreLow Winter Snowy Sun
This low winter snowy sun is everything that I love about January as we watch it slowly climb through the sky against our arctic tundra-like landscapes, the trees covered in snow that will be filled with buds and blooms within only a few months. Please get outside and enjoy this type of weather while you can. Our four seasons are each a spectacle to behold and a wonder to wander through. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreCommon Redpolls Arriving!
I have been very glad to see that Common Redpolls are finally arriving in many locations in the Northeast! Their numbers are not terrific and their distribution is still limited but more and more people have been spotting individuals here and there while out birding, and others have been lucky enough to end up hosting dozens of birds at their home. Have you had any of these friendly little visitors yet this January? We will keep our fingers crossed for a continuing irruption of winter finches with Pine Siskins also starting to show up more frequently once again. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation...
Read MoreWinter Bird Forecast #4 – Winter Bird Wonderland!
The latest Winter Bird Forecast from Audubon Connecticut and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History is up at WXedge.com and features falcons, redpolls, owls, hawks, feeder birds and a gull from Europe. Gyrfalcon, anyone? http://wxedge.com/2015/01/20/winter-bird-wonderland/
Read MoreSnowy Wetlands
If you can manage to discover any open wetlands in January where water still flows you may be in a store for a treat when it comes to some of the hidden birds in and around this habitat. Natural springs may run even when the temperature is well below freezing. Some streams find a way to keep warm and draw in wildlife, too. The tiny Winter Wren can be found in a place like this, hopping from rock to rock. One may turn up a very well hidden American Woodcock using the exposed earth to search for earthworms. Ruby-crowned Kinglets may be feeding at eye-level as they hope for insects in the air...
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