Say’s Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya)! There is not much more to say about this Say’s other than the fact it was found today by Jeremy Nance with Brenda Inskeep (thank you!) at the Aspetuck Land Trust’s Trout Brook Valley Preserve in Easton/Weston, Connecticut. This is the likely third record for the state, the first being historic and the second being on private and inaccessible property, making this the first bird that birders could “chase” and see for themselves. I am a member of the Aspetuck Land Trust’s Land Management Committee, and this mega rarity comes as...
Read MoreMigrant Eastern Kingbird
Here’s an Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) ruling over a field in migration while snatching up all sorts of flying insects. The healthier our grasslands and open areas are the healthier our birds like this one will be for a prolonged migration between continents.
Read MoreLincoln’s Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)
I mentioned how Lincoln’s Sparrows were being spotted earlier than expected this year in my post about Palm Warblers from this morning (I wrote it yesterday). Sure enough, here’s my September Lincoln’s Sparrow from about 7:30AM today. I love them, and it was beautiful as always, but it is very unsettling to see another so early. Last week RTPI Development Director Linda Pierce sent me this article on Braddock Bay Bird Observatory and their increasingly early records, and one of the species named was the Lincoln’s Sparrow. I will be interested to see if we note a...
Read MoreEarly Palm Warblers
If I had to pick out one theme of the overall autumn songbird migration thus far it would have to be how oddly scheduled our birds have been. Are they checking their calendars correctly? Different parts of the region are having often different sightings, possibly based on local conditions including drought and more than double the anticipated amount of rain in some areas, of birds that “should” or “should not” be seen. Lincoln’s Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and birds like these Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum) are October species to me with that being the...
Read MoreRadar Migration September 11, 2016
Here we go again! The cold front that passed through the region this weekend has ushered in a strong northwest flow, and our birds are on the move – get out there tomorrow and enjoy it.
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