Brown-headed Cowbird Nestling
This spring and summer seem to have been very successful for the Brown-headed Cowbird. I realize that this is largely anecdotal, but I have had and heard a lot of sightings and stories about various species discovered feeding a hatchling or fledgling Cowbird. From the American Redstart to the Chipping Sparrow, the Yellow-throated Vireo or the Yellow Warbler, an Orchard Oriole and a Common Yellowthroat, a Blue-winged Warbler or this nest that I found and photographed a couple of weeks ago, it has been Cowbirds here, there, and everywhere. What’s the common thread? All of these birds and...
Read MoreWildLife Guards Monitoring
What a week. All of us have been extremely busy and it will continue tomorrow and Sunday and…well, every day this summer. Here are a couple photos of the Bridgeport WildLife Guards in action yesterday as they monitored the Piping Plover pair with one chick at Pleasure Beach. ‘ They also recorded all the other bird species that they saw on the shoreline while learning more about our avian neighbors. The Guards noted the chick flying today and classified it as finally having fledged officially – woo! Now they will have the opportunity to see how long each of the parents...
Read MoreTree Swallow
How have your Tree Swallow and Eastern Bluebird nest boxes fared this season? It is getting warm out there, and I hope most of the young have successfully fledged. We are already at the point of the year where barbed wire fences and power lines are being filled with swallows of various types as they fledge, disperse and begin to gather before fall migration. Keep an eye out for more uncommon species such as the Bank Swallow or Cliff Swallow sitting among your Trees or Northern Rough-wingeds. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read More2016 Bridgeport WildLife Guards
Today was the first day of training for our Crew Leaders in the 2016 Bridgeport WildLife Guards! We are happy to have a great new Crew Leader, Kari Lickey, and a terrific returning Crew Leader from last summer, Emily Allen. This week will focus on planning for the seven-week season with 10 high school students from Bridgeport, Connecticut as they join us at Pleasure Beach in Bridgeport beginning next Tuesday. They will be on duty at the shore monitoring endangered waterbirds and educating visitors, families, and friends about Pleasure Beach and its ecosystem every Tuesday through Saturday,...
Read MoreBrown-headed Cowbirds
We seem to be at the peak season of reports of, “Why is this pretty bird feeding this huge baby bird that is twice its size?!” all thanks to the native Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). Here we have a photo of a male followed by a female. The species is a brood parasite with the female laying eggs in nests of other birds to leave the burden of raising young to these unsuspecting parents by fooling them into thinking it is their own egg. It is also a rather clever way of not putting all of your eggs in one basket. These blackbirds are found in typical types of blackbird...
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