We Didn’t Expect This!
Winter Birding Forecast #3 is brought to you by Audubon Connecticut in partnership with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Last time we told you to “Expect the Unexpected”, but we certainly didn’t expect this. A Couch’s Kingbird was spotted for the first time ever in New York and it happens that this bird has been hanging out in the West Village on Lower Manhattan for several weeks before it was identified as this rare and spectacular flycatcher that should be in Texas or Mexico right now. If a Couch’s Kingbird can hang out undiscovered for several weeks on Manhattan...
Read MoreYellow-bellied Sapsucker Wells
This Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) seems to have been fleeing the scene of the crime! Winter is a good time to walk around and keep your eyes open for signs of birds and other wildlife, like these tightly-packed wells skillfully drilled by the hundreds through the bark of trees – a Sapsucker signature. It seems like there have been more reports of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers visiting feeders than usual this winter, though I admit I do not have data to support that gut feeling. Have you had any at home? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read MoreWinter Bird Forecast – We Didn’t Expect This!
Here’s our latest Winter Bird Forecast with Audubon Connecticut, our partners in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds which we are gearing up for more and more every day. But right now the waters are freezing and the birds in our landscapes are changing rapidly!
Read MoreObservations
Being a good observer takes a lot of practice, especially when working in the natural world. These day campers at Chapman State Park were working on just that in an amphibian program I got the opportunity to do with them recently. All together, we found four salamanders and through visual observations, these young explorers were able to determine that we actually had two completely different species!
Read MorePlain Plume Moth (Hellinsia homodactylus)
The Plain Plume Moth (Hellinsia homodactylus) is one of those neighbors of ours that we would never notice were we not actively seeking out such small, subtle creatures. Some of our birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and mammals can be easy to find. Spend some time outdoors trying to find the less noticeable life all around you.
Read More
