Snowy Owl Arrival
Last week I posted a photo of a Merlin that I took after missing my first Snowy Owl of the season by a few minutes, lamenting my luck. I was hopeful I would be able to pick one up again soon considering the major Snowy flight south that is occurring now. Thankfully today I spent a few hours capturing the beauty of this bird! For the most part this time was filled with chatting with friends while observing it snoozing away. A few times the very calm bird (planes, diving gulls, unintentionally close beachgoers – no problem) did a bit of preening, and most of the eyes open shots came...
Read MoreHarlequin Duck at Stratford Point
Today we were fortunate enough to host a drake Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) at Stratford Point as found by our friend Tom Murray. I took the below photo in the later afternoon during a brief moment when the sun came out from behind the clouds. These additional shots were taken earlier in the morning under those aforementioned clouds while the duck was feeding, swimming, preening, and loving those rocks as the species always does. Harlequin Ducks are a relatively rare visitor for us in Connecticut. If it is anything like the last drake Harlequin (could it be the same bird?) that...
Read MorePurple Sandpiper
We had a couple of special visitors stop by Stratford Point last week. The first was Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History President Twan Leenders who happened to spot the second, a Purple Sandpiper sitting on the rocks taking in the waves. We always feel like we should see more of the species at the site, but they tend to be found more often on the rocks offshore on the breakwater or jetties at nearby beaches. After taking a couple of direct hits from waves it flew off to the breakwater. We appreciated them both stopping by! Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach...
Read More2017 AAfCW Preliminary Results
Here is more great RTPI news from the shores of Connecticut via the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, a partnership between Audubon Connecticut, Connecticut Audubon Society, and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Preliminary estimates of nesting success for our Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers indicate we had another historic year. At the moment we believe 66 pairs of Piping Plovers fledged 100 chicks, with the pair total being the most all-time for Connecticut and the chicks the fourth highest total ever. Widespread nest washouts and predators certainly...
Read MoreAmerican Oystercatcher
I have been posting a lot about Piping Plovers in our work for the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, so I thought I should give our American Oystercatcher friends some love, too. After all, who doesn’t like their look? Even the average beachgoer takes note of this beautiful bird and its bold bill. Unfortunately a lot of storms and high tides have washed a number of Oystercatcher nests away from our beaches in Connecticut this spring. However, those that lost their eggs have been re-nesting. Our early totals are extremely promising despite these weather difficulties. We have hope...
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