Wilson’s Snipe
As the snow recedes and the marshes, rivers, wetlands and wet meadows thaw, birds like this Wilson’s Snipe can finally trickle back to the north. You can’t bury your bill in the frozen earth, but thankfully for them the end of the winter’s grip is here. This late afternoon bird is being heated by that warming sun, knowing its path back to its breeding grounds will soon be easier.
Read MoreKilldeers Return
The Killdeer, one of the loudest and most visible late winter/early spring returning species, is moving north rapidly now. As you will likely hear soon enough…they’re back!
Read MoreAmerican Woodcock in March Snow
I was delighted to find this American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) feeding in the exposed leaf litter and mud thanks to the warm, flowing spring and expansive wetlands in my yard today after about six more inches of snow fell yesterday and early this morning. Note the muddy end of this shorebird’s bill showing it had been busy foraging throughout the day in this video… …and the photos below: This well-known spring species dances on the ground while foraging and in the sky while courting every March, though this year the displays may be a little later than usual. The sun is so...
Read MoreShorebird Monitor Training Completed
On Saturday, March 14, the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (Audubon Connecticut and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection completed successful training sessions for many of our fantastic past and new volunteer monitors. These citizen scientists and educators will hit the beaches come April, monitoring Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers with other species like the Least and Common Terns soon to come. If you would like to join us on the Connecticut shore this...
Read MoreFind Marked Piping Plovers
If you are birding beaches on the Atlantic Coast this spring and summer please be on the lookout for Piping Plovers bearing bands and flags. Information for reporting each flag color is provided below. If you are in Connecticut please cc both Laura.Saucier@ct.gov and ctwaterbirds@gmail.com with any reports, and feel free to email us with any questions. Please include the following information with each report: Flag and band colors, location on each leg, and any alphanumeric codes on the flags. Location of sighting Date of sighting Any photo that shows the bands and/or flag Coded black, gray,...
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