Snowy Owl
A Snowy Owl joined us at Stratford Point today after showing up in neighboring Milford, Connecticut yesterday. The species is annual at Stratford Point with the coastal grasslands property, the mouth of the Houstatonic River, the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and the mile-long Long Beach and Pleasure Beach offering various nearby feeding and resting areas. It is a very attractive section of the Atlantic Coast for Snowys on the move or looking for a place to spend a chunk of their winter. Hoping to keep it around all day (and we were successful!) I kept the picture-taking to a...
Read MoreWintering American Oystercatchers
The American Oystercatcher is not a species you expect to find in New England in December! These two birds were photographed on Monday, December 21, as they fed on the shores of Stratford Point near low tide. I was surprised to see them, but it was not astonishing given our continuing extreme warmth. They were flagged in my eBird report, and they will be flagged if they are re-spotted on the Stratford-Milford Christmas Bird Count this upcoming Sunday, December 27. This focal species of our efforts in the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds is usually a late February or more often early...
Read MoreCommon Merganser
This Common Merganser was a recent sighting off the mouth of the Housatonic River via Stratford Point where it meets Long Island Sound, typically a point too far for the species. Several individuals had been hanging out here which was a little strange considering how warm it has been with completely open rivers – we do not even go below freezing at night! Birds are doing all sorts of odd things during this stretch, and we are only getting started…the Christmas Bird Count results are starting to come in with equally unique and surprising data.
Read MoreWinter “Bird” Forecast #4 – Foxes!
Here are Stratford Point’s Red Foxes featured in last week’s winter “bird” forecast with Audubon Connecticut: http://wxedge.com/2015/12/14/foxes/
Read MoreRed Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
This Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a “vixen” (female), and the only reason I know that is because she is a dear old friend. The Red Fox pair who breed on the Stratford Point property are well known to us, and we are well known to them. The male, usually called a “dog”, has a scar on his face and a damaged eye. They are intelligent and inquisitive creatures, and they do learn a little about who is around them frequently and whether or not they are a threat. In this case she was very sleepy and sunning as she snoozed, making her all the more relaxed around me in her drowsy...
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