Pollinator Meadows
This morning RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser and I attended the annual meeting of the Aspetuck Land Trust at the always magnificent Trout Brook Valley Conservation Area in Weston and Easton, Connecticut with many great friends, naturalists, conservationists and caring neighbors. Thankfully incoming rain showers held off until the afternoon, but the cool and cloudy conditions kept it quiet for most insects. We joined our fellow members of the Land Management Committee to hike the property after the meeting, examining our pollinator meadows and the sizable growth of uncut grasslands that are now...
Read MoreUnintentional Disturbances Threaten Waterbirds
There are a number of activities that can unintentionally scare, disturb or even threaten the survival of our waterbirds throughout the spring and summer seasons. Even a person with good intentions can fail to realize how sensitive a bird like the Piping Plover is, feeling threatened by dogs on the leash as they still see them as a predator invading their territory, making birds more prone to abandoning the area, wasting valuable energy or separating them from eggs or young, increasing mortality. Most beaches in Connecticut ban all dogs during the warm seasons in consideration of public...
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 MoreGreat Backyard Bird Count
Winter Birds Forecast #6 is brought to you by Audubon Connecticut in partnership with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. The Great Backyard Bird Count is here! The count is sponsored by Audubon, Bird Studies Canada and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and occurs annually over President’s Day Weekend. Anyone can participate and in this case the world is your “backyard”. You can submit sightings from anywhere, not just birds you see in your yard. Observers from more than 100 countries are expected to participate in the 18th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), February...
Read MoreSnow Birds
Winter Birds Forecast #5 is brought to you by Audubon Connecticut in partnership with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. Snow Birds The weather has taken a snowy turn this winter and indications are that the trend could continue. Whether you dread the next storm or look forward to every run of the models to look for the next snow opportunity, snow is a fact of life in New England. Snow has a huge impact on both birds and birding and knowing how birds adapt to the snow can enhance your winter birding experience. One thing that nearly all of us can agree on is that...
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