Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
I photographed this drake Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) from afar yesterday so as not to disturb it. As you can see it is looking right at home in a forested suburban pond. Many duck species are starting to appear more frequently in our area as we enter the autumn waterfowl season. We will be sure to share some of our finds with all of you. What new fall arrivals have you spotted? Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreHooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus) by Scott Kruitbosch
There are still plenty of ducks around that are nearly all paired up. These Hooded Mergansers were in downtown Jamestown on the Chadakoin River. She certainly blends in!
Read MoreBrant (Branta bernicla) by Scott Kruitbosch
Can you ID this migrant group along the Connecticut coast? These Brant (Branta bernicla) are on the move along with species like Double-crested Cormorant which can be seen in skeins in the sky all day long. Spring is exploding here!
Read MoreHeadless duck
A great variety of ducks have been pouring through Connecticut in the last month. Visiting any open coastal location inevitably leads to some excellent sightings of a bunch of species. The Housatonic River has some terrific spots to find birds like this “headless” individual. I feel like not seeing the head of this bird still makes for an easy identification…but that may because I know what it is. Huh? It can be disconcerting to try to identify a species when you cannot even see any part of the neck or head. There is something in our minds that turns it into a confusing...
Read MoreFrozen Great Lakes
This is a great graphic of the frozen Great Lakes via Martha Thierry/Detroit Free Press derived from NOAA data. I’d never felt this sort of cold in my life and I’m not surprised they have the most ice in 34 years. Many other inland open waterways to the south and on the Atlantic coast have held birds typically found on the less frozen Lakes. Spring is coming despite some more upcoming cold through mid-March and this won’t last for much longer!
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