Connecticut

Each time we visit out son Brian in Connecticut, we make sure we stop at one of the many wonderful birding sites located in that state. Our personal favorite is Bent of the River Audubon Center in Southbury. This time, however, we decided to visit two different sites.....one of our old haunts, Kettletown State Park, and a new one for us, the Greenwich Audubon Center. Kettletown was fairly quiet, but the birds which were there offered us some colorful looks at some of our more common birds. We found an Eastern bluebird perched upon a light post right behind the main office and when I decided to try for a close-up of this beautifully plumaged bird, he was more than happy to oblige. Next, a Baltimore in full breeding plumage made an appearance and was quickly followed by a striking Indigo bunting. Certainly a day of spectacular colors. The following day, we journeyed to the Audubon Center at Greenwich. With over 7 miles of trails and a placid pond nestled deep in the forest, this a place we certainly need to take a closer look at. While I hiked down to Lake Mead, Sharon sat on a bench at the forest edge and had wonderful close encounters with a pair of house wrens, an Eastern bluebird couple, curious Catbirds, robins, and another Baltimore oriole. Now that many of the warblers have departed, we are finding the old standbys to be the main sightings. We did round out the day at "Sharon's bench" with a deeply hued Yellow warbler. Again, this is a site we will be sure to visit again and again in the future.

Cosh Road

With spring having finally arrived, Sharon and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and went looking for a bird we needed for our "Year-list". The bird is the Grasshopper sparrow, a somewhat ellusive bird with a penchant for secrecy. We found the bird as promised last year along a hilly road running through the farm country of Minisink. Naturally, we assumed the bird would be in exactly the same location this year, so off we went. Why birders believe that the birds don't move around from year to year is beyond me, but we do believe and this time, it paid to believe. Right in the same location as we found the Grasshopper sparrows last year, we relocated them for our latest addition to the year-list....now at 262 species. Along with the sparrows, we were treated to the spectacle of the beautiful Bobolinks working the field. One came right up alongside the road to grant us an unusually nice photo-op. What a great way to start off the month of June.