Fall is near

A morning at the Coastal Connecticut Audubon Center in Milford, CT proved that high numbers are not always the premier requisite for a good day of birding. The old saying of "quality, not quantity" was what today was all about. We had nice close looks at the local "peeps" - Least and semipalmated sandpipers, sanderlings, and Ruddy turnstones. Further out, but in nice viewing distance for the binoculars, were 4 American oystercatchers. Just being on the cobbled beach was worth the effort this morning as fall was in the air. You could feel and smell the coming changes as these birds were making their way to warmer climes for the winter. Back at the Center, a juvenile Yellow-crowned nightheron and an Eastern willet kept us entertained as we watched the two hunters work the flats. Ospreys flew overhead and an elusive clapper rail made an all-too-brief appearance. We rounded the day off with a trip to the Greenwich Audubon Center and a stopover at the Quaker Ridge Hawk Watch. A few Sharp-shinned hawks, a red-tail and a few migrating osprey sightings made for the perfect end to a fine day in the field.

After Hannah

The day after Tropical storm Hannah passed through, we traveled south to Jamaica Bay NWR in search of any birds which may have been carried north by the storm. By the time we arrived, however, the storm had long since left and the winds were zephyrs at best. The north end of the east pond was flooded from the heavy rains and with no mudflats exposed was not suitable for the waders. The south end, while a bit muddy, was much better and produced my life red-necked phalarope. At first, the bird was quite distant, but our group inched forward and the bird actually swam closer to us as we approached. Plenty of peeps, a nice shot of a Pectoral sandpiper, a bald eagle and a peregrine rounded out the day's production. Any time there is a life-bird involved, the trip has been worth the effort.

A Westchester gem

Every so often, a new site for birding comes to our attention. This week, we are visiting family in Eastchester. I got on the web and found a site nearby called the Marshlands Conservancy. Of all the locations in Westchester, this is truly a gem. The reserve has plenty of habitat to explore.....Forest, meadow, marshland and beaches are all present and all present their own assemblage of species. As we entered the forest, we immediately bumped into (almost literally) a fawn which was vocalizing a call I've never heard before in all my years in the woods. The young deer was calling to its mother for a feeding, according to the local naturalist. We later saw an adult (the mother?) skulking though the trees. Shortly afterwords, we heard a rustling high in the canopy and looked up to see a young racoon keeping watch over us. A small stream further along the trail was providing a number of goldfinches with bathing opportunities, and a molting Common yellowthroat was joining in. Even though we were here on one of the hottest days in summer and at the peak of the day, the birds were all around us....downies, flickers, Carolina wrens, robins, jays, cardinals, and on and on. We plan to return shortly to take advantage of the meadows and the marshes. This is a site which we will add to our favorites without question....a Westchester gem.