Thursday, December 20, 2007

Giuffrida Park And Hartford Audubon CBC

A Red-tailed Hawk perched on top of light a post, along the highway, is a common sight to me, but the view I had of this one was nothing short of stunning. This Red-tail stood out so vividly as I watched it circle overhead against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky. It's interesting how quickly your perspective can change when you see something so familiar in a different light.

I saw this Hermit Thrush while I was at Giuffrida Park in Meriden on Monday morning. It was kind enough to land on a branch and show off his reddish tail before ducking into a brush pile for cover. There was also a Golden-crowned Kinglet nearby which seemed to demand my attention. It was flying from branch to branch at eye level. At one point, it came so close to me that I thought it was going to land on my head. It looked me straight in the eye from a foot away before wandering off into a different section of woods. I also noticed eight Common Mergansers swimming on the opposite shore of the parks reservoir. It's been awhile since I've seen the mergansers and I'm pleased to see that they're back.

One thing I really like about the winter is that the air often seems so clean and crisp . On days like that birds really seem to stand out in such sharp detail. Monday was a day when the trees were covered with ice and the ground was covered by a hard, crusted snow. Large numbers of American Robins were picking at crabapples that could be heard bouncing off the ice as they fell to the ground.
I spent half a day at The Hartford Audubon CBC on Saturday. I saw this American Pipit, along with three others, spending some quality time together on a pile of manure. They were bobbing their tails incessantly as they hopped around searching for bits of food. Pipits are usually hunkered down in farm fields. Watching them play King Of The Mountain made for interesting observation. Probably my favorite sighting on Saturday was that of a Winter Wren . I've heard Winter Wrens singing during the summer but this was the first time that I actually found one on my own.
Nothing is burning in this picture. It's just a steaming pile of mulch reacting to the cold air. I just thought it looked interesting. There was another CBC scheduled for Sunday but it was rescheduled for this upcoming weekend. I'm really looking forward to this one and I'm crossing my fingers that the weather holds up.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your Hermit Thrush and Golden-crowned Kinglet made me think of how interesting to note the migration patterns of birds from year to year. Last year there were no northern "Finches" where I live in PA, this year many are seeing them. Last year Hermit Thrushes and Kinglets were all over, ths year not so may. I hope you have better weather for you CBC on Sunday!
Vern

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

"...steaming pile of mulch.."
I thought for a second you were going to say it was a steaming pile of poo!

Larry said...

Pa-birder-It is interesting to follow where the birds go.-I especially enjoy watching reports of certain birds as they arrive in one corner of the state and quickly or gradually work their way over to my part of the state.

lynne-please be careful with your salty sailor language-what if a child should happen to wander upon this blog?-This type of language could traumatize them!

Anonymous said...

your hermit thrush photo just made me remember how much I miss my thrush species! Looks like the weather might be a little better (I hope)! Keep up the great work!

Patrice said...

Larry,
What does the song of a winter wren sound like to you? I'm not sure I've ever seen or heard one.

Larry said...

Monarch-The weather looks like it's going to be good for the Sunday bird count.-I enjoy seeing thrushes too.

Patrice-It has a long extended song with lots of fast musical notes.-Click on the Winter Wren link in green.--Then click sound and listen to the song of this species-it's worth hearing.

Mary said...

HA! I agree with Lynne! LOL!

Fantastic photos, Larry. You are still seeing more birds in a day than I see in a month. But you will be happy to know I've been getting out of my backyard. There's a hooded merganser waiting for you :o)

Merry Christmas!

Larry said...

mary-It's about time you dragged yourself away from the house. Now go find your own steaming pile of mulch!-oh that's right-It doesn't get very cold down your way.-
Mary Christmas to all of you as well!

Jayne said...

That shot of the Red-tailed is so beautiful Larry. LOL... the steaming pile of .... mulch. My mind also went other places..lol.

Ruth said...

Interesting post. Hope the count could proceed this weekend. I wish I could be out on a trail somewhere, but the snow is too deep without snowshoes.

Larry said...

jayne-Glad you like the Red-tail-I think the last two photos kind of mixed in my mind a bit.

ruth-I'd like to try snowshoes one of these days.

steadyjohn said...

I had a Winter Wren here in Middletown on 12/23 poking around on spilled seed on my porch. First one I've seen.

Amila Salgado said...

The RT hawk in flight looks nice

Larry said...

steadyjohn-Winter Wrens must have move in to our area.My neighbor told of one visiting his suet for the first time as well.

galliscissa-Thanks!Not nearly as nice as the photos you take on your birding tours though!

Crafty Green Poet said...

Lovely photos, being in the Uk I'm always interested to see photos of American birds. The red tailed hawk photo is stunning.