Productive Birding At Power Line Cuts

I spent time birding along some local Power line cuts this weekend. I find them to be a covenient place to search for birds. They have built in trails, shrubs & evergreens of various heights in the middle, and taller trees along the borders. That makes it easier to move around and see birds from various angles. 

I met up with some fellow birders on Saturday for a Hartford Audubon field trip.  Joe (leader) led us through some areas in the Maromas section of Middletown. None of us had a butterfly book handy but one member of the group was able to identity this butterfly. I'm used to seeing these butterflies very early in the year. - can you identify it? (Click here for the answer).

We saw a nice variety of birds on Saturday including a Scarlet Tanager and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (photo). At first we thought it was a female but we noticed there was a splash of red on the chest indicating it was a young male.

   On Sunday, I checked some of the power lines and an undeveloped rail trail in Portland. Some notable birds included: Prarie Warbler (above photo), American Redstart, House Wrens, Eastern Towhee,  Blue-winged Warbler, Broad-winged Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and Yellow-throated Vireo. My favorite sighting of the day was a close-up view of a Hooded Warbler. It was a brilliant male just a few feet away.  I was afraid to take the binoculars away from my eyes. When I did, the bird was gone along with the chance for a photo.

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  I had an early taste of the fall weather this weekend and it felt good to break out the binoculars again. The power line cuts made for productive birding areas this weekend. I'm looking forward to more fall weather and plenty of good birding opportunities.
 What's the most interesting bird species you've seen in your area recently?