The Comfort Of Routines

I took a walk along the Connecticut River this morning. The twists and turns of life we all experience have kept me away from my  weekend birding routine. Today was the first day I was able to get back to the birding basics. Routines can become mundane and make us feel like robots, traveling though life on autopilot. Breaking away from the usual way of doing things is an opportunity to make some changes and approach things differently.

I know for myself, that I sometimes look but don't really see. It's sort of like when you drive in a trance but don't remember the journey. 

 Today, was one of those days I was able to slow down and look at one, or in this case, two birds at a time. I got back to the habit of writing down what I saw and seeing, not just looking. 

Today I was following a familiar path but I found it comforting, not boring because I missed my routine birding. 

(birds in photos 2 and 3 are Savannah Sparrows).

I was also able to view things from a different perspective.

September Just Blew Right Past Me

It's hard to believe that September is almost over. The weather in Connecticut this month was as a perfect mix of warm days and cool nights with very few extremes. I came across 37 Bobolinks at the local meadows.

 They were in heavy cover so I only managed to get glimpses of them.

 I wasn't able to do much birding but carried my camera during some travels. This is an American Goldfinch taking in a puddle at a ball field. The colorful yellow male birds probably didn't want to get their feathers dirty.

 Many of the days were dry with clean, cool air and vivid blue skies.

September seemed to blow right past me along with the Black Vultures and Broad-winged Hawks. I Plan to take time to take in the fall foliage while I'm out searching for sparrows.

Taking It From The Top In Middlefield

 We've had some refreshing fall-like weather this week. Connecticut is not known for mountains but the the trap rock ridge does provide great views from the top. The trap rock ridge was formed by volcanic activity long ago. 

 I had better luck finding birds at ground level. I caught a sneaky Green Heron hiding at the edge of a pond.

The Mute Swans don't feel the need to be sneaky. They boldly hold their ground or in this case, their water.