Saturday, August 31, 2019

I'll Miss These 2 Birds In The Winter

 This a place they call Del Reeves Marsh which is located out in the Meshomasic State Forest. It's a beautiful place to visit but is a little rough on my Corolla getting out there on those forest roads. They've spotted some interesting birds here including kites and recently an Olive-side Flycatcher.
 I didn't get any photos of rare birds like that today but I did come across one of the hundreds of catbirds I've seen over the summer. I'm taking them for granted right now but I thought I'd take at least one more good look at one because I know I'll be missing their inquisitive nature and smorgasbord of calls when winter arrives.
There are herons by the dozens now but they too will be scarce during the winter months. It's funny how the mind works. As despised as House Sparrows are around here, we would be searching high and low for them if they ever became extinct.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Birding In Forgotten Places

  I walked along some old places like unused railroad tracks and abandoned bridges to nowhere.
 There were some birds around like this flicker in a tree.
 I watched this hawk chase a Belted Kingfisher 3 times. Each time the Kingfisher skimmed the river and left water in its face.
Then there was a Chipping Sparrow just sitting on an old patch of tar. Visiting places I used to walk as a kid in the 70's seemed like the perfect way to get in some end of summer birding.

Monday, August 12, 2019

A Quiet Walk Through An Isolated Field

 We had a nice break from the humidity this weekend. Sunday morning. I took a long walk through the woods that leads to some fields along the Connecticut River. I encountered 44 species of birds along the way including a Black-billed Cuckoo and a Scarlet Tanager feeding its fledglings. 
This time of the year there are lots of birds in Connecticut but are tougher to see with everything being overgrown. I caught a glimpse of some Bobolinks in the field.
There were also Green Herons keeping a lookout from trees that bordered the edge of the field in the swampy areas. 

Some paces are so out of the way that it can seem like more walking than its worth to look for birds but sometimes the journey is the best part. There is something special about having an entire slice of nature pie all to yourself.