Bringing Attention To Nature Preserves

There are many land trust organizations in Connecticut and throughout the United States. They buy up pieces of property that they feel has habitat with some importance. Some of these properties have trails that make them accessible to bird watchers and other nature lovers.

I recently visited the Harris Preserve on Wilcox road in Middletown Connecticut for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised by the habitat there. I found that there was a lot of evergreens, some wetland, streams, and overgrown fields that provide great cover for birds. There was also an ample supply of berries providing food for the hermit Thrushes, American Robins, and  late-season catbirds I found there. 

It is important to get places like this on the map and make people aware of them. One way to do that is to find some nice birds like this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (old photo) and then report them on eBird so that other birders will want to go check these places out themselves first hand. 

I encourage you to find nature preserves in your own area and get the word out. People work hard to secure these properties and it would be a shame to overlook them!

One Of The Most Overlooked Birds Amongst Birders

One of the most overlooked birds amongst birders is the ones in their own backyard. I spend much of my free mornings traveling around looking for birds. It's not until I need to do yardwork that I really pay close attention to the birds that are lurking around my yard. 

In this case it is a Red-shouldered Hawk perched silently in a tree. I knew we had them around because I heard them all summer. They have to be one of the noisiest hawks on earth. Kee-yar kee-yar kee-yar all day long. I don't mind though. It's a stern warning to the rodents in the area that they better stay out of trouble!