One of the most peaceful and scenic places in Middletown is the Indian Hill Cemetery. Sowheag, who was a leader of the Wangunks in the 1600's, used to stand atop the hill here to get as bird's eye view of the wigwam settlements the in the surrounding area along the Connecticut River. You can read more in this Indian Hill Cemetery history page.

I like to find a comfortable spot on one of there benches and scan the surrounding areas for birds. Many times they will land on stones or monuments like this Northern Flicker and Eastern Bluebird did.

Flickers are woodpeckers that spend a lot of time feeding on the ground as opposed to other woodpecker species in the area which spend most of their time in trees. They also have a lot of interesting markings. Notice the moustache, black chest band, spots on the chest, and yellow under the back of the tail making this a yellow-shafted Northern Flicker.

They also have a heart-shaped marking on the back of their head. They are the second largest woodpecker in Connecticut behind the Pileated Woodpecker.