Save That Ravine For Windy Days

Temperatures are starting to improve but winds ruin that. Birds are more difficult to find on windy days and birding is certainly a less pleasant experience. Rather than skipping out on birding altogether, I try to find a sheltered area. 

There is a small ravine park right down the road from me. The protection from high banks on both sides of the path makes it a great place to visit on windy days. The wind is practically non-existent here!
Instead of running for cover, birds like this beautiful male cardinal were out singing their spring songs.Blue Jays aren't the most popular birds because they come across as brash and rude to some but if you had never seen one before you might be impressed by their tailored suits.I took a closer look at a Dark-eyed Junco which will soon be on their way until next winter. I was able to hear a few new spring arrivals including Pine Warbler, Palm Warblers, and Eastern Towhees but these new arrivals were still a bit shy.

If you want to get out in nature on a windy day, just look for some well protected woods!

American Robins Weren't Always This plentiful

The American Robin is the state bird of Connecticut. Early settlers named it a robin because it had a similar red breast to the robins in Europe but the American Robin is actually a thrush, while the European robins are actually related to flycatchers. It used to be said  they were a sign of spring but they have become increasingly plentiful in the winter over the last 50 years -(They tend to eat berries more during the winter while the ground is  frozen).  

During winter bird counts in the 70's they might have tallied up 1000 total robins in Connecticut but now they are recorded by the tens of thousands. Their numbers were also affected in the past by the use of the insecticide DDT but since it was banned, the population of robins has greatly increased. There are tons of robins now but I'm not complaining (except when they declare war on your car). They are a sharp looking bird!
 

Perch Power & Snowy Egrets Don't Like Snow

I took a short ride along the shore last weekend and spied a white bird perched on top of a post that didn't look like one of the gulls. When you're looking for birds, finding a good perching area is always a good thing. Dead branches, chain-link fences and piers along the water are all spots where you may have luck seeing a nice bird out in the open.

There's a little bit of irony when it comes to naming this bird a Snowy Egret (black bill/yellow feet). You're not likely to see Snowy Egrets around where there's snow unless they get caught unexpectedly in a storm. More mild weather conditions suit them better. Then again there's always the possibility of a rebel in the bunch. The Beautiful Snowy Egrets were nearly extinct because in the 1800's women used the egret's plumes to decorate their hats. Teddy Roosevelt opened the first federal bird reservation at Pelican Island, Florida in 1903 which helped protect them from extinction. Now their populations are doing just fine.

First Ten Pre-dawn Bird Walk

I was feeling a little restless pre-dawn energy at 5:30 this morning. I was anxious to do some birding today but seeing that it was still dark and in the 20's temperature-wise, so I decided to take a brisk walk around the block to start the day.

Just as I was getting started, I heard turkeys gobbling off in the distance so I decided to keep track of the birds I heard along the way. The turkey was the first bird of the day, along with a rooster but I'm only counting the wild ones. The next birds that I heard were robins, and they were singing all over the place. 

(photos are older ones as it was too dark to take them, except for the first one which came at 6:30am).

Number 3 was the cardinal. You can hear their whistle from a mile away.

In 4th position was the more subtle whistle of the Tufted Titmouse.

Here is the complete list of pre-dawn birds in order:

1) Wild Turkey

2)Northern Cardinal

3)Tufted Titmouse

4)Song Sparrow

5)Mouring Dove

6)American Crow

7)Carolina Wren

8)Blue Jay

9) Red-winged Blackbird

10)American Goldfinch

Winter's Gone- It's A Sin To Kill A Mockingbird

 

I am glad that winter is over and spring has officially started. These icy trees are a reminder of the challenging winter we had. Much better to keep it as a memory and move on to nicer weather.

Just a couple of weeks after the photo of trees decorated with ice, nature started to feel green again. Just around the time I saw this mockingbird, I heard the news that Rober Duvall had passed away at the age of 95. 

When I saw this mockingbird it reminded me that Robert Duvall made his film debut playing Boo Radley in the movie to Kill a Mockingbird which was based on the Harper Lee novel. I remember Atticus Finch telling the little girl Scout that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird because all they do is sing. 

It must have been a good movie because I only saw it once when I was a kid and that line has been stuck in my head ever since!

Cabin Fever Has Finally Broken

After being hit with 2 feet of snow, the temperatures are finally warming. Everything is melting at a nice pace. There is something about a big snowstorm that brings a sense of community and requires everyone to switch into survival mode. It is something that you can't control. You can only control your response to the situation. In some ways it gives you a sense of focus and takes away the tangle in your mind that is created by too many choices. You just have to get it done and figure out what to eat. There is something about getting back to the basics of survival that settles the soul.

I'm not yet motivated to hit the woods but decided to break the cabin fever by taking a walk along the cleared walkways in the Wesleyan area.

I passed by the tiny Ravine Park, a walk along the trail there will come on another day.

I welcome sign of spring was a glimpse at a male Red-winged Blackbird that even bellowed out a couple of rounds of its spring croak call. Spring is so close now. I can feel it in my bones.

Merlin On Ice As Temp Exceed 20 Degrees

After getting a foot of snow we had 2 weeks of single digit temperatures, some mornings dipping below zero. I had no ambition to go birding in that weather or to even spend time outdoors. Finally, we started to get temperatures in the 20's and 30's. I can live with that, especially if it is sunny with no wind.  

I finally made my way out on such a morning. I took a ride along river road but the Connecticut River was still frozen over. 

I spent most of my time scanning the area by car and would get out if anything caught my eye. I saw about a dozen of the usual suspects including a distant Bald Eagle but the Merlin was the bird of the day. I saw it perched on top of a dead tree on my way down river. They are a medium sized falcon that is slightly larger/beefier than a Kestrel and smaller than a Peregrine. They are fierce intelligent hunters that often fly low and fast when catching prey. This one here looks like it might have a little blood on its hands.On my way back, I saw this one on the ice in the same general area. I'm not sure if it was the same bird because it has a different appearance from this angle but that could be a matter of the lighting and angle from which it is seen. I only see them sporadically so I'm no expert on them. It was good to get out again though. I can't wait to see 50 degrees. It will feel like summer after the winter we've had!

Staredown In A Pricker Bush.

I spent a little time walking along a river trail in Cromwell that leads to an area called Dead Man's Swamp. I wonder how it got it's name?

Right from the beginning I noticed a Red-shoulder watching me like a hawk. There was a large amount of bluebirds in the area but it was Blue Jays scolding another hawk that got my attention.

The Blue Jays seemed to be in an uproar over this Sharp-shinned Hawk. When I found the Hawk it was in a tangled bush in an awkward face down position staring right at a Blue Jay in the same bush. I'm guessing this is a male hawk which is similar in size to a Blue Jay. The staredown lasted for at least a minute as both birds were frozen in position. I started to wonder if the hawk was somehow tangled up with the Blue Jay looking to take advantage of the situation but eventually, the hawk flew off.

Winter Oriole & Fighting Procrastination

I went back to Hammonasset looking for a warbler I never ended up finding but this oriole was still there! It might as well hang out here until spring at this point!

Closer to home I found a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker during a walk down a neighborhood street.

I look forward to picking up the birding pace once I'm able to shrink my high priority to do list. Did you ever notice that thinking about things you should be doing can be worse than actually doing them? 

Whenever I start procrastinating, I have a flashback of a poem I read when I was a kid titled "When Thomas Takes His Pen"

Starting 2026 With A Ride Along River Road

It was cold this morning but worse than that it was very windy! I wanted to start the year off with a little bit of birding so I hopped in my car and took a cruise along river road. I stayed in the car with my heater on and the window rolled down. I only saw about a dozen species in the short time I was there. This mockingbird seemed a bit rude.

I told him to turn around and he seemed to listen to me.

I saw a dozen or 2 Common Mergansers but I enjoyed seeing this one keeping company with a solo Ring-necked Duck.

A slow and feeble start to the 2026 birding year but I still have 364 days to make up for it!