Less Sneaking & More Birding With Shore Pass

 There are a good number of protected areas with public access along the Connecticut shoreline.
Many of these protected areas seem to be comprised of marsh habitat that is a great place to find heron, Osprey (above) , and many other species of birds.

 American Oystercatcher

Gaining direct access to the Connecticut shoreline during the summer can be tricky. As you get closer to the sound you will start to encounter signs that read-no trespassing, private community- residents only, private beach- residents only, no parking anywhere on this street, non-residents $20 for parking, private marina customers only, private walkway-residents only and so on. 

Short-billed Dowitchers

It puts you in the uncomfortable position of having to choose between bending rules or parking in town and walking back to the shore. Even then you have to find a way to get beyond the barrier of houses and cottages which block the shoreline like an international border.

It might be easier if birders could purchase a parking pass that would allow you access along the entire Connecticut shoreline.This way the focus would be on birding and would eliminate the need to sneak around looking for parking spots and walking paths to reach the water.

Big Time Birds At Small Time Places

 I've been spending the last couple of weekends searching the Middlesex County portion of Connecticut's shoreline for birds. The major beaches are crowded in this area during the summer so I concentrated on finding small overlooked areas as potential birding spots. 

The gazebo you see above is located right behind the town hall and overlooks the Indian River Marsh. I'm sure I've drove by it a number of times but never noticed it. It's a nice place to relax and set up a scope if you get there first thing in the morning.Yellow-crowned Heron was among one of the interesting species I was able to find there. There's also a walking trail right next to it.

I've had good luck finding Yellow-crowned Night Herons this year along the shoreline in Middlesex County.

This one was right near a bridge on a tiny mud-hole of a river called Oyster River. I always thought that you had to head towards Milford to see yellow-crowned Night Herons so I've been plesantly surpised to find them closer to home.

This Cattle Egret has been hanging out near a small farm pond in Old Saybrook just down the road from a Macdonalds. Apparently it's looking for its own source of fast food. The bird was very active when I was there, picking bugs off the ground and what looked like bees from the bush. this is the first time I've seen one in Connecticut in breeding plumage.

As an added bonus, 52 Glossy Ibis dropped in next to some Canada geese to take a bath on the opposite shoreline. You'd never know that such an ordinary looking farm pond could attract such birds. That is why I have learned that a little bit of habitat can go a long  way when it comes to finding birds near the shoreline.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron At Saybrook

. I plan on spending most of the summer exploring areas in Middlesex County so I made a visit to Saybrook Point this morning. There is a little park next to the area where Dock and Dine used to be that has some marsh habitat. I was surprised at the number of Marsh Wrens there ( at least 4). I made a little squeaky noise that brought the wren a foot away from me but it only showed itself for a couple of seconds before hiding behind cover again.

I saw a heron skulking through grass on the opposite side of Oyster River and was surprised when I realized it was a Yellow-crowned Night Heron. I checked eBird and found out that they are a lot more common along central Connecticut shoreline than I had realized. 

Surprise! I'm A Lister On eBird Top 100 !

 If you were expecting to see bird photos in a post about eBird then you'll have an idea about the surprised reaction I had when I first found out that I was unknowingly on eBird.

Here are a few photos from our town fireworks display this weekend. They were taken from a cemetery atop of a hill from a couple of miles away.

Now let me tell you how I learned that I was a lister on the eBird Top 100. It was during a Christmas count that I was having a conversation about listing with a fellow birder who also enjoys listing ( keeping track of number of bird species seen on a list and actively trying to increase that number). I mentioned that I wasn't a lister other than keeping track of birds I see in January to help pass time in the winter. Then he told me: "But I've seen your name on the eBird Top 100 for Middlesex County"! 

I recently took at the fine print in eBird and found out that you are automatically enrolled in eBird top 100 (in explore data tab on right side of page) if you submit your sightings publicly but you can opt out at any time. I prefer a laid back approach to birding and I fear that if I pay too much attention to the eBird top 100 then I might become overly obsessed about it. I've already been scrolling through my personal list wondering how I've missed recording some of the most easy to find species. I also realized that I need to submit more complete lists instead of entering partial lists. 

I do like the option of keeping track of species that I see in my own county. It encourages me to focus on local sightings instead of driving all around the state.