A Camping Firepit Backyard Birding Sit!

Lately, nights have been to busy to find the time to enjoy sitting by the firepit. So why not make one in the morning? I got this one started before sunrise.

The moon was still visible while I was sipping on coffee and sitting next to the warmth of the fire. I heard an owl calling in the dark.

Eventually the sun came up and I didn't want to miss my birding time. Instead of extinguishing the fire so I could run out birding somewhere I decided to stay right where I was. After all, there's always going to be birds to see in your own yard! This Red-shouldered Hawk was one of many I was able to see. Sitting in one place while birding and birding in my own yard are 2 things I always intend to do but don't always have the patience to follow through. I was able to knock both of those off my baby bucket list.

There are many ways that I to enjoy nature. Sitting by a fire with a moonlit sky, birding, and camping are 3 of my favorites. With a little creativity and imagination I was able to get a taste of all 3. The first 2 speak for themselves and camping is a frame of mind. you just have to convince yourself that your backyard is a campground!

Came Across A Kestrel At The Fairgrounds

Fall migration is in full swing so I've been keeping my eyes open for migrating hawks and increasing numbers of sparrows.

I found a few but my favorite surprises of the morning were finding a Northern Harrier which a dog scared off and this American Kestrel sitting on a post. Both Harriers and Kestrels sometimes hover while they hunt. Northern Harriers hover close to the ground while kestrels generally do it from a greater height.

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.

Zinnias Do A Good Job Attracting Butterflies!

I took a break from yardwork the other day and was pleased to see a couple of butterflies show up near the flower gardens which makes planting them all the more worthwhile! I noticed the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail kept landing on the hibiscus but didn't seem to be interested in feeding on the flowers.  It ended up on another plant with much smaller yellow flowers.Both the Monarch and swallowtail spent most of their time on the Zinnias. That seems to be the flower of choice for butterflies in my garden this year.