Almost Abducted By Alien Spaceship!

 It was early in the morning when a tractor beam from a UFO lit up the forest.

 I stood frozen as I stared up into the trees trying to get a glimpse of the mother ship but the sun was just too bright for my eyes!

 When I looked down the only evidence that remained was a parasitic cowbird perched on a tire looking to take over the nests of native species and replacing the eggs with her own.

Turtle Soup At The Local Bog

It seems you have to watch what you say these days more than ever. The wrong combination of words can put you in hot water. I happened to run into some hot water down at the local bog where turtles were sunning themselves. 

Now you may have thought I was talking about soup made of turtles but that's not it at all. I've admired turtles ever since I learned that they can live to be 30, 50, and even over 100 years old!

 I was actually curious as to what turtles eat. Their soup one giant bowl of bog consisting of  flowers, grasses, delicious ingredients like snails,earthworms, grubs, and berries!

Birder Access A Little Tricky On Shoreline

 I took an early morning ride down to the shore. This time of the year gets a little tricky as you maneuver around no parking signs and locked gates.One of my favorite stops is right behind a town hall in Clinton. I was able to find this Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Willets, Glossy Ibis...

.....and a Snowy Egret. I appreciate the efforts over the years to make sure there is free access to some shoreline spots without having to have a beach pass and parking fees.

 It looks like they've changed the CT shoreline access site to make it interactive.

One Special Place For One Special Bird

 Early in the spring I go to places where I can see the greatest variety of birds but once I've had my fill it's time to slow down.

There is one special place I go every year around this time to find an Acadian Flycatcher which sounds to me like a chipmunk with the hiccups. Listen on Cornell Website: Acadian Flycatcher sound.

There's not a big variety of species here but the crystal clear stream which flows through a cool forest of evergreens and mountain laurel make it one of those places worthy of a Thoreau exploration.