Cold Weather Car Brrrrrrding!

I generally tolerate cold weather fairly well but I was not ready for the sudden shock of temperatures in the 20's when I first walked out the door on Saturday. A persistent breeze made it even colder. I consulted with my car and we made an executive decision that it was going to be a birding-by-car-only day.

We started out at the Durham Meadows near the fairgrounds. I believe the area is called White Farm. There is a long line of dead tree snags that you can pull your car up to in case a bird lands to perch on one of them.

It seemed like a good idea but the only birds that landed on them were starlings. They may not win and popularity contests but they are sort of pretty this time of year. The white spots on their breast are a forecast that snow will soon be on its way.

 I caught a few waxwings chomping on some berries. they say that these birds sometimes become intoxicated by some of the berries they eat.

 I've found that it has been a good year for kestrels in the local fields that I visit. This one was high up in a giant evergreen near the Durham fairgrounds entrance.

I stopped by a skating pond along route 68 which is off of 16 in Durham. At first, it looked like nothing was around but then I noticed several American Pipits working their way across the pond picking out bits of food from the weedy debris sticking up through the ice.

There are a whole circuit of ponds off of route 68 between Durham,Wallingford, and Meriden. Besides the American Wigeon in the photo I found Buffleheads, American Coot, Hooded Mergansers, Green-winged Teal and lots of other good stuff.

 I probably would have seen more if I had put more effort in getting out of the car but there are several advantages of birding from your car such as: 

• you can stay warm
• you can listen to sports, NPR, or music on the radio
•  it's a good location from which to drink your coffee
•  your car makes an excellent blind so that you don't scare off good birds and makes it easier to take pictures of them
• you can cover a lot of ground by driving directly to some hot spots without spending a lot of time walking around

Of course, I'm not going to stay in my car all winter. It's not as good as being out in the field enjoying the great outdoors but birding by car can be a good option when you're dealing with wicked windy winter weather.

Connecticut Wildlife Magazine & a kestrel

I recently ordered a subscription for Connecticut Wildlife which is put out by the Connecticut DEP. They put out six issues a year and the subscription cost is only $6.00 for 1 year and you save a couple of bucks if you get a 2 or 3 year subscription. It's only about 20 pages long but there aren't any advertisements in the magazine as far as I can tell. My first issue has an interesting article about the status of the Cerulean Warbler and it's habitat in Connecticut. The front cover photo was taken by Paul Fusco (what a dandy!) and he wrote the article as well. The magazine has information about all sorts of wildlife in Connecticut. I like to keep track of the latest information about black bears, fishers, coyotes, fox, bobcats, moose, and birds in Connecticut. I also like to follow what the state is doing in terms of land management. This sometimes gives me ideas for new spots to try for birding. The order form can be found here if you are interested. (You can read the Cerulean Warbler article online at the same link in the May/June issue page 10-11 pdf). - I did not spend much time watching birds over the weekend. I made a quick check at a few local spots. The most interesting bird I found was an American Kestrel down at the Portland Fairgrounds. I was curious about how common kestrels are in Connecticut during the month of July and fortunately I have a way of finding out.
I checked a copy of Connecticut Birds by the Season by Greg Hanisek of Talking Nature With Greg Hanisek . It is in a publication called The Connecticut Warbler (volume 25 No. 1 January 2005) which is put out by the COA. Whenever I have a question about the abundance of a particular species during a certain month I refer to this. I have found it to be extremely helpful to me. It shows you by use of bar graphs just how abundant each species is during each month of the year. Looking at the listing of American Kestrel, you can see that they are rare in Connecticut during the start of July and uncommon towards the end of the month. Of course this is not an exact science. It was published in 2005 and the status of certain species has probably changed since then. I do know that this gives me a good idea of what species are around or not around at certain times of the year. It is much more detailed than what you get from a color coded map from a field guide. I'm not sure where you go to get a copy of this issue but you might be able to find out from Greg Hanisek or the COA.

Birding Connecticut's Quiet Corner Part 1

One of the most beautiful areas to visit in Connecticut is the northeastern corner of the state, also known as the "Quiet Corner". It comprises the largest portion of The Last Green Valley, a relatively undeveloped area between Boston and Washington. The region is known for its scenery, culture, historical museums, and numerous antique shops. There is another good reason to visit this area, and it is the reason that interests me the most, Birds!

The Quiet Corner is loaded with lakes, ponds, farms, and forests. For this reason, my first stop was to The Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Pomfret. I was able to get a lot of helpful information with the free brochures that were available. The staff and volunteers at the center were also very helpful in providing me with information beyond what was provided in the brochures.

As I was standing in front of the Audubon Center, I saw a hawk perched on a nearby antenna . At first I thought it might be a fake bird set up as a practical joke to trick people but closer inspection revealed a Red-tailed Hawk taking in a birds eye view of the area. During my visit I saw numerous Red-tails. You know the saying a car for every garage. Around here it should be a Red-tailed Hawk for every farm field!

My favorite birding moment of the weekend was my sighting of this female American Kestrel. The sign at the Bafflin Nature preserve that stated kestrels usually return to the area some time in April so this one was a little ahead of schedule. As you may notice, the box on which it is perched is not an American Kestrel Nestbox. I was disappointed when the it flew off because I was hoping to get closer for a better photo but...

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My disappointment quickly disappeared as the kestrel put on a thrilling aerial displays! I have seen kestrels hover hunt briefly on a couple of occasions but never like this one did. She flew up into position and hovered in one spot for as long as 45 seconds at a time while searching for prey below. This video doesn't fully capture the moment but it gives you an idea of what I witnessed. Half of the video has been edited out so that I could upload it onto the blog. I also muted the audio because the sound of the wind was too loud.

I was on my way to get some lunch when I noticed this unusual building with a sign that read Celebrations Gallery When I passed by this building my curiosity got the better of be so I pulled in to take a closer look. Inside there were very large rooms filled with bright, colorful paintings and interesting sculptures. I'm not one to spend a lot of time admiring art but I couldn't help but be impressed with what I saw.

I had lunch at the Vanilla Bean Cafe. Their philosophy is to never compromise on the quality of the food. They try to use locally grown products from the numerous farms in the area whenever possible. I really like the idea of using locally grown products. It's nice to know where your food came from and I'm sure the local farmers appreciate it too. I had half a veggie sandwich on homemade bread and a cup of clam chowder. Everything in the sandwich was so fresh tasting and flavorful too. The clams in the chowder were nice and tender with a broth that was somewhere between Rhode Island and New England style. The dining area was very relaxing with wood floors and high ceilings that made it feel very roomy. The dining area is decorated with the paintings of local artists and the cafe features musical entertainment on a regular basis.

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In my next post, I'll tell you about the rest of my adventures in the Quiet Corner including a visit to an interesting nature preserve which was the former homestead of a Pulitzer Prize winning author and naturalist-any guesses on who that might be?

Click: here -to read Birding Connecticut's Quiet Corner Part 2